HR Department
  • Home
  • Did you Know?
  • Our Services
    • NEW: Mediation
    • HR Audit
    • Implementation
    • HR Support Service
    • HR Services
  • Our Experts
  • Testimonials
  • The HR Advisor
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Digital Transformation: Onboarding Your Workers

18/2/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture








​A few months back, I introduced a topic that is ‘hot’ in the current HR dialogue: the need to futureproof your workforce for the digital age, and in particular, the need to upskill staff.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be diving deep into upskilling for the future, the barriers businesses currently face, and what Ireland’s organisations, large and small, need to be focusing on in the short and long term if they are to succeed in the future digital age.
 
Digital Transformation: What Exactly Is It?

One of those phrases that sounds informative yet says very little, it can be easily summed up as a process of digitising all methods and applications for working within a business. From placing all systems onto a cloud, to swapping out the monitors for laptops which enables remote working, and everything in between.

While it can be said that many businesses throughout Ireland have certainly started on a path of Digital Transformation, by no means has this been successful. Rather, the very thing that it is meant to be helping is the same thing hindering its success – people.
 
People – The Failure of Digital Transformation

Technology, no matter what it is, can only be as good, as helpful, as effective, as the people using it. In 2020, Ireland’s workforce is bigger in demographics than ever before, with more generations than ever before working alongside each other. With different age comes different experiences, different abilities and different attitudes to this ever growing digital revolution in Ireland’s workplaces.

Many Irish businesses have plugged their resources into providing the latest technology to their workforce in an attempt to keep them engaged and to keep the organisation ahead of competitors. But what is the use of this tech if no one knows how exactly how to use it? Have any businesses actually asked their workers if they are comfortable with this introduction?

Failure to consult workers has most likely resulted in poor attitudes towards this technological drive, regardless of age. Instead of making jobs easier and work more efficient, the view in your organisation may incline towards technology as a hindrance and as a threat to work as we know it.
 
But What Can You Do to Reverse These Attitudes?
As the saying goes, often it can be a case of ‘What is done is done’. By introducing a rapid flurry of new technology without instruction or explanation, your workforce may feel that their jobs are at risk or may feel overwhelmed by the pressure of ensuring that they can use this tech efficiently. Not only could this impact your talent retention or workforce morale, but it puts your business at high risk of a cyber security breach. What if something that is meant to be secured within a cloud is shared to the public by a staff member? Or a staff member uploads content that could harm your hardware?

Do not threat – get your Digital Transformation on course for success and avoiding failure via human error with these simple steps:
  • Communicate from The Inside Out
In an increasing competitive market, much of your budget and your time could often to be allocated to your external communications; PR, marketing & advertising.

But internal communications should come first – your staff should come first. Futureproofing your workforce can only be successful if you communicate all changes with said workforce appropriately. Whether this is through simple explanation via email, group workshops or 1-to-1's, however appropriate, elevate your HR team and communicate with all staff at all levels, and at all points of your Digital Transformation.

This will help to reduce staff fears and improve attitudes to technological change. Thorough explanation will provide context to staff and help to increase understanding, keeping staff onside and morale high.

  • Show Some TLC – Train, Learn, Commit
​Staff should come first – any HR team would push this message. But don’t beat around the bush – put this attitude into action with a bit of TLC.

If you introduce a new programme, a new method or working or new equipment – train your staff! A futureproofed workforce will only gain success if they know what they are doing and why. Provide in depth training to ensure all workers can use new technology efficiently. This will highlight your commitment to their learning and development and guarantee that this new technology is used correctly for its intended purposes – to develop your business, improve efficiency, increase productivity and provide staff, not machines, new opportunities.

  • Give A Little, Get A Lot
​It is not enough to just provide initial training or communicating briefly at the beginning of this Digital Transformation. It is much more a case of ‘giving a little and getting a lot’.

Ensure you have the necessary resources in terms of money, time and staffing to ensure that all workers are constantly refreshed on any new programmes, applications or wider technology within the workplace.

Host regular workshops to facilitate staff discussion on the effectiveness of new tech developments – this gives you an opportunity to get real feedback from the foundations upwards on what digital solutions are working and what is not. This will also give management and HR the opportunity to assess whether your people are using technology appropriately and whether there is any risk of more ‘human error’ occurring.

By consistently giving a little, onboarding your workers into a digitised, futureproofed organisation will and give a lot in the long term.

3 Comments

Are you Future-Proofing Your Staff for the Digital Age?

22/11/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
​A recent survey by ADP revealed a one in three UK staff believe their job will be automated in the next decade and a tenth expect to be replaced by robots within the next two years. Despite this, 49 percent feel their employer isn’t equipping them with the skills to succeed in the digital age.  
 
It’s an issue that’s mirrored here in Ireland. In addition to the influx of global tech companies, more traditional businesses are also progressing towards more tech enabled practices and processes. However, when you look closely at their digital transformation strategies, the human element is very often overlooked. A 2019 study by IT firm Econocom, showed that almost a quarter (23%) of failed digital transformation projects were the result of a lack of skills.
 
Despite this, businesses across Ireland continue to highlight the ‘talent crunch’ – acquiring and retaining the right talent, with the right skills – as one of the greatest challenges they face. Time and again the issue takes centre stage at conferences, filling up column inches in the papers.
 
