Author: Site Staff

As a public school district, Minnetonka, Minnesota, has a reputation for excellence. With 950 employees and 7,700 students, this K-12 district in suburban Minneapolis was cosmopolitan enough to understand that it couldn’t rest on its laurels if it was to continue to excel.

“We were concerned that maintaining the status quo wouldn’t allow us to meet our potential or to meet the needs of the students of the future,” explains Dr. Dan Jett, Minnetonka’s district superintendent. Meeting those needs required planning and, according to Jett, “The best time to plan strategically is when you’re doing well.”

Human Synergistics helps identify cultural factors.
Jett enlisted the help of the Schiller Center in Alexandria, Virginia, to coordinate strategic planning for the school district. This action was done with the belief that someone outside the organization would bring fresh ideas and a broader range of skills to the process.

“It quickly became clear that their organizational culture was one of the (key) issues,” adds Dr. Sherry Schiller, president of the Schiller Center. She recommended surveying the school district personnel using Human Synergistics International’s Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI) and Organizational Effectiveness Inventory (OEI).

These two tools identify an organization’s cultural style and the factors that are shaping that culture, as well as why the culture is either constructive or defensive, how effectiveness is affected and how the culture can be improved to increase efficiency. The OCI and OEI surveys are available in paper and Web-based formats. The results are then compiled to reflect organizational-level feedback and presented in a computer-generated report. “These are very usable, research-based tools that are effective in a variety of industries,” says Schiller.

An objective perspective keeps goals in focus.
Human Synergistics’ tools were helpful because they were objective. According to the inventory, “Our culture was traditional, with many perfectionists,” says Jett. The culture also suffered from weak relationships.

Schiller presented the OCI and OEI results to all of the district employees and placed a copy of the results at each of the 11 sites for anyone to peruse. “Dr. Schiller was challenged on the interpretation of the data,” Jett explains, “mainly because the data came from a business environment and people didn’t believe it applied to schools, even though they could identify with the results.”

A little cultural change takes a lot of time and effort.
After the Human Synergistics assessments, each school and the district itself developed blueprints for change that focused on building trust, meeting individual learning needs and creating a culture of continuous improvement.

The findings resulted in a lot of meetings, but “The meetings turned the tide,” says Schiller. “Usually leaders say they want change but never give employees the time to create change.” At the Minnetonka School District, “We closed school half a day on multiple occasions — and took some criticism for it,” Jett confesses. However, you can’t create positive change in just a few minutes here or there.

As a result, the culture is shifting toward a more open, innovative and less bureaucratic climate. Metrics documenting the extent of the change will be available in 2000, after the first formal assessment. “People are using the language of those goals in a lot of things they do,” Jett says. In the process of this cultural shift, they’re building less adversarial, more cooperative relationships. He continues: “They’re making a conscious effort to promote constructive behavior.”

Money is important, but it’s not always the most important factor in determining whether employees stay with a company or leave for other opportunities. At Cellular One, “We believed in our heart of hearts that managers had a great deal to do with retention,” says Karen King, director of organizational development and training. But before managers could act on that corporate belief, they needed to learn successful retention strategies and incorporate them into their own managerial styles. The basic question, King says, was clear: “What can we do other than throw money at people?”

The answer, of course, was to learn and incorporate effective retention strategies at all levels of management. But Cellular One wanted more than dime-a-dozen management theories. For real-world solutions, the firm turned to Integral Training Systems Inc., a Behavioral Technology partner. Its “Retaining Top Talent” program focused on the day-to-day realities that theories sometimes neglect, and also emphasized the Cellular One corporate culture.

“They had practical tools,” King says, “and they customized them for us using our data.” As a result, the data and examples are truly relevant to Cellular One.

Behavioral Technology takes several approaches to retention.
Retaining Top Talent incorporates a workshop, self-assessment and action-plan development. The workshop discusses retention strategies using examples and attrition data from Cellular One and from the industry to give managers more tools to enhance retention, followed by a managerial self-assessment and the development of retention plans for specific employees. The goal was to move from the short-term solution of raises and bonuses, to a long-term solution that addresses the causes of attrition.

The program is mandatory training at Cellular One.
Before offering the course to all managers, Cellular One and Integral Training Systems ran a pilot project involving some vice presidents, directors and managers. “Everyone, to a person, said the workshop was practical and should be conducted for other managers,” King says. Now it’s part of the company’s mandatory training. The presence and commitment of senior managers was invaluable in assuring the program’s success, King says. That commitment has continued. Vice presidents routinely attend the workshop with their departments and review each manager’s action plan.

