he “Service Model of Networking” doesn’t work on the basis of “revenue earned from every professional network”

1. Effectiveness Efficiency and Engagement of HRAutomation In last few years, I have developed my own unique process of networking with leaders and professionalsacrossindustriesandithasworkedefficientlyforourmutualgrowth.Icallitas “Service Model of Networking” as opposed to “Sales Model of Networking”. The “Service Model of Networking” doesn’t work on the basis of “revenue earned from every professional network”; instead, it works on “value addition” or “Unique Selling Proposition (USP) you bringtothetable,itismuchfocusedandcreateswin-winoutcomes.Through“ServiceModel of Networking”, I don’t seek business from people in my network instead, I askfor their feedback on my work and my ideas that may eventually add value totheir organizations.Ibelieve,itisveryengagingandatthesametimenon-irritatingapproach.It has helped me to reach out and develop a wonderful relationship with many CEOs and Managing Directors of small and mid-sized organizations (less than 5,000employees). Last year, in the month of March, I was contacted by the CEO of a mid-sized engineering organization headquartered in Gurgaon. The organization which currently employs 625+ employees is now considering few global acquisitions and is also planning to set-up a new plant inPune.Tilldate,15employeesweremanagingtheHumanResourceactivitiesthroughMicrosoft Suit,primarilyMSExcelandlow-levelsoftwarefor managingpayroll.Myinitialconversationwith the CEO indicated that he was not happy with the functioning of HR Team. He asked me about my experience and level of involvement in HR Automation Projects and if I will be interested in takingupaprojectwiththeorganization.AfterIsubmittedmydetailedresponsetohim,hecalled me for a meeting at his office in Gurgaon. In a daylong meeting with CEO, CFO, and other stakeholders, we discussed the expected outcome of the project, commercials and budget involved, and a timeline to submit the project. As a part of the project, I was asked toevaluate

2. their existing processes, suggest a cost-effective solution to develop software in-house or to purchaseitfromthemarketandgetcustomized.IwasaskedtoprovidealistofbestTHREEHRMS available in the market if buying from outside or prepare a detailed project plan and help in gettingitexecutedifoptingforin-house. ChallengesInvolvedin SuccessfulImplementationofHR Automation Process Owners Opposing the Change - Like any other change, this change was also furiously opposed by process owners. For them, automating processes implies learning new skills. If they fail to do so, they might risk losing their jobs. During my initial interactions with the HR team, they gave me numerous reasons as to why automation is a bad idea. One of the reasons was, losing “human touch”. Someone said, “We are working in HRFunction, therefore, we need to understand feelings, emotions, and difficultiesofouremployeesandresolveitaccordingly.Withautomation,everythingwill becomemechanicalandwewillloseachancetointeractwiththemandasaresult,there will be high attrition”. Another HRmanager said, “These people don’t know how to operate computers. They are too rigid to learn new things. It will increase the workload on HR Department”. Yet another member of HR Team blamed the leadership of the organization,“Theyneverdiscusseditwithus.That’showtheytreatus.Weworksohard, sometimes we work for 12-13 hours a day and yet they don’t involve us in decision making. They should have involved us in this decision as it was about our department beforeappointingyouasaconsultantandpaying suchahugeamount(Idon’tknowhow theyfoundaboutmycommercialfee).Wewouldhavefeltmotivated hadtheygiventhat amount to us instead of wasting it”. It took me a lot of time to convince them and show them an opportunity to grow and learn new skills. I also gave them an insight into how they can develop their career in HR and be more effective. I won’t claim that the entire HRteamwasconvincedwithmyexplanationandargumentbut3/4thofthelotwere. Running Parallel Systems–HR prefers to run parallel systems - manual as well as automatedHRprocesses.Thoughtheycontinuewiththemanualprocessasabackupplan to ensure functional continuity until the automation is completed and employeesget enough training to use processes efficiently and effectively. However, the truth is thatin many mid-sized organizations, they never really move to automation. I know few organizations where they manage time-office and payroll in MS Excel as well asin

