Creating a Genuine SharePoint HR Portal

With Towers Watson

Microsoft SharePoint is one of the most widely used portal and collaboration platforms. It is well suited for meeting the diverse needs of todays global organizations, particularly for human resources. Towers Watsons pre-configured HR SharePoint Portal, built entirely on the SharePoint platform, helps HR improve service delivery, enhance communication, reduce dependency on IT and lower operating costs.
Although SharePoint is not typically considered an HR technology, its core capabilities such as search, content targeting, content management and social/ collaboration tools make it an ideal platform for HR. As this white paper will illustrate, SharePoint 2007 and SharePoint 2010 are far more than just team sites. Their technology provides a consistent, familiar content management framework, site administration, rich site creation, Web publishing, search, social connectivity and deep data integration capabilities. According to Gartners 2010 Magic Quadrant Report for Portals, Microsoft is the industry leader in HR portal sales by a significant margin. SharePoint has outsold all other portal platforms in the past three years and is Microsofts number two selling software application of all time (behind only Windows). A SharePoint HR portal can be deployed three ways: on premises (as an integrated component of an enterprise SharePoint infrastructure), hosted by Towers Watson or hosted in the Microsoft Cloud. The latest trends include: Redesigning HR portals to drive more self-service and self-sufficiency via personalization Consolidating or integrating disparate sites, applications, content and transactions Expanding event-based content (e.g., life events) Leveraging HR portal functionality to make employee and manager self-service transactions more user-friendly Creating global HR functional collaboration portals Targeting content, including career cycles Enabling 24/7 access including access for spouses/partners and prospective employees Providing mobile access Developing content management strategies and capabilities Most organizations are also exploring social media and its application to HR. According to Towers Watsons 2010 HR Service Delivery Survey, 30% of participants report using some form of social media. And the most common use of social media is for collaboration and social networking to support career development. Forty-four percent of organizations note that social media tools are meeting their expectations, versus 46% that report it is too soon to tell.

As HR seeks to deliver self-sufficient service delivery and achieve added efficiency, SharePoint is a more effective option than traditional ERPs and other hosted point solutions.

The Latest Trends in HR Portals

Our latest research and client work are uncovering significant changes to the HR portal landscape. In a nutshell, as organizations deliver more HR services, they are looking to create a consumer-grade, Internetbased user experience.

SharePoint
When SharePoint was initially adopted by organizations, in the mid-2000s as Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS 3.0), it was commonly used for team sites and to help employees share files.

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As organizations upgraded to SharePoint 2007 (Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007) and SharePoint 2010, many of SharePoints newer, more powerful user-friendly functions and personalized configuration features have often been underused or underdeployed. The result? A suboptimal user experience.

SharePoint Myth #1:

SharePoint portals need to be custom-built from the ground up, typically take about one year to fully implement and have to be maintained by IT, usually accessed only behind the firewall.

How to Best Use SharePoint

There are two ways to create world-class HR portals using SharePoint: Buy a pre-configured HR SharePoint portal Build a custom HR portal using SharePoint

Fact:
Pre-configured SharePoint HR portals can be implemented in as little as four months, deployed on premises or hosted, and are accessible from inside and outside the firewall.

On Premises, Hosted or Cloud-Based

On Premises
On-premises deployment can be ideal for organizations that already own SharePoint licenses, have an existing SharePoint infrastructure in place, have IT support and are ready to go. On-premises implementations require more internal IT resources than a hosted approach, and oblige IT and HR to work together on an ongoing basis. The on-premises approach enables use of all SharePoint functionality, including communication and collaboration applications such as Outlook, Office and instant messaging (OCS/Lync).

Pre-Configured SharePoint
Until now, conventional thinking held that organizations had no choice but to custom-build SharePoint HR solutions because no pre-configured SharePoint solutions existed. All that changed when Towers Watson, partnering with Microsoft, created the worlds leading pre-configured SharePoint HR solutions. Pre-configured solutions can be deployed significantly faster, using fewer resources, and are far less costly than developing custom solutions. And while preconfigured solutions are considered OOTB (out of the box), they have been created specifically to provide the high level of flexibility thats required by Fortune 500 global organizations. Based on years of R&D, Towers Watson developed an HR SharePoint Portal that is custom in look, feel, functionality and content, yet with an underlying infrastructure thats completely pre-configured, tested and ready for rapid implementation. Even better, Towers Watsons pre-configured SharePoint HR solutions can be deployed on premises (as part of an organizations enterprise SharePoint installation or stand alone), hosted by Towers Watson or hosted in the Microsoft Cloud. In fact, this solution is so flexible, it can be initially released in a hosted environment and subsequently moved on premises or vice versa. Regardless of the hosting approach, Towers Watsons pre-configured HR SharePoint Portal provides the same powerful search function, content management, consumer-grade usability and collaboration. Whats more, this portal can be deployed in much less time than a conventionally built SharePoint portal.

Hosted and Cloud-Based Solutions

Hosted and cloud-based SharePoint HR solutions are best for organizations that need to move quickly, or are in situations where HR and IT resources are limited or unavailable. Many organizations find that using a third party, such as Towers Watson, for hosting provides easier access to the portal from outside the firewall particularly useful for access by spouses and/or partners. The SharePoint HR Portal is extremely flexible able to be deployed initially as a hosted solution for launch and then migrated on premises at a later date.

