Introduce HR technology in four simple steps

The HR department isn't used always used to introducing new technology. In fact, they're probably the last of the business departments to introduce technology. So how can the people department introduce technology in the most effective way?

I recently spent the day at CIPD’s HR Software Show to find out. While I was there, I talked to some great HR people and technology vendors about how HR technology supports business strategy and performance. A recurring theme appeared; how do we avoid the failure of projects to implement digital tech? And how do we make employees engage with tech in the long term?

These questions resonated with me because of my former experience as a project lead and also because of the advice we share with Motivii clients when they launch. 

Start out with a clear goal

Often projects fail because the end goal is unclear or doesn’t exist. It’s important that HR are clear what challenge the technology will address, and what they want to achieve in the short, medium and long term.

Set some clear goals of what the project ROI is; is it better retention? Improved productivity? A more agile business?   

Build a clear timeline, so you can tell your organisation what will happen and when. To successfully introduce HR technology it's important to make sure that the people involved in the launch have clear responsibilities. 

Involve stakeholders before you introduce HR technology

It’s important that you make sure to get buy-in from seniors as soon as possible. If you need top management support during or after implementation, it’s important they know how they can provide support to make the project a success. 

Promote the product

A marketing team doesn’t send out a new product to the market before they've crafted a strong campaign. So before you push the button spend some time creating an internal communications campaign that will drive engagement with the new product. This will create engaged users from day one.

If you lose them before you've launched, it’s going to be an uphill battle to get them to engage again, and you'll never fully achieve your goals. 

Give managers access

Many projects fail because the people who should drive the change, line managers, don’t get proper access to HR systems. This means means that the managers don’t feel empowered to take action.

This is confirmed by The Cedar Crestone Survey, which found that only 15% of companies give their managers direct access to HR systems.]

Some of that makes some sense - not all information shared as part of an HR platform should be accessed by managers. However, managers should receive access to performance or engagement metrics on their team so they can track progress. This is something agile teams are very used to doing.

At Motivii, we think that even employees would benefit from viewing data on themselves, so they have access too.Combine these four factors with a short but impactful presentation of the tool's benefits & an explanation of why you've chosen to use it. Then add a description of your expectations of everyone involved, and you'll have given the tech the welcome it deserves.

By Oliver Harvey, Head of Sales at Motivii