Why one touch HCM technology is no longer negotiable

Where once employees accepted a clunky or outdated technological experience at work, their expectations and standards are now greater. Employers of choice - those that employees talk about in glowing terms and which attract great talent - typically provide technology experiences that match or exceed what employees use in their personal lives.

Let’s take a dive into how this experience looks when done well.

A friend of mine was employed in a new job recently. Before he even began, he was given a single log-in to access a one touch Human Capital Management (HCM) solution which covers his onboarding, payroll, leave management, and performance. This means that at any time, from any device, he can see information on his salary and super, with the ability to update his account details himself. He has certainty around how and when he will be paid.

Within the single system he can see his manager’s details and the org chart. He can find out who his peers are and can explore the simple processes, such as applying for leave. Easy access to information is provided to him, like visibility of a real-time report of accrued leave.

Several weeks before he started, he began receiving helpful push notifications, prompting him to go into the system and ensure necessary details were filled out.

He expressed the confidence it gave him that he’d made the right decision in accepting the role with this organisation. He could see, before even entering the workplace, how important the employee experience was in their eyes. “They clearly know what they are doing,” he said.

Sadly, this experience is the exception rather than the rule. How many times do people start a new job and they’re not even sure when or how often they’re going to be paid? How often are new starters introduced to the HR team and told to contact them any time they need help with HR admin tasks.

How disappointing is that experience for employees, both new and tenured? How much powerful data is that organisation missing out on? That data can be used to inform business decisions around day-to-day and long-term people management, streamline processes, and even influence whole-of-business strategy development. So how many organisations are falling behind on the technology experience for employees, as their competitors leap forward into a digitally driven future?

Great technology is no longer a ‘nice-to-have'

There are multiple drivers behind this seemingly sudden rise in employee expectations around people-friendly technology. Many believe this stems from new demands caused by the pandemic. There is truth in this, with 64% of HR leaders now prioritising employee experience more highly than before the coronavirus outbreak.

However, expectations have been increasing for several years - particularly as HR technology has boomed. Ten years ago, a business was considered to be advanced if it had a payroll system and a recruitment system; even though chances are they weren’t integrated.

Thanks to a surge of digital innovation, organisations have further digitised and automated their processes; whilst people also began to experience the true power of technology in their personal lives.

Employees were already beginning to expect more from their workplace technology. When the pandemic hit, these expectations were accelerated into needs. Yet as some organisations quickly transformed their offerings, others became quickly outdated, continuing to rely on manual and inefficient procedures.

Add a younger generation of employees who have never known a non-digital world, and we find a powerful mix of drivers for increased technological expectations.

So how does an organisation meet these new expectations?

How getting technology right engages employees

When an organisation gets HCM technology right, individuals may not necessarily notice the system itself. What they notice instead is the experience. For example, UKG client Independent Community Living Australia (ICLA) wanted to improve their employee engagement by prioritising coaching and performance. They took a two-step approach. First, they would automate administrative tasks to give time back to management that could be spent on mentorship. Second, they would streamline management abilities when it came to reviewing performance, providing training and mapping succession plans.

 After adopting a single HCM application that could streamline tasks while making mentoring easy for both employees and management, the benefits soon became clear. ICLA regained 1,500 hours from timesheet efficiencies, while establishing a single, reliable employee record to use for easier coaching.

We’ve seen the results of a lack of process or visibility reflected in newspaper headlines over the past few years – underpayment scandals, cultural problems, industrial relations failures, and more.

Outdated, disparate, or manual HR processes can eventually reveal problems. Unintentional compliance issues, cumbersome processes, and administrative time burdens are some examples. In particular, this wasted time is often HR professionals spending their days chasing paper-based problems instead of helping the organisation achieve its strategic ambitions.

People-first organisations know the value of investing in the best tools for their workforce. Not only do these tools minimise compliance risk and streamline HR processes – they also transform the employee experience. One touch technology gives employees everything they need at their fingertips, which enables them to perform at their best.

When this occurs, new starters like my friend above are confident the organisation they’re joining puts its people first. Employees feel cared for and assured their interests are being prioritised. HR professionals are freed from repetitive, low-value tasks to focus on their role as strategic partners in the business. Leadership teams discover actionable insights through real-time data, which give them the power to make informed, forward-thinking decisions.

It all begins with a workplace in which the technology doesn’t make staff feel as if they're stepping back in time. That means providing a one touch system that offers a single source of truth and manages everything from recruitment and onboarding to employee self-service, performance management, career development, succession planning, compensation, and more.