As we digested the findings of the CIPD’s Employee Outlook survey last month, we contemplated what the results signify for the HR profession at this point in time, and considered the extent to which HR software can help improve the overall picture.
Generally job satisfaction seems to have risen this year, although few employees have praised their line manager for the level of coaching, development support or performance feedback they’ve received. Only 51% of employees claimed they feel well informed about what is happening within their organisation, and 42% said they are under excessive pressure at least once or twice a week if not every day.
It must be said that the findings weren’t all doom and gloom but I suppose what we must consider is how to overcome the challenges that continue to exist between employees and their organisations.
We all know that stress, job satisfaction, trust and feedback are inextricably linked to absences and staff retention, so if your employees are raising concerns then it is important to take action.
Technology for example can streamline processes and procedures, therefore hopefully helping to alleviate an element of employee pressure. If a line manager for instance receives a call from a team member who is absent due to illness, it’s easy to add the absence to the HR system and let a pre-defined workflow guide you through the procedure to follow and proactively prompt you with actions to take.
Elsewhere skills gap analysis reporting helps to ensure employees are comfortably equipped to fulfil the specification of their role, then if further learning is required, training plans can be developed and recorded accordingly. This should prevent employees from being appointed to undertake a role that they don’t have the right skill-set to handle, thus alleviating a further element of pressure and hopefully maintaining job satisfaction.
Of course HR and payroll software can support you in a multitude of ways, depending upon the nature of your organisation, your corporate culture and the objectives you are striving to achieve. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help, because that’s what we’re here for.