That attention is worthwhile. King says retention figures for 1999 are 15 percent higher than for 1998 for information services employees, and 4.1 percent higher for finance employees. “Since the program started in 1996, we’ve seen a real shift in why people leave,” she adds. In 1997, the top three reasons for leaving, in order, were relocation and personal reasons, higher salaries and lack of opportunity. One year later, in 1998, the top three causes of attrition were career changes, relocation and a perceived lack of opportunities, although the latter declined by 7 percent. Notably, salary issues were no longer among the key concerns.

These changes occurred because, since the training, “Managers think ahead now when it comes to retaining people,” King says. Since attending the program, the sales division has created a career development program for each position, a skills matrix and a listing of educational opportunities to help each sales associate develop a personal career development plan. Results like that, King says, “show we’re more committed to employee growth.”

With 5,000 employees and more than 400 locations in the United States and Canada, bringing employees together for training simply wasn’t practical for Olsten Health Services. In addition, onsite classes were expensive and were poorly attended because of scheduling difficulties and other commitments. People weren’t getting trained and, to exacerbate the issue, Olsten’s top-down training method wasn’t working either. Unfortunately the senior managers who attended the sessions found it difficult to recreate the training program at the local level, and consequently staff development was impaired.

In early 1999, parent company Olsten Corp. decided employees were ready to take responsibility for their own training. This decision cleared the path for the implementation of a library-based training program through American Media Inc.

“Accessibility was the big motivator,” says Claire Griswold, project manager. With this library system, everyone — not just high-level directors — could receive training, Griswold elaborates. Employees controlled when and where their own training occurred — a must in the travel-intensive home-health-care business.

Flexibility is key to training.
Such flexibility was possible because American Media’s library focuses on soft skills like leadership, communications and customer service rather than technical skills, and also because the library includes books, tapes, compact discs and video presentations. Therefore, Olsten Health Services and its employees have the flexibility to choose the format that best suits their needs and schedules, either for individual study or for in-service programs. With American Media’s online ordering system, employees may buy or rent the programs they choose, and Olsten Health Services will be billed.

Programs are shipped within three days of ordering, providing a timeliness that was impossible with classroom-based training. New training materials become available monthly, providing up-to-date information on a wider range of subjects than Olsten could offer alone. And, because so many of the training materials are easily updated, they can include relevant information from recent research, court cases or other news. Because books tend to be purchased rather than rented, some sites are developing their own in-house libraries to maximize their training dollars, says Griswold.

American Media materials are easy to access.
Olsten employees access the library with a user password. Then, based on their job level and training competency, a site-wide search is conducted for the best training products to meet their needs. In addition, employees may search for material by keywords or by subject categories in the online catalog that American Media developed specifically for Olsten. If they can’t find quite what they need, employees may phone the American Media account manager for recommendations. “They’re very responsive,” says Griswold.

Olsten tested American Media’s training program in a pilot project that began in May 1999. In July it launched the program throughout the corporation. During the first four months, Olsten’s 5,000 employees ordered 1,000 books, more than 500 videos and 50 CDs, Griswold reports. “The response has been very positive,” she says, based on those records and anecdotal information. It’s too early to begin to measure program effectiveness, but plans are being made to conduct pre- and post-testing and to track the volume and type of material requested.

Two years into an unsuccessful human resources management and payroll system installation, air movement and controls manufacturer Greenheck switched gears.

It fired the company that was charge of the system, and began looking for a new firm that would offer a robust, modern payroll/human resources management system.

Greenheck went full speed ahead with a test drive.
Employees who were attending a trade show noticed Ultimate Software and “came back pretty excited,” according to Don Brekke, vice president of information technology at Schofield, Wisconsin-based Greenheck.

However, Brekke requested proposals from several companies, with the stipulation that Greenheck be allowed to test-drive the system on its own server for one week. Few would permit a test-drive, so the field narrowed quickly. Ultimate Software’s willingness to permit a week-long test-drive really set the company apart from the competition and showed the strength of its belief in its UltiPro software, Brekke says.

Then, rather than evaluate systems based on features, “We used a scenario-based approach. We took a hard business problem, documented it, constructed test data around it and gave it to the vendors so they could show us how their systems would solve the problem. When the test-drive actually occurred, Ultimate Software’s system was up and running within 45 minutes. We were satisfied we had the right application.”

They made the right decision — implementation of UltiPro.
Implementation of UltiPro began in mid-December 1998 and was completed by the following July. “It could have been up sooner,” says Brekke, “but we ran three separate testing scenarios to ensure data integrity and that we were using the system properly. There were very few bugs.” In fact, Brekke says, “This is one of the smoothest implementations and one of the ‘most right’ decisions I’ve ever made.”

