Q: What did you learn & what do you hope to learn next class? Anything that your can apply right away personally or professionally?

A:  We talked about a simple yet incredibly important idea..."Make sure your solution solves your specific problem".  So many times we have something we want to be done better, different, or more efficient.  In the race to make our lives easier we don't stop to think, REALLY think, about what the problem actually is and therefore, how good is our solution?  Recently we set out to bring on a time and attendance solution.  We spoke to the sales people, the price was right, the demo looked good, but we failed to make it all the way through implementation.  The product was far from intuitive to the end user and the vendor provided absolutely zero training materials for our employees.  We forgot to ask the most basic question, "is this going to be a solution that our employees will use?"  The system made sense from an administrative and compliance standpoint but we forgot to ask the end users.  In the end we scrapped the implementation.  We fought (and succeeded) to get the monthly fees back from the company but we were out the one time, up front fees.

GOOGLE SITES!!!  This is 100% something that I can use right away.  I feel that (especially in smaller organizations) so much is done with so little time/staff/dollars.  I am responsible for all on boarding activities in both the US and Canada.  This means different health & welfare plans, different tax forms/rules, different handbooks, holidays, legally required notices...and the list goes on and on.  A Google site is a highly visible way to make the new hire process less confusing for the new hire and adds immediate cache to the organization.  It is no small thing to successfully on-board an employee.  The more an employee feels welcome the longer they will stay.  Ummm, not that I have any hard data but that must be true, right?!?!

Q: Define a business problem & articulate a charter

A: GROSVENOR USA LIMITED: System of Record Charter

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Problem Statement

The Grosvenor HR department currently utilizes a hodgepodge of different IT solutions to capture employee data pertinent to dates of employment, benefits, payroll, compensation history, tenure, benefits eligibility, employee data (address, dependents, DOB, degrees, certifications, spouse, etc), titles, time & attendance, and various other recordkeeping.  The most predominantly used applications are Excel (as an employee database) and Ceridian (as a payroll, tax, compliance system) but there is also a shared HR drive that only HR personnel have access.  At this time we are implementing a time & attendance software that should integrate seamlessly with Ceridian.

This system is cumbersome, often times inaccurate, time consuming to keep updated, and provides for a great deal of manual data input.  The HR department is looking for an integrated system that is accurate and automates much of the daily/monthly/annual work of the department.  Preferably with a self service option for managers and employees.

Customers

1. HR department
2. Senior Management
3. Managers
4. Employees

Business Case

Time is money.  It is predicted that 25-30% of HR time used to complete these tasks could be freed up to focus on supporting Senior Management and Managers.  Reporting is a key takeaway from having a system of record.  With this kind of functionality HR can provide the data that managers need, when they need it, and how they need to see it to make better business decisions.

In Scope

1. Solution to replace current Excel spreadsheets that house employee data
2. Solution that will integrate with current Ceridian and time & attendance solutions
3. Solution that will contain both the US & Canadian employees

Out of Scope

Not yet determined.

Success Metrics

1. Automated process that reduces the amount of time needed to access employee data
2. Capability to deliver metrics to Senior Management
3. More accurate employee data

Deliverables

1. Evaluation of options to replace spreadsheets
2. Evaluation of metrics to be reported
3. Evaluation of integration with current software
4. Discovery of data to be uploaded into new solution
5. Communication Plan

Resources

1. Sponsor - HR Generalist
2. Core Team - HR Director/HR Generalist
3. Senior Management
4. Finance Manager

Solution Options

"The Future of Work" Takeaway

Q:  What did you learn & what do you hope to learn next class? Anything that your can apply right away personally or professionally??

A:  What I like about this class is that we are taking concepts that have been in the HR rhetoric for years now and looking at them through a new lens...technology.  The fact that 5 generations of workers are in the workplace for the first time in history is not ground breaking anymore, how we (as HR folk) will connect them is the new ballgame.  We all know the world is getting smaller, people are working from everywhere (home, the bus, cafes, their kids' soccer games), and that jobs are getting outsourced but I never really considered how or why I should be thinking about these things in terms of HR technology.

