Operational excellence has been a debate topic for the last few years and we believe that HR operational excellence could be the new trend if achieved through standardization of processes, automation, training and retraining the employees. However, it is still defined under vague terms and explained as achieving excellence in everything we do.
As firms continue to grow in size and globally become complex, employers look to drive effective HR service. This being said, providing an exceptional experience to customers is equally as important as sustaining happy employees experience.
In reality, the employee experience owns the customer experience but it is quite difficult to translate operational excellence parameters into practical and measurable business activities.
Why HR Operational Excellence
To have an attractive culture, we are required to think through the life cycle of our employees and in order to have an effective organization, we are required to have a flexible structure. Above all, to think customer experience, we should think of people.
HR function is increasingly seeing the benefit of adopting operational excellence tools and principles. Moreover, adopting operational excellence tools and principles enables HR function to create value to its internal and external customers by improving HR policies, services, technology and data.
Soon, we will begin to see the introduction of new Key Performance Indicators. With the mass layoffs taking place, productivity will be a challenge for almost every service. Employees returning to workplace should be prepared in advance and involved in the process changes while being able to transition back.
Last but not least, customers are now patient and tolerating unpleasant experiences but for how long?. The operations team will have big challenges to face.
HR Operational Excellence steps
1. Design a workflow that standardize and automate processes
Establish a clear flow, beginning from the time you raise a talent requisition to the time the employee joins followed by after joining experience. This would include different HR sections (talent acquisition, L&D, Government Affairs, Operations representatives, talent management and managers). As a result, information can flow with the employee through the connections created between all concerned departments. The key to this is connection and communication.
2. Visualize the process and involve all stakeholders
The next step after taking the design from paper to creation is to visualize the process with all stakeholders so every employee understands that the process is connected to each other. Operational excellence is based on best practices, best practices consist of processes, and processes must be sustained.
3. Make the flow smooth
Don’t over complicate processes. Targeting the connections established between processes and departments helps to stabilize the complete end-to-end employees service flow. Purse efficiency through reducing cycle time of transactional HR processes.
4. Centralize admin and give time to operations to innovate
A key component to HR operational excellence is the ability to support operations to execute and innovate in processes. Through centralizing admin, HR operations will be able to focus more on employees and customer experience.
HR operational excellence is all about business growth. Furthermore, HR operations Excellence gives HR operations team the opportunity to step back and focus more on growing the business as a whole and this can only be done by reducing the amount of responsibilities that fall on operations.
5. Create an agile team
I t is important to create an agile team who can take the necessary actions when the flow is broken. In point of fact, you should continue to migrate HR operations toward a more centralized and corporate structure.
6. Employees who are in the flow should be able to improve it
HR employees who continue to work in the flow need to be able to maintain and improve their level of performance using continuous HR improvement tools. This involves the operations side of the business achieving a level of performance and enhancing HR service.
Thus, the HR team should be ready for the change, and each HR member is able to see the end result to the employee.
7. Focus on Talents and Training
Securing top talents development and gaining their loyalty is a priority for most organizations. Therefore, Learning & Development along with Talent Management team should work together to come up with a development and retention plan.
8. Move from plan to pilot
Begin this step by providing formal training including a review of new structure and way of working.
Besides introducing the implementation plan, you need to ensure that all trainees understand the ultimate destination of HR operational excellence and the overall goal for business growth.
In order for HR operational excellence to be the new trend, it is important to keep innovation at the centre of processes. In conclusion, operational excellence is about creating a mindset of continuous improvement by adopting the right tools and principles.
Originally published at https://jobsblend.com on December 18, 2020.
