HR technology is all about making day to day processes ever quicker and more efficient. So what value can a mobile app add to the world of Human Resources?
We've been discussing the idea of a mobile app for many years but our in-house development team began to turn this concept into a reality in Autumn 2010. Having successfully piloted the finished piece of technology, we're now ready to launch it at the CIPD's HR Software Show in June, but what is all the fuss about?
For us, it's all about offering clients' utmost ease of use when it comes to self-service functionality. Traditionally the Cascade solution would have been sold to desk-based clients, but in today's world of evermore flexible working, the standard office format rarely applies. With many Cascade clients, numerous employees work outside the office environemnt, whilst some are even located offshore. In the past clients have set up internet cafes or staffroom kiosks to promote employee access, but now the mobile app should encourage an even greater level of employee engagement.
The technology has been developed in alignment with the Windows Communication Foundation – a recognised Microsoft programming model for service-orientated applications – and the software's architecture has been adapted to suit a mobile app.
In general some mobile apps seem to be created just for the sake of it. But by its very nature the Cascade technology lends itself to being used in a mobile fashion. Now users can book holidays, check their payslips or monitor outstanding HR tasks wherever they may be, therefore making the most efficient use of the their time.
It's important to be 'futureproofed' from future technological advances, therefore this new release represents the first of a stream of mobile developments for Cascade, not just for smart phones, but for ipads, tablets and laptops with ever-varying screen sizes.
Having read that talent management firm SHL found only 7% of HR professionals in EMEA (surveyed as part of their Global Assessment Trends Report) can access their HR infotmation systems via a mobile device, it seems crucial to continue providing the marketplace with the best possible innovations. We've lots more ideas in the pipeline to enable customers to utilise their HR technology in ways they perhaps never thought possible.
