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

1)     People Management

People Management is the official magazine of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for those involved in the management and development of people.  Two blogs are run from its website – the Editors’ blog, in which People Management journalists comment on the latest HR news and developments, and the Specialists’ blog, where top HR commentators offer their observations on the business world.

2)     Personnel Today

 The ‘editors’ blog’ of this leading industry publication is a great source of information about everything going on in the world of human resources. Packed full of news and views, this blog is a must-read.

3)     HR Headmistress 

A personal blog from the MD of Milton Keynes-based consulting firm Russell HR.  Regularly updated, the blog provides an interesting perspective, proclaiming its existence is an opportunity to let off steam about employment law, HR, politicians, plumbers, the importance of shoes and all the really major issues of the day!

4)     HR Magazine

This blog from the much-respected magazine HR Magazine aims to put HR into a business perspective. Blog postings cover a wide range of topics, from flexible working to employment law.

5)     HR Zone

HR Zone is a popular site which allows everyone to submit blog postings and get their thoughts on HR topics or issues of their chests. All you need to do is log-in and start blogging!

Top of the blogs….part two is a post from Advanced Business Solutions - Supplier of accounting software, business intelligence and document managment

For HR and payroll professionals, the answer is almost everything. The people department is a complex collection of payslips, contracts and records. The potential exposure of such information could be catastrophic for both an individual’s and a company’s reputation.

There are, therefore, good reasons to stop relying on the printed word. As well as the sensible sustainability angle, there are crucial legislative reasons why HR and payroll should not rely on paper copies – and such concerns surround constraint, cost and control.

First, constraint; your business will be legally required to keep up-to-date records that cover key staffing areas, such as pay and sickness rates. Many records will need to be kept for a minimum period of time and context added through support documents, such as contact details and employment conditions.

Keeping such records in paper format alone is simply insufficient. Paper can easily be lost or destroyed, and searching through files to locate a single record can be a mission impossible. Electronic document management technology can ensure records are electronically stored and are instantly accessible to authorised staff.

When it comes to cost and control, the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 stipulates how employment data must be accurate, up-to-date and kept for no longer than necessary. Recently introduced powers mean organisations can receive a £500,000 fine for each deliberate or negligent data breach that causes damage or distress. 

The electronic storage of documents can ensure records are securely saved and don’t fall into the wrong hands. The right system will provide self-service, allowing employees to access and update records to ensure information is kept up-to-date. It will also quickly identify which documents need wiping after a certain period of time, in accordance with the DPA, ensuring you have full control over employee records.

Adding electronic workflow to your document management system adds additional controls to HR processes. For instance, employees now have a legal right to make a request in relation to training, such as time off work to study. To be compliant, organisations need to respond to such requests in writing in a timely fashion. With electronic workflow, training requests can be forwarded to the relevant managers for their consideration and the system can automatically prompt the managers if they have failed to take action within a specified time frame. This ensures HR is keeping control with minimal effort.

The bottom line – failure to implement suitable paperless systems that address the legislative areas of constraint, cost and control, could leave your business exposed. Perhaps a move to paperless HR is worth considering after all?

Constraint, cost and control – three legislative reasons for paperless HR 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 was very well represented last Thursday 30th October at the Sift Media Business Software Satisfaction Awards 2008 at the Brewery in London. We were the only company to have made the final in six separate categories incorporating accounting software, document management, business intelligence, HR and payroll software, which is a fantastic achievement, demonstrating the breadth and quality of our Smart Business Suite.

All products scored extremely well across the board and as the awards are voted for by actual software users, having so many customers demonstrating their satisfaction with COA Solutions’ products and service is testament to our continued strategy of listening to and responding to our customers’ business needs and the hard work and dedication of the COA Solutions team.

We’d like to thank all customers who took the time to vote for us, your encouraging feedback is greatly appreciated and rest assured that we will do our upmost to build on this success.

Satisfying customers remains our top priority is a post from Advanced Business Solutions - Supplier of accounting software, business intelligence and document managment