FEATURE TOPIC
a digital solution when a low-tech option would save time, money and headaches. When considering the best way to move forward, always consider the aims and if a digital path will assist or hinder that goal. IG: A digital approach has the potential to increase awareness compared to more traditional methods because it can reach a wider and more diverse audience. Digital platforms can be accessed by people worldwide, making it easier to disseminate information to a larger audience. They allow for greater interaction, which can improve engagement and understanding. Interactive training modules, webinars or online discussions can be more effective in conveying the content compared to traditional, one-way communication methods. Digital approaches can be more cost- effective in terms of scalability. Creating and presenting digital content can be less expensive than printing and physically disseminating materials in the long run. This cost-effectiveness means more frequent and widespread communication or training efforts can take place. A digital approach provides the advantage of analytics and business intelligence. Engagement can be monitored, feedback gathered and user behaviour analysed, which can help refine and improve communication or training strategies. Traditional methods often lack insights. Digital content can be easily updated and adapted in the now. If there are changes necessary, adjustments can be made quickly – something not easily possible with printed materials. While a digital approach offers advantages in many ways, it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone has the same access to digital technologies. In some cases, relying solely on digital methods may exclude certain segments of the population. Whether a more digital approach increases or decreases awareness compared to traditional methods depends on the specific context and the strategies employed. A well-designed digital approach can be highly effective in reaching and engaging a broad audience, but it should be tailored to the unique needs and preferences of your target audience and combined with an understanding of the limitations and challenges associated with digital communication. SH: I would think the answer is, increase. Traditional training methods of classroom
teaching, training videos and PowerPoint can take time to create and deliver. Training companies can create training videos at a fraction of the cost and time using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Additionally, AI can track and monitor how and when a student has completed a course and much more. I don’t believe we’ll go away totally from ‘human’ training, but certainly, the advances in communication and training are just the beginning. Is the end user involved considered enough as part of the development process MA: Anecdotally, we hear from many payroll professionals who’ve had a new system introduced to them late in the process. This can, from the view of payroll, lead to a system that’s ill-equipped for the realities of payroll processing, have poor user experience and cause further issues. This is predominantly due to cost and human resource (HR) functionality being in digital transformation, or is it driven by cost and technologies? a higher priority within their business. We’d obviously like to see this change and have payroll involved earlier in the system search, while also being considerate that cost and HR needs are still big pull factors when choosing digital solutions. We do encourage payroll professionals to be upfront and open about their needs where system implementations are concerned. IG: In an ideal digital transformation process, the end user should be a key stakeholder and considered at every stage. Unfortunately, the degree to which end users are involved can vary depending on the organisation, the goal and the approach. Successful digital transformation initiatives often start with a user-centric approach. This means doing the due diligence and discovery to understand the needs, preferences and pain points of the end users who’ll interact with the digital solutions. User research, surveys and feedback are essential to gather insights and prioritise user requirements. User experience design forms a critical role in digital transformation. Design should be involved in the process to ensure the technology being developed is not only functional but also easy to use and in alignment with user expectations. It’s important to involve end users in usability
testing throughout the development process. This helps identify issues early on and allows for adjustments to be made before the solution is fully deployed. Digital transformation often involves significant changes in workflows and processes. End users should be actively engaged in change management efforts to ensure a smooth transition. Training, communication and support should be provided to help users adapt to the new technologies. Continuous feedback from end users should be encouraged even after the digital transformation is complete. This feedback can be used to make ongoing improvements and updates to the technology. Balancing the needs of end users with cost and technology considerations is a challenge organisations face during digital transformation. Successful transformations find a way to strike this balance, recognising that ignoring the end user can lead to resistance, reduced adoption and, ultimately, project failure. Therefore, while cost and technology are important drivers, they should not come at the expense of user-centred design and engagement. SH: That’s a tough question. In many ways, there are several factors to consider, such as whether the development benefits the employee or the employer. Over the last decade, we’ve seen so much digital technology implemented into the payroll process. If my memory serves me right, when real time information (RTI) was introduced, HM Revenue and Customs involved employers, but only a select few, and they happened to be large employers. This meant the idea of submitting RTI returns using Bacs became flawed. I’d like to believe things have changed since then and that bodies such as the CIPP have a voice in the development of new processes. However, I worry that technology aimed at providing technological advances to employees can be mistreated. The time for payroll departments to just produce a printed wage slip and leave it at that is radically changing. There was a time when the only benefit on your wage slip was pensions, for example. As digital technology changes, allowing individuals to do more, change, adapt and transfer funding, money and savings around with the click of a button, I ask, ‘is the development to benefit the employee or to make money out of the employee?’ n
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | October 2023 | Issue 94 26
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