Training the End User...this is painful part of HR system implementation...can technologies help?

Now a day, a lot of Human Resource system come with employee self service solution. It is quite common the training material was textual, informative and confusing, or grand mother story. The more sophisticated the Human Resource system the longer the story.

With the same material, a presenter can come up with many version of presenting the material and it is not consistency and there is not encore. What about Train The Trainer (TTT)?

Shi Fu teach his/her student only 80% of the skill, 20% is kept to protect him/herself.

Do you agree!

User only use the HR "self service" system on need basis or in the blue moon.

Is there a solution?

Yes. If you goto any Microsoft and Apple tutorial website, you will notice they are providing audio visual training material. Click here to view one of the product demo.

There are many way to skin a cat, this is one of the best way to save time and money. That is what your boss like to hear.

Common tools used

I designed, develop and implement will following tools commonly found in most organization.

1. Microsoft IIS Server - Web Server
2. Notepad / Web editor- Writing simple HTML and ASP Script
3. Free HTML and ASP code
   
4. Microsoft Office Professional

• Excel - Graph, Pivot table, Statistic Micro
• Word - Mail Merge
• Powerpoint - simple process map, data flow diagram
• Access - Database table, reporting tool

With the above tools, mix and match, you can write simple web application that give great mobilities. You can sit back a relax and enjoy.

Every solution is uniquely craft and design. So bottom line there is not 1 size fit all, surely not now.

Flawless operation

Big guy up there like to talk about upsizing, downsizing and finally rightsizing. After the size, the next topic talk about the high cost, low cost and right cost. How to run HR operations flawless effective and efficiently in MNC organization.

Business application design is my major and programming is my second strength. That is a great start. I understand what IT people think and I understand what business want.

"Chicken and Duck talking" this is common phrase I used. It is never easy for HR professional and IT professional come to same point of view when come to HR related project? How often both professional understand each other resource limitation? The truth is no nice to know. One party want flexibilities because there external environment constraint, another party want a scope of work and control the project boundary. The story never end. In addition, the more you depend on third party resources, the higher chances that your project going to be delay, another word....."Wait, Wait... until the cow come back". Normally time is never enough and everyone has it own priority.

For me is quite easy. I have the abilities to design and built the custom business application address certain change of policies or business needs, and normally it is custom business application and only use once. As a result, earning trust from peer, vendor, bosses, business partner and customer. As the time fly, I have my own library of source code that are reuse for any impromptu project.

Next, I have excellent key work partner across the organization, great support from peer and my bosses.

360 Assessment

360 Degree assessment is a of the method to collect multiple view/input of an employee. Parties involved normally covers the employee BOSS, Key Work Partner, Peer and his/her subordinate. The key work partner can be from the same organization or different organization, it depend the nature of work of the employee that you are assessing.

There are outsourcing company out there provides "360 degree assessment" service.

To built 360 degree assessment tools in the web is relatively straight forward. Just 2 database tables will do. Relationship Reference Key to identify the source of input and Survey questionnaire.

Once you got the data from the 360 Degree assessment, next will be a dashboard to give you a breakdown analysis of Boss input, Average of Key Work Partner, Peer and his/her subordinate input. It will be up to individual how to interpret the data.

Where can you use this method? May be Succession Planning or Performance Management Assessment.

Office photocopier used in HR Project, Wow!

Background

This is an exercise allow employee to opt for remain or withdraw from X - plan. All employee who in the plan require to read and understand the term and control in both dual language, employees require to sign and return to HR department for filling. For those who withdraw from the plan, the payment will be release accordingly.

Solution
Why I use Photocopier rather than convention laser printer or outsource the printing services, Web application? Well, the beauty of current Photocopier machine technology it comes with 4 features in a box, its' capable of photocopier, printer, fax and scanner, the best part of all the speed, support duplex printing and fully integrated with LAN technologies, I got control and able to monitor the printing progress. Secondly, the cost is cheaper and thirdly, already available in the office, fourth, signature for authentication and finally easy back-end processing.

If you have 500 or more employees in your organization, do you believe their hand writing are

• the same?
• readable?

Can you afford 6 Sigma? or you need 100% accuracy? I believe 100% data accuracy,right! So, having all necessary information in database, it will be easier to extract data and pre- populate essential data and send to the Photocopier;

What next? What about data recording?

