3-2-1, Switch: How to Roll Out New HR Tech Without Disruption

Choosing the best HR technology is vital to your company’s efficiency and effectiveness. Just as important as the HR tech itself is how well you roll out the technology within your organization. Your adoption of new HR technology should be happening often enough to keep pace with advancements in the HR marketplace—which means you’re probably working hard at mastering the transition from one technology to the next.

Advance planning is essential to ensuring a successful HR tech rollout and limiting the amount of disruption to your staff. A truly seamless tech transition will take your employees from the old system to the new one with no downtime or loss in productivity. The exception to this is training time, which should be carefully scheduled to mesh with your employees’ work patterns.

One of the most important guidelines you can follow when making an HR tech transition is not to rush it. Give yourself plenty of lead time to ensure you haven’t overlooked any aspect of the new technology implementation. Statistics indicate that 70 percent of all tech rollouts end in failure. Don’t fall victim to the mistake that many companies make, which is to introduce technology too quickly and without giving enough attention to how the transition will affect your employees.

Keys to Successful Rollouts

How do you ensure you are among that 30 percent who roll out new technology successfully or switch platforms without a significant disruption to the workplace? Take these best practices into consideration:

• Anticipate and address concerns from employees. The best way to deal with employee concerns is to talk to them. Solicit feedback directly from your team, and encourage them to tell you what they need or want. Without this feedback, you are likely to miss the mark of what your technology should actually accomplish.
• Provide the necessary training and support. You have to do more than just give lip service regarding training—you need to make it a top priority. Set aside the requisite time for your staff to learn how to use the new software and make ongoing support available until everyone is comfortable with the system.
• Focus on the “people side” of technology. Those who are using your new HR technology are the determining factor in its success. Don’t let them get lost in the shuffle in your attempt to be the most tech-savvy HR department out there. Instead, listen to human concerns and explore the best ways to integrate HR technology updates with your employees’ everyday duties. Having a clear plan of how the technology will be used based on their input will make for a more successful implementation.
• Buy technology strategically. Bringing cutting-edge technology into your company only makes sense if you can use it. I always stress that HR tech is a tool. As I wrote in a recent blog post for TalentCulture, you need to know how to use this tool in order to take maximum advantage of it and put yourself in the best strategic position.
• Make “user-friendly” more than a buzzword. The technology has to be easy to use, or employees won’t use it to the full extent of its capabilities. As Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer for Matawan, N.J.-based talent acquisition software provider iCIMS, stated, “If it isn’t easy, HR professionals won’t want to use it, hiring managers will be slow to adopt, candidates will be less engaged, and you won’t see the full benefits of your investment.”

Develop a strategy for your HR tech rollout and make sure everyone understands it and can follow it. Don’t have a plan in place? Follow these suggestions for devising a strategy that will work for you.

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