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IT tools for HR staff

Tuesday, September 22, 2009


Whatever their job descriptions say, many administrative staff on campus spend time on personnel and human resources tasks. Technology can make that job much easier, so we asked some people on campus for their insights on IT in HR. While recognizing the availability and utility of campus IT resources for HR staff, they also had ideas for even better use of technology.

One area I see lacking — even for faculty — is using Excel effectively. People have difficulty linking sheets and even knowing what that means sometimes. Pivot tables are useful, but most people find them a mystery.

Other things:

  • VPN [for access to protected department applications and other campus network resources]
  • Using MyWebspace, uploading files, and how to password-protect pages, etc. (we use this extensively to distribute resumes to external non-UW members of search committees)
  • WebSurvey@UW to create and deploy online surveys from anywhere using the Web.
  • setting up meetings across departments/offices
  • building a PDF file that can be filled out online
  • scanning technologies (we use Scansnaps extensively...they are GREAT for sending documents)
  • using “dual” monitors to make work much more efficient
  • Lightroom for editing and keeping track of photos and...uploading them to the department Web site.

Bruce Hellmich
Assistant Dean, Academic Technology & Human Resources, School of Human Ecology

We have about 150 people working in the HR area across campus including the central, deans/directors, and departmental/center offices. We also have departmental administrators wearing multiple hats — including HR.

They could use better resources when it comes to:

  • Mark WaltersImaging technology to send and scan documents.
  • Excel. Sometimes skill sets are lacking in manipulating cells and basic formulas. Most HR reps are quite proficient. But every once in awhile, we encounter someone who isn’t aware that there can be multiple sheets (tabs) in a workbook.
  • Calendaring. The number of packages on campus is a source of frustration. Many people don’t use WiscCal (I am guilty as well).
  • Mailing lists. It’s better than it was, but managing these lists is a struggle for us centrally.
  • Campus needs a better way to share sensitive information that can be accessed by the HR community. This isn’t information that needs to be encrypted, but it has some sensitivity that shouldn’t sit on our public Web site. We are trying to develop some intranet capability that will provide this resource. However, the campus has technology on two sides of the spectrum. On one side, you can keep information completely secure which individuals can only access through Net IDs and passwords (requiring the information owner to manage/maintain user access). On the other end of the spectrum, the information can be placed on a completely public Web site.

Mark Walters
Director, Classified Human Resources, Office of Human Resources

Here are some quick ideas:

  • Jason JankoskiHyperion is much easier to use as a database in a range of formats. [Hyperion is a Web-based framework for organizing and presenting data; it offers access to the most common pre-written data query services at UW Madison and enables users to connect to campus Oracle databases to write their own queries.]
  • Job Apply [UW-Madison’s new centralized, online job application system] will help HR offices better notify applicants.
  • CHRIS and PVL [HR tools for reviewing and creating descriptions for classified and unclassified positions and for submitting information to campus HR offices] are great starting points for any transaction. Try to find the information you need there first.
  • You can do some cool things with Access, the database management tool in Microsoft Office. People should find out more about how it can help with managing data and information.

Jason Jankoski
HR Director, School of Business

There are way too many pieces of paper on my desk:

  • Connie PutlandAn online job application process is now in pilot testing that would make that process paperless. That would be tremendous.
  • We need an intranet for HR that would be open only to HR managers and staff who need specific information. This would not be a blackballing tool, but a way to share information and discuss situations that others may have experienced.
  • We need to address inconsistencies among various versions of software that we use. We need more of a standard, because dueling versions hampers our ability to share documents. It would help if people were at least at minimum release levels.
  • In the Medical School, we’re using an Access database to manage our recruiting and to notify applicants of where they are in the process. The new PeopleSoft system will help with that, and the Administrative Process Redesign is also working on it.
  • The new Rate and Title Changes functions in the PVL system are good, as is the online DCA system. However, it would help to add Overload, Tuition Reimbursements, and Percent Time changes to the list of online processes as well.

Connie Putland
Medical School Human Resources

Here are some things we could be using more effectively:

  • Julie KarpeleniaSocial networking tools, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Linked In, especially for employment opportunities.
  • Video teleconferencing or other Web-based meeting technology for remote meetings.
  • A campus scheduling tool. Everyone uses different tools, so it’s difficult to schedule meetings.
  • In the Graduate School Human Resources Office, in addition to HR, we have responsibilities for Budget and Payroll functions.
  • We’re tied to legacy appointment payroll systems that have limitations. Recently, this became reality when we needed to implement the furloughs. Staff did a great job of adapting the old systems, but those systems have their limits, and there is still some manual work that will be needed for some transactions.
  • The use of “shadow” systems affects interoperability of information systems across campus. For example, to collect information on an employee’s degrees, departments have their own databases to capture specific information about that individual. It can be difficult to share information, as each system has its own data architecture or data definitions.
One thing that works very well is the support we get from our local IT staff. They’re great.
Julie Karpelenia
Assistant Dean, Human Resources, Graduate School