Making Change Happen: Strategies for Implementing Change with People in Mind

Leah Pearson, Director, Global Talent Acquisition, First Onsite Property Restoration

With an influx of new technologies, cutting-edge processes and procedures have become a necessity for companies to remain relevant in all aspects of personnel matters. The importance of utilizing business technologies is obvious in today’s world, however, many don’t grasp how vital it is to leverage technology within the HR department. Payroll processing and benefits administration systems are the most recognized technologies used in HR, but automated systems and technologies for talent acquisition are now equally critical.

As a director of global talent acquisition, one of my primary objectives has been to review, align, and streamline internal processes to provide outstanding customer service and create an unmatched recruiting experience for hiring managers and candidates across North America. In the disaster restoration industry, we must work with a sense of urgency to recruit, hire, and onboard so we have the right people in the right places to help families, communities, and businesses move forward after disaster strikes. It’s also important that we’re able to maintain compliant reporting records for all federal and state/provincial regulations.

While reviewing our processes, it became clear that by effectively utilizing our applicant tracking system, we could simplify some of our core processes and see immediate results. While it was easy to see the potential effect and benefits of new processes within our Acquisition Talent System (ATS) for the Talent Acquisition team, the successful implementation of these changes required collaboration and buy-in from multiple departments to ensure they would also meet their needs and requirements.

Here are a few tips I found to be most effective while implementing new/updated processes and systems:

Establish Buy-In Through Collaboration

Look outside of the HR lens. Consider the needs and requirements of other areas of the business to understand the impact of any potential changes. Discussions with teams outside of talent acquisition can provide insight into how you could make a positive impact on day-to-day work for others and identify seamless reporting opportunities for data that can be used to drive decisions in promoting success for the business. You’ll be able to implement cross-departmental procedures that benefit both internal and external customers by using a collaborative approach in the development of processes and systems.   

"Look outside of the HR lens. Consider the needs and requirements of other areas of the business to understand the impact of any potential changes"    

Create a Meaningful Experience

Run through the system from every angle from start to finish, as a candidate, hiring manager, administrator, and recruiter. What feeling do you want each user to come away with?

Be Mindful of Compliance

Understand the federal and state/provincial regulations. Ensure your system will be able to provide accurate data to ensure compliant reporting.

Engage in Comprehensive Communication

Discuss your plans with those who will be impacted, early in the process and frequently. Develop a comprehensive communication schedule and be transparent. Share your excitement about how the changes will benefit others and make a positive impact on the day-to-day work for others. How will this make their lives better?

By leveraging HR technology in talent acquisition, you will be able to streamline your recruitment and hiring process as well as easy access and analyze data. These systems need to be efficient and effective, but always consider the impact of any changes on your colleagues and other departments.

Using a collaborative approach can create exceptional experiences for your business, one interaction at a time.

HR Technology

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