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9 ways to get your team to adopt HR software

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By The Fetcher Team

9 ways to get your team to adopt HR software

8 mins read

getting you team to adopt new hr software
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PwC's recent HR Tech Survey found that while HR tech platforms are widely used, more than 80% said they struggle with adoption challenges. Part of the problem is tech adoption. In many cases, companies don't have methods in place to encourage successful HR tech adoption across their people teams.

With slow adoption comes frustration with processes and/or low ROI, and a high percent of switching vendors, which costs companies time and money. On the plus side, implementing HR tech effectively can lead to more productive teams, more skilled team members, and a better experience for candidates and internal team members.

To help your team successfully adopt a new HR tech platform, we asked HR leaders and business owners this question for their best advice. From involving your team in the selection process to offering training and support, there are several ways to ensure your team understands and even embraces new HR tech tools

Read on for nine tips to ensure your team successfully adopts new HR software.

1. Involve Your Team in the Selection Process

As someone who has rolled out an HR Tech platform a few times I can say the simplest way to get successful adoption is to include your team in the process. Take time to learn what pain points currently exist and features that are missing. Talk to multiple people and patterns will begin to emerge. Next look for a solution where the team has an active development roadmap and is responsive to ensure that the solution is a long term success versus a short term band-aid. Lastly, have them participate in the rollout. This inherently gives them ownership of the system and increases use and adoption.

Steven Brown, Pivot Workforce

2. Require Confirmation of Action in a Slack Thread

Any big changes that happen at our fully remote company merit a post in our dedicated #announcements Slack channel. Implementing a new HR software would fall into this category. Best practice for posting in this channel includes bolding a do-by date so that employees are aware of a deadline, and asking team members to acknowledge their understanding by adding a check-mark emoji to the post. The use of emojis shows our workforce that colleagues are taking follow-up action and creates a sense of peer pressure. This public acknowledgment of the change can urge workers to get on the platform immediately instead of letting the task languish in their inbox or to-do list for days or weeks.

Tasia Duske, Museum Hack

3. Let Management Lead the Way

Getting senior HR employees onboard to lead new initiatives is a great advantage when implementing change. The beta phase of new technology deployment could be a limited release to the management. Not only will this be effective for troubleshooting but when the HR platform goes live the rest of the staff will be able to seek advice from their leadership team Amit Raj, The Links Guy

4. Start With a Monthly Plan

My top tip, and also a financially savvy move is to start with a one month subscription. A lot of software is available either on a monthly or annual basis, with sometimes significant discounts for the longer term commitment. However, if you go with the one year plan and then find out you don't have the right tool for your team, then you've wasted funds and are locked in. Instead, do the one month plan as a test, and then when you are ready you can either add additional months or the full year. Or, if the software doesn't work well for your team then you can try another one!

Melissa Kelly, Virtual Team Building

Wondering where and how tech can streamline your hiring processes? Check out our guide on the different types of tools TA teams use, and where they fit into the funnel.

5. Introduce It in Advance

When adopting a new HR tech platform, be sure that you introduce it well in advance. Your team will need some time to adjust to the new technology, and everyone will need to be properly trained. As with any technology, some employees may shy away from using it if they aren't comfortable with it. So, plan in advance, and you'll see a much easier transition.

Ryan Rottman, OSDB Sports

6. Communicate the Benefits for Adoption

One tip I would give for ensuring a smooth transition to a new HR tech platform would be to establish and communicate the benefits of adopting it clearly. Change can be difficult, and even more so when you're trying to get your team to change something that's been working for them for a while. If you can't identify what your team will gain from switching to the new system, then they might feel like it's just an extra burden being placed on them.

So, before you start implementing the new platform, take some time to think about what you hope to achieve with it and why you think it will help your business. Then communicate these benefits to the team in a consistent way with your company culture. This way, they'll appreciate the value of adopting this new platform, rather than just seeing it as another thing they'll have to learn how to use.

Ann Young, Fix The Photo

7. Match the Platform With Your Company Goals

Consider the main goals you have in mind through utilizing an HR tech platform. Even if one of your options may seem impressive, it may not be the best match for your particular company and its needs. Determine which HR tech platform caters mainly to your company's HR goals, rather than choosing a platform with features that end up being irrelevant. Choose the best fit.

Jared Hines, Acre Gold

8. Include KPI Tracking

By far and away, the best method to carry out the successful adoption of any new business technology, not just HR platforms, is to incentivize employees. You have to give them reason to learn, use and embrace it. And in the context of new HR digital platforms, that means incorporating KPI tracking. As employees’ KPIs are directly tied to their bonuses, by moving KPI reporting and monitoring onto the new HR platform, you better believe people will embrace it. Not all HR tech platforms include KPI tracking, but to the extent they do, use this feature and make sure it's a central component of your training rollout.

John Ross, Test Prep Insight

9. Offer Training and Support

To ensure that your team successfully adopts a new HR tech platform, create a comprehensive implementation plan. Include there both theoretical and practical exploration of the new tool. Schedule a few meetings to explain how things work. Introduce your team to the platform, and show them its advantages and how it will facilitate their day-to-day work. After the first encounter, ask them to create a form with questions. Enrich your answers with infographics, screenshots from the platform, and, if possible, instructional videos. Show them how the platform works in practice. Don't forget to appoint a leader - the person who will be the team's first point of contact. Adoption to a new HR tech platform is not always easy. Make sure that people are not left alone.

Agata Szczepanek, MyPerfectResume


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