Human experience management addresses the critical role that employee experience plays in creating agile, high-performing companies.
In the following interview, Irina Tache, a Solution Sales Executive for Romania, West Balkans & Bulgaria in SAP, tackled this topic from her own perspective and experience, combining the thoughts on the Human Experience Management Suite with the future of SAP SuccessFactors.
Do you think that the modular approach in the Human Experience Management Suite does justice to the system – thus improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the suite?
SAP SuccessFactors Suite is following the entire employee journey within an organization. We position our entire HXM suite, letting the HR benefit from all Cloud benefits and innovations. At the same time, the way and the timing of this journey need flexibility, therefore for many HR departments a step-by-step approach has the best fit. As I was mentioning during the conference, with SAP SuccessFactors you can start anywhere and go everywhere at your own pace.
Which segment of the Human Experience Management Suite do you believe is the most crucial to be tackled first – Analytics and Engagement, Talent Management, or Core HR? Can they be divided and approached individually, or are they unified in such a synergistic way that we must come all of them together to achieve the desired results?
There is no simple answer to this question, but If you look it up in the booklet, the order would be Core HR, Talent Management, then Analytics and Engagement. Then you have everything together. However, the best order is the one that fits the business need and the business strategy a company has. And if the business burns on the engagement side, then this needs to be the first step.
Together with our experts and partners, we are creating specific implementation roadmaps for our future customers. We have several cases when the customer has started with a “big bang” approach and situations when the focus at first was to put in place a proper Performance and Goals process.
Last year, engagement and employee listening mechanisms were very important topics. Organizations have started to listen to their employees in a more active way. Employees received a voice and they felt appreciated. Organizations can use the voices of their employees like a compass to inform decision-makers what their teams think about the plans they have, the decisions they take, etc.
Do you believe that such the Human Experience Management Suite elements – influence each other – thus are intertwined and dependent on each other?
The mission of SAP SuccessFactors has always been to enable organizations to cultivate a motivated and engaged workforce that in turn drives innovation, growth, and resilience. When we introduced human experience management (HXM) a year ago, it signaled a shift from looking at people as “capital,” or company assets, to rightfully placing them at the center of business.
Reimagining HR is an essential part of the digital transformation journey for every organization, and it’s been drastically accelerated due to COVID-19. SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite helps companies take charge of change by adapting how they deliver HR – shifting from traditional transactions to simple, engaging, end-to-end employee experiences.
By linking employee feedback to operational data, organizations can understand what is happening within their workforce and why, so they can create a more flexible environment and a more resilient business.
To reply to your question:
- Make a test, ask an employee what he or she wants.
- Most answers, such as career progression, will focus on topics that span across all HR silos.
- This simple test shows how intertwined the HR topics are. So a powerful HXM suite will also intertwine those topics as we have done with our Opportunity Marketplace solution -> https://www.sap.com/products/opportunity-marketplace.html.
Which industry do you think is most crucial to implement the SAP SuccessFactors solutions – as a primary industry that would eventually achieve the most significant results?
All industries where people make the difference. And to be realistic, this is the place in every industry.
SAP SuccessFactors solution is an easy and intuitive software that offers vision, speed, and flexibility on mundane and strategic HR functions and can help companies stay nimble and resilient. A vital part of SAP since 2012, SAP SuccessFactors solutions is helping over 12.000 clients to optimize cloud human experience management (HXM). We are working closely with clients in different industries and markets and our solution is being used by more than 135 million users globally.
You might know that 80% of the world’s workforce is deskless. In 2019, the SAP® SuccessFactors® Human Resources (HR) Research Team launched the “Supporting the Deskless Workforce” research program to better understand and improve the employee experience of deskless workers.
The basis of our research was the assertion that, although they are critical to business success, deskless workers are often “left out” when it comes to HR programs, processes, and technologies. As a result, their employee experience suffers. Our technology addresses this workforce segment as well. You may read more about the research and outcome here: https://www.sap.com/documents/2021/05/8ae80846-e37d-0010-bca6-c68f7e60039b.html
What do you believe is the future of SAP SuccessFactors, and consequently, HR systems? What are the crucial steps in achieving higher HR Efficiency, therefore, higher Workforce Productivity?
The focus is on employee experience. The times are over that HR software only focused on administration. It is about enabling managers & employees, it is about moving from transactional HR to strategic HR. Decision-makers need to understand the strategic role HR has in the new business environment.
The resilience and agility with which HR professionals must work to realign resources to fill critical roles, reinforce business continuity, and reskill their workforces are crucial elements that ensure a competitive edge, both as an employer of choice and as a market leader.
Regarding the creation of a better employee experience – many studies have shown that employees feel more motivated at work and willing to stay with a company that cultivates a positive employee experience. These studies have also shown that the ability to retain talent impacts an organization’s long-term productivity and success, in addition to the immediate benefits of reducing costs associated with employee turnover.