It was a good financial decision, too. Ultimate Software’s UltiPro HRMS/ Payroll system was installed on time and priced under budget. As a result, IT staff can concentrate on core competencies rather than on support and service issues. Payback is expected in less than 18 months.

Who knew a single application could offer so much?
The UltiPro HRMS/ Payroll system supports direct deposit, connectivity to outside services for FLEX and 401(k) administration, and tracks family leave, recruitment information and training. UltiPro is bundled with Cognos tools for reporting, resulting in very flexible report generation. Now that Greenheck uses UltiPro, both payroll and HR departments can access the same, uniform set of data and can update that data throughout documents — just by using one software application.

“Ultimate Software had a true client/server application, the UltiPro HRMS/Payroll system, that used the Delphi language and NT sequel server technology — and we’re an NT sequel server shop,” he says.

Additionally, “It had a robust graphical user interface and its advertised claim, ‘two clicks to anywhere,’ was true. But, having been burned once, we remained skeptical,” says Brekke.

Brekke, however, wasn’t finished with his investigation. He paid a visit to Florida to inspect firsthand Ultimate Software’s support center. They were using a lot of the right tools, and they knew how to properly solve problems and record incidents. “We were supported out of the Schaumburg, Illinois, office and had a team assigned to us during implementation, but we haven’t had to use technical support very much.”

High-tech employees increasingly stay with a company only a year or two before moving on to greener pastures. It’s a trend that has cost the high-tech industry a lot in terms of training time, lost opportunity and actual dollars — generally 1.5 to 3 times the employee’s annual salary, depending upon the position. Not surprisingly, enterprise software firm Oracle Corporation decided to minimize the chances that its own highly skilled employees would join the throngs of job-hopping individuals.

However, managers can’t take pre-emptive actions to retain key employees unless they can determine who is most likely to leave and can identify the early warning signs. Clearly, Oracle needed a training program to help managers identify factors contributing to employee attrition, identify individuals’ likelihood of leaving and develop an action plan to retain those individuals. Rather than develop a retention training program internally, in late 1998 Oracle implemented the program “Retaining Top Talent,” developed by Integral Training Systems, a Behavioral Technology Partner.

Identify why employees leave and why they stay.
“Retaining Top Talent” is a strategic-planning workshop that includes retention skills assessment. Managers complete the assessment along with their direct reports to gain feedback on management behavior as they relate to training employees. The management assessment “identifies early warning signs,” explains Don Kraft, senior consultant in the management development department.

Retaining Top Talent’s purpose isn’t just to identify why people leave, but also to identify why people stay. “We had conversations with senior managers about what’s happening in their groups, and included HR experts, data from similar groups and from the computer industry,” Kraft says. He incorporated that information into the existing program for a high degree of customization. “Retaining Top Talent isn’t an off-the-shelf program,” Kraft says. They also provided information in terms used at Oracle, so managers would feel it was relevant to attend.

Oracle has learned valuable lessons about retention.
Customization is the keyword throughout the Integral Training Systems program. “The course revolves around the action plan,” Kraft says, that is tailored to Oracle’s high-tech environment and to each individual who may be at risk of leaving. In a workshop, managers identify their top three employees and their risk of leaving, based on such things as job security, working conditions, benefits, salary and the extent to which they believe those factors motivate specific individuals. Later, managers talk with the employees themselves to ensure their own perceptions are accurate.

“When they identify key employees’ risks of leaving, a lot of managers are surprised,” he adds. Next, managers examine themselves, based on 72 managerial behaviors that are related to retention, identified by Integral Training Systems. The course also examines how attrition affects the team, the business, the stock price and other aspects of Oracle.

Oracle’s measurement and reinforcement phase is just beginning, but anecdotal reports indicate the Integral Training Systems program appears to be successful. In surveys immediately after the workshops, managers rated the course contents an outstanding 4.5 on a 1 to 5 scale, says Kraft. Attendees estimated they knew 47 percent more about retention strategies after the workshop than they knew before.

Computing has come a long way since the disk operating system called DOS was developed. So when Appleton Papers began investigating new human resources management and payroll systems to replace its DOS system in late 1998, a Windows-style user interface was high on its list, along with Y2K compliance, fully-integrated HR and payroll data and optional outsourcing for payroll processing.

“Our old system lacked robust database management, so it was very limiting,” explains Diane Collins, an Appleton systems analyst. Appleton project manager Dina Nelson adds, “(The system) wasn’t Y2K compliant, so we needed a new system now.”

For Appleton, the solution was crystal clear.
Their choice, The Solution Series/ST® version 4.0 by Cyborg Systems, naturally is Y2K compliant, but also offers a host of other features to help Appleton improve and expand its HR and payroll capabilities. It features an open architecture, so it can connect with any open systems database, a sophisticated training component and an employee self-service feature.

