In this modern age, it is much easier for human resource professionals who are constantly being required to do more to work smarter, not harder, and be more strategic. To make their work more efficient several apps and services have been developed to assist. This article reveals some of the top ten.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
- iPerform
iPerform is a web-based (with desktop version) performance management system that is used to implement the balanced scorecard that was developed by the IT team and Performance Management champions at Industrial Psychology Consultants. The system encompasses all the features of the balanced scorecard management tool that was developed by David Norton and Robert Kaplan and it has additional value-adding features. Through its unique features and capabilities, the online platform (available here at http://bit.ly/IPCiPerform) will deliver the following value for your organisation:
The online system allows cascading of scorecards and Corporate Strategy from the corporate level to individuals. The System can be used for project management and events management in support of the organisational strategy. Strategy Assessment and Evaluation taking input from all system users. Users will be able to save action plans in support of the goals that can be used to track progress. Progress on action plans can be tracked and supporting documents can be attached.
Performance Management seeks to derive the organisation’s strategy, with iPerform:
- All incumbents can assess strategy formulation, implementation, evaluation, and control.
- Downloadable reports for individuals, departments, business units, and at the corporate level.
In conclusion, it can be noted that a balanced scorecard methodology is a useful tool for organisations in various industries. This iPerform can help to direct the high-level managers’ attention to the decisions in which excelling can bring it to the position over its completion while information overload is not needed.
RECRUITMENT
- IPC Jobs Portal
The IPC Jobs Portal is an employment website that deals specifically with employment or careers. It allows employers to post job requirements for a position to be filled and can automatically shortlist candidates who best suit the position. The jobs portal or talent board is a quicker way of talent scouting with social media making it an effective way of sourcing new employees. The IPC Jobs Portal gives you the following advantages:
- It is cost-effective
- New employees can be sourced for immediately since candidates will be applying in realtime
- A bigger audience can be reached – including international candidates if they are preferred
- It is easy to use
- The job adverts are dynamic increasing the chances of getting specific types of candidates
- It is flexible and accessible
- It expedites the hiring process
The IPC Jobs Portal is available online at http://bit.ly/IPCJobsPortal and job seekers and employers can easily sign in to access the platform. There is a dashboard for clients to view their jobs py progress using the different available recruitment stages which are:
- Receiving Applicants (Open)
- Shortlisting by IPC
- CVs sent to Client
- Shortlisting by Client
- Awaiting Response from Client
- Psychometric Testing
- Interviews
- Offers
- Placement
- Suspended
In conclusion, the IPC Jobs Portal is an easy platform to use to quickly scout for top-quality candidates. The job adverts can be viewed by hundreds of possible candidates allowing you to select from a wider pool of talent.
JOB EVALUATION
- IPC Polaris
The IPC Polaris Job Evaluation platform is an artificial intelligence job grading system covering the entire job evaluation method. It is easily scalable, very fast, engaging, and accurate. Organisations can do both job analysis and job grading in the system with jobs graded using machine learning models. It uses a consistent and systematic approach to determine the relative value of all jobs (not the incumbent) based on their overall contribution to the organisation. By using the IPC Polaris Job Evaluation Platform, the value of each job will be quantified and a proper Grading System will be developed to ensure the internal equity in the organisation. Competency and/or Job Evaluation factors are used in the IPC Polaris Job Evaluation System as per the company’s profile and business process. Determining the value of each job and mapping the value of all jobs in the organisation will produce a valid grading system that will be linked to other HR systems in the organisation. The application is available online at
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The IPC Polaris Job Evaluation platform uses machine learning models to grade the job descriptions with results available in seconds. There are two models for the two grading systems which are:
- Castellion
- Paterson
Results are displayed instantly with the option to print, email, or download the results. There are options provided as shown on the screenshot below to change the grading system and get the results equivalent in the different grading systems. Appeals can also be done in the system with the users giving reasons why they think the grading results are not the appropriate grades for their position.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- Trello
Trello is a web-based platform to easily analyze and visualize projects at hand. It helps professionals from different departments of the same company collaborate and work flexibly on the same product/material.
This could come very handy to an HR who has to closely monitor the progress of work done by the employees under his charge. This would keep HR managers and the tech guys all on the same page whenever a technical project is in progress.
Trello is well-known for its visual theme and user-friendly display which keeps everything, beginning from a query to a rectified portion of the code, all on the same page and in front of the eyes.
Recently Trello has launched support for third-party integration with tools such as Stack, GitHub, and Salesforce for its paying users. Originally founded by Fog Creek Software in 2011, it is now owned by Atlassian.
TIME UTILISATION
- BillQuick
BillQuick offers flexible time billing and project management solutions in the market. Available as a stand-alone solution, self-hosted, or a cloud service, BillQuick offers comprehensive business accounting, project management, and business intelligence in a system flexible enough to support a variety of industries, including construction, architecture, engineering, accounting, consulting, graphic and interior design and more.
BillQuick helps to increase revenue by reducing business overhead with more accurate time tracking. Users can submit and exchange data via email, hand-held computers, and smartphones. The solution supports various smartphone platforms, including the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. The solution also comes with over 400 customizable report templates and more than 150 invoicing templates to generate vivid kind of business reports.
