OHR speaks with one voice on HRMS upgrade

In late April and early May, all Office of Human Resources (OHR) staff were invited to attend one of four high-level training sessions regarding the more significant changes coming as a result of HRMS Upgrade Project and the impact of those changes on the ways in which OHR does its work. Those training sessions are now complete, with participation of nearly 100 percent.

At the end of each session, small groups were asked to share what they learned by developing an “elevator speech” they could share with colleagues or University leaders if asked about the upgrade. More than 20 speeches were drafted and compiled; the word cloud below helps to illustrate the major themes that emerged from the small groups.

OHR Staff elevator speech "word cloud."

HRMS Upgrade Project team members then reviewed the word-cloud and the speeches themselves to draft a single, consolidated elevator speech for use by OHR staff, HRMS stakeholders, and communicators. The result is concise -- less than 100 words that capture the essence of what the HRMS Upgrade is achieving:

The HRMS Upgrade supports our HR work in five important ways:

• By using “off-the-shelf” software features to reduce customization;
• By simplifying our appointment structure to remove non-employees from the job record, reduce multiple appointments, and improve data accuracy;
• By streamlining distribution entry and other payroll accounting processes in collaboration with our Finance partners;
• By introducing integrated time, absence, and recruiting features that eliminate paper processes and reduce data entry; and
• By clarifying roles and automating workflows.

HRMS users and the University will benefit from more efficient systems and processes, a better user experience, and improved data integrity and reporting.

Special thanks to OHR leaders and staff for making this training a priority and a success!