Want to improve your HR processes? 3 tips for managing the change

HR looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago. Back then, HR was concerned with having a seat at the table. Now, there’s the role of CHRO. Before, those who owned HR technology or the HRIS were off in their own corners of the office, holding all the systems knowledge. Today, HR technology is so accessible and easy to use that “you don’t need a specific HR tech person at the helm anymore,” says Ryan Higginson-Scott, longtime HR pro who now advises PeopleDoc customers on HR process improvement. “Anyone in HR can contribute to or take on the management of these tools.”

As technology becomes more pervasive, how can HR leaders manage the implications it has for their processes and people? During a recent #WorkTrends podcast episode with Talent Culture’s Megan M. Biro, Ryan discusses what HR can do to manage change, prioritize change, and get any resisters to accept change. Read on for his advice, or listen to the full episode, Smoothing Out Your Messy HR Processes, here:

1. Include employees in process changes from the start

As tasks become automated by technology, the people who own them will undoubtedly have concerns. Ryan’s advice: Include employees in your roadmap for change from the very beginning. For example, when Ryan was recruiting for a tier 1 support role, he made it clear to his top candidate that the job responsibilities would be intertwined with the team’s plan for growth. Part of the job was actually to find ways to improve HR processes and enhance the content in the employee knowledge portal so that the role could have more time for new projects and learning new skills. “He accepted the job and we got some really great stuff done,” says Ryan.

2. Help change resisters see the value

Change is inevitable—and so is encountering people who will resist it. What do you do when you hear the dreaded, “but we’ve always done it this way”? Ryan advises HR to “take the time to help the change-averse figure out what’s in it for them and the value change brings to their function.” But what about those who are being difficult just for the sake of it? “Don’t spend a lot of time working with them,” says Ryan. Focus on finding those key stakeholders who are on board and empower them to be your change evangelists. “Find your metrics and data to win them over.”

3. Prioritize process improvement by volume, scope and impact

Technology creates a ton of opportunity to simplify HR processes, squeeze out inefficiencies, and eliminate redundancies, but all the potential can be overwhelming. Where do you start if every process could use a little help? Ryan suggests making a priority matrix. List all your HR processes, transactions, and workflows and then, for each, define (1) the scope (is it global? local?), (2) the operational impact (how will change affect financials, productivity, resource consumption?) and (3) the volume (how often does it happen?). Prioritize those that have the greatest volume, scope and impact.