Recent coverage about HR Tech provider, Zenefits, recently caught our attention. As an article published in the San Francisco Business Times reports, “Zenefits will pay $3.4 million in unpaid overtime after U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found that the San Francisco-based human resources startup violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.”
If you check out Zenefits’ website, you’ll see mention that they are “The All-In-One HR platform” and customer quotes mention, “Peace of mind” and “It allows me to focus on my business.” Those statements are compelling and if I were a small business looking for an HR platform, they would likely entice me to find out more about the company.
What the recent events made me think about is how important it is, when purchasing HR software, to not only examine the details about how the HR platform or product performs, but also how critical it is to gather information about the level of HR expertise a vendor can provide.
Resourceful HR embraces technology
Business operations at Resourceful HR are based on a remote model, which means we embrace, celebrate, and rely on the power of our technology. When we consider a new system, we follow these basic steps to ensure we’re making the right choice:
- Determine necessity. First things first, is this system a requirement for our business? We want it to be solving a true need. If it doesn’t, we pause and identify if there’s another issue we’re trying to fix.
- Contact advisors. If there are other people using this type of system, we ask for their input. We can learn from their experience and apply it to our situation and need.
- Conduct research. We approach a new system like a research project, in which we are trying to find out all we can about the product. We ask questions, utilize trial offerings (if available), and try the system on for size before we sign-up.
- Confirm expertise. Based on what the system delivers, we confirm what level of expertise the vendor has in-house. It’s not all about the data, but also about the knowledge behind it. For example, if it’s an accounting software, are there accountants working behind the scenes to ensure that the system is following common accounting practices?
Conduct research around your HR technology
HR tech creates efficiencies and saves time. If you’re considering purchasing a new HR software, consider these three things:
- How will this system create efficiencies for your current HR strategy?
- What need is this HR tech filling?
- What knowledge base is behind the curtain to protect your interests and ensure a solid partnership for your business?
You don’t want to end up in a position where you owe employees retro pay because the system failed to alert you of a requirement. Or violated Equal Employment Opportunity compliance based on the questions in your applicant tracking system.
If you’re considering a platform and don’t know what HR questions to ask, or if you need help ensuring a system is properly installed to support your needs, Resourceful HR can help. We provide support to clients around the basics of getting HR tech up and running. For a successful integration, you’ll also want to be sure you have dedicated resources who can implement and maintain your system. Technology is a powerful tool—it’s our job as end users to make sure it’s working in a way to maximize the benefits and avoid serious issues.
