Your scheduling and payroll software is disjointed, out of date, and causing more problems than it’s solving across your manufacturing locations and jobsites. You need a better way to reduce and manage labor costs. You’ve come to the conclusion that you need an integrated payroll and scheduling HR system – what’s next? How do you integrate your new software with your existing team and processes, and make sure that you comply with all the regulations that weigh on heavy industry?
Here are four ways to ease the transition into a new integrated payroll and scheduling system for your business.
1. Your implementation team should know your company and your industry
An effective implementation team should, first and foremost, lighten your implementation burden! It should understand your individualized payroll and scheduling needs backwards and forwards – what you need the new HR system to do, how you need data to be inputted into the system, and how your current systems are working and failing.
In addition, your team should also know the ins and outs of your specific industry and be able to respond to inquiries about how the system will address specific problems. Companies in heavy industry have to consider government regulations, cross-border workforce and international regulatory issues, and environmental impact and compliance issues, to name just a few! Having a vendor partner who has the knowledge and experience in payroll management for heavy industry can craft your new system to meet your company’s needs.
Although the biggest vendor can seem like the “safe” choice, they can also be very rigid and have a set process for implementation. Smaller vendors can give you personalized service, individual attention, and tailored advice specific to your industry and your company. A more flexible approach can ensure a better fit for you with your new system.
2. The implementation should work with your existing system
A vendor who is very rigid about how to implement a new system and expects you to change your processes to suit the new software will make implementation enormously stressful and time-consuming. Before you forge ahead with a vendor and a new system, talk to some of its customers, including those in heavy industry occupations with similar concerns to yours.
Implementing new HR software for heavy industry shouldn't upend your existing business or be an unreasonable burden on your employees. A good vendor will help overcome resistance among some of your staff who really don’t want to change their routines but have to with the new system. The implementation process is about a lot more than learning to use new software! A great implementation team will help you deal with important people issues that are essential to your success with the new system and help everyone in your organization work together.
3. Implementation shouldn’t cost a fortune
Everyone hears horror stories of companies implementing a new HR system that end up spending upwards of $3,000 per employee! Costs that high indicate that your vendor and your implementation team aren’t a good fit for your business. Implementation problems can result in huge wastes of energy and money, and frustrate you and your employees.
Two of the biggest factors that lead to spiraling, out-of-control costs are:
- Unclear leadership. It is crucial that there be clearly defined project leadership on both the client and vendor sides. On the client side, the project lead must be someone with the authority to make decisions. Clients who bring in outside consultants to lead the project on their behalf are often hamstrung by someone who has taken on a leadership position but lacks insight into how their organization works and lacks the power to make necessary decisions. Without clear leadership, you risk improper deployment of team resources and unclear prioritization. This often means extra time and costs are incurred to bring the project back in line with its original goals. On the vendor side, you need to know who’s in charge of leading the implementation team to liaise with the client lead.
- Unclear goals and timelines. Along with strong leadership, the project team needs clear plans and timelines that are worked out in conjunction with the vendor project manager. Regular team meetings are a must to keep priorities straight and to share the knowledge that the team members will be acquiring on a daily basis.
4. Implementation should be just the beginning
Most importantly, your vendor should show interest in forming a long-term relationship after your new system is in place! If you have any issues after implementation, you want to know who’s going to be taking your calls and follow-up questions. You need implementation partners who understand this is an important and ongoing process of change, and know how to make it work in the long-term.
StarGarden’s implementation team will work with you from start to finish, analyzing your company’s new HR system needs, outlining an implementation plan, helping you through the process of installation and implementation, and being available for your ongoing questions and troubleshooting needs.
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