Stacey Harris
Vice President of Research and Analytics
Sierra-Cedar Inc.
In acquiring and implementing new technologies, what’s the one or two most common mistakes HR organizations make?
The two biggest mistakes organizations make, based on our research data–is a lack of resourcing and treating change management as a project. Thirty-four percent of organizations said they under resourced their implementation projects, especially when it came to their own internal team members. Business acumen is a critical skill set in all modern implementation efforts, and organizations tend to invest more resources in project management or technical requirements when allocating time. Those organizations that invest in continuous change management, versus project-based, changed management–on average see 19% higher business outcomes. Three years in a row we’ve seen ongoing change management efforts align with higher adoption levels and better business outcomes.
Are there certain strategies that are more effective than others when it comes to getting your workforce to use new HR technologies being put in place?
Simply measuring HR Technology use improves adoption metrics, only 10% of organizations measure the use of their HR Technology environments. Few organizations have goals for what percentage of their workforce should be accessing the application, and even less are paying attention to the percentage of employees that go around the system and get their HR processes done elsewhere. If an application is not being utilized, organizations need to figure out why and address the underlying issues. If managers and employees are only using the system when they absolutely have to use it, then the promised value of a data-driven organization is unlikely to be achieved.
How is HR technology changing the way people work?
When used effectively HR Technology applications provide both managers and employees with data and insights to help make more informed decisions about the work itself or an employee’s individual career. Organizations that have embraced HR applications as a part of their strategic management tools, versus a compliance monitoring system–are finding that much of the minutia and frustration of work can be alleviated through direct access between the data and decision makers; for example a shift management tool that allows works to work out their own schedule with their colleagues, reduces manager stress, employee frustrations, and low engagement. Organizations that provide weekly wages, benefit contact information, remaining PTO, and coverage calendars all in an easy-to-access mobile environment for employees reduce stress but also allow the employee the autonomy to make informed career decisions.
