Although many businesses within a given industry have similar requirements for hiring and onboarding software, there’s something to be said for having the ability to fine tune an application to precisely meet your company’s needs. Workforce.com has an interesting article available about a major manufacturing and retail firm that discovered every cent spent on customized hiring tools more than paid off in profits. Luxottica Retail (the company that runs eyewear stores such as Pearle, LensCrafters, and Sunglass Hut) found that prehire assessment tests that are aligned with business objectives spell big bucks.
The cost to administer the prehire test is about $10 per candidate, so that’s not a big financial drain. The resources the company invested over the last ten years tweaking and perfecting the test are where the real expense came in. But this employer has found that stores staffed by high-scoring new hires consistently outperform those staffed by run of the mill candidates. On average, each employee in the top quartile brings in an extra $18,000 in sales per year.
Customization Isn’t a One-Time Effort
Luxottica constantly gathers performance information and feeds it back into the test optimization process. This doesn’t just perfect the test and make it a more accurate predictor of future performance; it also accommodates evolution as the marketplace continues to shift. Each Luxottica brand has its own customized pre-hire test to match associates with store cultures and customer demographics. The employer is careful to consult with legal counsel annually to ensure that changes to the assessment tests don’t restrict the hiring process in a way that could be viewed as discriminatory.
Onboarding Can be Tailored Too
Prehire testing isn’t the only type of hiring software tool that can benefit from customization. Acculturation onboarding is another area where constant improvement based on workforce analytics can yield benefits. Since an employee’s experience during the first 60 days on the job often have a significant impact on everything from productivity to retention, having the ability to update and refine an acculturation module could be very beneficial. For example, you might want to have an onboarding process that features different components based on job position. A manager would have additional training and development to complete while an entry level employee might be inducted into a mentoring program. To find out how our Acculturation Portal can help you customize the new hire experience at your company, contact Emerald Software Group today at 770-569-5122.
Showing posts with label Acculturation Portal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acculturation Portal. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
New Trends in Social Learning & Development Part 4
We’re nearing the end of our journey through the SkillSoft “The Eight Truths of Social Learning. Now.” white paper. Today, we’ll investigate yet another “truth” as it relates to onboarding.
Truth #6 – You Need Multi-Generational Appeal
While you may be focusing a lot of recruiting efforts on Generation X and the Millenials, you still hire and onboard people from older generations as well. These workers may have a lot of experience to draw on that helps them get up to speed fast at a new job. However, the whole point of having a social learning and development program is to encourage people to keep on learning.
Older workers are just as likely as younger workers to appreciate the intellectual challenge of continual workplace education. It keeps things from getting boring. Picking up new information and honing skills also makes them feel that they are being given the same opportunities as young employees – an important factor in minimizing age-related discrimination claims. Any acculturation, orientation, learning, development, and socialization tools you offer in the workplace should take this into account.
Multi-media learning and development software has broad appeal since it lets workers choose their own style and pace for education. For example, someone who grew up in the age before YouTube and podcasts may feel that reading is the fastest way to learn. A 55 year old employee might feel they can absorb 5 times as much information by reading for 20 minutes versus watching a 20 minute video. In contrast, a 25 year old might find an all-text approach to learning too mind numbing to “stick”.
On the other hand, social contact is something pretty much everyone enjoys. It’s just a matter of letting employees have some control over the speed and frequency of interaction. One worker might enjoy a chat forum with instant responses while another prefers private messaging that gives them time to think.
In the final analysis, making sure new hires of every age get the help they need to make the most out of your social learning and development platform is the most important thing. The Emerald Software Acculturation Portal can play a role in helping new employees learn to use your intranet and social networking tools effectively.
Truth #6 – You Need Multi-Generational Appeal
While you may be focusing a lot of recruiting efforts on Generation X and the Millenials, you still hire and onboard people from older generations as well. These workers may have a lot of experience to draw on that helps them get up to speed fast at a new job. However, the whole point of having a social learning and development program is to encourage people to keep on learning.
Older workers are just as likely as younger workers to appreciate the intellectual challenge of continual workplace education. It keeps things from getting boring. Picking up new information and honing skills also makes them feel that they are being given the same opportunities as young employees – an important factor in minimizing age-related discrimination claims. Any acculturation, orientation, learning, development, and socialization tools you offer in the workplace should take this into account.
Multi-media learning and development software has broad appeal since it lets workers choose their own style and pace for education. For example, someone who grew up in the age before YouTube and podcasts may feel that reading is the fastest way to learn. A 55 year old employee might feel they can absorb 5 times as much information by reading for 20 minutes versus watching a 20 minute video. In contrast, a 25 year old might find an all-text approach to learning too mind numbing to “stick”.
