- Cloud or not to Cloud?
- SSO or SAML?
- Which system integrates with what?
- Is there are element of gamification to jazz up the user experience?
Who
better to address these questions than the non-partisan Society for Human
Resource Management Director of Technical Solutions, Mr. Vivek Patel?
Vivek
will be conducting a session for SHRM17 attendees on Sunday (6.18 ) from 8am –
12pm. SHRM17 attendees eager to implement new HR Tech will leave this session
ready to tackle the Exhibitor Hall with all the knowledge of a Human Capital Management Maverick.
We
caught up with Vivek as he was packing his bags for New Orleans.
1. Tell us a little bit about the
pre-conference workshop you are facilitating? Can anyone attend?
a.
Over the last few years we have heard a lot from
our members express their need to understand and participate in their
respective organizations’ technology processes – be it the selection of the
platform or operationalizing the technology for optimum benefit. This session
presents such individuals an opportunity to participate in discussions with
their peers and learn from their experience. Aliah Wright and I will share insights
and specific information which can aide them in being more involved from a
technical perspective to collaboratively work with their technology
departments.
2. How has the relationship between IT &
HR evolved? What can HR Pros do to better assist their colleagues in IT?
a.
I have seen this relationship grow stronger and
evolve over the last few years. Over the last decade rapid changes in technology
have had a huge impact on businesses. Specifically within HR, major adjustments
have presented huge demand around flexible work arrangements, fluid leave
policies, comprehensive performance reviews etc. HR departments have realized
the need to be closely tied with their IT staff in bringing in newer platforms
and systems while at the same time getting more technology savvy themselves. In
my opinion HR pros should make their IT department part of projects from the
very beginning, bring them in early and let them help you fit the needs within
the overall technology strategy from an organizational perspective. Also with
advent of Cloud, Analytics, Big Data etc., there are huge concerns around
privacy and security – having your IT teams as your equal partners may help you
avoid some obvious pitfalls.
3. What trends have you see developing in
Human Capital Management software space?
a.
The biggest trend that I see in HCM software (and
one that is going to be vital) is the idea of ‘self-service’. The concept of
self-service becomes a bit tricky in the field of HR but all software generally
is moving towards users managing their own ‘profiles’ and need within the
system. I am excited to see how this aspect and demand is balanced within HCM.
b.
The other trend that I am excited to see evolve
is the idea of collaboration. With a geographically displaced workforce on the
rise and social media bringing a whole new sophistication to ‘collaboration’, I
want to see how the HR software evolves to balance this need.
4. When choosing a vendor, what are the key
components HR Pros can use as evaluation criteria?
a.
This would be true for anyone who is evaluating
vendors or systems but more so for an HR Pro. While other technology selections
and vendor relationships mostly deal with business processes, HR related
vendors/technologies deal with actual ‘people’ within an organization. Some key
things to keep in mind while evaluating vendors would be:
i.
Integration – how will the new system interact
and integrate with your existing technology?
ii.
Consolidation – if the goal is to consolidate
systems and/or processes how well does the new system achieve that goal?
iii.
Automation – how far does the new system go in
terms of eliminating manual work?
iv.
Security – is the new system secure from a data
privacy and privilege perspective?
v.
Data – this is one is of the utmost importance!
Do you own all your data that you will ‘upload’ into the system? How flexible
is the system in letting you pull your data out of it on-demand? This is often
overlooked and a major ‘money drain’ once the system is in operation.
5. Any advice for HR Pros courting new vendors
at SHRM17?
a.
I would suggest 2 things
i.
Do your MoSCoW matrix – in others words
prioritize your base requirements. To the extent possible, know things/features
that are critical ‘Must Haves’ vs. features that you ‘Should Have’.
Additionally, there are features that are desirable and ‘Could Have’ and things
that you are willing to live without and ‘Wont Have’. This will help you not to
chase every shiny new thing out there
ii.
Also if possible, have a discussion with your IT
teams to understand the current systems landscape within your organization.
This will help you ask intelligent questions of the vendors in terms of system
integration, automation etc.
Check out Vivek Patel’s Preconference
Workshop:
Can’t attend this session? Need help
evaluating your next HC Tech upgrade or installation? Feel free to submit your
questions for Vivek in the comments section.
See you in New Orleans!
Dave Kovacovich
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