Susan
Over the last few years, I have been working on a project to implement the new HR and Payroll system - iTrent - as well as a wider transformation in Human Resources. Part of this transformation was reviewing the way that colleagues submitted requests for things like Flexible Working, some leave types, and retirement so that the changes drove improvements rather than simply implementing a new system to do the same as before.
Moving from an in-house built system that had been in place for over 25 years to a cloud-based system, supplied by a company who specialises in HR and Payroll software, was a huge change, but also an opportunity. What I mean by that is that there was opportunity to really change how things were done. We could have simply implemented the system without making too many changes, but what would have been the point?
If you wanted to submit a request for Flexible Working to change your work pattern or reduce your hours, prior to any changes, the process was to complete a Word form, ask your line manager to sign it to confirm approval, and then submit the form to HR by email.
We could have kept things as they were – taking information and adding it to a system would not be affected by a change in system. There were, however, some issues with the request process that could easily be addressed.
- Incomplete forms. Forms often weren’t submitted with all the information needed, which meant HR teams had to follow up to gather the missing details.
- Once the request is sent, there are no prompts to ensure a timely response.
- Double keying. Details from the form had to be keyed into a tracker to monitor progress on the request and then keyed again into the HR system to make the change.
In addition, legislative changes meant the policy and form had to be updated, so it was a good time to review the form and the wider process alongside the policy.
Working as part of a project team means that you have people with a variety of skills and experience. This is where Laura comes in with her digital skills! Working on the process together, we were able to identify an opportunity to utilise Laura’s skills and change the process for the better. Over to you Laura.
Laura
It was great to work on this collaboratively, starting by mapping out the current process and working closely with the HR team to identify the pain points. This helped us understand where the process was causing extra work or delays, and where small changes could make a real difference for employees, line managers and HR colleagues.
I was then able to use my digital skills and experience to suggest how a Microsoft Form and SharePoint list could support a better process. The MS Form is completed by the employee and then sent to their line manager through a Power Automate workflow for approval. Once approved, it comes to HR to be processed. Using mandatory fields in the form helps ensure HR receives all the information needed from the start, and adding the request directly to a SharePoint list with a status column replaced the need to manually key the details into a separate tracker to monitor progress.
I also created automated weekly reports for the HR team, highlighting the status of each request and clearly showing where any follow-up actions were needed. This gave the HR team better visibility of requests, made it easier to prioritise follow-up actions, and helped keep the process moving without needing to manually check the tracker.
The great thing about this was that we could get the changes implemented straight away. We didn’t need to wait on the implementation , we were able to introduce the new way to submit a request a full year before go-live. It gave us an opportunity to make an incremental change and help people get used to this change before introducing more. Another good thing was it was just the start. The concept was introduced to other process – retirement, flexible retirement, family leave, staff loans to name a few.
Susan
If you want to make more use of the digital tools that are available, you can get in touch with us for help or advice. There are also lots of resources available to help you get started. You can have a look at the CI Power Platform Support Service where you can find information about how to get started and where to get help.