On the other hand, social contact is something pretty much everyone enjoys. It’s just a matter of letting employees have some control over the speed and frequency of interaction. One worker might enjoy a chat forum with instant responses while another prefers private messaging that gives them time to think.
In the final analysis, making sure new hires of every age get the help they need to make the most out of your social learning and development platform is the most important thing. The Emerald Software Acculturation Portal can play a role in helping new employees learn to use your intranet and social networking tools effectively.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
New Trends in Social Learning & Development Part 3
This week, we’ll continue our perusal of the SkillSoft “The Eight Truths of Social Learning. Now.” white paper with numbers 4 and 5. How can these “truths” make it easier for you to onboard and develop your new hires?
Truth #4 – Existing Employees are a Great Resource
Formal mentoring programs are a definite benefit to the workplace; but a lot of training happens when coworkers spontaneously step in to help others out. A social networking and learning platform gives these “helpers” an easy way to reach out and connect with new hires (and vice versa). People who are natural teachers enjoy the process of distributing knowledge. When they have an opportunity to do this at work, they tend to become very engaged. At the same time, new hires will feel less cautious about asking questions when they can readily identify coworkers who like being informal mentors.
Truth #5 - Searchability is Key
The downside of having an expansive resource library, an active forum, and lots of internal experts is that it can become difficult for new hires to find exactly what they need without wading through a lot of info. Indexing content and profiles so they can be searched by keywords/topics is essential for efficient use. Fortunately, today’s social platforms are designed to support keyword searching. This means you may just need to train/encourage users to tag their profiles and discussions to make them easy to find when a new user starts poking around to find useful information.
Our Acculturation Portal can be used to introduce your new hires to your team and show basic examples of how to use your company’s social network for a variety of self-led learning activities.
Truth #4 – Existing Employees are a Great Resource
Formal mentoring programs are a definite benefit to the workplace; but a lot of training happens when coworkers spontaneously step in to help others out. A social networking and learning platform gives these “helpers” an easy way to reach out and connect with new hires (and vice versa). People who are natural teachers enjoy the process of distributing knowledge. When they have an opportunity to do this at work, they tend to become very engaged. At the same time, new hires will feel less cautious about asking questions when they can readily identify coworkers who like being informal mentors.
Truth #5 - Searchability is Key
The downside of having an expansive resource library, an active forum, and lots of internal experts is that it can become difficult for new hires to find exactly what they need without wading through a lot of info. Indexing content and profiles so they can be searched by keywords/topics is essential for efficient use. Fortunately, today’s social platforms are designed to support keyword searching. This means you may just need to train/encourage users to tag their profiles and discussions to make them easy to find when a new user starts poking around to find useful information.
Our Acculturation Portal can be used to introduce your new hires to your team and show basic examples of how to use your company’s social network for a variety of self-led learning activities.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
New Trends in Social Learning & Development Part 2
Today, let’s take a look at some more “truths” from the SkillSoft “The Eight Truths of Social Learning. Now white paper with a focus on how this type of learning impacts new hires.
Truth #2 – Employees are Overloaded with Information
Albert Einstein is often credited as saying: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” However, the folks at SkillSoft argue that one of the tools that inundates us all with way too much data can actually be used to help solve the problem of information overload. They might have a point. For example, a kind of collaborative sifting happens when a group of coworkers have access to the same library of learning and development content. The process tends to highlight the resources that have the greatest real-world value since those are the ones that people repost, “like”, and comment on. When a new hire is introduced to this system during onboarding, he or she can jumpstart self-directed learning by finding out what current employees find most useful.
Truth #3 – Social Learning should be Part of a Blended Approach
Here’s another 3 legged stool analogy that relates to blended learning strategies. Employers may see better results if they use in-person instruction, e-learning, and social learning together. That’s because the sum is greater than the whole of its parts when it comes to how people absorb new information. In-person instruction allows for face to face interaction to provide a sense of connection. E-learning offers participants the leeway to move at their own pace. Social learning presents a great environment for give and take both in real-time and as a follow on to initial instruction.
New hires who enter a work culture knowing that they will have ongoing mentor support from a whole group of coworkers via a social network may feel less stress during initial training. Our Acculturation Portal can play a role in introducing new employees into the social network. It interfaces with Microsoft SharePoint and other intranet platforms to provide a seamless transition into full interactivity.