Cyborg’s software is packed full of features.
“We had a very aggressive implementation schedule,” says Kerry Arent, employee services director. “We ran the first payroll on the new system October 8 before all the modules were up and running.”

Currently, modules are being added and customization work is underway to that will increase the capabilities of The Solution Series/ST. The newest release of the Cognos report generator also will be added when it becomes available. “The functionality is so powerful. There’s so much we haven’t used yet,” declares Nelson.

Cyborg ran Appleton’s payroll processing through its processing services division, “tying into our system so our records always are current,” Nelson explains. “Before, we’d upload our files, a service would run the payroll, and we’d download their data. Therefore, the systems often were out of sync.” With Cyborg, Collins emphasizes, “The payroll processing services division has been excellent.”

Training and documentation help keep the process in check.
The success of that first run can be attributed to Cyborg’s thorough training and documentation, as well as to the system itself.

Implementation staff participated in two to six weeks of training, depending on their departments, and had extensive backup in the form of thorough, one-stop documentation manuals that combine the system and training information. Because those documents are available both online and on CD, users can perform quick searches to locate specific information, says Nelson. That capability will be as helpful when HR functions are installed as it was for implementing payroll.

Once HR functions are completed, Appleton is contemplating implementation of The ESS Solution™ to allow employees to access and change their data themselves, bypassing human resources. This would be done via an intranet or the Internet. “Giving employees direct access to the system to maintain their data, rather than hand in forms with changes, will be quicker and more accurate,” Arent says. Another benefit of self-service is around-the-clock access to HR for basic administrative services.

“The implementation has been fairly smooth,” says Nelson. “To the average person, there’s been no effect. For example, out of 4,200 employees, only 10 needed corrections to their payroll files.” Such accuracy is the primary success criteria, but attention also will be paid to user feedback, ease of use and the ability to generate complex reports. Results, so far, are excellent.

M

emorial Health System of Springfield, Illinois, was facing a shortage of new blood, and not just the kind that comes in chilled plastic containers. The diverse and wide-ranging integrated health system needed new people, the best it could find, to staff the 562-bed Memorial Medical Center as well as the system’s broad range of specialty services, from regional cancer and burn centers to sports medicine and home care.

“There were several human resources issues we had to deal with,” said R. Keith Allen, Memorial’s vice president of human resources. “First, the labor shortage in health care is acute and we needed a medium that would give us a longer shelf life than the traditional newspaper advertising and job fairs. We also needed something that could be easily accessed and that applicants could come back to time and time again.”

The solution: a comprehensive system-wide Web site, including a specific recruitment area of the site devoted to job postings and hiring. And when Memorial Health System was ready to take the plunge into cyberspace, one HR Web site provider stood out from the rest: JobOptions.com.

The Memorial Health System HR team learned of JobOptions through their advertising vendor, said Allen. “They said, “If you’re going to do Internet, we’ve got the company for you.” he said.

The Internet presence was a natural idea, said Allen, “because the organization has gone to e-commerce as one of its major strategies. And because the recruitment issue is one of our top priorities, it just made good sense.”

With its customized Private Label product, JobOptions tailored Memorial’s recruitment site to serve the many physical locations that are part of the Memorial Health System organization, providing a central resource for both job seekers and job posters while reducing paperwork. Now candidates go to one place to search jobs by custom category, learn about Memorial locations, research available employee benefits, and explore resources about Springfield.

“The implementation was very easy,” said Sally Hamilton, Memorial Health System’s human resources manager. “As far as being about to serve that site and edit or post new positions on it, it’s very user friendly.”

And, said Allen, JobOptions Private Label provides far more bang for the buck. “We paid $32,000 to bring the site up, and that’s equal to only about three months of print advertising in this market.”

The collaboration with JobOptions was “very successful,” said Allen. “They provided a regional account manager that we can contact at any time, they return calls and e-mails within the hour if you have questions, and they provide ongoing on-site training. They’ve been very responsive.”

JobOptions Private Label is designed to make a company’s Web site its most effective recruiting tool. By mid-October, the Memorial Health System site had received more than 3,000 hits from potential employees, “and the type of jobs that are hit most often are the shortage jobs,” said Allen.

“It was a very seamless process. And JobOptions brought a lot of credibility and energy to the task. To me, if you don’t have (a Web presence) as part of your total recruitment strategy, you’re missing something, and definitely missing a portion of your audience.”

