Over the past few years most payroll and HR management teams have made a commitment to a Human Capital Management (HCM) system strategy to manage their payroll and HR information. Typically HCM strategies can be categorized as follows:

1. Acquire, implement and support an integrated HCM solution from a leading provider such as PeopleSoft, SAP, Oracle, Lawson or other provider
2. Update an internally-developed legacy system
3. Outsource the payroll and HR information management functions to an Application Service Provider (ASP) if a particular software brand is desired or outsource to a specialized service provider

The goal of employee self-service has also prompted major investments in payroll and HR technology. The 2003 Cedar study on self-service and portals indicates that over half of America’s enterprises report some form of Web-based employee self-service in operation. Self-service implementations range from a single application, such as benefits enrollment, to full-featured employee portals with personalized views into payroll and HR information.

The execution of these HCM and self-service strategies has delivered:

1. An integrated payroll and HR database
2. Some improved and simplified Payroll and HR processes
3. Web-enabled employees with self-service capability

Despite the progress achieved, many CEOs and CFOs are still waiting for the promised return on these hefty investments. To achieve a higher return, the core capabilities of an integrated database and employee Web access can be leveraged. For example, many payroll and HR processes remain paper-based and dependent on payroll and HR professionals to enter and verify transactional data. Organizations are discovering that they can reduce costs by eliminating paper and manual steps by using selective outsourced services. The result—a better return on system and technology investments.

If your organization wants to leverage your technology investments to the fullest, examine closely your paper-based payroll and HR processes that require manual steps. You may well find a great opportunity to help you reach your goals.

I'm ready to take the next step to paperless.