When human resource leaders expect consumer grade technologies for their HR systems - which have easy-to-use, intuitive and effective user interfaces, their expectation is not misplaced. In the long journey from the first generation of enterprise on-premises applications, which have helped to solve complex global processes, user interfaces (UI) have often been difficult to use. Although advances in UI were initially helpful in driving technology adoption, HR organizations have found that they aren’t sufficiently increasing employee and manager self-reliance. There have also been difficulties in applications integrating with different kinds of devices – mobiles, laptops and tablets. Other issues include problems with collaborating with other platforms thatare central to driving business decisions and the lack of a seamless delivery throughout the employee life cycle.

A great candidate, employee or manager experience starts with a person-centric understanding of end-to end processes that are required to get the work done. For example, this could mean looking at onboarding not as separate IT, HR, real estate, procurement and finance processes. Designing a great user experience is focused on understanding how people work throughout their typical day. Then the right content, device, screen size and likely priorities of the user at various times are aligned accordingly. This requires creating data and process continuity across device types. Here are a few points to remember:

Singular platform

Users are unlikely to enjoy experience if they are required to partially re-enter data or re-acclimate to a different user interface for different activities such as reviewing performance feedback or applying for an internal role. A single platform that can bring together a number of applications would be more user-friendly. Furthermore, managers should have a seamless view into their team’s talent, open recruitment requisitions and employee self service actions they can take for themselves.

Multiple device compatibility

Can one start applying for a job on a mobile device, complete a follow-up questionnaire from home on a laptop, work on their onboarding on the tablet, and does the data follow the individual throughout the experience? It is important that the required data, insights and analytics aredelivered in a consumable way across various device screen sizes and devices. And a cloud solution is integral in delivering multiple device compatibility. 

Integrated insights

Collaboration platforms directly tied to business processes and outcomes can add value in different ways than loosely integrated social platforms. This allow for instant collaboration in the context of work and objectives. For example, a leader making compensation decisions can instantly open a discussion with an HR business partner and a compensation consultant to align on the right mix of rewards. The dialog is secure, tied to the transactions in the HR system, and directly helps to reach the right outcome without system-hopping or confidentiality concerns.

Applications that help to encourage employee wellness, leverage game mechanics to drive business outcomes, and measure employee reputation, influence, and hidden contribution can also provide powerful extensions to a global HR platform.If the goal of HR technology is to deliver immersive, intuitive, and helpful capabilities that increase employee and manager self-reliance, help business leaders make better decisions, and support workforce agility and engagement, a best-in-class user experience is a must.

This article is a part of the People Matters- Oracle Let's Talk Talent series. Click here to visit the Let's talk talent page to read more such articles.