With public sector organisations receiving ‘the toughest settlement in living memory’ and many in the private sector battling to survive there have, inevitably, been casualties.

However, while many have fallen, others have not only survived, but thrived in these challenging times. Why could this be?

It’s hard to argue against the idea that businesses that are more streamlined, efficient and cost-effective are more likely to survive. Just as government is making its quest to rid itself of waste and inefficiency, many private sector organisations have already put themselves under the microscope to see how – and if – their processes work.

The private organisations that are surviving are typically those that have identified inefficiencies and have implemented solutions to remedy these inefficient practices. For instance, instead of using valuable financial and human resources to carry out mundane admin tasks from consolidating numerous spreadsheets through to printing and posting payslips, such tasks are increasingly being automated.

Secure document management systems are some of the investments organisations have been making in 2010 to streamline their finance and HR processes, cut costs and free-up much needed document storage space. These systems are also providing vital back-up should the worst happen. With the economy still proving challenging, a disaster such as Buncefield or Boscastle could prove devastating for organisations that are not adequately prepared.

And IT solutions are not only being used to improve efficiencies. 2010 has seen continued investment into business intelligence solutions, which are providing forward thinking organisations with essential organisation-wide insight, helping them to craft their business strategies for the future.

While nobody is under the impression that 2011 is the end of the hard times, as many organisations are proving, having effective IT solutions in place are giving organisations a fighting chance of survival, with some even thriving. With 2011 promising to be another tough year – for the public sector in particular – perhaps public sector organisations need to take a leaf out of the private sector’s book and put its own processes under the proverbial microscope.

Tightening our belts to keep on fighting is a post from Advanced Business Solutions - Supplier of accounting software, business intelligence and document managment

Replacing good people is never going to be easy. Research from PricewaterhouseCoopers suggests that the cost of replacing a competent member of staff equates to approximately a year of that person’s salary.

Another key recruitment issue is that the selection process is not an exact science. HR professionals are required to jump through a series of administrative loopholes, running a series of interviews, sorting out contracts and inevitably picking someone that they think provides the best fit.

And as we all know from our interaction with new employees, there is no such thing as a perfect fit; organisations simply have to hope that the person selected through the timely and costly recruitment process proves an asset to the team. Recruitment is, therefore, a bit of a ‘finger in the air’ process.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. While any new employee is likely to come with a degree of risk, organisations can make use of specialist software to help ensure that the transition to fully-fledged team player is as painless as possible.

The right human capital management (HCM) software can provide a valuable asset to any recruitment strategy. From identifying a gap in the workforce and sifting through the candidates’ applications through to awarding the contract, HCM software can help generate significant efficiency and cost savings during the recruitment process whilst increasing the chance of recruiting the right type of person.

Look for automated HCM technology that will help you to match potential employees against established criteria. Integrated HCM reporting tools will also highlight the recruitment methods that have been most successful and at what cost. Such tools will also enable you to track the success of costly recruitment agencies, creating a preferred supplier list of worthy partners.

Finally, look to automate as much as possible to free-up the HR team’s time. Automating response letters and other recruitment correspondence can help slash administration costs. Meanwhile, electronic recruitment forms which can be automatically uploaded to the HCM system, will help save both time and expense.

Attempting to find the right person is never going to be easy. But it doesn’t have to be a struggle. And with the right software in place, you will have a good head start and the intelligence needed to do the best job possible as you attempt to identify that perfect needle in that rather large haystack!

Using software for smarter recruitment is a post from Advanced Business Solutions - Supplier of accounting software, business intelligence and document managment

The Fit Note should be part of your armoury to get long term absentees back to work to reduce your cost exposure to accrued holiday, it really is time to take a fresh look at absence management as a whole – what help can your systems provide on that front in highlighting patterns?

Has anyone had employees jumping on the bandwagon since the Pereda ruling and claiming to be sick whilst on holiday? I’ve been talking to employers who have now changed their sickness policy only to pay SSP during holidays unless the employee was sick before the holiday began. That can penalise the genuinely sick but is that a price worth paying to deter the abusers?

Kate Upcraft
Payroll writer and lecturer
ISIS Support Services Ltd

For more information in Fit Notes, Download the PDF

Fit Notes – are GPs playing ball? is a post from Advanced Business Solutions - Supplier of accounting software, business intelligence and document managment

The room was in the conference world’s standard layout, the euphemistically named ‘cabaret style’ so that we could periodically break from the plenary proceedings into small groups to discuss pertinent issues. The first challenge was, I think, presented primarily as an ice-breaker so that we could get the measure of one another and limber up for the more focused and intense issues that the day would bring. The question, general though it was, was by no means an unimportant one. It went along the following lines – what can HR do to make a contribution to organisational success as we enter a recession?

I am sure you have been in a similar situation, it is the start of a day together; no one knows anyone else; and, having been given our orders, we all turn inwards and glance around the circle, quickly trying to weigh up whether to start the ball rolling or to allow someone else to make the first move. On this particular occasion, it was apparent to the rest of us that one of us, a man of almost as many years as the writer, was intent upon getting in first.

His body language sent a clear signal that he was about to launch forth and there was little that was likely to prevent him from having the first word. He hesitated a moment to give me a knowing look, as if to say, you’ll understand what I am about to say. But I didn’t!

His message was straight forward and unambiguous. I wouldn’t do anything, he said; there’s no point until we reach the bottom; only then is it worth taking some actions for the recovery; otherwise our efforts would be wasted. The reactions around the table ranged from bemused to incredulous – I was at the latter end of the scale.

I asked him, if he were on board a small yacht at sea and a violent storm blew up, whether he thought the best chances of survival lay in taking his hands off the tiller and leaving the boat to fend for itself in the elements; or in steering into the wind and the waves, battening down the hatches and making the boat as watertight as possible. I know which I would do!

My message for surviving – and prospering – in the downturn is simple. You may not be able to control the external elements, and they may seem to be overwhelmingly intimidating, but you can certainly control yourself and be nimble in reacting to the circumstances you find yourself in.

So, DO SOMETHING while others around you react to the situation by doing nothing. That way you will be the winner.

More about managing in the downturn is a post from Advanced Business Solutions - Supplier of accounting software, business intelligence and document managment

COA Solutions’ recent acquisition of ASR Computers Ltd. (exhibiting on stand H180) has made the company a leading player in the UK human capital management (HCM) software space and can now boast more than a 5% share of this market.

The HR Software Show is a post from Advanced Business Solutions - Supplier of accounting software, business intelligence and document managment