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Text: Stefanie Klaassen

THE RIGHt tRACK

TOPdesk launched the new eHRM Best Practice Package during the Performa HR show. In doing so, TOPdesk introduced a unique eHRM product. Alwin Smale, the packages initiator, tells us about the underlying thought process, and about the importance of tooling for HR departments.
The Best Practice Package is the first all-in-one solution combining eHRM software with best practice HR processes. This complete package is offered as a new eHRM solution in addition to TOPdesks existing customer-specific approach. Alwin Smale, TOPdesk account manager, tells us more. One of the most common questions we encounter during eHRM implementations is, How do other people do this? This package is our answer. We assume that most companies work in a certain way. We then use our best practice model to check whether this approach can be applied to the customer. This eHRM package lets the customer get off to a quicker, more focused start. put emails in the right folders and make sure that the right people follow up or process tasks. Did we make a copy of this passport? Did we get all the signatures? In such cases, TOPdesk sends notifications and provides clear overviews of what has been done. This means you only have to step in when something looks like it may go wrong, which saves a lot of time. The same is also true for finding and keeping track of certain things: you can quickly find your answers and immediately know where to look.

Perfectly suited
HR departments are becoming aware that tasks should be automated, says Smale. Our consultants also indicate that HR departments often already have a process-oriented approach. They all do roughly the same work and everyone knows how to do it. HR is also generally used to working with a system: administration systems, flagged emails and so on. However, the link between the processes and the tool is often missing, making tasks less efficient than they could be. Smale continues: I once asked a customer, Doesnt it bother you, having to make all these follow-up calls? The customer answered, Yes, but its such a fundamental part of our job that we dont mind anymore. Automating administrative tasks means there is no more need for follow-up calls, leaving more room

Tools for eHRM

In everyday life, you have to do a lot of things online. Think of scheduling an MOT check online, for instance, says Smale. This is perfectly normal, but in many HR departments it has never really been necessary to arrange things in such a way. You still see a lot of paperwork: someone asks a question and the HR staff head straight to the filing cabinets to find the answer. This is quite old-fashioned. Why is it so important to have a good eHRM tool? Smale explains: It helps make your work easier; you no longer have to follow up administrative tasks. Some people do nothing but

Photography: Aad Hoogendoorn

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Generic or specific?

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Alwin Smale TOPdesk Account Manager

One of the most important reasons to develop the Best Practice Package is offering HR organizations a choice: in practice, it turns out that organizations are often fine with a generic approach, but TOPdesk only had a specific approach. Smale: Many customers see that their processes are not completely specific. For HR departments, standardization is the way to bring quality to a consistent level. This grants insight into costs and tasks, allowing for targeted management. With the Best Practice Package, existing processes are compared to a generic work method, the blueprint. Smale: During the implementation of the Best Practice Package, it becomes immediately apparent during the intake which processes are not running smoothly.

for tasks that are of added value to the HR department. A tool is of added value, especially for HR departments, even though it might not immediately spring to mind. But when you do get a tool, you do not want to think about what it should look like: you just want it to work. These were good starting points for TOPdesk when setting up the Best Practice Package.

This lets organizations quickly indicate which steps should be taken.

Renewal
TOPdesk uses the expertise of Vroom Consultancy B.V. for the Best Practice Package. One of the bureaus focuses is adjusting the setup of HR departments. In doing so, they kept running through the same processes, and developed their HR best practices. Smale: The collaboration between Vroom and TOPdesk offers the best of both worlds: TOPdesk links the best practices with the actual practice, and ensures that these work within organizations. The collaboration with these experts has put us at the forefront of the trend: a tool for HR in a unique combination with 20 years of best practices from the market. Tools are becoming more and more important, and we can see that customers are very happy with TOPdesk after a short period of time. You no longer have to perform tasks you rather wouldnt. HR departments often ask, With a tool, dont you lose customer contact? Then answer is no: you determine this yourself, and you have enough time left over to focus on what really matters, which also puts you in contact with your colleagues. For instance, you can spend more time on people who want to work on their personal development, or want to reintegrate after sick leave. This lets you focus on your core tasks and work more efficiently. Yes, on the right path, thats exactly what it is.

HR department blueprint
The Best Practice Package makes it easier to use a tool to support the HR department. Smale says, It is a blueprint for an HR department, based on the idea that processes are universal. Employee questions, and therefore answers, are usually the same; how HR departments deal with them is more specific. Matters such as leave and compensation are determined in part by legislation and follow a strict pattern. However, whether something must be processed in one or three days is another matter. The most important processes have been set up in advance as templates in the TOPdesk software, complete with dashboards and notifications. In the new HR Process Manager module, the processes are displayed online and you can immediately see how activities are organized. We can now take a much more targeted approach during implementations, which saves even more time: organizations can implement processes in easily manageable chunks. It may be useful to have long meetings about processes, but it isnt always necessary. With the Best Practice Package, we start with the most important processes. We provide advice, and then ask whether it appeals to them. Together with the customer, we select the HR domains with which we will continue. You can then tweak and expand upon those domains.

Want to know more?

For more information about the Best Practice Package, contact Alwin Smale via +31 (0)15 270 09 00 or send an email to info@topdesk.com