It's been a while since we published an ELMO User Insights newsletter and, in this edition, we discuss a few of the recent updates to the ELMO system, compliance training, and using Performance to manage the new CEIS requirements:
System - a curated list of what we think are the best of the recent updates
Best Practice - maximising your compliance training and completions
HR Operations - the new CEIS requirements and how to manage them
System updates
In the past 12-18 months, we have seen more updates to the ELMO system than we have in the past 5 years... or it certainly seems that way!
For us and our clients, some of the recent changes that have made the biggest impact are:
1. Performance - Add multiple contributors to Performance appraisals - this is a game-changer for any of our clients who have a matrix organisational structure or have employees working across multiple roles or projects. This allows more than one person to add comments and ratings. You can read the Help Centre article here: How do I add additional users to contribute to a Performance Appraisal? – ELMO Help Centre (elmotalent.com.au)
2. Performance - Customise Goal Measure Statuses in Appraisals - this allows clients to change* the terminology used for goal measure statuses. For example, many of our clients would prefer to replace "Road Block" with "Off Track" and/or add "Not a priority".
* ELMO need to make the nominated changes
3. Recruitment - Finalise requisitions - this has created a little bit of confusion for some of our clients, as it somewhat redefines how requisitions are used - i.e. finalised requisitions in the past meant that an offer had been made; however, now requisitions can be finalised even if there has not been an offer and/or the offer has not yet been accepted. This can be useful for those clients who are not using the system for issuing contracts and who previously had to offer/accept on behalf of a candidate in order to finalise a requisition. However, we continue to recommend that clients use the system for issuing contracts (the docx upload has enhanced this part of the system) and that if an offer is made, that this is recorded in the requisition.
4. Reporting - Anniversary and Birthday reporting - in the past, the only way to get reporting about upcoming birthdays and anniversaries was by having the Rewards & Recognition module. These reports, now available via suggested reports in Custom Reporting/Analytics, allows you to track these significant dates via a downloadable or scheduled report.
5. Learning - set course level enrolment notifications - you use this setting when you want to tailor the enrolment notification specific to the course. This is effective when you are using the course function to facilitate something other than learning - e.g. a policy acknowledgement, issuing a document (such as a Notice of Representational Rights), requiring a document upload (e.g. a certificate of attendance to an event); and it makes more sense to tailor the enrolment notification to include the specifics of what is required by the employee.
Compliance training and completions
With an ever-increasing burden of compliance dictated by changes to the Fair Work Act and WHS Act, ensuring your compliance training is up to date, rolling out new courses on a monthly basis and keeping your completion rates high, has never been more important.
For many of our clients, this can seem daunting, but with this three-step process it can certainly seem more manageable:
Step One:
Set a 12-month theme schedule. Determine a theme for each month. For example, October is National Safe Work Month, so a safety-related theme could be good. December might be a good time to remind employees about your Code of Conduct and Alcohol and Drugs Policy and so forth.
Step Two:
Identify a course / activity that aligns with the theme for each month. If you have access to Course Library, you will likely find there is a pre-built course you can customise fairly easily. If you don't have course builder or there is no course that aligns with your theme, you can access a course from another source [e.g. we have pre-built courses we can customise and upload as a SCORM file - Managing Psychosocial Risks eLearning Course (Customised)]. We also recommend to clients that they can search for a YouTube video / a free government course (e.g. https://youtu.be/vNFf-GN_DDw?si=wZWQGIB_70l7kVCO), a TedTalk, or an article that will help people understand their compliance responsibilities.
Step Three:
Create accountability and some healthy competition...
For your people leaders, setting one of their people measures to monitor manage and ensure a benchmark percentage of completions (e.g. 85%) can help keep your completion rates at steady and acceptable level.
We all like to be winners, so, if we are competing against other departments, states or groups with a chance to win something (bragging rights, pizza lunch, free coffees etc), the teams are more likely to hold one another accountable to their completions.
Using Performance to manage the new CEIS requirements
Firstly, as we expect you already know, the definition of a casual employee has changed and the onus on employers to offer casual conversion has now shifted, and the responsibility to make the request for casual conversion now rests with the employee. You can find more information on the Fair Work Ombudsman website here: Casual employment changes - Fair Work Ombudsman.
As we know, the ELMO system is very good at staging events and less effective at timing events. With the changes that came into effect from 26 August 2024 (for employers of 15+ employees) that requires organisations to issue the Casual Employment Information Statement (CEIS) at commencement, the 6-month mark and at the end of each 12-months; endeavouring to automate this requirement has been a challenge for which our team has found a solution which we believe will work for most organisations and represents a best-practice approach.
We have devised an approach as follows:
Include the link to the CEIS in the contract template and have the candidate acknowledge that they have been given access as a part of their contract acceptance.
We have developed a Performance template and called it the Casual Employee Check-in. It is assigned via an assignment rule on commencement/when converted to a General User, based on the start date.
At the 6-month mark, a checkpoint is activated, and a notification is sent to the casual employee with a link to the CEIS. The notification and checkpoint explains the employee's rights and options regarding casual conversion. The checkpoint also asks the employee a number of questions about how they going in their role and asks the manager to meet with them to discuss. Casuals are often overlooked in the performance management and development process, so this process facilitates this conversation.
At the 12-month mark another checkpoint is activated with a notification that again issues the link to the CEIS, and explains eligibility for casual conversion. This checkpoint then records the discussion between the manager and the employee about the casual employee's eligibility and desire for conversion to permanent employment.
The template is set to auto restart.
Some of our clients have requested a "trimmed down" version of the template, where the managers don't have capacity or commitment to having these types of conversations with their casual employees.
If you would like to explore how the team at Martha Travis People Innovators can support you with implementing, optimising, or just maximising uptake with your ELMO system, why not book a 30-mins free | Pick my brain | with Martha Travis?
Content credit: Martha Travis
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