For data recording, I used Bar-code approach. It is pretty easy, you just need to ensure you have the "Bar Code" font available.

Each employee have unique identifier, normally employee badge number, so the in MS Access - report module, I incorporated employee badge in bar code format as additional information to ease data record.


"Good programmer also make a backup" , I believe that too. So, to prevent employee submit multiple form, an intelligent Excel macro was built to remove any employee submit duplicate form. How this intelligent macro work was its read data from the input device, here I used bar code scanner, the macro will check any duplicate entry in the excel worksheet, prompt user error if there is.

Tools

• MS Access (Table and Report)
• Barcode scanner
• Photocopier c/w network connection
• MS Excel with build-in intelligent macro

Technologies initiative

1. Data upload to local database;


2. Ease manage sorting and distribution method;


3. Use Access report function to prepare dual language documentation; and


4. Incorperate barcode technology in the report for easy recording.

China - Annual Leave legal compliance

Background

Employee annual leave earned should MET the minimum new CHINA labor policy.

The annual leave computation is based on the FIRST DAY WORK that employee START WORK rather than company "Service Date", according to the user requirement.

Solution

To ensure employee minimum annual entitlement meet new CHINA labor policy, there is a need to include additional variable to compute employee annual leave entitlement, at the point it met the statutory requirement and secondly as a benefit to steady competitive in the market.

Freeware like POP-UP Calendar are used here, create a web page and employee select the First day work form the POP-UP Calendar, the system will calculate the age when this employee start work. This is one way to alert the user whether it is make sense the age when he/she start his/her first career in their life.

To ensure all employees participate this exercise, it is each and everyone responsiblity, Do you agree? My reason as follows, 1. Who will be the one going to answer local authority when there is compliance issue? 2. Who will be the one going to answer their big boss if enforcement team initiate action again the company? 3. Who is the one going to answer the boss if their subordinate did not provide information needed? A simple dashboard helps here.

Accountability! Should employee response for the data provide to HR system. If answer is yes, normally is YES. A custom form is available to request to sign with the term & condition where information provided is accurate.


Email notification should not neglect, it is a way to provide 2 way communication between HR and Employee. A simple acknowledgment email will gain great trust from the employee. This ASP code also widely available in yahoo website.

Tools

• HTML / ASP Script
• Free download "Pop-up Calendar" ASP script
• Free download "Email" ASP script
• WAN
• MS Access
• IIS Server
• ODBC Connection

Technologies initiative

1. Create a web portal to capture first day work;
2. Ease to use web portal address non techno savvy user
   
3. Web portal that assist the manager to monitor the enrolled activities;
   
4. Foul prove control mechanism built around the employee age;
   
5. In cooperate first start work date as one of the requirement to calculate the employee leave entitlement and select appropriate annual leave entitlement accordingly;
6. Provide a mean to identify statutory annual leave taken control mechanism.
   

Malaysia EPF - Employee's Share reduced 3% voluntary

Background

Since it is a voluntary basis and for those employee who wish to maintain the contribution rate at 11% to 8% effective Jan 2009 wage/salary until Dec 2010 required to complete either KWSP 17A (AHL) - Khas for Individual application OR KWSP 17AA (AHL)- Khas for group application.

Solution

Time is money, I believe everyone agree with me. How to provide flawless execution?

These are the common problem I faced in the past, I forgot my ID number; I forgot to bring my ID card; I forgot to bring my spec, the font is too small; I can't recall my membership number!

Does it sound familiar!

Next challenges, you are not allow to change the statutory form!

I wonder, can employee copy their own particular from the screen to the form with intelligent? Yes, I believe everyone can, because I believe they are knowledge worker.

So, create a web page the make to font so big that their does not need to bring their multi-focus len. A button for employee to click to opt "Reduce" and "Maintain" with plan.

Tools

• HTML / ASP Script
• MS Access Database
• IIS Server
• Wireless Router
• Laptop c/w wireless connection

Technology initiative

1. Create a web portal to enable employee enroll online;
2. Foul prove control mechanism in place to ease enrollment process;
3. Web portal display necessary information to complete KWSP 17AA (AHL)-Khas form;
4. Upload EPF setting accordingly.