29 Jul How to completely transform Human Resources digitally

Human Resources, otherwise known as ‘People Operations’, ‘Team culture professionals’ or, for ease, ‘POPS’ (as you can tell from the various different titles it is called) is a job based around humans. It can be broken down into a series of component parts to ensure its success but still needs all of these to run in parallel in order to guarantee this aim. These parts are as follows: data, communication, and efficiency. Throughout the article we will explore these further and discover how, through digital means, you can ensure that these components work in unison and, in turn, guide your business to a prosperous future.

 

Data

Depending on the level of service your HR Agency offers, the volume of data you have may be huge but is it all stored securely? Organisations will be trusting you with their employees’ sensitive data, so it is essential that it is secure at all times.

One of the main reasons that organisations outsource their HR in the first place is because of Data. Data can be hard to manage, securely protect, and keep track of, so you need to be able to guarantee this as part of your service.

With the acquisition of this data comes a high risk of threats, either from a malicious cyber attack targeting the data directly or human error. In the simplest way possible, a successful HR agency is full of data, and it is vital that this Data is protected above everything else.

 

The new digital world’s impact on the safety of your data

Recent times have forced many organisations into making some decisions regarding their tech that are dubious to say the least. Some have opened the door to cyber criminals as a result of those decisions.

It is your job to know the law surrounding the protection of data. We would recommend becoming familiar with GDPR and the importance of data security, if you aren’t already – this is relevant for your own employee data too, especially as working from home adds many security concerns that don’t exist in the office setting. These concerns are as follows:

1. Staff using Shadow IT (personal equipment not in control of the organisation).
2. The loss of, corruption, or theft of data.
3. Compliance becoming an impossibility.
4. The potential for Data to be stored or shared in an uncontrolled manner, or in an insecure location outside of the company’s control.

 

The responsibility that you are under as the agency in control and ultimately responsible for this data cannot be understated. It is essential that you understand your responsibilities and do whatever is necessary to ensure it is protected.

 

Identifying insecurities and getting control of your data

In the modern world, data isn’t simply a file cabinet full of paper but is far more extensive than that. It can be a difficult task to know how to tackle so, to give you some guidance, we recommend asking yourself the following questions:

• Where is the data stored?
• How are the cyber criminals accessing it?
• How are they sharing it?
• What – if any – permission-based controls do I have in place to restrict their access to the system and, in turn, the data?
• Am I certain that no unauthorised personnel can gain access to the files?

 

Be honest with yourself – if the answers to these questions don’t fit the narrative of security first, then you need to seek assistance immediately to rectify the gaps.

 

Communication

Communication is integral in a HR agency. Your business is person-centred both in the data you are taking charge of and in – depending on the service you provide – customer service calls for HR advice in their organisation. However, these aren’t the only ways that communication is important in your organisation. Modern agencies are also offering educational video conferences for HR teams to sign up for, but this is not possible without modern communicative methods.

 

The new digital world and its impact on communication

The new world we live in has made it integral that your organisation has a 100% sustainable form of easy-to-use communication to enable your team to perform at the levels expected of it at all times – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere on the globe.

The time of muddling through that we have all been struggling with in the last year is at last over. We will never return to the way we worked two years ago – the possibilities offered to us by modern digital methods are simply too vast. Recent developments are set to continue to evolve and grow only further, which can only warp the way we work in many different directions.

Your team must always feel involved in work decisions and part of the team – modern forms of communication now make this possible from anywhere on the globe. Open communication channels so your staff feel free to communicate when and how they please – this will maintain productivity levels to a high standard as well as ensuring your staff consider themselves to be as valued as anyone else.

There are a variety of tools and platforms to aid with team management, communication, and collaboration, as well as others that can keep you in fluid contact with your customers no matter their location. These tools vary based on scalability and cost – it is essential that you purchase tools that are right for your organisation, both for now and into the future.

Your team’s ability to communicate effectively with each other and your customers is essential – embrace the new technologies wherever possible to make this a reality.

