Technology That Can Ease Staffing Issues
 |
Discuss this Article No responses yet, be the first... |
Let's pretend that a key member of your team just resigned, you've had two positions opened for months without any serious candidates and your phone is ringing off the hook with new work. You wonder - is there technology out there that could help in times like this. When you are working in crisis mode you certainly don't have the time to wonder, but technology can minimize the impact of crisis if you put systems in place early.
According to Jack Walsh, former CEO of General Electric, getting the right people on the bus and keeping them happy is one of the key components to operating a successful business. First, you need to find people that will fit in your company culture or wants to go were your bus is going. Your company website is the perfect vehicle to honestly convey the company culture to attract people that will be happy working for you. What is it like to work for your company; is it a fun culture with Friday softball days in the summer and a Halloween party in the fall? Perhaps it is highly creative, energetic atmosphere? Analysis what the true culture is and reflect this in the website so you will attract people who have the same values.
How do you do this - show photos of those Halloween costumes, list all the awards received or create a high energy animation of your office space. The solutions will be as unique as your company is. Now, write the job description with the same personality represented in the site and post it so anyone visiting the website can find it. Make it easy to apply with simple forms and the ability to attach resumes.
Now our bus is full with good people how do we get them to all drive north together. Internal communications is one key component. Let's imagine again...you are the company that plays softball and has Halloween parties; on Saturday, after the party your staff can log into the secure company intranet and post photos of the best costumes, they then create a simple survey on the fly to ask everyone to vote on the "best of show". Monday morning talk around water cooler will have a new dynamic really extending the team spirit you are trying to build. Other team building features you can use your intranet for include sharing resources or favorite links, personalizing the home page...
There are several advantages of getting your staff to use the intranet; by getting them involved in creating an online culture they will feel a closer connection to the company and by driving regular traffic to the intranet the business tools will have an increased chance of being used. So what are some of these tools? How about starting an internal Wiki? You have heard of Wikipedia, well this software is available to customize to fit your individual needs. It is a great tool to capture your company knowledge and retrieve it easily. Next time someone resigns you won't have to panic as much that everything they know is leaving.
Is communication a concern? Adding a news section to the intranet home page that anyone can add to (or a select few) will help convey the information that needs to get out there. Everything from awards won to build company pride to industry news and how it will impact the team or clients. Another organizational challenge is the policies, procedures and HR forms. Including a document management system to the intranet will provide a central, organized resource that everyone can access efficiently.
Does your company have electronic time slips, expense reports or customer relationship management software? The intranet is a great portal to the software tools your company is already using.
Build the team; retain the team and increase the efficiency of the team will make for a very bus ride, now all you need to do is decide where you want to go. I recommend south this time of year.