Truth #2 – Employees are Overloaded with Information
Albert Einstein is often credited as saying: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” However, the folks at SkillSoft argue that one of the tools that inundates us all with way too much data can actually be used to help solve the problem of information overload. They might have a point. For example, a kind of collaborative sifting happens when a group of coworkers have access to the same library of learning and development content. The process tends to highlight the resources that have the greatest real-world value since those are the ones that people repost, “like”, and comment on. When a new hire is introduced to this system during onboarding, he or she can jumpstart self-directed learning by finding out what current employees find most useful.
Truth #3 – Social Learning should be Part of a Blended Approach
Here’s another 3 legged stool analogy that relates to blended learning strategies. Employers may see better results if they use in-person instruction, e-learning, and social learning together. That’s because the sum is greater than the whole of its parts when it comes to how people absorb new information. In-person instruction allows for face to face interaction to provide a sense of connection. E-learning offers participants the leeway to move at their own pace. Social learning presents a great environment for give and take both in real-time and as a follow on to initial instruction.
New hires who enter a work culture knowing that they will have ongoing mentor support from a whole group of coworkers via a social network may feel less stress during initial training. Our Acculturation Portal can play a role in introducing new employees into the social network. It interfaces with Microsoft SharePoint and other intranet platforms to provide a seamless transition into full interactivity.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Summer Seasonal Hiring is a Hot Topic
Summer is approaching and lots of businesses are taking steps to cope with the influx of customers that is already occurring. Tourist hot spots around the country are definitely getting ready for the peak season. However, closer to home there are also retailers staffing up. Workforce.com points out that warm weather brings out the DIY home improvement crowd in droves. This means industry leaders like Home Depot and Lowe’s are in the market for lots of new talent. These companies have been planning for the big spring and summer hiring push since last fall. The process of hiring tens of thousands of part time workers began in March and is still ongoing.
Quality as Important as Quantity
Customers who go to a home improvement store are usually not there just to browse. They have at least a general idea of what they need – but not necessarily where to find it and which item will work best for their project. New hires in these stores have to learn very quickly how to assist customers. It’s not good enough to have dozens of employees on the floor if only one or two have the knowledge and experience to actually locate products and help customers make smart selections. Home Depot in particular is taking steps to standardize and improve training for new hires. That way, they can fulfill their role without the customer ever realizing they are talking to a “newbie”.
Online Learning Helps
Virtual training tools are making a huge difference in the efficiency and speed of training. Home Depot claims a 90% decrease in the number of training hours required per seasonal employee since implementing its own customized e-learning program. New hires can access their training materials via the web at home or at work and become proficient in basic job skills (like product knowledge and store layout) faster.
Emerald Software Understands Speed
Our Acculturation Portal and Universal Onboarding modules are designed to achieve greater speed to productivity for new hires. These tools make HR’s job easier – especially during peak hiring seasons when getting part time employees up to speed is critical for capturing seasonal revenue. Fortunately, our products are easily adaptable to any business large or small with pricing that makes it affordable for every client.
Quality as Important as Quantity
Customers who go to a home improvement store are usually not there just to browse. They have at least a general idea of what they need – but not necessarily where to find it and which item will work best for their project. New hires in these stores have to learn very quickly how to assist customers. It’s not good enough to have dozens of employees on the floor if only one or two have the knowledge and experience to actually locate products and help customers make smart selections. Home Depot in particular is taking steps to standardize and improve training for new hires. That way, they can fulfill their role without the customer ever realizing they are talking to a “newbie”.
Online Learning Helps
Virtual training tools are making a huge difference in the efficiency and speed of training. Home Depot claims a 90% decrease in the number of training hours required per seasonal employee since implementing its own customized e-learning program. New hires can access their training materials via the web at home or at work and become proficient in basic job skills (like product knowledge and store layout) faster.
Emerald Software Understands Speed
Our Acculturation Portal and Universal Onboarding modules are designed to achieve greater speed to productivity for new hires. These tools make HR’s job easier – especially during peak hiring seasons when getting part time employees up to speed is critical for capturing seasonal revenue. Fortunately, our products are easily adaptable to any business large or small with pricing that makes it affordable for every client.
Monday, April 25, 2011
HR Technology and Worker Privacy
Workforce Magazine has a somewhat disturbing article online this week about the applications available to HR for monitoring employee activity on the web. These new tools go far beyond simply documenting worker use of company computers. Keyword recording software and firewalls that block access to certain sites are commonplace enough that they no longer raise eyebrows.
