Implementation glitches and huge clients

Apparently Fidelity's benefit administration services division screwed up 22,000 GM employees and retirees who no longer have benefits (temporarily). Now, I don't usually comment on benefits administration, but as this is part of Fidelity's larger HRO offering, I will. I don't have a link for you, but it's an Associated Press article titled "Computer Glitch Cuts Benefits for 22,000 at GM."

There are probably a couple of contributing factors (all of the following are my assumptions based on experience).

First, GM probably forced a fast implementation. Fast implementations when there is complexity and a huge population are very risky. There simply isn't enough time to test and audit. Unfortunately, when a client is this big, they can demand fast implementations as part of the sales negotiations.

Second, Fidelity's main obstacle seemed to be a lack of control and process around their data import/data conversion from the previous systems. You'd think that they would be good at data conversion, but apparently the conversion dropped employees, dependents, reitrees, etc... (ouch - retirees without benefits).

Bottom line: in major implementations, take it slow, audit well, put in solid process change around the new technology. Without this, you are setting yourself up for failure and termination.

As if GM doesn't have enough problems already, the UAL said "virtually anything that could go wrong, has."

ESS, ROI, and SHRM

If you have access to SHRM.org, you might want to check out an article called "Leveraging the Shift to Self-Service-It's Time to Go Strategic" by "Leslie A. Weatherly, SPHR, HR Content Expert." It just further proves to me why I don't pay any attention to SHRM. While it's very nice for them to finally validate things like:

"the notion of using Web-based technologies to automate the growing list of administrative transactions for employees-payroll, benefits, training, corporate resources and the like-serves as a catalyst for transformation for those seeking to move the human resource function to a strategic vantage point" and

"The benefits of automation are significant. It can eliminate routine, repetitive paperwork" and

"Finally, self-service also means that HR specialists are now free to spend less time on day-to-day recordkeeping and focus on value-added functions."

SHRM: thanks for finally hopping on the bandwagon. You are only 3-4 year behind, so it must feel good to be catching up.

HR isn't a people business anymore

This is kind of an interesting post for anyone who still thinks HR is an administrative function and for people who want to enter HR because they are people oriented.

Increasingly, those aspects of HR that were people oriented are being outsourced. For example, call centers are really beginning to pick up a huge portion of employee contacts over the phone, and employees increasingly don't see their HR staff. With the globalization of the workforce and centralization of HR strategy, employees can't count on a local HR rep to go to anymore. Similarly, you really need to be able to navigate technology if you want to move up the ladder and contribute strategically.

Anyways, wouldn't we all rather outsourced the company picnic planning process to someone else anyway? lol