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Chief
@pwc ok. Thanks, chief!
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Chief
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I’d probably start by reaching out to the vendor for any training materials or onboarding sessions they offer, and I’d definitely connect with colleagues, inside your company or in your professional network, who’ve used the system before. There’s so much you can learn from people who’ve been through it already. At the same time, I’d be really transparent with the team. I’d let them know that while I’m learning alongside them, I’m committed to making the transition as smooth as possible.
Chief
Talk to the HRIS provider. They literally have resources and training for just this exact situation that you can leverage as a starting point. From there, it comes down to you knowing your population and what makes them tick.
Ha! We went through this last year when we switched from ADP to Paycor.
It can definitely be stressful, but the HRIS should have an implementation team that reaches out to you and goes through the process. They will work with you to create and import the data to the new HRIS, and there will be a lot of calls back-and-forth to ensure everything is on track for your launch date.
Also, there should be training resources for each module that you plan to use, and you can get "certified" in their system. Just watch the videos, attend any live training, and read the support forums.
Also, since you're the lead and probably are able to delegate, then delegate what you can. It's a big process, depending on how many employees there are, what industry you're in, etc.
Good luck!
Rising Star
We're going through that now with Paylocity. Their staff has been incredibly helpful, and we have weekly meetings with each implementation consultant -- Payroll, Time & Labor, and HR. Your provider should be supporting you in all of this. Good luck -- there WILL be hiccups!
I've been there for ADP. Identity your stakeholders (payroll, managers, employees) and work with the vendor on communications
For me, I would come up with a preliminary plan and send it around to everybody for feedback. That way, if things don't go well, we can share the responsibility and not have it all on my shoulders. This has worked for me in the past: when they try to blame me for things going wrong I can turn around and say, well where was this feedback during the planning phase?
I agree with the comments here already, ask the provider for support, ask them how rollouts went in other similarly sized business and any speed bumps they encountered.
Never be shy about reminding the more vocal naysayers of the benefits of the new system, reminding them about the reasons (issues, compliance, usability, etc.) that made the change necessary.
Agreed with all the comments here, and mainly with the one that emphasises letting your team know that you're also in a learnign curve just so you set the right exepectations.
As most of here commentators. Get to HRIs provider! They will have training manuals or will book training session with you. Second. Go on YouTube or request demo version that you could see/try how the system work. Third be honest with your team and try to figure stuff out together. Most of them are sooo generic systems made to navigate as UI of Apple or android user and are very self explanatory. Don’t stress just give a little taste of system before your presentation 🙌
If I were in your position, I’d start by creating a clear plan or to-do list with bullet points and defined steps. Involve your HR team early in the process (if you have a separate Payroll and Benefits team include them), since they’ll be the primary users of the system—gather their input and incorporate it into your planning.
Next, reach out to the vendor to confirm what information or materials they need from your side in order to begin uploading employee data for testing. Be sure your team completes all testing tasks promptly to avoid delays.
Note: Avoid unnecessary spending on consultants who act as middlemen. It’s not worth paying over $100K just to be told to report issues through the system and wait for answers. If you do decide to bring in a consultant, ensure they have proven expertise with the specific system you’re implementing. Let's say you go with ADP, ask if they have a person from their team to help manage the process and answer questions, BEST way to go.
You'll do fine. Breath in and Exhale AND celebrate your team for the job well done, afterward!
HRIS provider/vendor should have training as part of the contract
Contract may also provide shadowing specialists to be in the team for the first week or so
Get involved in the business process reengineering that is how is current operations/services being transitioned to new
Ensure your team is fully appraised of the transition plan - get them involved in this. It needs to be clear that the new system is NOT a discusiion matter but how to move it smoothly