8 Tips to Get Staff to Adopt Your New Hiring Software System (Part 2)

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TugThanks to the modern tidal wave of IT consumerism, the average worker has become more technology enabled than they have ever been. One would of course imagine that this newfound technophile status would translate to corporate recruiting teams, their mouths watering at the prospect of new hiring software systems to replace their legacy processes.

Recent anecdotal evidence reported on the Harvard Business Review blog suggests this is not the: many employees/users engage with these new software implementations in a very superficial way. They login and play with the system, but tend to go about their work in the old legacy way.

In the first part of this article, I outlined the first four of eight techniques you can use to get staff to adopt your new hiring system. Below, you can find four more:

1. Ensure the Software Is Brand Harmonized

It may cost that extra bit more, but if you can afford it, it may be worth customizing the system so it is harmonized with your brand and seamlessly integrated into your network, making it look like just another part of your intranet. This can help to reduce resistance and increase user acceptance, as the software will look less alien.

2. Missions and Incentives

Why not consider a gamification approach and set up missions and incentives to encourage users to fully adopt the system? Look at the legacy systems that you want to replace with integrated hiring-software processes and set up a series of missions/milestones — e.g., complete one new hire using all the features of the hiring system with full documentation and full involvement of key stakeholders. There could be a reward, with badges or prizes at different milestones — e.g., one following five new hires completed through the system, another at 20 new hires, etc. This carrot approach could be a great way to drive user engagement.

3. Communicate a Sunset Period for Legacy Processes

Give staff plenty of notice as to when legacy processes will no longer be valid, accepted, or operational. If users know that on a certain date, certain processes and ways of doing things will be voided or retired, you can more easily break staff preferences for doing things in the old ways and hurry your team into the new world.

4. Identify and Deploy Software Champions and Ambassadors

There will be some early adopters and innovators in your hiring team who will take to the new hiring software like a duck to water. Take the most enthusiastic and evangelical and turn them into your internal champions; incentivize them to promote the system in the hiring department, which could involve having them head up lunch-and-learn training sessions, offer one-on-one coaching, and refine the hiring software system so it’s easier to use.

I’d like to hear of any problems you’ve had with deploying new hiring software and what methods you’ve used to overcome them.

By Kazim Ladimeji