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Technology has more functionality to offer HR managers than ever before, and can help set the course for improved employee experience and engagement. But companies need to ensure these tools are in sync with existing in-house systems to achieve their intended goals.
Years ago, IT made the decisions about HR technology that ensured the systems were aligned on the back end, said Brian Kropp, distinguished vice president of research at Gartner.
Now HR leaders play an active role in picking vendors and software to support recruiting, onboarding, compensation and benefits, learning and performance. As the people/talent teams take on more strategic importance within a company, these technology tools also can help drive experience and revenue.
But such digital transformation of internal systems could lead to instances where “these solutions don’t talk to each other, and things start to fall apart,” Mr. Kropp said.
When employee experience suffers, negative business consequences aren’t far behind. Inefficient and unworkable technology often results in employee disengagement and productivity decline.
I spoke to several non-HR leaders about their issues with newer HR systems. Most executives said that the most vulnerable areas are talent acquisition, onboarding and benefits administration.
“Ineffective HR systems [can] slow down our ability to bring in new talent and cause us to miss opportunities to promote from within the company,” said Andrea Paris, chief operating officer at World Insurance Associates LLC.
Once new hires are in the system, benefits enrollment and other tasks need to be efficient, or it can lead to frustrations. The cost of the benefits themselves is significant, and if back-end technology prevents people from availing themselves of these options, the company could lose money, Mr. Knopp said.
Also, inefficient onboarding and benefits systems can diminish the trust and confidence employees have in the enterprise, said Lee Wood, senior vice president of operations at Pediatrix Medical Group.
“HR systems drive ‘first day of work’ impressions. We’re competing in a workforce that has options, and we need to be the employer of choice,” Mr. Wood said.
It also takes away time and effort that employees can spend doing their jobs.
“As an executive, I want team members focused on solving customer problems and developing advocate clients,” said Robert Bendetti, chief financial officer of Life Cycle Engineering.
What can HR leaders do to ensure that the technology is in sync and efficient? I will tackle that in my next column.
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