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  Beyond “You’re Fired!” - Understanding the Employee Off-Boarding Process

  Amy 10:56 pm on May 3, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: human resources forms, Human Resources Management (3), human resources software (2), Human Resources Workflows (8)

  If you watch “The Apprentice”, then you’re familiar with Donald Trump’s terrible off-boarding process.  With his signature phrase, “You’re fired!”, he sends apprentice-wannabes on their way.  The ex-apprentice then exits the boardroom, grabs his/her rolling suitcase, takes the elevator down to the lobby, and hops in a waiting taxi to be whisked away. But in real life, the employee off-boarding process is not early so simple.

  Over the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring a number of key human resources workflows, including the hiring process, employee on-boarding process, performance review process, and leave of absence process. The employee off-boarding process completes this series, as it consists of the final steps an employee participates in when leaving a company.

  In a nutshell, the employee off-boarding process essentially undoes the tasks of the employee on-boarding process. While the on-boarding and off-boarding processes are related; however, the off-boarding process is unique in that it can be very difficult for everyone involved, especially if the employee has been let go or terminated.

  The off-boarding process prepares employees for their departure from the company by completing important closing tasks, including conducting exit interviews, deleting login credentials, returning company property, ensuring that employees receive the appropriate extended benefits, etc. The off-boarding process can be an important part of making sure an ex-employee feels positively about her experience at the company, regardless of the circumstances of her departure.

  In addition to making sure the employee is prepared to depart the company, the off-boarding process also ensures that the company receives the appropriate information and materials from the employee before her departure. This can help protect the company and mitigate any risks inherent in the off-boarding process. Furthermore, the off-boarding process is an opportunity for the company to learn from the departing employee, and take action based on any enlightening information gleaned from the employee during the exit interview.

   

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  Leave Application Workflow, with and without BPM

  Amy 9:10 am on March 11, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bpm software (15), hr forms (11), HR workflows (20), human resources forms, Human Resources Workflows (8), leave application process (2), vacation request form

  I have been blogging recently about BPM software and opportunities for automation in a typical leave application process.  I wanted to create a visual example to show how many steps can be automated by using a BPM tool to automate the vacation request process.  Requesting a vacation should be a fairly simple and straightforward process, right?  An employee asks for vacation days, a supervisor checks the request against the employee’s HR records, the request is approved or denied, and the HR records are updated.  Simple, right?

  Not so much.  In order for that paper-based vacation request form to be processed properly, it has to pass through many steps and desks before it is ultimately approved.  Take a look at this example process diagram showing a typical paper-based leave application workflow:

  

  

  

  Each extra step wastes time and effort:  asking people to do things, sending emails, checking and updating databases by hand, and manually reviewing data are administrative tasks that could be automated and streamlined with BPM software.

  Now, let’s look at the same process, automated with the help of a BPM software suite:

  

  In the BPM-automated process, the administrative waste is cut out.   The employee’s vacation data is automatically pulled from the HR database and added side-by-side to the vacation request form, so when the Supervisor reviews the form she has all the information she needs to make the decision to approve or deny the request.

  Information is also pulled from, and pushed into the HR database.  See how the HR department staff doesn’t even participate in the automated process diagram?  By automating the administrative, communicative, and labor-intensive tasks, the BPM system trims the fat from the leave application process.

   
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  BPM Software: Like GPS for your HR Forms

  Amy 2:17 am on March 6, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: hr forms (11), human resources forms

  As tax season once again rolls around, I was struck by the recent advertisement campaign of one of the major tax preparation software suites. This particular software claims to be “like GPS for your taxes”, the idea being that the program guides you step-by-step through the virtual twists and turns of tax preparation, just as a GPS guides you to your final destination.

  The same can be said for what a BPM software system can do for human resources forms, or any forms-based business process for that matter.  BPM software can function much like a GPS system for the human resources department, automating human resources forms and guiding employees through the completion of those HR forms from beginning to end, thereby avoiding wrong turns and eliminating wasted time and effort.

  Take a classic example: the employee leave application. The leave application begins when an employee fills out a vacation request form, including details such as type of leave requested, dates of leave, etc.  The vacation request form may then need to be routed to a Supervisor for review, who then sends the vacation request form on to the human resources department. Someone from HR then reviews the HR forms and takes the appropriate action. A database containing employee HR records is updated, and the employee who initially filled out the vacation request form is notified via alert that her leave application has been approved.

  BPM software doesn’t entirely automate the leave application for the HR department; certain inputs are still required from the end user, just as a GPS requires you to actually drive the car.  But unlike a GPS, BPM softwarecan pull information, like employee data and remaining vacation days, from a database, and update the HR database automatically based on information from the forms.  By automating certain administrative tasks, the BPM reduces error and saves valuable human resources.  BPM software also sends the leave application on the correct route, efficiently and without delay, every time.  Think of it as GPS with cruise control for the HR department.

  Now if only doing my taxes were so straightforward.