Buildnet Inc., based in Durham, North Carolina is a leading provider of connectivity solutions for each link in the construction industry, enabling the right products and services to be delivered to the right places at the right times and at the lowest possible cost. The company’s annual revenues exceed $75 million and it services 900 employees across the country. When Buildnet searched for the best in an Internet-based human resources information system, it found what it was looking for in NuView’s MyHRIS.

“We have an outstanding reputation for creating a community of information among manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and contractors,” says David Russo, Buildnet executive vice president for human resources. “To use anything less than Web-based software in HR would be out of sync with our company and what we represent.”

MyHRIS is an Internet-based human resources information system that includes complete HR and benefits administration, applicant tracking, succession planning, and training administration modules. It features the flexibility of selecting the precise mix of products and services that are right for any enterprise and a preferred means of self-service access for both employees and managers.

With MyHRIS, there’s no need for the installation and support of special hardware or software, so companies save all of the costs associated with building and maintaining an in-house information system. And, because it is Web-native, meaning that users can log on from any computer with a Web browser, it offers unlimited access, day or night, from any location worldwide. This unlimited access is a distinct advantage for multi-site organizations like Buildnet.

“MyHRIS gave us several solutions for our HR challenges,” says Russo. It connects critical data in an easily accessible format to HR practitioners and to management in the company, provides employees self-service and access to demographic data, and ensures that personnel in distant locations can obtain the information they need to process HR workflow instantly.”

This was Buildnet’s first use of Web-based HR software. “Our old system just wasn’t working. We had a patchwork of dissimilar systems with little functionality. We had to do reports by hand that cost us time and sometimes accuracy.”

Russo says the ease and technology, the implementation schedule, and the people he dealt with at NuView first sold him on MyHRIS. After using it over the past few weeks, he’s satisfied that he made the right choice.

“Interfacing with payroll went smoothly and our HR people are pleased. I expect a lot of efficiencies with this system,” says Russo.

NuView is dedicated to providing organizations, large and small, with the most useful and cost-effective human resources information system solutions possible. It achieves this by combining user-friendly software with state-of-the-art technology.

NuView’s software and project managers provide HR professionals not only with HR basics, but also provide needs analysts for the company and streamline HR processes for the new economy.

NuView’s goal is to provide HRIS solutions made simple, and to anticipate what’s needed before the industry even asks for it. NuView is determined to find ways to meet the demands of busy HR departments.

Human resources wants to free itself from the paper chains and participate in their companies’ strategic decision-making.With its powerful capabilities for recruiting and managing people, the Internet can help. Workforce asked leaders in HR’s Internetrevolution to talk about the solutions that can move HR to the next level.

		Randy Cooper
		Chief Executive Officer/Founder – Opus Solutions
		Cooperfounded Opus Solutions in 1989. He has more than 15 years of experience inthe IT software field, with emphasis on HR, payroll, and benefits systems.Opus provides e-volution®, a suite of Web-based HR management tools thatincludes the HRMS engine used by 20 Fortune 100 companies.
		MartyFahey
		President,Chief Executive Officer – Webhire
		MartyFahey joined Webhire in 1996, as chief operating officer. He becamepresident in 1997, and CEO in 1999. Prior to Webhire, Fahey was theco-founder and CEO of Vertigo Development Group, Inc., and was among thefirst 30 employees at Lotus Development.
		JeffKoven
		VicePresident, Marketing- Cyborg Systems, Inc.
		AsVP of marketing, Jeff Koven is responsible for corporate marketingcommunications, customer relations, product management, and sales support.He focuses on identifying changes within the business world, and theirimpact on today’s HR and payroll requirements.
		DonRamer
		CEO- RecruitUSA Inc.
		DonRamer has more than 27 years of experience in the recruitment industry. Asa founder and key manager at several employment management consultingfirms, he specialized in change management and cost reduction throughalternative recruitment strategies and resources.
		JimE. Spoor
		President/CEO- SPECTRUM
		Priorto forming SPECTRUM in 1984, Spoor had a very successful 25-year humanresource career, including a broad range of human resources experiencewith executive-level responsibility for global HR operations.
		LouisTetu
		Chairmanand Chief Executive officer- Recruitsoft
		Priorto joining Recruitsoft, Mr. Tetu founded Berclain Group, Inc., a globalprovider of supply chain management solutions, acquired by Baan in 1996.He was president of the company from 1989 until his departure to headRecruitsoft.
		BillWarren
		Presidentand CEO – Wowemployers
		Warrenspent more than 22 years in recruiting and human resource management withRockwell International and General Foods Corporation before founding thefirst Internet employment site, Online Career Center (OCC).

The Internet is continuing to revolutionize business. How does this technologydirectly affect HR practices?

