A post from Doug Devlin, CEO of Zuman, originally posted on LinkedIn, December 22, 2014.
There have been exciting developments in HR, Payroll and Benefits in 2014 and the new year promises more. To keep up with the rapidly evolving landscape, resolve to avoid these common road blocks in 2015 and position yourself to be a leader in your department, your company, or even your field.
1. Don’t think you need to be an industry giant to evolve your HR department into a people operations organization
Do you think only big companies like Google or Oracle can embrace a data-driven HR model like people operations? People operations can be a reality in companies of any size. In People Operations and the Modern HR Professional we learn that by leveraging company data you can understand trends, attract and retain top talent and offer that talent cutting edge benefits that are customizable for each segment of your work force regardless of the size of your company.
2. Don’t miss out on your C-Suite opportunity
To evolve in a way that is relevant and competitive, Human Resources will need to be involved at the executive level. What It Takes for HR to Get a Seat at the C-Tableexplores the challenges to making this work by posing the question to an online discussion group who responded with questions of their own: Are Human Resource executives up to the task of participating in a broad range of company issues with insight from data? Is management ready to do what it takes to make HR a real partner? And if both parties are on the same page, are they each prepared to redesign the traditional HR Executive’s job description to meet the needs of a changing work dynamic? Bringing HR into executive discussions and partnering with them in new ways will move your business forward in positive ways.
3. Don’t ignore non-traditional ways of handling compensation
Through the years, the way we are compensated for work has evolved: from bags of salt, livestock, coins, to the electronic transfers that keep the lights on and the roof over our heads today. But we haven’t reached a stopping point in payroll perfection yet. Using differing forms of compensation, from defined contributions for benefits, to rewards and donation cards to Bitcoin as forms of compensation is going to appeal to changing workforces. Bitcoin and the Future of Your Paycheck discusses how to offer a Bitcoin paycheck to your employees, a benefit that will definitely help you stand out in 2015.
4. Don’t let Finance and HR fail to work cooperatively
Are your HR and finance departments working cooperatively or competitively with each other? If they’re not cooperating, make changes now that will help the two departments focus on business-related goals and eliminate inefficiencies that may be holding them back. Getting Your Finance and HR Teams Ready for 2015addresses these issues and can help you increase revenue, grow your company and cut costs.
5. Don’t lose control of the data
What is the value of your company’s data and how do you leverage it to work best for you? As large carriers, like Aetna this year, and Towers Watson last year, have demonstrated through their acquisition of smaller software companies, using data to consolidate services into an easy-to-navigate platform might be the way of the future. All of this points to an increasing focus on the individual as the consumer of benefits. Is The Affordable Care Act Pushing Carriers Into The Software Business?explores what we can learn from these acquisitions and how we can apply it to our own business.
6. Don’t fear corporate transformation
You’ve heard the phrase, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way,” but what are you doing to be a leader in your industry? Making a splash and getting attention as a start-up is one thing, but proving you have staying power takes work. The tried and true strategy of implementing programs probably won’t get the results it got the business leaders of yesteryear. So what does it take to transform your business into an industry leader? Enabling Corporate Transformation will fill in on what you need to do to succeed.
7. Don’t put Payroll in a corner
When you ignore inefficiencies in your payroll department, your whole company is negatively affected. Don’t let payroll suffer because of poor technology and a lack of communication with HR. Top Problems for Payroll Departments discusses how to avoid these pitfalls, and how automation through employee self-service options can help you keep your talent happy and your brand well respected in 2015.
Avoiding all of these pitfalls will help you grow successfully in the new year, but if you had to pick just one thing to focus on, it would be the first item on the list: Understanding that businesses of any size can employ a people operations model. Those who have followed my blog posts in 2014 know that I’m a big proponent of consolidating HR, payroll and benefits under one data and services roof. This movement and making decisions with the same rigor as other departments is what defines people operations. Make that happen and many of the other challenges will fall in place.
Zuman is a leader in the people operations movement and we are passionate about the HR industry and its transformation. HR has become a complex, and sometimes unsolvable Rubiks Cube, requiring most small to medium size business to partner with a team and solution that can solve the complexities of HR. In 2015, we hope you will look our way for help as you approach that last mile on the road to your ultimate success.
Cheers, and may you have a wonderful and prosperous 2015.
-Doug