How often do you enter the master data of new employees into various tools or lists in the HR department? In non-digitalised HR departments, this happens an estimated 10 times. With 8 minutes per new employee and 4 hires per month, this adds up to 5 hours of working time. 5 hours that you could use more profitably - if HR were digitalised. And that's just one example.
Why is it worth digitising HR?
- It's more fun for employees
In our private lives, almost everything is digital: bills are paid via eBill, medical expenses are billed via app and tax returns are submitted online. It's often a different story at work: Pay slips arrive by post, medical certificates have to be physically delivered to HR and people pick up the phone if they have any questions. One company believed that employees did not want digital HR services. But a survey showed the opposite: 98 % of employees want exactly that. Ask your employees what they want from digital HR solutions. - It saves time and money
Around 80 % of HR questions can be answered via self-service platforms. Whether intranet, wiki, apps such as Beekeeper or a chatbot - such solutions enable your employees to find answers more quickly without interrupting their day-to-day HR business. - It reduces staff turnover in HR
An HR Heads of an SME once said: "If we continue at this low level of digitalisation, I will lose my good HR employees." Your HR team also wants variety and modern tools. If this is not fulfilled, dissatisfied employees will leave the company - and each new appointment will quickly cost you an annual salary.
What's the best way to proceed?
- Define digitalisation topics
Often straightforward for SMEs. There are three categories: 1) Hygiene factors: payroll processing, master data, Time Management, personnel dossier. 2) Efficiency drivers: Recruitment, HR portal, workflows, references. 3) Motivators: employee appraisals, learning systems, communication. - Determine the Roadmap
Plan a mix of Software that is essential for HR and at the same time fun for employees. - Select software
There are many industry-specific software solutions in the SME sector. There are two approaches: 1) Best-of-breed: Select the best software for each topic. 2) HR suite: Cover as many topics as possible with one software. The trend is clearly moving towards a suite. For SMEs, Personio with SwissSalary is ideal - user-friendly, quick to implement and specially developed for HR and SMEs. - Choose an implementation partner
Implementing Software is like a marriage - choose your partner carefully.
That simple? Or are there still hurdles?
Of course, there are certain challenges in the SME sector, just as there are for large companies. Here are the most common ones:
- Small number of HR employees
Expensive, complex software is often not worthwhile with few HR employees, as SMEs need less flexibility. Inexpensive, user-friendly tools that offer real added value are the better choice - provided they fit the size and structure of your company. - High personnel resource requirements
A lack of resources during implementation can lead to higher customisation costs later on. Therefore, plan for additional staff for day-to-day business, for example temporary employees, and factor these into the project costs. - High financial resources required
Such investments are often a major challenge for SMEs. Even if they pay off in the long term, they must first be mastered. Stagger the implementations so that not everything is incurred in the first year. And ask yourself: What are the consequences if you don't implement?
If you are unsure, ask other companies of a similar size about their experiences. It's best to start with a single topic. The biggest risk is to leave everything as it is - and still hope for different results.
Source
- Digitization HR_BurtscherM (zhaw.ch)
Authors
Sandra Lugonjic
HR Strategies
As a strategy consultant at HR Campus, Sandra supports companies in making their Employee Experience measurable and tangible and improving it through targeted strategic measures. With her experience in the areas of employer branding and people development, she supports customers who want to position themselves as attractive employers.
Anja Buser
HR Strategies
Anja loves solving challenges. In her private life, but above all in her professional life. As a strategy consultant at HR Campus, she supports HR departments in answering various questions. Among other things, she also helps them find their way through the jungle of HR tools. Anja also enjoys writing texts and performing on stage as a moderator and key note speaker.