 

The strengths and weaknesses of my communication – how to assess it

As we have stated previously, the reason you have these customers in the first place is because your organisation can offer them better levels of HR than they can provide in house, and, as we stated, HR is all about the human element. You must, therefore, have good levels of communication amongst yourselves as well as your clients in order to ensure that you keep their services running as efficiently as possible.

You need to think about the following:

• My team are communicating with clients often – be it on customer service calls, regarding new acquisitions, or via educational meetings – but where is that being recorded?
• How are my team communicating with, and interviewing, candidates? How is that recorded for evidence?
• How are my team communicating amongst themselves?
• Is my business suffering because of the time wasted with dated internal communicative methods like email?
• Can my team make and receive calls the same way even when they aren’t in the office?

 

The future of business is 24-hour connectivity from anywhere and, as you know, modern digital tools make this possible. You need outstanding communication not only to guarantee your staff are able to be productive at all times but also to keep their morale high when working alone remotely. Arguably more importantly, without it – in comparison to other businesses that have the top levels of connectivity – you will seem simply inaccessible and dated to customers.

Again, be honest with yourself – you must be able to answer the questions above confidently and if you can’t you need to get assistance from a professional as soon as possible to put you back in the driving seat of your business’s communications.

 

Efficiency

The efficiency of our organisations has always been important. We have always done what we can to make sure that things run as smoothly as possible. In the modern world of work this is more important than ever.

The most efficient work practice is integral because without it you are simply wasting time, resources, and in turn finances on work practices that aren’t as productive as they could be. This will lead to implications in your delivery of service to clients, your reputation taking a hit, and  (worst of all) a lower bottom line.

 

The new digital world and its impact on efficiency

The modern digital world has an untold number of tools available to improve the efficiency of every and any work practice you are undertaking – and that applies for every industry no matter what sector you’re in. It is essential that you and your team remain as efficient as possible with their time management, as the modern customer is far too demanding to be spending time doing anything for longer than is necessary.

To accomplish all this, you must be certain that you have the correct tools to not only allow your team to use their time as efficiently as possible but also to ensure the best quality of work.

To make this a reality you must first dissect each sector of your team’s workday down into its component parts. As we have stated, this could be difficult with some of your team potentially working from home – but arguably these are the team members you need to pay extra attention to as remote working can lead to a drop in efficiency. Once having dissected the day into parts you can easily see what areas of your business need to be made more efficient.

Where can I find gaps in the efficiency of my organisation?

Efficiency remains hard to achieve even in the modern digital age. Before you have dissected your team’s day down into component parts, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I know how my team are working?
• Do I have a way of tracking their work output?
• Is there a way to monitor their time spent on different applications?
• Are they doing what I need, and when, in the most efficient way possible?

Again, if you cannot confidently answer all these questions, you need assistance as soon as possible.

In a HR agency, it is your job to manage the aspects agreed on by you and your customers. To guarantee this in the modern world there is simply no other way but to adopt modern digital methods – they are designed with modern practices in mind and will open the door to new business capabilities that you didn’t know were possible.

We, at Varatech, can be that assistance you need, (as previously referred to).

 

Data, communication, and efficiency

Our team of experts will assist you in adopting the right tools for your HR Agency. We will implement and maintain the tools to guarantee the advanced levels of data security, communication, and efficiency necessary within your business to be successful. Security is not a luxury but an essential part of protecting any business in the digital age – this is why we take a security-first approach, and it is this, along with our expertise in modern interactive tools, which allows us to make a guarantee to you that your communication and levels of efficiency will increase, in turn allowing you and your team to be more productive

We go above and beyond in helping our clients and their teams get much more value from their technology by providing knowledge and training whenever needed and will educate your employees to ensure they are capable of applying their best efforts to guarantee the security and success of your organisation. We guarantee that our clients always come first, with a straightforward approach that reinforces a strong relationship between our team and yours. Contact us now and find out how we can help your business go into the future with a capable team and the correct tools.