Andrey Sinyakin, Head of the Planning Office at Hiberty, examines the main errors encountered when introducing HR automation into retail and gives advice on how to avoid them.
Automating personnel management processes today has become an indispensable part of business, especially in retail. It makes it possible to optimize labor-intensive processes, increase efficiency, monitor and analyze results, reduce costs, speed up decision-making process and reduce the likelihood of errors. However, despite all the advantages of automation, there are a number of problems that need to be taken into account.
Lack of goal
Without clear implementation goals, HR solutions may turn out to be useless or even lead to undesirable consequences: prove ineffective or damage the company.
To avoid this, it’s important to determine the goal in advance and explain it to all interested parties. It should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound). Moreover, the goal must be adapted to the requirements of the company and oriented towards the final result. This could be reducing the number of manual operations, increasing productivity, speeding up processes, reducing personnel management expenses, etc.
Determining goals may also make it possible to understand which HR solution is best for the company and how it should be implemented.
Inconsistency between business processes and system functions
Improper understanding of business processes and the functions of the introduced system is the next common error. This may lead to inefficient use of HR solutions due to their inconsistency with the company’s requirements, and poor results.
To avoid these problems, it’s important to thoroughly analyze the company’s business processes and determine which functions of the introduced HR system will best support the business. For example, if the enterprise wants to rid itself of routine operations and quickly hire personnel, then an ATS/CRM system honed towards automating mass hiring will be suitable. If the goal is to increase productivity, then the HR solution should provide productivity monitoring and analysis. If the company sets itself the task of increasing the customer service level, then the HR system should be able to manage employee training and qualification.
The company’s business processes may change with time, so any HR system should be flexible and easily adaptable to new requirements.
For example, Hiberty has developed a proven practice of conducting a pre-project survey for the customer’s company. Specialists form a clear understanding of current business processes, define goals and tasks, and offer step-by-step solutions and a project plan. This makes it possible to avoid the first two errors. This can be done on one’s own, but it’ll take a lot of time and resources.
Lack of a plan for implementation and monitoring
Not having a plan for implementation can also have a significant effect on the project’s success, in much the same way as working without a goal. The automation process may turn out to be more costly and ineffective. Without transparent results monitoring, it’s impossible to measure and evaluate the results of the HR solution implementation, and adjust the processes where necessary.
The introduction plan should determine the stages of implementation, as well as how long they should last and who should be responsible for each of them. This will make it possible to plan resources, optimize expenses, and speed up automation. The introduction plan should also contain mechanisms for risk assessment and risk management strategies.
The project charter should describe which parameters will be measured and with which tools. This could be, for example, comparing indicators before and after implementation, surveying employees, or analyzing system data use. This approach will make it possible to determine how effective the HR solution implementation was, as well as identify problems and possibilities for improvement.
On the whole, planning and control are key elements for implementing any project, and automating HR processes is no exception. These tools help optimize expenses, shorten timeframes, and increase system efficiency. Moreover, these plans ensure transparency and monitoring of the implementation process, which makes it possible to achieve better results.
The implementation team at Hiberty effectively applies this project approach when implementing their own system, while successfully combining it with flexible development methodologies, which is proven by dozens of projects implemented in the largest companies.
Insufficient integration with other systems
HR automation may only be successful if the system is properly integrated with other solutions used in the company.
However, enterprises may come across errors or data duplicates, delays in processes or difficulties in information management. However, without a link between the ATS system and vacancy and candidate management system, recruiters may miss out on finding valuable candidates.
In order to stop this from happening, it is important to ensure full integration of HR systems and other solutions, such as internal systems (employee, working hours, payroll management systems), and external systems (career portal, job boards, telephony, messengers, chat bots, etc.). This will make it possible for the company to reduce data errors, improve process management, and increase the effectiveness of HR work in general.
Introducing HR automation into retail can bring about a lot of benefits if you take into account the potential problems beforehand. The project will be implemented successfully if you avoid typical errors and follow a proper strategy, implementation and monitoring plans, choose the most suitable HR solution, and carry out all integrations. Then you’ll be able to get the most out of HR automation.