 

Randy Cooper: Internet technology empowers the entire business andemphasizes the strategic importance of an organization’s HR function. Itallows organizations to distribute the opportunity and responsibility ofacting on HR practices beyond the HR department. Moving the processes andinformation closer to the managers, supervisors, and even front-line employeesallows them to make better decisions faster. This also gives the traditionalHR department the ability to focus on strategic information and decisions.

Don Ramer: The Internet has made HR professionals “larger thanlife.” Job-posting technologies allow
recruiters to reach a much higher portion of qualified candidates and bettermanage applicant tracking. Proper technologies can triple the effectivenessof staffing managers. The effect also can be detrimental: HR practitionersmust beware of “vaporware” applications that are not solutions,but hindrances to their work styles due to missing capabilities, poor workflow, or other inefficiencies.

Jeff Koven: The Internet brings a continuing promise for an e-businesscommunity through which you can expand the services you offer to your employeesby providing links to other services (i.e., benefits providers, health-careadvice/providers, travel services, money-management services, etc.). Theresult is that HR practices are much less administrative and far more strategic.HR will no longer be the “middleman” in transactions. Instead,employees will have direct access to relevant outside service providers.

Bill Warren: When I founded the Internet’s first job board in 1992,no one really knew the impact the Internet would have on our industry. Theintroduction of e-mail, online networking, and job boards has dramaticallyimpacted the daily routine of recruiters. Moving from the “media”model to the “relationship” model, the Internet has streamlinedprocesses, decreased recruiting costs, and reduced the time-to-fill. Thishas been accomplished through the implementation of human capital managementsystems.

Marty Fahey: The Internet has dramatically improved the speed andquality at which HR professionals recruit. It’s also proven to be the mostefficient way to locate, evaluate, identify, and qualify job candidates.HR organizations have quick and direct access to thousands of potentialadvertising locations, each with its own constituency of candidates. Today,it is essential for HR organizations to focus on the applicant experience,with timely responses and frequent touch. By doing so, HR will extend itsrecruiting network and stand out among the competition for talent.

Jim E. Spoor: For years, HR practices have centered on paper, filingcabinets, and paper shuffling. Now the paper can be eliminated, the filingcabinets emptied, and the paper shuffling reduced. Employees and managersinteract directly with their company’s HRIS by having the access to performdata entry themselves. This is the re-engineering that people talked aboutin the ’80s and ’90s, but in the 2000s, it’s a reality.

Louis Tetu: The Internet enables the complete re-engineering ofthe recruiting process for large, global corporations. Optimizing and automatingthe recruiting supply chain brings significant value and bottom-line benefitsto major corporations. Through the traditional recruiting method, the candidate,or the supply side, blindly mailed his or her résumé to therecruiter, to the demand side, without knowing or understanding the demandsof the recruiter. Online recruiting bridges supply and demand by permittingshared knowledge between the candidate and recruiter.

What are the advantages of an ASP solution versus traditional managementsoftware as it relates to different HR functions, such as HRMS, hiring management,benefits, etc.?

 

Louis Tetu: Contrary to what many believe, ASPs are extremely flexibleand made to fit a company’s specific needs. The ASP model is more robustthan traditional software-delivery methods, and offers a variety of optionsthat can be tailored to fit each company’s needs. Once a company implementsan ASP solution, the vendor manages the software so that the only requirementof the company is a Web browser. The software is installed, maintained,and hosted by the vendor.

Marty Fahey: ASPs provide the most up-to-date technologies deliveredover the Internet at a predictable monthly fee, with seamless updates tothe application and an intuitive user interface that demands little training.The ASP requires only minimal implementation time — with Webhire solutionsyou can be up and running within days. The ASP service means the best customerexperience, because it is supported, managed, and tuned — 7x24x365 — bydedicated experts.

Randy Cooper: The largest advantage is reduced, predictable costsfor the management of the system. In the case of Opus Solutions’ e-volution®service, the advantage is a very powerful system that many companies couldnot afford otherwise. Many ASPs as part of the subscription also provideregular updates to the solution’s functionality “behind the scenes”for no additional cost. Additionally, because the ASP takes care of thesystem, the infrastructure, and other delivery factors, the client is ableto concentrate on taking care of business, not computer systems.

Jeff Koven: The primary advantage of an ASP solution is that theoperational functions of an HRMS are outsourced. The applications are hostedand maintained without assistance required from the company itself. As aresult, users have the ability to function as true HR and payroll professionals,rather than IT specialists. In terms of hiring management and other benefits,the advantage of an ASP is that in many cases it offers additional featuresand functionality that would be too cost-prohibitive to bring in-house.

