When done properly, delegating routine HR work to department managers and team leaders is likely to result in efficiencies, cost savings and performance improvement, all of which can add up to competitive advantage.
When done properly, delegating routine HR work to department managers and team leaders is likely to result in efficiencies, cost savings and performance improvement, all of which can add up to competitive advantage.
For example, when managers not necessarily trained in HR, are given cloud based tools such as attendance and leave management dashboards which they can log into on desktop or mobile, good things happen:
Streamlined workflows mean less opportunity for mistakes
Strategic planning is informed in real time and therefore more relevant
HR specialists are free to do more value added work
Supporters say, when used wisely to train and encourage colleagues who don’t have any HR experience, tools that enable HR teams to spread the load are a good thing and can develop HR skills in a healthy environment. According to experts like Michael Marshall writing for The HR Director this progressive approach is good news because it adds to the skills and competencies of the business and that in turn aids Business Development.
“Skilled competent HR Human Resources teams continually investigate skill levels of all employees and staff and coordinate additional training needed; Coordinating programs to stimulate a healthy positive work environment that is safe and self-fulfilling for all.”
Colleagues are more willing to deal with HR matters arising in their team or department if they are given the tools and support they need to do the job well. The alternative is team leaders shying away from additional or new responsibility because they feel vulnerable and nervous and so the work continues to pile up on HR’s desk which causes compliance and data bottlenecks.
However, some HR teams are reluctant to trust HR work to colleagues who lack formal HR training. This is particularly the case if they have no way of knowing whether the work is being done in compliance with company standards - until it’s too late!
Activity Centre is the answer. One of our latest releases on the Portal, Activity Centre provides HR Managers with a thorough audit trail of user logins and work carried out on the Portal every day. It can be searched by Deck activity across the business such as 'Attendance' or 'GDPR' SAR management, or by searching for a specific user name to see the staff member's activity allowing the reviewer to click through to more detail and ultimately, every step is visible.
Using Activity Centre to support and encourage colleagues in a transparent way to take a share of the HR burden without fear of recrimination is the smart thing to do. Of course some will take to HR like ducks to water, others will struggle and need more support.
If a colleague lacks the soft skills or know how for the HR work they have been asked to do, it will become apparent by running audit reports in Activity Centre. If a manager isn’t responding to staff leave requests in a timely manner; is failing to research Toolkits or ask for help before tackling new tasks; or is favouring some staff over others, HR teams can step in and managers can be trained on the job in real time without exposing the company to serious compliance risks.
Staff have so much more respect for team leaders and managers who can confidently manage and make good decisions about routine compliance work so the benefits of up-skilling will be felt by all stakeholders.
Activity Centre is a subscription Deck so it’s easy to add to your account if you are already on our Portal Plus model, just navigate to the Subscriptions page and click 'Add Deck'. If you need any support you can talk to your account manager and we are always available on Live Chat during business hours.
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