The latest generation of monitoring software takes surveillance to the next level. Besides taking screenshots of every web page an employee visits at work, it can also scour the web in general to dig up information about workers that might raise a red flag. It doesn’t matter if the employee (or someone else) posted questionable content at home on their personal time. If the employer can sniff it out, they may use it to make disciplinary decisions.
Examples of images and content posted on social networking sites that have resulted in suspension or termination recently include:
• Photos of a female employee at a bachelorette party (with live entertainment) posted to the internet without her consent
• Negative comments about working conditions including criticism of a particular supervisor posted by an employee on her own time
The employees in the widely publicized cases above ended up on the winning side of court cases against their employers. However, the battle over free speech and privacy vs. corporate interests is just getting started. Read the full article to get a feel for the arguments made on each side of this tense issue.
HR Tech Doesn’t Have to be Invasive to Provide Benefits
There’s no consensus, but the middle ground seems to be that encouraging employees to behave responsibly online is the safest, least invasive action employers can take. One way to do this is through acculturation onboarding that provides clear information about employer expectations. Assisting employees in participating on the company’s own internal networking platform could also give them a place to socialize during work hours without breaking any rules. Our Acculturation Portal supports both of these initiatives to help employers set healthy boundaries and communicate about appropriate behavior.
The latest generation of monitoring software takes surveillance to the next level. Besides taking screenshots of every web page an employee visits at work, it can also scour the web in general to dig up information about workers that might raise a red flag. It doesn’t matter if the employee (or someone else) posted questionable content at home on their personal time. If the employer can sniff it out, they may use it to make disciplinary decisions.
Examples of images and content posted on social networking sites that have resulted in suspension or termination recently include:
• Photos of a female employee at a bachelorette party (with live entertainment) posted to the internet without her consent
• Negative comments about working conditions including criticism of a particular supervisor posted by an employee on her own time
The employees in the widely publicized cases above ended up on the winning side of court cases against their employers. However, the battle over free speech and privacy vs. corporate interests is just getting started. Read the full article to get a feel for the arguments made on each side of this tense issue.
HR Tech Doesn’t Have to be Invasive to Provide Benefits
There’s no consensus, but the middle ground seems to be that encouraging employees to behave responsibly online is the safest, least invasive action employers can take. One way to do this is through acculturation onboarding that provides clear information about employer expectations. Assisting employees in participating on the company’s own internal networking platform could also give them a place to socialize during work hours without breaking any rules. Our Acculturation Portal supports both of these initiatives to help employers set healthy boundaries and communicate about appropriate behavior.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
HR Software Metrics
Now more than ever, HR is looking at hard numbers to make decisions about HCM strategies. This is becoming easier since HR software vendors are incorporating better tools for analysis and reporting into their products. These days it’s possible to measure in detail how a wide spectrum of workforce related decisions impact business outcomes. But evaluating the past in light of the present is just one way to look at the data. It can also be used for predictive purposes. Workforce.com has put together an article outlining how some companies are using workforce metrics for forecasting and planning – the latest strategic implementation of HR technology for employers who want an edge on the competition.
Adequate Staffing Requires Foresight
Predicting the need for and availability of labor is the most obvious type of HR analysis. Recruiters need to understand how a combination of factors such as future growth and potential attrition of key existing employees will impact staffing requirements and capabilities. This makes it possible to create retention and succession strategies targeting positions that are at the highest risk. Appropriate use of predictive HR metrics could also lead to better choices during recessions. Too many employers have found out the hard way that they laid off the wrong people over the last few years. Now, there’s a critical shortage in areas like development and middle management where employees are not easily replaced.
What Could Change for HR?
The emphasis on forecasting may lead to a greater demand for HR statisticians. The ideal candidate would be someone who understands software (like an HRIS analyst) so the best tools are implemented for capturing the right kind of data. This statistician would also have to understand how concepts like employee engagement intersect with hard numbers.
Onboarding is Ripe for Further Analysis
One area that is being studied for its ability to predict turnover is onboarding. According to information compiled by the Aberdeen Group, companies that have a well developed acculturation onboarding strategy fare better than their counterparts in retention of talent. Onboarding software plays an important role in ensuring new hires are fully equipped and engaged. Applications such as our Universal Onboarding and Acculturation Portal provide analytic tools to help HR measure outcomes and identify ways to increase efficiency in onboarding.