Bill Warren: Human resources has commonly been known for being thelast department in an organization to receive current technology and thesupport needed for implementation and integration. While this trend is changing,the fact remains that technology is vital for HR to remain competitive inthe war for talent. An ASP offers end-users the ability to use the applicationfrom any Internet-ready PC, and also a company does not have the enormouscapital expenditure for the hardware and development resources.

What are the opportunities for HR in realizing significant cost savingsthrough Internet technologies?

 

Jim E. Spoor: Cost savings is only part of the picture. Sure, thereare actual savings as a result of employee self service and manager selfservice. However, the real gain is being able to share information and intelligenceproficiently, being able to communicate effectively, and being able to handleroutine transactions faster, better, and at a lower cost. Basically, Internettechnologies are “super-charging” the HR function and making itpossible to really focus on strategic issues.

Randy Cooper: There are two major cost savings. First, by givingaccess to the day-to-day information and processes to the front-line managementand employees, an organization’s HR department can concentrate on issuesthat are more specialized as well as strategic. The department has moretime to focus on the strategically important decisions that affect the company’sbottom line. Second, people who know the system and the infrastructure handledevelopment and maintenance of the technology.

Louis Tetu: The average cost-per-hire in North America is approximately$6,000, and many say it approaches $10,000. With 30 million people changingjobs each year in North America, that equates to about $180 billion spenton hiring. By automating the process, a corporation can save tens of millionsof dollars per year. This is all enabled by allowing the recruiter and thehiring manager to spend more “face time” with candidates, ensuringa cultural fit, skills fit, and motivation to put those skills to work forthe corporation.

Don Ramer: The number one opportunity: consolidating workload. Whilethe burden of administrative duties can cripple HR departments, the Internetoffers many services that multi-task so you don’t have to. Seek only Internettechnologies that integrate well within your system, perform multiple capabilities,and provide excellent customer service — thereby consolidating your paperwork,billing, and time. Productivity will rise and administrative costs willlessen.

Are there specific types of Internet solutions you would recommend thatmight work best depending on company size?

 

Jeff Koven: I would recommend self-service solutions that make useof Internet technology. These solutions have high payback in the areas ofbenefits enrollment and pay-stub distribution. However, the cost savingsaren’t as evident within smaller-sized companies. Small companies shouldbe looking for out-of-the-box solutions that provide extra services withouta great deal of overhead (i.e., updating/viewing personal information, onlinehandbooks, payroll forms, etc.).

What is the greatest impact that the Internet has had on HR with regardto time savings and time management efficiencies?

 

Marty Fahey: The Internet allows a real-time connection to information,offering universal, instant access to data from anywhere in the world. HRorganizations have a direct link to candidates all over the Internet, andin turn are able to find the very best people, as quickly as possible, andat the least possible cost. In general, the Internet has reduced the averagetime-to-fill by as much as 60 percent for many companies. In terms of cost-per-hire,the Internet has lowered recruiting costs dramatically due to reductionsin print advertising and recruiting fees.

Don Ramer: Where are those people who eight years ago said the Internet’sefficiencies would shrink our workweeks to 32 hours? It’s an unrealizedpromise, but what the Internet has done is prevent HR professionals’ workweeksfrom exploding to 50+ hours, thanks to the research capabilities, news services,data storage, ASPs, and other tools that have emerged as the demands onHR professionals’ time have increased.

Jeff Koven: The greatest impact the Internet has had on HR is inthe area of self-service. It has offloaded a great administrative burdenfrom HR, and put responsibility in the hands of the people that know best,the employees themselves. The successful rollout of self-service applicationsresults not only in time and cost savings, but also in information thatis more accurate and employees that truly feel empowered.

Jim E. Spoor: Getting more accomplished faster and better is whatit is all about in the Internet era. Questions are dealt with and answeredquickly. Recommendations are routed, approved, and processed in secondswithout any paper. The “administrivia” is becoming less of a factorevery day. HR professionals have shaken loose from the standard work scheduleand are getting things done on a true 24X7 basis, and they are happier andmore gratified doing it.

What do you see as the newest HR product and service developments thatwill maximize productivity for HR on the Internet?

 

Jim E. Spoor: Mobility is the next major leap. True anywhere, anytimeaccess and interaction is on the doorstep right now. Powerful wireless handhelddevices, some with their own built-in phone and pager functionality as wellas full computing power, are now making full accessibility a reality. Truevoice interaction with the underlying systems, not just the old IVR, willallow users to fully bypass the keyboard. Data and reports will be displayedon voice request.

