Platform fatigue is a productivity thief; costing employers and employees time, money, and motivation. Endless windows open, apps, interfaces, systems, are compromising efficiency and output. The pandemic saw the onslaught of new software tools, all promising to make the transition to a forced remote working as seamless as possible. And it’s true, businesses wouldn’t have been able to function as well without communication being taken online and the digitisation of so many vital processes. They serve amazing functions and have no doubt driven businesses through the past couple of years, but the overwhelming number of platforms available has left many of the workforce feeling fatigue.
Figuring out which tool is most appropriate for each task is its own issue. With so many overlapping functionalities, workers end up with apps and software that more or less do the same thing, or slightly different versions of the same thing. Take the Microsoft suite. Teams is great for communication, it’s become a firm favourite amongst the workforce, but Microsoft also have Yammer, Planner, and others. Just for communication! The thread unravels even more when it comes to project management with Trello, MS Project, Monday, Asana, and more. It’s not difficult to see why people are getting platform fatigue.
HR software platform fatigue
When it comes to HR software, it can fall into the background. It serves as a functionality piece rather than an employee experience tool or a sales driver. Its position is a unique one – a salesperson uses their CRM software throughout the day, or a graphic designer is constantly using Adobe inDesign, but workers don’t tend to sit on their HR software throughout the day. When people have tools that aren’t a part of their day-to-day, they’re never built into a routine. The functionalities get forgotten, it’s not up to date, and inevitably its full value isn’t used.
Why is making the most out of your HR software important?
As a result of HR software fatigue, workers only venture into their HRIS when it’s absolutely necessary. Sometimes not even then. Generally, people end up coming to HR teams to find information or documents that are readily available on their HR software. They’ve just either forgotten how to use it, don’t know their login details, or forgotten that it’s even a tool they have. Then if they do make their way in, it’s on a reactive basis, very rarely is it used proactively. Yet, managers have good reason to check in and get an idea of how their direct reports are getting on.
One day, an employee could hand their notice in, seemingly out of the blue. The manager might be shocked and feel blindsided. But if they’d gone into their HR tool, they might have noticed the tell-tale signs piling up. Calling in sick, using up a lot of annual leave, reports of feeling unmotivated, dip in performance, maybe the employee was even passed up for a promotion. This information is invaluable to managers or team leaders. While managers can be busy and might not usually pick up on these red flags, this data being all in one place makes it so easy and time efficient to recognise the warning signs, take action, and build amazing working relationships. When the information is left collecting dust, its potential to create a better workplace is wasted.
More than a HR department
The issue of HR software fatigue is more critical than ever. HR is expanding beyond compliance and payroll into people management, employee experience, and employee wellbeing. Particularly during the pandemic, HR’s role was amplified and having a solid HR team has been extremely valuable. These new functions of the department call for new, up to date tools. Priorities consistently change within businesses and the workforce on the whole monthly, weekly, even daily. Having a system in place is great but that’s not enough, it needs to be nurtured, properly used, and kept up to date.
Why training will help
Most workers don’t want to interact with yet another piece of software, but when you add in a new HR tool, everyone in the business is impacted. For a new tool to come in and make an impact, it needs to have buy-in from essentially everyone in the company. This is where proper training and utilisation comes in. Training will increase productivity, usability, and efficiency within the software.
We know what systems can and can’t do, and we can put processes in place that streamline your HR department, payroll, and people management. It might sit in the shadows, but a properly used HR software can be one of the most useful tools available. No need to invest in something new, you can refresh what you already have with our specialist knowledge, advice and guidance. If you’re at the early stages of implementing a HR software, we get to know your business and employee needs and find the right software fit. Get in touch with us if you’d like to find out more – we’ll make sure that you’re reaping all of the benefits of your investment.
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