Managing Change successfully with HR software implementations

You have invested in the new HR software, why are you not seeing the return on investment?

You have just spent a huge amount of time and money implementing a new HR recruitment system and while it has helped greatly, the results are still not as good as you had expected.

This is one of the most common things that I hear from organisations whom I work with. There was a great buzz and excitement created around HR and IT when the software was purchased, a great plan was put in place, training was carried out and detailed user guides were distributed, yet:

• Reporting still does not add up – users are not using the software correctly and as a result the data used for reporting is inaccurate
• Applicants are still not been corresponded to in a timely manner and are ringing up HR for feedback even though this software should make this task very easy for users to carry out
• Hiring Managers are complaining that they don’t like the system and “preferred the old way”
• Senior Management are complaining that they don’t have instant access to the key metrics they want for financial planning
• External recruitment consultants are unhappy that they have to go through an agency portal instead of having direct access to hiring managers

I’m guessing that if you have been responsible for the implementation of a HR recruitment system that some of these sound familiar. If you have and they are not, PLEASE respond and tell me your secrets!!

The process of change management includes planning in a thoughtful and sensitive way whilst ensuring that you consult and involve those who are affected by the changes. Trying to force change on people even if you absolutely believe the change will be better for them can result in problems.

Before implementing the change it is important to set your objectives and ensure that they are realistic, measurable and achievable. Many organisations implement technology with a loose set of objectives or specific ones but no means to measure if they get there or indeed if they are on the correct path to get there.

While it is important to recognise the stake holders  involved in the change it is very important to understand who will be affected most by this and why they will be affected.

As with stages of grief there are said to be stages in adapting to change:

1. Shock
2. Defensive retreat
3. Acknowledgement
4. Acceptance & Adaptation

If yours is an organisation with a culture of continuous rather than discontinuous change this will be easier to manage but none the less it still must be managed.

You must assume that there will be issues to overcome regarding change and put plans in place to address these.

People who may be affected can be internal or external. Internal examples may include stakeholders, other departments, HR users and hiring managers

External examples could include job agencies, job board account managers, and applicants.

These people will have different reasons for having difficulties in changing and the degrees of which will differ but none the less it is a change for all of them.

It is important to recognise where people are in the process and rather than force them through the stages, empathise and understand and facilitate them moving through to acceptance & adaptation.

In the early stage of the project however there are a number of steps which you can take to help minimise the amount of issues which you will face and make a smoother change.

Consult with the people who will be affected as the change must involve them not be imposed on them. By feeling more a sense of ownership over what is happening they may be more likely to try and adapt more quickly.

If appropriate arrange workshops to help achieve understanding, involvement and understanding

Encourage management to use face to face communication where the chance is of a sensitive nature

Identify “fears” that people may have and allow you to address them when presenting your document and the new system to others.

Ensure that fears about how this will be used are addressed by ensuring adequate training, user guides, available help and process mapping.

Map out the benefits which are available to each unit affected so that they can see how it is of benefit not only to them but also to the organisation as a whole

Company	Improves efficiency attracts better class of employee Reduces operational cost to the business
Human Resources	Reduce departmental spend on recruiting Reduce overhead in recruiting Improved status within the organisation Better tracking of process Better & more accurate reporting mechanisms
Hiring Managers	Only have to deal with suitable applicants (screening) All information in one place (login) Save time having to recruit and focus on day to day job Fill vacancies more quickly
Others	Reduce dependence on internal  IT Improved access to data/trends related to recruitment Better adherence to Data protection legalisation / compliance issues

Tips for an effective Corporate Careers Page

With adoption of on-line recruitment by the majority of organisations, the Corporate Careers page is the place where companies can differentiate themselves from their competitors.  

Human interaction is being removed from the initial application process; this careers site is your company brochure. The differences between a mediocre and a good site can be very valuable indeed.

Many corporate sites are still developed by web designers with little or no experience in recruitment and are only given little input by HR.

There is so much to gain by creating an effective site that this should not be treated as just another page on the corporate website.

Here are some tips to help make your careers site more effective:

1. Ensure that language used on the site and particularly on job description is clear. Don’t use company specific terminology, only use industry specific terminology if it is an expectation that any applicant suitable to apply should understand. Also make sure that job titles are clear and are appropriate to what the job is!
2.  Make it easy to navigate. As an applicant is it is frustrating to have to spend time searching through site maps to find vacancies, clicking on links that don’t work or having to click through a multitude of pages just to get to the one you want.
3.  Ensure that links are used to direct people to your careers page not away from it. The use of social media pages such as LinkedIn and Facebook are great for extending your public profile and directing them to your site. When they are there, don’t encourage them away by telling them how good your Facebook page is and that they should check it out!
4.  Use career profiles of existing employees. This helps potential applicants get a real feel for career progression within your organisation and really helps personalise the company. Creating videos through youtube can be used an even more powerful extension of this which can then be embedded in your site.
5. Describe the application process – this helps to give an added element of professionalism and warmth to the site and makes an applicant that bit re-assured about the process. Be careful however that if you state that all applications are acknowledged within 48 hours that you do! Many applicant tracking systems will provide automated functionality to assist in this.

