As a director or business owner, you may not immediately see how important it is for your HR & IT teams to work closely together. You may outsource one or both of these functions; businesses usually do this to gain a greater depth of knowledge and better overall continuity whilst saving money.
Regardless of how you structure these, how seamlessly do these two departments work together?
I was recently discussing staff inductions with Jane Fryatt of Face2Face HR – Jane had some great stats and examples of how a good induction process helps. Research data from the Wynhurst Group showed that 22% of staff turnover occurs within the first 45 days of employment but new employees who go through a structured induction programme are 58% more likely to be with the firm three years later.
Employing staff is time consuming and expensive – churn is definitely to be avoided.
We work with our managed clients, HR teams, or providers to ensure that new starters are greeted on their first day with their desk ready and waiting. Computer and file system access is configured to their job role, they will have a working email address and configured phone extension. From an IT and communications perspective, they feel both expected and valued.
“Technology is critical in this day and age, leaving an employee without an email address and/or laptop even for a day not only reduces their initial productivity but it leaves them feeling adrift and unable to participate in those first few critical hours and days. This can quickly lead to frustration!”
Jane Fryatt, Face2FaceHR stated
At the other end, leavers can pose a huge risk to organisations. The Cyber Crime Unit at Thames Valley Police rates ex-employees retaining access to networks as the 5th biggest cyber risk to businesses, even above social media viruses and stolen hardware!
Make sure your HR and IT service providers have a slick process for leaving staff. There are lots of solutions out there that will allow to protect your business, this includes retrieval of data in an employment litigation situation or Subject Access Request. Just because someone is no longer visible on the system as they were, it doesn’t mean that the data is gone, don’t keep these active ‘just in case’.
Make sure your IT provider can retrieve any emails or documents needed quickly and, in a structure, that a lawyer or you can access with ease. Ask them if you have this type of processes and solutions in place, if not then you know where to come.