Adequate Staffing Requires Foresight
Predicting the need for and availability of labor is the most obvious type of HR analysis. Recruiters need to understand how a combination of factors such as future growth and potential attrition of key existing employees will impact staffing requirements and capabilities. This makes it possible to create retention and succession strategies targeting positions that are at the highest risk. Appropriate use of predictive HR metrics could also lead to better choices during recessions. Too many employers have found out the hard way that they laid off the wrong people over the last few years. Now, there’s a critical shortage in areas like development and middle management where employees are not easily replaced.
What Could Change for HR?
The emphasis on forecasting may lead to a greater demand for HR statisticians. The ideal candidate would be someone who understands software (like an HRIS analyst) so the best tools are implemented for capturing the right kind of data. This statistician would also have to understand how concepts like employee engagement intersect with hard numbers.
Onboarding is Ripe for Further Analysis
One area that is being studied for its ability to predict turnover is onboarding. According to information compiled by the Aberdeen Group, companies that have a well developed acculturation onboarding strategy fare better than their counterparts in retention of talent. Onboarding software plays an important role in ensuring new hires are fully equipped and engaged. Applications such as our Universal Onboarding and Acculturation Portal provide analytic tools to help HR measure outcomes and identify ways to increase efficiency in onboarding.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Is Fast HR Software Right for Your Business?
Workforce Management has an interesting article online about the ways HR gets bogged down when it comes to software development. The piece focuses on a new concept called “Fast HR”. This approach to the development of training materials and other HR applications is based on the idea that it’s better to have something usable in a short time frame than something perfect that takes so long to complete that it is outdated by the time it goes live.
One software expert interviewed for the article noted that it can take almost a year of preparation to create a 1 week instructional course. That’s just too long when an organization’s needs change rapidly. In another example of the snail-pace of some HR processes, survey data collected from employees at large organizations may take months to analyze. By the time the results are turned into a final report, they are no longer representative of the current opinions of the workforce.
Fast HR Requires Clear Thinking
The key to shortening the time required to roll out new processes involving customized HR software is to focus on what’s important. In the software development industry, there’s a project management method called Scrum that offers a peek at how this works. This process includes making a wish list of required items, prioritizing them, and working in short bursts on the most critical pieces. This ensures that no matter when the project ends, it has resulted in the production of a useful solution.
For this approach to work in HR, an organization must be very clear on the goals of its software. That’s because it simply isn’t possible to include everything when using this agile development method. It also isn’t realistic to expect the results to be error free. This means that HR has to have a platform in place for receiving feedback about any issues employees experience in using a particular tool. Then, there has to be a commitment to follow up and fix the problems.
Pros and Cons
The benefit of this continuous approach to software development for HR is that it provides a solution quickly to move an organization toward achieving its objectives. The downside is that it is requires ongoing resources and attention. It will never be truly “finished”. Of course, with a field that keeps changing as fast as HR, no application ever outgrows the need for revision and updating.
Emerald Software Solutions
Both the Universal Onboarding and Acculturation Portal we offer lend themselves to ongoing customization. HR can add panels on an as needed basis – starting with the most important. Typical times to implementation are in line with Fast HR methodology while still promoting a high level of compliance.
One software expert interviewed for the article noted that it can take almost a year of preparation to create a 1 week instructional course. That’s just too long when an organization’s needs change rapidly. In another example of the snail-pace of some HR processes, survey data collected from employees at large organizations may take months to analyze. By the time the results are turned into a final report, they are no longer representative of the current opinions of the workforce.
Fast HR Requires Clear Thinking
The key to shortening the time required to roll out new processes involving customized HR software is to focus on what’s important. In the software development industry, there’s a project management method called Scrum that offers a peek at how this works. This process includes making a wish list of required items, prioritizing them, and working in short bursts on the most critical pieces. This ensures that no matter when the project ends, it has resulted in the production of a useful solution.
For this approach to work in HR, an organization must be very clear on the goals of its software. That’s because it simply isn’t possible to include everything when using this agile development method. It also isn’t realistic to expect the results to be error free. This means that HR has to have a platform in place for receiving feedback about any issues employees experience in using a particular tool. Then, there has to be a commitment to follow up and fix the problems.
Pros and Cons
The benefit of this continuous approach to software development for HR is that it provides a solution quickly to move an organization toward achieving its objectives. The downside is that it is requires ongoing resources and attention. It will never be truly “finished”. Of course, with a field that keeps changing as fast as HR, no application ever outgrows the need for revision and updating.
Emerald Software Solutions
Both the Universal Onboarding and Acculturation Portal we offer lend themselves to ongoing customization. HR can add panels on an as needed basis – starting with the most important. Typical times to implementation are in line with Fast HR methodology while still promoting a high level of compliance.
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