
Choosing the right HR technology platform for your company might be difficult, or not. Understanding your company's most important HR issues is critical. Before you start your search, ask yourself these 11 important questions.
1. What are our HR hassles?
Do you waste time replicating data across unconnected systems? Do absence requests and approvals take too long? Is staff turnover so high that you're out of budget by mid-year?
Inefficiency generally causes frustration. So, by asking yourself what issues are most frustrating for your company, you may focus on areas that most likely require change. Ask for advice from employees who deal with human resource issues every day. They understand your HR processes and can frequently assist you prioritize a technological platform.
What does our company do regularly that might be a waste of time?
Although it sounds similar, this one question isn't redundant. Just because a job or process hasn't yet caused dissatisfaction doesn't imply it's operating properly. Is your business frequently wasting resources on unnecessary tasks?
Have you considered paying staff biweekly instead of weekly? You wouldn't want to make a change without considering the impact on your staff. Changing the frequency of your weekly, monthly, and bimonthly procedures can be a simple yet effective solution.
2. What does our company do regularly that might be a waste of time?
Although it sounds similar, this one question isn't redundant. Just because a job or process hasn't yet caused dissatisfaction doesn't imply it's operating properly. Is your business frequently wasting resources on unnecessary tasks?
Have you considered paying staff biweekly instead of weekly? You wouldn't want to make a change without considering the impact on your staff. Changing the frequency of your weekly, monthly, and bimonthly procedures can be a simple yet effective solution.
3. What is our company doing well?
Do you think your HR processes and procedures need to be revamped? Think twice before plastering the department with a Band-Aid. Simply said, don't repair what ain't broke.
For example, your existing time and absence tracking may be functional but requires technology to streamline the process of inputting and approving. It's easy to get carried away in the urge to make a better change that you ignore what is already working well in your company. Make sure the technology you pick supports your HR processes rather than generating additional issues.
4. What are our urgent needs?
These are your must-haves. Addressing the most costly issues to your company should be your top focus. For example, paperless onboarding and flexible payroll processing schedules should be top priorities for any HR technology platform you examine.
5. What extra features would help our company the most?
These are pleasant, not essentials, but would be great additions. Even if this list is for wishes rather than necessities, these “extras” can make a difference between an efficient and excellent organization.
The question is, how do you tell the difference? Imagine shopping for a vehicle. What is definitely necessary to get you from A to B as quickly as possible? A decent engine, brakes, and steering wheel are important necessities. Besides, cruise control, heated seats, and satellite radio may be among your “extras”.
So if payroll processing and paperless onboarding are your HR must-haves, your nice-to-haves in HR may include a complete picture of your people in analytics.
6. What are our top three goals once the platform is in place?
Studying your responses to questions 1-5 will help you identify your platform's top three goals. Do you want to decrease employee turnover? Maybe you want to streamline your HR processes to save time and money.
Your HR goals should be tightly aligned with your company's overall goals. Ultimately, the technology platform you pick should assist you to solve your biggest HR issues, reducing your administrative load and increasing your business's profitability.
7. Who will make decisions?
The review and decision-making should include all stakeholders. That doesn't mean everyone has to agree. Maybe not. But it's a good idea to have one person from each important department or team, or at least those directly involved in HR operations. This group will help you assess the advantages and downsides of potential platform providers and solutions.
Determining how selection will occur is also critical. Will everyone have an input, or just a certain member? Who will manage the vendor relationship and monitor implementation? These are considerations to be considered ahead of time, not after.
8. How much is our budget for HR software?
Remember the vehicle analogy from question number 5? It applies here. Just as you wouldn't buy a car without knowing your budget, you shouldn't explore HR technology without knowing your bottom price. Knowing your budget allows you to narrow down the list of platforms that you can afford. This might assist you eliminate choices that aren't a good fit for your business.
9. What level of service do we require?
The answer will be based on your internal capabilities. For example, a business with an internal IT staff would likely need less help deploying and running HR software than one whose HR manager is handling IT duties.
Service sets “vendors” and “platforms” apart. You may be better off with a vendor that delivers great, customized service but only offers your must-haves for a cheaper price but skimps on service.
Choosing a provider who offers scalable solutions customized to your company's demands may allow you to add extras as your budget allows.
10. How will we calculate Return on Investment?
Plan for calculating ROI after new HR technology is implemented. You should consider both direct and improvements.
Savings from automating procedures and data input, for example, are easier to evaluate since they are based on concrete data. It's critical to identify the areas of your company where HR technology may save money directly, and then make the required changes to realize those savings. Direct savings can help to cover implementation costs and, in certain cases, make them cost neutral.
HR technology enhancements can also help your bottom line, but they are harder to evaluate because they are generally tied to less concrete goals. In order to “hire better people” or “create more engaged employees,” it's important to outline a clear plan.
11. When do we want the system implemented?
Don't forget to account for things like how long it will take your company to compare and assess HR software, or how much time your selection committee can devote to the process. Remember that the implementation timeline will depend on the software vendor. So, while deciding on your formal launch date, be flexible. If you have a tight deadline, make delivery speed as a requirement while selecting providers.
Remember to factor in your company's procurement process and fiscal calendar, which might affect how quickly you can deploy HR technology once you choose a selection. Setting up milestones for your selected timeline might be useful.
HARPA streamlines HR processes from hire to retire. With employee self-service as one of its features, it establishes a work culture in which employees are actively engaged in managing HR activities.
References: