In this tenth edition, we will discuss the importance of challenging how and why; as this can lead to amazing discoveries and cool ways of delivering solutions:
System - The placeholder matrix.
Best Practice - When is it not best?
HR Operations - Using the tech inventively to fill gaps
The Placeholder Matrix
We are probably more excited about this one than we have been about a 'find' in a long time... and we can't take the credit.
One of our clients, (who will remain unnamed, otherwise the resultant fame and fortune could destroy his aura of nerdy humility), brazenly decided to try out the placeholder matrix. This is where a system placeholder (e.g. ::POSITION::) is placed as the default value inside a custom placeholder (e.g. @@POSITION@@).
No-one thought it would work (not even the implementation team at ELMO), but it pulls through beautifully. Although the magic isn't revealed until you preview the contract.
@@POSITION@@ is built in the Placeholder Library with the default value of ::POSITION::
And the true beauty is that it will reduce the number of contract versions you will need to maintain.
Since the advent of the 'common' contract category, we have wanted to create contracts that can be delivered to candidates via Recruitment, and to Onboarders and General Users via contracts manager. However, the frustration for the recruitment team was having to data-enter information that should have populated from the candidate profile and/or the requisition (e.g. position); but if using as a common contract for an internal user, the position that applies may not be the same as the employee's profile position necessitating a custom placeholder.
The placeholder matrix allows for the best of both worlds - no need to have a set of 'recruitment' contracts that are the same as the common, with the only difference being the system vs custom placeholders.
If the system information is correct in the circumstances, leave the default system placeholder in place; however, if a new value applies (e.g. a new position title), the system placeholder can simply be overwritten with the correct data.
Already, we have reduced one client's contract library from 22 contracts to 15.
When is 'best practice' not best?
We often encourage our clients to keep a particular quirky and unique process out of the system, as the structures and processes you would need to build to manage it in the system makes it clunky and over-engineered. Sometimes, an excel spreadsheet or a google form is actually a better option.
Therefore, really think about why you do things the way you do and how they could be streamlined, allowing them to be automated. Or maybe, you decide that the process needs to remain 'manual' and work out how it best gets incorporated into the overall process framework.
One of our clients (highly regulated) needs to ensure they meet compliance requirements as it relates to their people reading, acknowledging, understanding and adhering to their policies and procedures.
To this end, they decided to have:
Their policy (e.g. Sexual Harassment) embedded into an online course (Sexual and Sex-Based Harassment Awareness) with a policy acknowledgement quiz question.
Then, a section in the course with the policy link and a policy acknowledgement.
Then, at the end of the onboarding workflow they wanted a form that was an overarching declaration from the onboarder to say that they had read all of the policies and they agreed to ensure that their conduct and decisions are always aligned with the requirements set out in the policies.
Not sure what you think, but we thought it was overkill.
We have convinced them to go back to their stakeholders - Executives, Governance etc to better understand the reasoning.
Why, do they need this third step? (we don't think the second step is necessary either by the way).
Is it reporting? Is it a perception about repeating the message over and over to help it sink in? Is it about what a once-per-year auditor is looking for?
Once you understand the 'why' you can then adjust the process accordingly and decide how best to deliver the information while gaining access to the required data.
Another client wants to manage Job numbers, so that agencies and other referrers can be attributed to particular hires, resulting in payments or incentives.
In this case we challenged the methodology; but they were somewhat wedded to their process. And once we understood the complexities of their process, who needed the data, in what form and when; we recommended that it was best managed via a spreadsheet outside of the system.
So sometimes, what seems like 'best practice' may not be the best solution, nor does it automatically mean you should try to capture it in your system.
Using your tech inventively
We love finding unconventional ways to use ELMO to serve a purpose which was maybe not its intended use.
Recently we have built a recruitment process for one of our clients using an onboarding workflow.
This client has around 50 employees, they don't recruit often and can't warrant having the recruitment module; but would like to have some record in their ELMO system of the candidates they interview; and for those who they employ, a record of the recruitment process.
To help with this, we have built them a recruitment workflow, which commences after the phone screen.
Candidate is progressing to interview.
Create onboarding user and assign to recruitment workflow.
Recruitment Form is assigned to the recruiter, where they can upload documents, notes, provide ratings and comments and record the recruitment process.
If candidate is progressing to reference checking, the recruiter marks the task as complete, which triggers a form to the candidate to provide their referees and other credentials.
Once the decision is made to proceed to offer, the recruiter submits and approves the recruitment form, which sends the recruiter a notification which becomes the offer email they can on-forward to the candidate along with their employment agreement.
During this period, the candidate sees a specifically designed onboarding dashboard only visible to candidates. Once they accept their contract and their onboarding profile is updated, they move to seeing the onboarding dashboard.
Can you think of a way you could be using the system to help you deliver HR operational outcomes in a way that may not have been the intended use?
Content credit: Martha Travis
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