My "two-week into my HR Systems and Technology class" mind says get as much information into a system that employees can access 24/7...and quick!  Everyone seems to want access when it is on their mind.  Not too mention people don't want to wait to have to get it.  But just because some people need things like yesterday does it mean we all have to be available?  We are a small company but I have avenues available to me that I can access right away that would give people access to benefits information/forms, tax forms, performance appraisal tools, vacation/time off information, employee handbook, company policies, etc.

First Post of Many...I S'ppose

There is a big reason why I stopped blogging after my many travels, I just can't imagine people caring about what I am up to on a daily basis! While I still hold that to be true I will have a built in audience for the next 10 weeks. As I embark on a new class towards my HR Certification at U.C. Berkeley Extension I will once again tap into my English Lit days and write, write, write.

In just our first class I was forced (yes forced) to open a Twitter account...and (gasp) Tweet! Ugh. I put this off as long as I could. At first I was a little bitter that I had to do something I really don't have a need for but I was quickly given a reason. I need to know this stuff. Period. HR, like many other professions, is moving towards digital domination. If I don't know what a tweet@#blahblahblah means then there is a good chance I could be replaced by someone who does.

I had zero expectations coming into the class. And I have to say, I am still not sure what I expect to get out of the class. I know that I will be exposed to a whole new way of looking at HR, the tools that I might be able to use everyday and introduce to my company, and that I will get a chance to tackle a real world problem (very exciting!). Oh, and it is clear, I will be engaged. This was the first class in a while where my thinking cap was on from the word "welcome".

CAMBODIA!!

You never quite know what you will find when you enter a new country. Will the people speak English? Will they be nice? How will I get the new currency as fast as possible? How do I get from point A to point B? As I emerged from the airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia I was immediately at ease...and in love!

What I found was warm, smiling faces. The people speak a better version of English than I had found in Thailand. And they actually prefer that we use dollars instead of the Cambodian Riel. As I road in the taxi to the hostel (my first big city experience in Southeast Asia) my eye spotted more motos then cars, no discernibly agreed upon traffic directions, hundreds of smiling faces and a city that could use a face lift.

After settling into the Top Banana hotel we blessed our passports and sent them off with the guy from the hotel to have him get our visas for Vietnam. This is by far the easiest way to get this process taken care of but it is not without hesitation that we entrusted this stranger with our prized possession. I will end the anticipation, everything worked out perfect!

In the evening I took my first tuk-tuk ride around the city with Jill. A tuk-tuk is a motorcycle with a sort of carriage behind it. It is all open air this time of year so you can feel the night air in your face. It was one of those truly wonder struck moments you are lucky to have when traveling in foreign countries. We asked the driver to just drive us around to the hot spots. Mind you this is 7pm on a Tuesday night but it was as if nobody had a thing to do the next day because there were hundreds of people out and about enjoying themselves, their families and celebrating the coming Cambodian New Year!! We drove along the river, passing the Royal Palace all aglow in it's nightlights. We passed a major commercial area alive with vendors. What struck me most is how curious the locals were about us. Everyone kept looking into the tuk-tuk as they passed us to have a look. Always with a smile of course!! Unlike what I found in southern Thailand the locals have a seemingly genuine interest in who I am, where I am from and practicing their English. I was in awe of my new surroundings. I knew right away that this was a country that was going to make a lasting impression.

Needless to say, I could not be happier to be in Cambodia!

Ko Phangan & Ko Tao, Thailand

From the beautiful island of Ko Lanta on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand we journeyed across the Thai peninsula where we boarded a 3 hour ferry to an island on the Gulf of Thailand. Once again the journey was just as much fun as the destination.

