The great majority of companies — and of HR professionals — lag far behind the bleeding edge of technology. So if you are one of those people who struggle with technology or use it in the most rudimentary manner, don’t feel bad, you are not alone.
There are, however, some exciting and valuable things being done with today’s technology. Let’s take a look:
•Sitting in the airport (for what seems like forever) Sheila, director of compensation for a large retailer, uses her wireless device (like, but not limited to, Blackberry) to read the e-mail and attached report on a new variable compensation program sent by her compensation consultant. She will make notes and send it back to the consultant for further revisions.
•George, the labour relations manager for a heavy equipment manufacturer, sits in the shift maintenance supervisor’s office talking about an outstanding grievance, reviewing the file on his wireless laptop that gives him access to the HR system.
•Allan, a supervisor in a potash mine, spends most of his workday within shouting distance of the mine face — a dusty, noisy, hot environment. His wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) allows him to enter data and retrieve information directly into and from the company’s human resource management system (HRMS) — in real time.
•Steven, a cashier for a major retailer, receives an alert on his register reminding him that it is time for his meal break. His cash register will automatically shut down if he does not respond to the alert.
•While waiting for her daughter’s dance class to finish, hospital nurse Joanne uses her new cell phone to browse the hospital’s intranet. The HR page lets her check her benefit balances.
•Donna is the manager responsible for the weekly schedules for all of the full-time and part-time staff at a major fast-food chain location. The new scheduling software will help her ensure that she complies with provincial legislation that does not allow minors to work later than 10 p.m. — the system will not allow her to schedule them past 9:30 p.m. In-school times and maximum hours per week considerations can also be built into the system.
•Lynda, the controller of the Canadian subsidiary of a multi-national based in the United States, has been asked to complete numerous documents to assist with the company’s Sarbanes-Oxley Act submission. Using the HRMS ad-hoc report writer she is able to get all of the information required, with just a little help from Don, the HRMS guru, who coaches her on some of the more esoteric intricacies of ad-hoc report-writing.
•Charlie is a troubleshooter for the local hydro utility. An automated alarm at an un-staffed sub-station triggers the emergency work scheduler to send him the details and dispatch him to the site. Using his cell phone he lets the system know that he has arrived, and if he doesn’t call back in a prescribed time, the system will automatically call for backup. Charlie’s pay records are automatically credited for the on-call work and the operations staff can see updates where and when needed.
•Charlene, Gary, Cheval and Estavan are all applying for a new sales position. Using the Internet they each submit their application, complete a test designed for that particular position and get personalized details about the closest branch where they will be interviewed. The test is a computerized adaptive test (CAT) so that the applicant’s responses to the initial questions will lead to subsequent questions targeting that particular applicant’s apparent knowledge levels. Marva, the HR recruiter, gets a daily summary report showing the number of applicants and test scores — integrated with the results of all other applicants for this position.
•Maurice, the CFO of a high-tech manufacturer, freely admits that he is not technically savvy. Still, when he turns on his office computer it automatically brings up the company’s portal, and there, in the lower right-hand quadrant — the HR section — a mere mouse click brings up his list of four key management reports, each updated to that very moment.
What do all of these real examples tell us?
First, technology is great for expanding your reach. You can stay in touch when you are mobile, whether travelling across town, across the country or just across the plant floor. “I left it in my office” is rapidly becoming an obsolete excuse.
Second, it isn’t just HR that benefits. The concepts of managerial self service and employee self service (see sidebar) can make interactivity with HR, payroll, time and other administrative systems a reality, if properly designed and managed.
Third, it isn’t just administrative functions that benefit. Executives get access to much better and more timely information designed for their particular levels of interest, and saving them the need for extensive technical skill.
Fourth, communication with employees — even with those without a phone or e-mail — can be as immediate as required.
Most of these examples are based on a significant investment, not just in a core human resource system — although that is vital — but in tailoring that primary system and any specialized parts into a well-thought-out and integrated whole.
A cost-benefit analysis of each of these would show that technology can and does make a difference when properly applied to the right situations. While the concepts are simple, making it happen is not. Selecting the right systems makes it possible. Managing and tailoring the systems make it work.
Ian Turnbull is managing partner of Laird & Greer Management Consultants, specializing in HR, payroll and time system selection and management. He is co-author of two books on HRMS, the latter being: HRMS: A Practical Approach (1999, Carswell). He may be contacted at [email protected] or (416) 618-0052.
Build it, but they may not come
Proponents of self service argue that as most employees now have Internet access, the web should be the primary delivery system of employee information.
Home access ain’t what it’s said to be
Home access is usually determined by dividing the computers sold and the number of households, yielding a percentage of households with a computer (often quoted as 50 per cent). Families that have four people and five computers, and professionals with more than one machine, often two for each person (desktop and laptop), throw these statistics off by a significant margin.
And even if the percentage of employees who do not have Internet access is small, other tools still have to be used.
Other home issues include security and the quality of Internet service, as high-speed access is still not common. Many IT shops struggle with allowing home access to their networks. In short, home-based employee self service is not an option that a huge majority can enjoy — at least not yet.
At work
Access at work can also be problematic. Yes, workers may have Internet access, but do you want them to use it for employee self service? Bank tellers and nurses (to pick two examples) normally have Internet access, but in neither case does management want them perusing the web instead of working (and being seen to work).