Increase in staff turnover – are you prepared?

According to a recently published study by PM Online a quarter of British adults have a very strong desire to change their job more than anything else with only 12 per cent describing themselves as perfectly happy.  In recent times many employees may have been reluctant to take a chance and have held on in their current employer despite being unhappy.

 However with the increase in positions becoming available, many are now taking the chance and moving. Their roles in many cases are being filled by employees from other companies creating an accelerated merry go round effect. While this is not an unusual practice, it has the potential of being greatly accelerated, resulting in companies finding a sudden surge in staff turnover.

 It is vitally important that HR recruiters are prepared for this situation and have a plan in place to be able to quickly replace these people in a swift manner without compromising on quality or exceeding budgets. The importance of building up a strong pool of potential employees cannot be stressed enough.

 This can be through a combination of a number of factors including a speculative application policy, ensuring an efficient process from requisition through to interviewing to getting employees on board. Building up a strong brand and good networking will allow your company to greatly reduce your exposure to this and build on your Talent Management objectives.

 What are yours?

To get the most of your IT training course provider, what do you need to consider?

To get the most of your IT training course provider, what do you need to consider?

IT training when carried out effectively, is an investment not an expense. What is important here is not how much we spend but rather what we can do better as a result and how this translates into you running your IT department in a more effective manner.

While this is not something which is easy to measure, there are a number of things which you can do to ensure that you are getting the best provider and course available for this particular requirement.

Prior to speaking to IT training provider, decide what options for delivery are options and which are not. Factors to consider are:

1. How long can I release staff for?
2. Can I release them all together?
3. Does my course need to be on a neutral site?
4. How far can my staff travel for IT training?

These are all crucial decisions to make which some people do not fully consider until after they are on the road to choosing a course provider.

The next step is to make a list of the IT training providers who can provide the training services which you need and communicate clearly with IT training providers giving them a good background of existing skill levels.

Be clear on the objectives you wish to achieve from this training. When the course is finished “what do you want attendees to be able to do which they could not before the course”. The clearer that you can be about this the more likely you will get what you want from the course.

Thirdly set time aside to discuss any relevant topics surrounding the course which the training company may have, this may include speaking with a trainer. They may have suggestions which you had not previously thought of which may make the delivery of this training more effective.

Finally: have a checklist of questions which you may what to know about the IT training provider, these may include things such as:

Do they fully understand my objectives? Do they fully understand my objectives? When was the last time someone actually took the time to speak to you to gain an understanding of what you are trying to achieve?

Do they offer skill assessments before and after the IT training? For some organisations this is more important that others, however any good IT training provider should provide this as standard. In particular when your delegates walk into a training room on day one on order to prepare properly the trainer should have an idea of the backgrounds and skill levels of the delegates attending the training.

Does their course deliver the required level of customisation? You need to ask am I paying for chapters or modules which are of no relevance to how we do things here? Just as important to consider is that of there are any topics specific to what you do, see if these can be included. This will ensure that you gain as much as possible from purchasing this course.

Training is an investment rather than an expense but that does not mean that you should not aim to get as much as possible from your investment!

Does the course represent value for money? Remember, this doesn’t necessarily mean it is the cheapest.

In short, you want to find a training provider who is committed to developing an ongoing working relationship with, who understand your business and the current challenges which you are facing in trying to increase operational efficiency within your IT department.

Star Trek and Technology

My colleague is due to launch a blog post on how Star trek has influenced the world of technology….let’s see!

The use of social media by IT professionals in Ireland

Recently as part of a project for the Marketing Institute of Ireland exams I carried out some research on the use of social media by IT professionals in Ireland. 

My aim was to get an idea of the use of social media and the internet among IT professionals who formed part of the decision making units and to see what influence this has on them. My questions we created to optimise the relevant information I could get on this while still leaving the questionnaire in a short, quick to answer format.

40 people completed the questionnaire of which 60% worked in companies of 100 or more staff.

I discovered the following:

All respondents had multiple role within the decision making process in the companies and this would vary depending on the product/service/solution being sought.

45% use social media in a professional capacity of which 45% used more than one tool.

75% or respondents view or actively partook in technical forums.

90% of respondents sometimes or often consider the views of thought leaders when making IT purchasing decisions.

Only 18% of respondents have on more than one occasion contacted thought leaders for professional advice.

85% or respondents receive opted in emails at least once a week which provide them with IT information, goods or services

75% or respondents have sought out new companies on the internet when they were looking for new IT services

70% or respondents feel that all marketing information received – mail, email, advertising is at least somewhat too vendor product focused

CIO Survey’s

According to Deliottes 2009 CIO survey, CIO’s and IT managers are facing budget cuts, many of 20% or more. They feel that their businesses see IT as a cost centre an opposed to business enabler. Many are unable to show cost realisation as a result of IT projects.

This appears to to differ when compared to Gartner’s CIO survey which targeted a much larger response base (1600) worldwide as opposed to just Ireland.

What will this really mean to Irish organisations in 2010 and how their IT operates?

Do companies need to make IT the hero? How can this be done?

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