Bill Warren: Total integration is the future for Internet-basedrecruiting tools. Because of fragmented HR service offerings, many companiesrequire multiple vendors to accomplish their requisition-to-hire process.In the ideal world, a company should be able to work with one vendor partnerand have the ability to obtain the various services to attract, retain,test, screen, and manage the entire candidate relationship from the recruiter’sdesktop. This will be the future of HR technology to maximize productivity.

How can HR be poised to take advantage of these changes and developments?

 

Marty Fahey: The Internet has driven a fundamental change in theworld of corporate recruiting. People will always continue to make a company’shiring decisions; however, HR professionals must position themselves astechnological innovators and integrate the Internet into their recruitingprocess. Applying leading Internet technology to recruiter know-how resultsin shorter hiring times, reduced hiring costs, and improved overall competitivepositioning.

What are the top five questions you would advise companies to ask whenresearching Internet-related HR products and services?

 

Louis Tetu:

1. Whether the vendor will investigate, analyze, and improve the company’shiring process or simply sell a software package.

2. Do the company’s strategies converge with those of the vendor downthe road?

3. References from vendors need to be investigated before making a decision,as they are an excellent way to ask all questions and get honest feedbackfrom an unbiased source.

4. Review the financial stability of the vendor you are considering.

5. Scalability and security are essential.

Don Ramer: Focus on improving the quality of your department’s day:What will this technology do to make my department more intelligent? Whatwill this do to make my staff more nimble? What will this do to make mea better manager? What will this do to make HR even more essential to mycompany’s goals? And don’t forget to ask for references; then call the clientsnot offered as references.

Bill Warren:

1. What level of technical/customer support will you be provided in thebase price and when will it be available?

2. Is the software flexible to mirror my company’s internal processesor does it require customization?

3. Is redundancy provided to assure non-interrupted service? This includesdual-site redundancy for power, hardware, or circuit failures and naturaldisasters.

4. What measures are taken to assure data security and integrity?

5. Does the software offer scalability to match your company’s growthand changes?

Randy Cooper:

1. Can your solution adapt and grow with my business, or must I changemy business
   to fit your solution?

2. Can your solution integrate easily with my existing internal and third-partysystems?

3. Do you provide both technical and functional expertise with your solution?

4. Do you provide at least a 99.9 percent Service Level Agreement (SLA)?

5. How secure is your service? Does your privacy policy meet or exceedmy company’s policy?

Nearly 18 years ago, WorldatWork (formerly American Compensation Association) provided Rebecca Wood with the information that let her bridge the gap between her marketing training and her new job: handling compensation issues in the human resources department. “The director immediately signed me up for compensation courses through WorldatWork,” she says. And in return, down the road, WorldatWork, a professional association dedicated to knowledge leadership for total rewards professionals, signed her up as an instructor for its statistics classes, making good use of her MBA in operations research.

Ever since then, Wood and WorldatWork have continued to enhance and complement each other. WorldatWork offers the entry-level classes that Wood first took, as well as conferences, advanced classes, and seminars for seasoned executives, which delve deeply into specific subjects. Publications include a wealth of research reports, a journal, a newsletter, and frequent e-mailed updates.

“Rebecca’s success story is one we hear quite often, but also one we never tire of,” said Pat Llantino, CBP, CCP, director of Total Rewards for WorldatWork. “We strive to provide each of our members all of the resources and knowledge they need to be leaders in the profession.”

Wood has been an active member, moving from basic classes to in-depth courses and now is a reviewer for WorldatWork Journal. Simultaneously, she has grown from a basic compensation specialist to a consultant to her current position: director of compensation and benefits at AvalonBay Communities, a large real estate developer in Alexandria, Virginia.

“When I start new hires, I send them to WorldatWork courses and get them the relevant publications and books,” Wood says. That education obviously helps professionals working in the field, but it also enhances Wood’s reputation and helps her support needed projects. For example, “It’s hard for me to convince executives to make changes in compensation or benefits without educating them” about the field.

“We take great pride in providing the most up-to-date and in-depth knowledge in total rewards,” said Anne C. Ruddy, CPCU, executive director of WorldatWork. “Our certifications are the premier recognition
in the profession, and our publications and resources provide in-depth knowledge of all aspects of total rewards so our members are never caught behind the curve.”

Wood also benefits through access to leading experts — people she met either by attending or teaching WorldatWork seminars and classes.

“I learn so much from other people and get kudos for bringing in top consultants, which furthers my career,” Wood says. “The networking has been invaluable.” In fact, many of her career successes since joining World-atWork can be attributed to her direct involvement in the organization. “I couldn’t have grown out of compensation without WorldatWork’s classes and knowledge,” Wood emphasizes. “I can track every career change with getting knowledge from World-atWork.” That’s quite an endorsement.