Jaimie Green, Chief Human Resources Officer at Lordstown Motors.
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Is your outdated human capital management software (HCM) so inefficient it’s stifling your company’s growth? In my years of working in human resources, I’d say that bad software is the No. 1 problem plaguing our industry today.
Professional HR people are scared to invest in new systems because they think implementation will take too long. Or they don’t realize all-in-one systems exist. A lot of times, they don’t even know where to start.
They know what they’ve got isn’t working, but they don’t know how to choose something else.
It doesn’t have to be this way. As head of HR for Lordstown Motors, I was tasked with building out an HCM that would help us scale from 100 people to 5,000+ people in just two years. Along the way, I learned countless lessons on what an HCM can really do and why a new, all-in-one system is 100% worth the time and investment.
If you’re treading water with your current HCM and can’t quite take the plunge with a new system, that’s all going to change by the end of this article. Let’s look at what’s possible when you upgrade to an all-in-one HCM.
Benefits Of An All-In-One HCM
Before you go to the trouble of searching out the right HCM for your organization, you want to know that all your hard work is going to be worth it. I can speak from experience here – it absolutely is.
When you find the right single, cloud-based HCM for all your human resources needs, you’ll enjoy:
• Time savings: Redundancies and manual work are all but eliminated.
• Data security: You can feel confident that all your critical data is securely housed in one location for compliance with ADA, HIPPA, etc.
• Scalability: You can onboard hundreds and even thousands of people quickly, a feat impossible to do by hand.
• Analytics: HR people need factual data to drive decisions. The system can capture whatever you data need – turnover, attrition, diversity, etc. – and turn it into easy-to-find reports with the touch of a button.
What To Look For In An All-In-One HCM
With lots of softwares out there, you’ll want to make sure the system you choose is the right fit for your organization. For the greatest ease of use and benefit for your business, make sure the HCM you choose has these capabilities:
• Autoflow - Information automatically flows from one module to another, beginning with capturing the candidate's information from the time they submit their resume to the time they become an employee.
• Integration - Integration capabilities with platforms you know you want to integrate with. Does it offer a 360 integration or just a 180 integration? 180 only feeds one way. Be sure to look for 360 integration partners.
• Intelligence - Business Intelligence is necessary. Data and analytics are what drives business decisions, culture, areas of improvement, people, and strategy.
• Cloud-based platform - Employees have the same access to their information from any location, using the device of their choice.
• Customer experience - You should do your research and check reviews to see what your “after experience” will be like. It is important to choose a software with a solid customer care team to help you out once the system is up and running.
• E-verify and Background Checks - The software you choose should easily integrate with E-Verify and your background check system.
But Aren’t They Too Expensive?
You may have avoided investing in an all-in-one, cloud-based HCM because you think it’s too expensive for your organization. Not true. Usually, these systems are priced per head. So whether your company is a startup with two people or a major player with 2,000 employees, these systems are priced to meet all types of budget.
Supercharge Your Onboarding Capabilities
A good all-in-one HCM securely holds everything needed to hire and onboard employees, including job templates, welcome emails, interview emails, background checks and more. This makes it easy to onboard new employees in person or virtually because everyone gets the same experience wherever they are.
The system Lordstown uses is even integrated with Microsoft Teams. It can schedule interviews via email and automatically send out Teams virtual meeting links to included parties.
Once someone is hired, I send them into the system to start filling out paperwork and reading their employee manual. This way, they’re ready to actually start working on Day 1. We don’t waste time sitting in a room with a stranger filling out paperwork all day.
Self-Management Your Employees Can Handle
HR departments spend countless hours answering the same questions from employees again and again. Employees aren’t in our HCM systems as often as we are, so they never actually learn the ropes to ask for time off, look at paystubs, etc., especially when they’re using different systems for different tasks.
So far, I’ve found that having one system for everything eliminates many common questions, because once the employees learn to use it for one thing, they can automatically use it to do other things without our assistance.
With an all-in-one HCM, they can log in without your help to:
• Manage time off
• Paperless tax forms and pay statements
• Change tax withholding
• Manage benefits
• And a lot more
Efficient Training
In this day and time, employee training goes far beyond professional education. Luckily, our staff can complete a wide variety of training programs without our HR staff holding their hands. We can keep track of what courses they’ve completed and which ones are still outstanding, too.
Sexual harassment training, compliance courses, diversity and inclusion education, even stress management and meditation courses can all be completed within the HCM efficiently, without taking up the HR staff’s time and energy.
Don’t Be Afraid To Embrace A New System
Choosing a new HCM for your organization and setting it up can seem like a Herculean task, but knowing what you want and understanding the benefits of an all-in-one system can bolster your confidence to get you through the process. Once you enjoy all the convenience of a new HCM, I believe you’ll thank yourself for putting in the work.
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