Easy Money - Solving HR Transformation with Tech

I once worked on a project to look into a process where “that was the way it was always done”, and came up against a wall of resistance from people who insisted it couldn’t be changed. Reasons included legal and compliance, changes would need to be phased in over a number of years so the process wouldn’t collapse, to making the change being bad juju and seven years bad luck. Ok I made that last bit up, but you get the picture. Any way the net result was that the changes did get made, and not only did they increase oversight and compliance, while reducing turnaround time, but also reduced the cost per transaction from about $700 to $50, or to put it another way over 90%. Spread that over as little as 1000 transactions and you're talking 650,000 in savings - Easy money.

So if it’s such easy money, why do so many HR Teams leave so much of it on the table when this could be an easy way of reducing HR costs without impacting efficiency. Often times the right changes to HR processes and systems can also help the business generate additional profit, which is always a win. To illustrate how and why, I’ll use an analogy, based on what was formerly the worlds most popular TV program - Top Gear.

Those of you familiar with the program will know that each episode featured a “Star in a reasonably priced car” and also the famously "shy" Stig racing driver. Both took it in turns to do a lap around the Top Gear track, but in vastly different cars, as the star challenged The Stig to a race to see who could record the fastest time.

Let's imagine that the Stig gets to drive the latest in crazily fast automotive technology, while the star, a far inferior driver, has to settle for the reasonably priced high street sedan. The star would be destroyed in that matchup.

BUT…

If they happened to swap cars, there is every chance that the star would crush The Stig. Each. and. every. single. time. How can that be? After all, The Stig is a 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 a better driver!

When The Stig is in the reasonably priced car, he’s a world-class driver running a very average machine. Even though he could handle so much more, he’s severely limited by the system he’s running. That in a nutshell is why its likely many HR teams are leaving easy money on the table.

The solution is SYSTEMS, and if you recognise your team in this scenario, then you are being handicapped by your systems. You are like The Stig driving the reasonably priced car. You’re world-class talent being held back by the systems running your HR processes.

For as long as I can remember, the talk in HR has been about this being the year that HR steps up and makes a difference to the business by making better use of tech. Let's actually make it happen!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨:

Stellar systems, driven by average people, Will ALWAYS beat stellar people running average systems. And that’s worth thinking about.

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#hrtransformation #EmployeeExperience #hrtech #21stCenturyHR