Digitalization, or the transfer of the corporate agenda from paper to electronic form, has long been considered the path that every company will have to take in the near future. The coronavirus crisis and the associated rise of the home office and remote collaboration marked a turning point in the process of gradual digitisation. Most companies have realised that the future is already here and there is no choice but to adapt to the new conditions. The search for simple platforms for remote working began in earnest. The need to digitalize company processes affected all company departments, but the most important solution to this new situation was and is being addressed by HR. Human resource management is inherently based on face-to-face contact, so moving the HR agenda online has meant an overwhelming intervention for HR.
HR professionals have responded to the leap into the digital age by using proven tools, Outlook email client, Skype communication tool, and file sharing via cloud storage. In the short term, they were able to manage their HR agenda in this way, but the longer the restrictions caused by covid-19 delayed the return of staff to the office, the more intensely the question of a systemic solution to the digitalisation of the HR agenda surfaced. HR professionals and managers simply found that they unfortunately couldn't do without specialized software to free their hands and automate their repetitive HR activities. Binders and excel spreadsheets are no more, but what's next?
How to get started with the digital transformation of your HR department?
Companies that had already counted on the digitization of the HR agenda before the onset of the coronavirus crisis reached for prepared digital transformation plans in a crisis situation or approached an internal employee or an external partner who deals with this area. For these companies, the transition to the digital age was seamless, and employees often did not notice the change. The situation was diametrically different for companies that had not planned for digitalisation in HR. These companies were often groping and the result was a waste of time and money. The transition to a digitized HR agenda is not fundamentally complicated, but it is enough to follow three basic principles:
Find an experienced partner
Implementing the transfer of HR activities to the digital world is unthinkable in a situation where your company has no experience with it. In this case, it is clearly worth approaching an experienced external partner who has prepared functional technologies and knows exactly how to implement them in your company. The right partner will offer a software solution that will be incorporated into your company's agenda organically and without any negative impact on the department's operations.
Choose a solution with price and quality in mind
The digital technology sector offers a diverse range of solutions, from high-end systems to powerful software tools with many features to low-cost applications. When selecting a particular software to take your HR agenda electronic, you should always carefully weigh the benefits of all the software's features with the price the software will cost. Pay attention to the monthly fees, not just the cost of the initial implementation. One of the main criteria when selecting software must be the speed of return on investment.
Involve employees in the transformation
The new software is a bogeyman for many employees. Fears often stem from past bad experiences with new software implementation. Show your employees specifically how the new tool will make their jobs easier. It is very important not to forget to train employees, because people have the greatest resistance to things they don't understand.
Choose a service that can adapt
The turbulent times associated with the covid-19 pandemic have revealed how crucial it is to be able to adapt quickly to new conditions. And the software you choose to transform your business agenda into a digital one should master this art. Check that the service you choose for digitisation has, for example, responded to the mandatory testing for covid-19 and has implemented a record of the tests or vaccinations carried out.
Cloud or On-premise?
Once you've chosen the right HR digitization vendor, you need to turn your attention to the technical solution. HR software is generally delivered in two basic variants: in the cloud or as on-premise software. Each business suits a different technical solution, the benefits to the company should play a crucial role in deciding which one to choose.
Cloud or Software as a Service (SaaS)
In this type of software delivery, the system is hosted centrally. The company does not have to worry about the hardware, it only deals with the cost of the licenses.
On-premise software
With this type of licensing, on the other hand, the software is installed locally on the company's servers. The license fee is usually smaller, the company does not pay for the management and maintenance of the cloud.
Which digitisation solution is cheaper?
With a SaaS solution, there is no upfront investment, but licenses are more expensive. On-premise offers the opposite situation, i.e. high initial investment in hardware and lower prices for licenses. In general, a cloud solution is more cost-effective.
What about data security?
The HR agenda has data that is very sensitive in terms of leakage, so it is essential to emphasize quality security when choosing a technical solution for digitization. In terms of security, the cloud solution wins. This is because cloud providers usually use security measures that most organisations cannot afford.
Which solution enables faster deployment?
Cloud solutions can be implemented into a company almost immediately. The company doesn't have to worry about hardware or application installations. On-premise solutions take significantly longer to get up and running, which can be a significant disadvantage in certain situations.
Which technical solution is best for your business?
There is no clear answer to this question. Each company has its own specific requirements. However, there are a few parameters that will make your decision easier. It's a good idea to think before you go free:
- Which payment model suits the company best
- How I want to keep my data secure
- How quickly I want to deploy the system
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