As technology continues to vary and improve, business relationships remain important for HR practitioners.
In my first office job, while at University, I want to spend much of my time physically filing mountains of employee documents. Large companies had moved to electronic data management but there have been still countless companies ‘living within the olden days.’ a few years later and that I would be surprised if any medium to large businesses still stores files physically, given the systems and server speeds now available. Technology has changed employee data management over the years but to successfully embed any system, it's still critical HR has the business relationships to support change.
On face value, the aim of any new HR technology is to make efficiency, simple use, and overall provide greater value to the business. Unfortunately, managers sometimes perceive this as another ‘HR conspiracy’ which may create further challenges to the standard setbacks and teething problems commonly seen within the implementation of a replacement system. Therefore, good business relationships and trust in HR partners will always be critical regardless of how advanced technology becomes. a minimum of until AI takes over! Here are three suggestions I might give to HR practitioners tasked with partnering with a business to implement a replacement technology above and beyond the integrity of the info, enabling confidentiality and ensuring an honest return on investment.
"Technology will still amaze us and make our lives easier but, only through leveraging our relationships can we truly achieve its optimization"
Expect to keep off
Just like every airplane features a crying baby, most companies will have a change-averse long-serving manager within the business. Being conscious of this may allow you to possess a simpler change management plan and communication strategy. Knowing the ‘why’ in reference to the implementation is vital but it generally won't be enough against some ‘change inhibitors.’ Luckily, there'll even be ‘change advocates’ within the management group and it's important to spot them early to leverage their relationships with the ‘change inhibitors.’
Listen To Feedback and Investigate Solutions
Once the senior level of the business is on board with the new technology, you would possibly believe you've got the specified leverage to implement. For a simpler implementation though, you would like to urge user feedback and demonstrate a true willingness to enhance. Showing a real interest in their concerns and checking out solutions will provide a simpler outcome and enhance your relationship within the business. Once the project reaches its goals, hosting a ‘retrospective’ or lessons-learned session with the key stakeholders also will ensure a good better rollout for future changes.
Share the Success Stories
Once the new system has been successfully implemented, it's important to share and celebrate the achievement. This success should align with the first intent and purpose of the technology but now with internal real-world examples. If some users remain skeptical, these success stories are often powerful in helping them embrace the new systems available to them.
Technology will still amaze us and make our lives easier but, only through leveraging our relationships can we truly achieve its optimization. Always confine mind that HR system implementation is merely nearly as good because the HR account it's supporting.