Finally, in the words of a large telecommunications firm that has jumped with both feet into self service, “If you build it, they will not come.” In other words, after you solve the access issues, you still have to build reasons for people to use it.
There are, however, some exciting and valuable things being done with today’s technology. Let’s take a look:
•Sitting in the airport (for what seems like forever) Sheila, director of compensation for a large retailer, uses her wireless device (like, but not limited to, Blackberry) to read the e-mail and attached report on a new variable compensation program sent by her compensation consultant. She will make notes and send it back to the consultant for further revisions.
•George, the labour relations manager for a heavy equipment manufacturer, sits in the shift maintenance supervisor’s office talking about an outstanding grievance, reviewing the file on his wireless laptop that gives him access to the HR system.
•Allan, a supervisor in a potash mine, spends most of his workday within shouting distance of the mine face — a dusty, noisy, hot environment. His wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) allows him to enter data and retrieve information directly into and from the company’s human resource management system (HRMS) — in real time.
•Steven, a cashier for a major retailer, receives an alert on his register reminding him that it is time for his meal break. His cash register will automatically shut down if he does not respond to the alert.
•While waiting for her daughter’s dance class to finish, hospital nurse Joanne uses her new cell phone to browse the hospital’s intranet. The HR page lets her check her benefit balances.
•Donna is the manager responsible for the weekly schedules for all of the full-time and part-time staff at a major fast-food chain location. The new scheduling software will help her ensure that she complies with provincial legislation that does not allow minors to work later than 10 p.m. — the system will not allow her to schedule them past 9:30 p.m. In-school times and maximum hours per week considerations can also be built into the system.
•Lynda, the controller of the Canadian subsidiary of a multi-national based in the United States, has been asked to complete numerous documents to assist with the company’s Sarbanes-Oxley Act submission. Using the HRMS ad-hoc report writer she is able to get all of the information required, with just a little help from Don, the HRMS guru, who coaches her on some of the more esoteric intricacies of ad-hoc report-writing.
•Charlie is a troubleshooter for the local hydro utility. An automated alarm at an un-staffed sub-station triggers the emergency work scheduler to send him the details and dispatch him to the site. Using his cell phone he lets the system know that he has arrived, and if he doesn’t call back in a prescribed time, the system will automatically call for backup. Charlie’s pay records are automatically credited for the on-call work and the operations staff can see updates where and when needed.
•Charlene, Gary, Cheval and Estavan are all applying for a new sales position. Using the Internet they each submit their application, complete a test designed for that particular position and get personalized details about the closest branch where they will be interviewed. The test is a computerized adaptive test (CAT) so that the applicant’s responses to the initial questions will lead to subsequent questions targeting that particular applicant’s apparent knowledge levels. Marva, the HR recruiter, gets a daily summary report showing the number of applicants and test scores — integrated with the results of all other applicants for this position.
•Maurice, the CFO of a high-tech manufacturer, freely admits that he is not technically savvy. Still, when he turns on his office computer it automatically brings up the company’s portal, and there, in the lower right-hand quadrant — the HR section — a mere mouse click brings up his list of four key management reports, each updated to that very moment.
What do all of these real examples tell us?
First, technology is great for expanding your reach. You can stay in touch when you are mobile, whether travelling across town, across the country or just across the plant floor. “I left it in my office” is rapidly becoming an obsolete excuse.
Second, it isn’t just HR that benefits. The concepts of managerial self service and employee self service (see sidebar) can make interactivity with HR, payroll, time and other administrative systems a reality, if properly designed and managed.
Third, it isn’t just administrative functions that benefit. Executives get access to much better and more timely information designed for their particular levels of interest, and saving them the need for extensive technical skill.
Fourth, communication with employees — even with those without a phone or e-mail — can be as immediate as required.
Most of these examples are based on a significant investment, not just in a core human resource system — although that is vital — but in tailoring that primary system and any specialized parts into a well-thought-out and integrated whole.
A cost-benefit analysis of each of these would show that technology can and does make a difference when properly applied to the right situations. While the concepts are simple, making it happen is not. Selecting the right systems makes it possible. Managing and tailoring the systems make it work.
Ian Turnbull is managing partner of Laird & Greer Management Consultants, specializing in HR, payroll and time system selection and management. He is co-author of two books on HRMS, the latter being: HRMS: A Practical Approach (1999, Carswell). He may be contacted at [email protected] or (416) 618-0052.
Build it, but they may not come
Proponents of self service argue that as most employees now have Internet access, the web should be the primary delivery system of employee information.
Home access ain’t what it’s said to be
Home access is usually determined by dividing the computers sold and the number of households, yielding a percentage of households with a computer (often quoted as 50 per cent). Families that have four people and five computers, and professionals with more than one machine, often two for each person (desktop and laptop), throw these statistics off by a significant margin.
And even if the percentage of employees who do not have Internet access is small, other tools still have to be used.
Other home issues include security and the quality of Internet service, as high-speed access is still not common. Many IT shops struggle with allowing home access to their networks. In short, home-based employee self service is not an option that a huge majority can enjoy — at least not yet.
At work
Access at work can also be problematic. Yes, workers may have Internet access, but do you want them to use it for employee self service? Bank tellers and nurses (to pick two examples) normally have Internet access, but in neither case does management want them perusing the web instead of working (and being seen to work).
Finally, in the words of a large telecommunications firm that has jumped with both feet into self service, “If you build it, they will not come.” In other words, after you solve the access issues, you still have to build reasons for people to use it.