BillQuick offers integration with various third-party accounting software. BillQuick has certified partnerships with Microsoft, Intuit, MYOB Australia and others to ensure that businesses can easily extract, customize, and present accurate information. The solution is recommended to businesses that are looking for a professional services solution with built-in accounting and customer management functions.
- Rescue Time
Rescue Time is a time-saving software for those who spend a lot of time on their personal computers and often end up on social websites. Its application gives you access to analyze your doings on a computer at the end of the day and learn from your shortcomings. These daily improvements would eventually help a user spend time more efficiently on a computer.
HR executives, who usually spend much of their time on the web, crawling through sites looking for potential candidates, can make use of this application.
You can monitor the time spent on different categories of websites namely –Communications, Business, News, Social Media, Software Development, Entertainment, etc. Experts have defined it as the must-have application for those who are often distracted and/or want to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Rescue Time gives you an accurate picture of your workday; you can set daily or weekly goals, take action upon reviewing them later if you want.
PRESENTATIONS
- Prezi
In the HR profession giving a good presentation is one of the tasks that come along with the job role. As you have to give the presentation during campus placement or addressing your employee.
After comparing Google Slideshare, Mighty, Aio remote, Presentation timer pro. We found out as an Hr professional Prezi will do the work for you. Features that catches the eye of any presenter is its user-friendly mobile handling and interaction is an absolute fit for Pitching and addressing the crowd.
Flicking slides during the presentation break the concentration so Prezi comes up with an innovative idea to showcase the case canvas of the whole idea so that you can go through minute details. Prezi gives you a limitless zoomable canvas and the ability to show relationships between the big picture and fine details. The added depth and context makes your message more likely to resonate, motivate, and get remembered,
Prezi has a good stock of interactive template ready to use which makes an Hr professional to also make some creative out of box presentation anytime anywhere without the need for graphic designers.
COMPETENCY PROFILING
- IPC Competency Profiling Platform
A Competency Model is a set of key behaviors required for excellent performance in a particular role. Excellent performers on the job demonstrate these behaviors much more consistently than average or poor performers. These characteristics include the key behaviors that primarily drive excellent performance. They are usually presented with a definition and key behavioral indicators. The IPC Competency Profiling platform is available online at http://bit.ly/IPCCompetencyPlatform and it was designed and developed using the Greek template competency model framework by Roe. The business case for having the competency model is:
- To translate the organisations’ vision and goals into expected employee behaviour;
- To implement more effective and legally defensible recruitment, selection and assessment methods;
- To Identify areas for employee development that are directly linked to desired outcomes and organisational objectives;
- To identify the gap between present skills sets and future requirements;
- To set more effective criteria for developing and evaluating performance;
- To provide a platform for an objective dialogue between managers and their subordinates about performance, development, and career-related issues.
The IPC Competency Profiling dashboard also contains an easily available dashboard to track the current completion of the assessments and competency rakings
The IPC Competency Profiling platform easily gives the job holders access to rank and rate competencies for themselves as well as for other employees they share the job with.
As soon as the competencies are ranked, the system generates reports in real-time based on the responses of the jobholders.
Organisations, today have realised the importance of developing their human resource to gain a competitive advantage. Identifying competencies and developing them is one of the ways followed by these organisations. Linking employee performance objectives to organisation objectives helps to yield good results and competency mapping helps as a catalyst in this process. Companies can use competency mapping for training and development processes, majorly to help identify training needs and the performance gap. Common competencies or the generalised competencies along with the values are incorporated in the induction training itself so the new employee is aware of the competencies essential across the organisation.
COMMUNICATION
- Grammarly
Grammarly offers an intuitive, real-time interface that’s there for people wherever they type, through browser extensions, a web-based editor, a Microsoft Office add-in, a desktop interface, and mobile keyboards. A free version of it, introduced in 2015, ensures that anyone who needs to communicate in English has access to essential writing support.
Grammarly’s browser extensions offer suggestions on a vast array of websites, including Google Docs, Medium, and Twitter. Grammarly for Microsoft Office® brings Grammarly’s writing suggestions to you as you write in Word or Outlook. Grammarly’s desktop app replicates the experience of the Grammarly Editor for users who prefer not to access Grammarly through a browser. For polished writing on the go, the Grammarly Keyboard offers suggestions directly through your mobile device.
WORKFORCE PLANNER
- Team Gantt
TeamGantt is a collaborative tool, allowing everyone in your organization to access human resources projects and accomplish their tasks. As an HR project manager, it gives you complete oversight from start to finish—plus the refreshing knowledge that things are going as planned. It allows you to gauge the productivity of the workforce, creates a baseline of organizational performance, shows you which resources are where, and gives you a strategic overview of HR projects.
Any HR professional who takes advantage of the above is bound to be successful in their day to day tasks.
Fadzai Danha is a consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd a management and human resources consulting firm. Phone +263 4 481946-48/481950 or email: fadzai@ipcconsultants.com or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com