3. Software. The only way to move towards HR Process Automation is to completely shut- down the manual process and use the software efficiently and optimally. There might be fewchallengesintheinitialmonthsofimplementation,maybe4-6months,butafterthat, it will be easy to work. It will not only save the time but will also increase the accuracy. Don’t create a pain for lifelong if something can be cured with a hospitalization for 4 -6 months. 3. Inaccurate and Incomplete Database – For an automation of HR processes to work flawlessly, TWO things must be accurate and updated by minute – Process Flow and Database. If process flow and database are inaccurate and incomplete, then nomatter which HRMS one uses and how expensive it is, it won’t give the desired result. Hence, it isaresponsibilityofHRtoauditthedatabaseandprocessflowonregularbasis,preferably on weekly basis. I remember one case where an employee was offered a salary of 360,000/- INR per annum, however, a manager who was responsible for adding details into the system, added 3,600,000/- INR per annum. As a result, the new employee received a salary of 300,000/- INR per month. After four months this error came into notice but by then the employee had already left the organization. There was another caseofanemployeereceivingfullsalaryforTHREEmonthsafterleavingtheorganization becausethepersonwhowasresponsibleforupdatingthe databasemissedclickingatick inthesystem.Inordertomaintaindatabaseconfidentialityanddetermineaccountability, itisimportantthatdatabaseupdatingrightsaregiventofewpeopleonly. Ittookme30meetings,involving over50stakeholders,inaspanofFOURmonthstounderstand existingprocessesandgatherinformation;challengesfacedbyHRteamandleadershipteamand createadocumentandprocessflowdiagrams.Inthenextphaseof myproject,Ihadtoconduct a feasibility study and make recommendations. I conducted a one day workshop for the entire HRteamonatheme“ChangingRoleofHRinaneraofAutomatedProcessesandDigitalization”. The integral message of the workshop was tohighlight following SEVEN benefits of HR AutomationandthenewroleofHRFunction– 1.SavesSpace–Ivisitedoneorganizationthatemploys4,000employeesandisintobusiness forlast20years.They haverentedawarehousetostocklakhsoffileswhichprobablythey willneveruse.WhenweautomateHR systems,itsavesspacebyeliminatingorminimizing paper records and thereby removes the need for extensive filing systems andlarge

4. storage areas, which in turn saves the organization’s money on rent and utilities. It also speeds uptheprocessofdocument/informationtransferasandwhenrequiredthussaves postal and courier expense. It also eases up the audit processes conducted for various legal compliances or certification issuances such as ISO, CMM, PCMM,etc. Improves communicationwith employees across functions and geograp hies –I remember days when employees would walk down to HR Department, sometimes they had to wait in a queue to ask for information (leave balance, letter for address proof, interpretationofanypolicies,etc.),make acomplaint(discrepancyinsalaries)orgettheir queries resolved. With automation of HR Processes, leave records to get updated inreal time,allpoliciesaremadeavailabletoemployees,complaintscanberaisedonlinewhere theygetaticketnumberand aturn-around-time(TAT),andfailingtorespondwithinTAT automatically escalates the issue to a higher-up in the hierarchy. Process-flow has been set in such a way that an unresolved complaint gets escalated to CEO or Managing Director of the organization. Therefore, the automation brings in transparency in the system. Any announcement can be made instantly through theintranet. Communication becomes quick, effective andlow-cost. Factual and Quick Decision Making - Automation of HRProcesses enables Process Owners to create any kind of report and analytics thereby helping them to make every kind of decision. Through automation, any leader can access the information he requires while being at any place in the world without a necessity of exchanging emails with HR teammembers.HRAutomationhashelpedmanagerstodeterminewhenandwhotohire andwhatbestmethodsareforemployeedevelopment.Automationhasallowedskilland competency matrices readily available todecision makers; hence, before looking outside for required skills and competence, organizations look within and hire talent within by ways of transfers, promotions,etc. Increases Productivity and Cost Optimization – As discussed above, with automation HR savesphysicalspacerequiredforkeepingfilesandcostofemployeesrequiredtomaintain those warehouses and storerooms, communication becomes efficient, quick and low- cost; and quality and speed of decisions improve, thereby, increasingbottom-line profitability.HRAutomationalsosavesthetimeofthosewhoneed tocommunicatewith HRon regular basis. Time saved has a direct impact on resource optimization and increasedproductivity. Organizationsareabletoachievemorewithfewerresourcesata lowcost.Accomplishingmoreinlesstimeboosts morale.

5. Effective Hiring – Managing Talent Acquisition in its manual format is one of the most tedious tasks, particularly when the organization wants to use multiple channels of sourcing. In talent acquisition, a missed or lost resume can be a very costly affair. It is important to collate all resumes for an open position at a single place, evaluate them thoroughly, share it with the hiring manager, and organize interviews in a timely manner. With an applicant tracking system, the hiring team can write a job description and promote it widely on job sites and social channels with just a few clicks. Qualifying questions automatically eliminates unqualified applicants and help uncover the best job candidates.Itacceleratestherecruitingprocessesandallowstherecruitingteamtofocus on interviews and deliver outstanding candidate experience. Also, by reducing administrativework,therecruitmentteamwillbeabletocutcostsandaddtothebottom line ofbusiness. PerformanceManagement–Nexttorecruitment,themostcriticalHRfunctioniseffective performance management and in the dynamic business environment that we are living in, KRA’s of employees change several times in a year, employees need regular feedback to keep a track of their performance, and coaching and mentoring should be given to thosewhoarelaggingbehindintheirperformancetargets.Discussingperformance once in a year can be suicidal. Automated employee performance management tools make it easierformanagerstogivefeedbackandeasilymanageperformancereview.Automated performancemanagementsystemallowsHRtoprovidedescriptionsofratings,especially forjobskills,andforcesmanagerstouseaprescribedratingscalethat helpsinimproving the consistency of ratings. Thus, employees perceive the process tobe fairer. DevelopmentofBenchStrengthandSuccessionPlanning–Withautomation,itbecomes easier to manage available skills and competencies in the organization more efficiently and effectively. Employees become aware of skills and competencies they need to move to the next level. They can apply for any open role within the organization with afair knowledgeoftheirprobablesuccessrate.HRcan helptheorganizationcreatea learning centre to prepare a talent pool of high-potential and high-performing employees to ensure businesscontinuity. With automation of major HR Processes, the role of HR Professionals in an organizatio n has changeddramatically.Itisnolongertransactional,administrationoractivitybased.Ithasmoved more towards Business Partnership. Those HR Professionals who like change, who arequick

