HR Digital Transformation - It's Not Automation

Automation processes can be seen as repeatable, easier, ‘self-service’, faster. Whilst adding value they can often be outdated, fragmented and disconnected.

HR Digital Transformation is different. It needs more focus and business capability, investment, simplification and leadership to move beyond automation. Such transformation needs technology, data and processes that are highly agile to serve the organisation’s goals. Sounds a lot to take on right? Well the rewards can be great; for HR it can mean having an engaged and an ‘all in workforce’, improved business agility, a more competitive, effective and productive organisation, HR operations going beyond automation with intelligent services, a diverse and included workforce, these are just a few examples.

HR Digital Transformation is important. For high performing organisations and those that aspire to be, then optimum HR performance is achieved through a business aligned HR service delivery model. Those organisations with a digital HR strategy are more likely to be viewed by business leaders as having HR functions that contribute strategic value to the organisation, while those with no plans for a strategy are more likely to be viewed as having HR functions with simply an automation and compliance focus.

HR Digital Transformation is not easy. HR encounter many impediments in their journey, these can include significant HR time and resources spent on administrative and low value activities, technology that has become obsolete, non standardised and complex processes, HR skills and capability gaps and poor business alignment.

‘In a digital world with increasing transparency and the growing influence of Millennials, employees expect a productive, engaging, enjoyable work experience. Rather than focus narrowly on employee engagement and culture, organisations are developing an integrated focus on the entire employee experience, bringing together all the workplace, HR, and management practices that impact people on the job’

Deloitte

HR operating models are evolving all the time with intuitive, mobile enabling technologies driving the change in HR services to support managers, employees, contingent workers and candidates. And with this technology we see changes to the shape and reach of HR services, transitioning to proactive, preventative and predictive HR.

And it’s not just the big end of town. According to a recent Sierra-Cedar HR Systems Survey in the competitive mid-market and small business space HR technology adoption has become a major differentiator for organisations out-performing their peers. Organisations with higher than average HR technology adoption saw almost double the revenue per employee and a 12% increase in their overall HR, Talent and Business Outcome metrics.

Working with our DXC SAP SuccessFactors teams both locally and globally is very rewarding on many fronts. We can leverage from the whole or just part of the SAP SuccessFactors solution suite and more importantly the implementation accelerators including industry leading best practice processes and content. This allows us to support our customers embarking or continuing their HR digital transformation in a structured approach that suits the pace of change and culture of each individual organisation. After all, HR digital transformation is not all about the technology.

 ‘You can’t have great client experiences, if you don’t have great employee experiences’

Pete Williams