University Business - July/August 2012 - (Page 100)

HUMAN RESOURCES Picture Perfect Managing the employment lifecycle with talent management software By Carol Patton A re the processes of recruiting, employee performance appraisals, recognition, and succession planning at your institution in separate pieces like a jigsaw puzzle? Or are they linked, forming one clear picture about your campus’s talent resources and needs? Talent management software is helping campus HR professionals connect the pieces to develop a more accurate picture of employees’ abilities and skill gaps—and in some cases even changing the way HR operates. Employees can share work experiences online or praise coworkers, drawing HR’s attention. Managers can post ongoing comments about an employee’s performance, which that employee can reference for up-to-date feedback on what skills may need sharpening. Other software ties employee performance to reward and recognition programs and the school’s goals. The technology all supports the goal of efficiently managing the employment lifecycle. In 2008, the housing and food services division at Purdue University (Ind.) began exploring various software focused on everything from onboarding and professional development to goal setting. Initially, the division converted its manual performance appraisal system to a rudimentary online process, but “had the sense” that more than just a performance appraisal tool was needed, explains Dave Jones, organizational effectiveness specialist in the division at Purdue, which employs roughly 800 employees. “I couldn’t even spell talent management before,” jokes Jones, adding that historically, each process was independent of the others. Now, using five components of The Halogen Talent Management Suite, Social feedback tools can help guide managers in rating employees fairly. HR runs reports to review employee competency scores and develops competency-based and targeted skills training. Performance appraisals are year-round, rather than annual. Managers can also track each employee’s accomplishments, skill gaps, goals, and professional development plan, all online and in one spot. “Employees in the past would have said, ‘Performance management is something that is done to me,’ ” says Jones, noting that everyone now participates in the process. “It really does elevate that partnership between manager and employee in the employee development process. It connects the dots in so many ways.” Linked and Leveraged In the past, HR at some schools operated in silos. Compensation fell under finance. Learning and recruitment weren’t part of HR. “If you’re trying to drive a talent management program throughout organization and successful talent strategy, each one of the touch points or talent programs needs to be coordinated, in sync and aligned not only with [each other], but the higher purpose of the organization,” says Donna Ronayne, vice president of marketing and business development at Halogen Software. To help schools achieve this connectivity, the company has introduced a component in its performance tool called “Feedback Central.” Managers use it to document observations about employee performance or accomplishments yearround, which employees can later read. Ronayne believes it will evolve into a social feedback tool where employees will enter comments about their colleagues, even rate their performance. While the tool will require checks and balances to avoid unwarranted comments, she says this type of software is helping fuel a new trend—creating a more transparent talent management world. It will help minimize employee favoritism, give employees the raises they deserve, and guide managers to rate employees fairly based on their competencies, skills, and performance. Vendors are also automating other HR processes for identifying current and future talent gaps, employee retention, analytics, and reporting capabilities. In 2010, Nobscot Corp. added a new component to its cloud-based software, called Quality of Hire, that focuses on surveying supervisors of new hires to gain information about how to retain them, explains Beth N. Carvin, CEO of Nobscot. She says the same data can also be used for diversity initiatives or auditing the recruitment process. “It’s not just about running a piece of software for an HR function, but then taking it one step further and looking at it as a business intelligence tool,” she says. “[You’re] pulling data from different sources and understanding what it really means for the organization.” universitybusiness.com 100 | July/August 2012 http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - July/August 2012

University Business - July/August 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
Ad Index
College Index
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Admissions
Models of Efficiency
Floor Plans
Consulting Guide
Limited Liability
Touch to Begin
A Sound Investment
Voluntary Retirement
Human Resources
Money Matters
What’s New
End Note

University Business - July/August 2012