It begs the question, if organisations are struggling to source the skills they need externally, why don’t they invest in reskilling and upskilling those whose jobs are most exposed to automation? While the terms have different meanings, for the purposes of this article they will be used interchangeably , under the broad definition that investment is being made to develop their skills for the digital era.
 
Here are some helpful tips to future-proofing your workforce and filling your current and future skills gaps.
 
  1. Align your people and business strategies
Very often leadership teams are so focused on developing and executing the business strategy, that they forget to factor-in the people who will deliver it. As a result talent acquisition tends to be a reactive exercise, where roles must be filled urgently as the need for specific skills or greater resource becomes apparent.
 
By taking time at the outset to understand the skills you need today and in the future to deliver the those business plans, you will be better equipped to spot the current gaps and implement a more structured approach to talent management.
 
Remember, while automation technology may make a number of labour intensive activities redundant, it also creates new job opportunities. The technology needs to be managed and maintained. Depending on the industry, there may be compliance requirements that necessitate human oversight. These and any other factors need to be addressed in the planning phase.
 
  1. Assess and identify those who are ‘upskillable’
Despite our very best intentions, some people may not be suitable for reskilling and technology focused training. However, as employers it is our duty to assess, without bias, the workforce and identify those with the right aptitude and attributes, to succeed, whether it be as coders, testers, IT support, and so forth.
 
There are countless types of assessments available online. Which ones you choose will depend heavily on the skills you’re seeking and the traits you’re looking for.
 
  1. Map out a clear development plan
Once you’ve identified the most suitable candidates, it’s important to take the time to sit down with them individually and create a clear, personalised development plan with them. This promotes on-boarding and engagement, by helping them see the long-term career opportunities that await them, while at the same time, allowing you to forecast their suitability for specific business tasks.
 
Such an approach also helps avoid a common training and development mistake – the one-off workshop. The vast majority of people require multiple touch points, involving different sensory stimulus to learn effectively. As such, it has been shown that the best training programmes are comprised of engaging online and in-person elements, where the majority of the course content has practical, real-world applications. Like a pilot learning to fly, giving them a safe simulation to build their skills and confidence, will best equip them for deployment within your organisation.
 
Learning and development is an incredibly complex area of HR, and it’s no surprise that an increasing number of businesses are appointing dedicated L&D managers. Over the coming weeks and months I plan to expand on a number of the points made in this article, in the hope that it will provide a useful resource for those interested in getting the very best from the employees.
1 Comment

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    Absenteeism
    Agile Management
    Anger
    Annual Leave
    Appointments
    Big Data
    Bullying
    Bullying In The Workplace
    Business
    BYOD
    Collaboration
    Communication
    Company Culture
    Compulsory Retirement
    Conflict Resolution
    Corporate Culture
    Covid 19
    Covid-19
    Cyber Bullying
    Data Protection
    Device Policy
    Digital
    Digital Transformation
    Disciplinary Procedures
    Discrimination
    Diversity
    Dress Code
    Emotional Intelligence
    Employee Benefits
    Employee Diversity
    Employee Engagement
    Employee Performance
    Employee Relations
    Employee Resignation
    Employee Retention
    Employee Rights
    Employee Wellbeing
    Employer Branding
    Employment Contract
    Equality
    Flexible Working Hours
    Freelance
    Freelancer Management
    Freelancing
    Gender
    Gig Economy
    Health And Safety
    Hiring Process
    HR
    HR Automation
    HRLocker
    HR Paper Work
    HR Performance
    HR Tips
    Human Resources
    Incentives
    Inclusion
    Independent Contractor
    In-house
    Innovation
    Intelectual Property
    Intern
    Jargon
    Just Culture
    L&D
    Leadership
    Learning & Development
    Long Term Illness
    Management
    Managers
    McDonalds
    Mediation
    Mentorship
    Millenials
    Motivating Staff
    Music
    Negative Employees
    Office Romance
    Onboarding
    Outsourced HR
    Paid Paternity Benefit
    Parental Leave
    Parenting
    Part Time
    Part-time
    Passive-aggressive
    Paternity Leave
    Paternity Leave Policy
    Pay Gap
    Pensions
    People Operations
    Poaching Employees
    Policy
    Problem Employee
    Productivity
    Profit
    Protected Disclosures Act
    Recruitment
    Redundancy
    Retirement
    Role Of HR
    Salary Transparency
    Sexual Harrassment
    Sick Leave
    Sick Pay
    Sick Policy
    Skills
    Skills Shortage
    Social Media
    Social Media Policy
    Staff Burnout
    Staff Engagement
    Staff Retention
    Staff Training
    Strategy
    Success
    Talent
    Talent Acquisition
    Talent Retention
    Team
    Teamwork
    Tech In HR
    The Jungle Book
    Training
    Trust
    Unfair Dismissal
    Vacation
    Whistleblower
    Work Arrangements
    Working Parents
    Workplace
    Workplace Bullying
    Workplace BYOD Policy
    Workplace Conflict
    Workplace Discrimination
    Workplace Harassment
    Workplace Health
    Work Related Stress
    Zero Hour Contract

    RSS Feed

HR Department, 49 Hollybank Avenue, Lower Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland.
 
Phone : +353 87 852 7723
E-mail: [email protected]

Registered in Ireland under company number 348834

Testimonials

Fallon and Byrne

“As a medium –sized business, we could not justify having an in-house HR person. The HR department provided the perfect solution for us, giving us access to all of the expert advice we needed on an outsourced basis"

READ MORE!
Website by Chevron Studio