The SharePoint HR Portal is extremely flexible able to be deployed initially as a hosted solution for launch and then migrated on premises at a later date.

Custom-Developed Solutions
A custom-developed SharePoint portal may be useful for very large organizations (over 100,000 users) with a very diverse and global population. These organizations often have very complex requirements or, for nontechnical reasons, need to align very closely with an existing SharePoint enterprise project. And organizations dont have to start completely from scratch simply because they choose a custom solution.

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Creating a Genuine SharePoint HR Portal With Towers Watson

Even in custom situations, the Towers Watson SharePoint framework and best practices provide the option to fast-track the requirements, process and design of the solution.

How Towers Watsons Pre-Configured SharePoint Portal Solution Works

Towers Watsons SharePoint HR Portal is a consumergrade solution that provides a single, personalized source for HR content, information, applications and tools. Its also the preferred channel for employee communication and collaboration. The pre-configured HR Portal leverages all the capabilities of SharePoint, and incorporates Towers Watsons best practices and experience helping clients improve HR service delivery quality, increase employee and manager self-sufficiency, and improve user satisfaction. Key features include: Personalized and targeted content Pre-configured information architecture Pre-configured page templates Pre-written work events and life events Pre-configured forms library News, announcement publishing and automated publishing (RSS) Built-in content management and workflow (for editing, reviewing, approving and publishing) Quick links to key content and applications Links to providers and third-party applications Unlimited depth of content (layers, sub-sites) Integrated Ask HR issues and inquiry tracking Single sign-on Document library Social networking Employee directory Audit trails and archive capability for compliance content Rapid Implementation

The Advantages of a Genuine SharePoint HR Portal Are Significant

A SharePoint HR Portal delivers all of the features and functionality HR needs to improve employee satisfaction and HR service delivery, provide robust communication and reduce HR service center costs. For those organizations that already use SharePoint, there are several advantages to using SharePoint for human resources: Consistency of the user experience. Employees can search and navigate the same way whether they are on their corporate intranet or HR portal, creating a true, seamless intranet. Truly integrated content. Think about it HR content made available in places where employees already interact, instead of pushing employees to a place where only HR content resides. Or integrating an online calendar with Outlook. This level of integration is only manageable when all content resides on the same platform. Managing content. SharePoints content management works exactly the same way whether or not the content is HR-related. This means lower training and support costs, less time spent becoming proficient in content management and the ability to use existing SharePoint training for HR. A single robust search engine. Employees dont have to choose which site to search HR or the corporate intranet. They simply search and obtain the same relevant results every time. IT support. While there are occasions when HR needs to work outside of enterprise solutions, the SharePoint HR Portal is a solution everyone can agree on. Even if an organization isnt ready for an enterprise implementation of SharePoint, a SharePoint HR Portal can initially be deployed as a stand-alone solution, and easily integrated into the enterprise when the time is right. While other hosted HR solutions can be accessed through a SharePoint webpart, only a genuine SharePoint portal uses SharePoints award-winning features and functionality, and can integrate with existing and future enterprise implementations of SharePoint.

Towers Watsons pre-configured SharePoint HR Portal reduces the internal effort to create a new portal, significantly expediting go live timing.

SharePoint Myth #2:

SharePoint has design limitations that limit todays state-of-the-art creativity and portal design.

Fact:
SharePoint has no limitations on design, layout or creativity. It can also leverage Microsoft Silverlight and other new media technologies to create imaginative, collaborative and innovative portal designs.

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Creating a Genuine SharePoint HR Portal With Towers Watson

In addition to the core HR portal, other SharePoint HR modules include: Benefits portal HR4HR collaboration portal SPD and compliance portal Ask HR self-service query Onboarding and career path portal

SharePoint Myth #3:

SharePoint has limited search, navigation and personalization capabilities.

Fact:
SharePoint has the most robust enterprise search and personalization in the industry. It delivers the content users want and need, in the way they want it. Features such as audience targeting, RSS feeds, multilingual interface support and user tagging provide a highly customized web experience. SharePoint 2010 Search provides an interactive visual search experience. Visual cues help users find information quickly, while refiners let them scrutinize results and uncover insights.

Towers Watson also provides tailored services to support its solutions, including strategy, custom interface design, content creation, promotion and awareness campaigns, and communication and change management support.

Summary
As HR organizations strive to create HR portals that align with HR service delivery strategies and provide a more Internet-like experience for employees, new hires, recruits and retirees, SharePoint is the optimal platform. SharePoint delivers all the capabilities and functionality required to achieve an effective, highly personalized, consumer-grade HR portal that can naturally integrate with the enterprise portal and be self-maintained. For more information on Towers Watsons HR Portal, visit towerswatson.com/hrt.

About Towers Watson

Towers Watson is a leading global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management. With 14,000 associates around the world, we offer solutions in the areas of employee benefits, talent management, rewards, and risk and capital management.

Copyright 2011 Towers Watson. All rights reserved. TW-NA-2011-20676

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