As we haggled the price of the ferry in a tour agency we met up with 3 guys...an Italian, a Malaysian and an American from Boston. All of us were heading to the island of Ko Phangan for the worldwide phenomenon known as the full moon party. This party begins at sunset, lasting through the sunrise the following day as well as into the next afternoon. The ferry to Ko Phangan would get us in at around 6pm so we would have just enough time to find a hotel, shower and get the party started. It was agreed that we would just begin the party on the ferry with (horrible) Malaysian rum! Ah, the beginning of the end.

The party takes place on a beach that faces east, "Sunrise Beach". There were thousands upon thousands of party goers with no less than 20 DJ's from around the world playing techno music. I wouldn't say that this is my favorite scene but we had an amazingly fun time. Drinks are served in plastic buckets with about 10 straws. Our drink of choice for the evening was Red Bull and vodka. Hey, I am 31 years old now. Without the infusion of mass amounts of caffeine there would be no way I would make it to sunrise!! We walked up and down the beach, danced, drank, went for a swim at sunrise and generally laughed all night long. Good times. As the sun rose we hit the sack but we were certainly in the minority. This is one mental party!

From Ko Pgangan we hopped a ferry to the island of Ko Tao. This was more of a rest and relaxation island. We decided to go upscale a bit because it was Jill's 30th birthday!!! It was a nice break from the low budget backpacker hotels we had been staying. There was a pool that looked out into the gulf so we ended up wasting many many hours just hanging in the pool. A wonderful week. We were joined by a few friends from the US which was great. It's always nice to make new bonds withe people that you will see again back home.

It was sad to say goodbye to the guys as well as the lovely beaches of Thailand. That being said our next stop is Cambodia. Does the excitement ever end?

Khlong Nin beach, Koh Lanta

Between all the traveling, jet lag and attack of insects on Ton Sai beach we needed a nice relaxing spot. After some deliberation Jill took me to a place that she had been on her last trip to Thailand...Koh Lanta.

Koh Lanta is an island in southern Thailand on the Andaman Sea. There are several white sand beaches that flank the western shore, each separated by a rocky outcropping. It is these breaks that create distinctive beach cultures on each. The third beach down, about a 20min motorbike ride from the main town, is Khlong Nin. This place is heaven with a laid back traveler vibe! It is even more chilled out right now because the high season has just ended.

I have to admit I was not feeling it the first couple nights. We learned real quick the difference between serious budget travel and just budget travel. The first 2 nights we stayed in a room that cost each of us 4USD per night. With this we got a fan, a bathroom with no flush (just fill the bucket and flush it yourself!), the intoxicating smell of sewer and a mattress where the coils were basically coming through the top. But with a few beers, Jill's thermarest, an amazing beach and the bathroom door closed we managed.

Ahhhh but then we discovered Lanta White Rocks just next door. We were able to bargain so we kept our cost under 10USD per person. The difference was night & day. Things were looking a lot more like paradise. Days here begin with breakfast on the beach. There is nothing like eating a breakfast of fruit, eggs and a banana lassi (fruit and yogurt shake) with your feet in the sand. After breakfast the day is really up in the air! Maybe I will read my book in the hammock or write in my journal. Then again perhaps I will feel like laying out, swimming or napping. The last couple days we rode a motorbike around the island. The possibilities are endless :o)

As for the nightlife. We have found that the Tomahawk Bar at Nice Beach Resort across from our bungalow is a one-stop shop. Tomahawk bar is right on the beach so we have watched the sunset from their outdoor deck that overlooks the water every night. It has an outdoor restaurant with amazing Thai and Indian food. Not to mention they have plenty of chill space to enjoy evening beers. We tend to get there around 6 and not leave all night. Ummm, why would you?

So there you have it, my last week in a nutshell. I have met some great people here that I will miss but I must move on tomorrow. Tomorrow we will leave the chill Koh Lanta vibe for absolute mayhem for one night...the full moon party on Koh Pnang. Poor me, I have to island hop. :o)