6. learners and adaptors, not only managed to survive in this profession but also moved to never beforeseenlevelsofanorganizationalhierarchyandgotpromotedasCEOs,ManagingDirectors and Country Business Heads. On the other hand, those who resisted the change and were slow learners have either moved to other professions like sales, digital marketing,customer services, etc. or they are still working in similar roles in lower salary bands. To remain relevant and successful in HR, when major tasks are getting automated, professionals in this function must develop following competencies– Leadership Development & Business Continuity – Help the organization in identifying high-potential and high-performing employees; facilitate leadership development programs; coaching leaders and managers to develop competencies required for high impact and high-risk roles, and correcting behaviours or employees that are hindering their growth potential. This role of HR not only requires them to focus on high-potential and high-performing employees but also give attention to low-performing and low- potentialemployees.Helplow-performingand low-potentialemployeesgetalignedwith business goals and strategies. If they don’t improve as per the requirement then Talent Managers must recommend Leadership Team to eliminate such employees from the system. By doing so, HR Professionals will help the organization in creating a culture of accountability,performance,andrewards.Itwillalsoensurebusinesscontinuity. InculcatingWinningBehaviouramongsalesperson–Tillafewyearsago,itwasassumed thatHRcannotplayasignificantroleisSalesandMarketing.However,nowscenariosare changing.AsDigitalandSocialMediahasbeguntotakeacentrestageinourlives,HRcan certainly play an important role in product or service Marketing, Branding, and Positioning. Of course, they must have Business Acumen, and be well versed with organizational offerings. Also, as Behaviour Scientists and Performance Coaches, HR can play a significant role in developing a competitive edgeamong salesperson of organizations. Analytical with reasoning and logic – With process automation in place, HRs arenow sitting on huge data, which can now be analysed and used effectively in taking decisions. Today many organizations are looking for metrics or analytics in HR which are not just related to people but alsoon processes such as recruitment, retention, compensation, succession planning, benefits, training & development, performance and appraisal and manyothers.

7. 4. Effective Communication and Employee Engagement – With several of HRprocesses getting automated, now HR has plenty of time to get innovative with employee engagement and ensure that every employee of anorganization is aware of organizational mission, vision, goals, products, and services. They can also ensure that every employeeisabletoseethesignificanceofhisroleinthebigpicture.HRisnowfree to play a significant role in preparing an effective communication strategy and plans to address needs to all stakeholders based on the mode of communication preferences of every social group taking intoconsideration cultural barriers. It took me TEN months to complete the project and submit my reports. It was a wonderful experience.WhilestudyingtheirexistingHR Processes,Ialsogotachancetoanalysetheiroffice administrationprocess,andbelieveme,thosewereverytedious,time-consumingandexpensive. The organization could have saved millions of dollars per year by streamlining those processes. Having understood their existing processes, growth plans and expectations from HR, it was discovered that there isno single software that can address every requirement of this organization. Therefore, I recommended them - Workday or Ceridian (Dayforce HCM) for addressing their Talent Administration needs and Cornerstone OnDemand or Ascentis for their requirement of Talent Management in multiplelocations. I am a strong believer of a fact that automation of HR processes is not a threat to HR Professionals working in this profession. Instead, it allows them to free up their time and make a significant contribution in areas where it matters. In coming years, I foresee organizations coming upwithmoreinnovativetoolsandsoftwaretoaddresschallengesofTalentAcquisition, Performance Management, and Talent Development. There is a huge scope for further automating HR processes. With automation, the role of HR will evolve further and it will get closely aligned with Business Strategy, Profitability,and Customers. AboutUs THE MACHINE MAKER, an authentic magazine from the house of MART Info media Private Limited with 14 years of experience in Indian manufacturing sector, is all geared up to cover the growth of this new agemanufacturingsectorinIndia withspecial thrustonthemakerswhowillmakethis happen.Read and Advertisewithustobepartofthisgrowth. ContactUs THE MACHINEMAKER

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