Challenge
A major not-for-profit health maintenance organization (HMO) in Albany, NY, contracted RCI Recruitment Solutions to implement an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). The HMO sought to improve its recruitment model and hiring practices with a goal of identifying the best possible candidates efficiently and cost-effectively as well as to streamline the talent management process. RCI's goal was to offer the HMO best-practice solutions providing a best-in-class Talent Management Strategy and an ATS that would guide the future direction of the HMO.
After a complete evaluation consisting of interviews with the team members from the HMO's Human Capital Management (HCM), Corporate Administration, Web Team, Communications, Project Services, and Training, RCI reviewed the information gathered and completed an analysis of the overall recruitment staffing process.
RCI identified the challenges. Following a complete audit both the HMO and RCI agreed that the primary focus was to transition the company from a manual process to a completely automated system. RCI recommended drastic changes to the organization's current talent management process. It required the implementation of a custom-designed ATS as well as a comprehensive revamping of the recruitment process utilized by the HMO. According to the company's Director of Human Capital Management, "We weren't looking for an ATS, but RCI customized to the vendor and the cost of the product was reasonably priced."
RCI's recommendation was to completely get rid of the paper trail and implement a cost-effective, streamlining and efficient automated system exclusive to the HMO. This plan fit into the company's goal to have a comprehensive customized system; however, there was a challenge in overcoming the HMO's fear and apprehension in trusting a firm that had recommended such "drastic" changes. The initial audit completed by RCI unveiled a number of areas that needed attention.
Sourcing Strategies utilized by the HMO were found to be limited and inefficient. The company posted positions internally to its careers website. If these methods proved unsuccessful, the next steps were to post positions on the internet and then advertise in newspapers. These "passive" methods were found to be ineffective and contributed to out-dated information. These passive methods also reached a small percentage of the available workforce, generating a limited number of candidates. If these methods didn't work, the HMO would then turn to placement firms, which impeded a consistent and comprehensive recruiting strategy.
Screening and Assessment procedures at the HMO were also found to be manual and subjective. It was utilizing a time-consuming, labor-intensive manual process, which did not allow for meeting UGESP (Uniform Guidelines on Employment Selection Procedure) required by EEOC, OFFCP, and other government agencies.
The HMO utilized its hiring managers for the majority of the recruiting process, involving managers in areas of the process where they are not typically proficient, such as HR regulations, guidelines, techniques, and best processes. This meant that the company was under utilizing its HCM team members' expertise.
It was also found that the HMO needed a formal process in place to reveal its employment brand and consistently communicate it to the current and potential workforce.
Technology was established as the main area for improvement. In order to automate the recruitment process and establish a streamlined and efficient talent management program, the HMO needed advanced technologies in the areas of sourcing and applicant tracking systems. This was necessary in order to completely automate the current administrative tasks, enable the HCM team and hiring managers to share candidate information, improve the website intake of this information, attract candidates who can leave their information for future opportunities, and enable the recruiters to build relationships and efficiently communicate on an ongoing basis with their talent pool. All this needed to be established with the HMO's specific business model in mind.
Solution
The HMO needed to take a leap of faith, which admittedly was difficult. RCI's approach was to immediately establish a true partnership scenario. It meant constant communication between the RCI and HCM teams. It was a constant education of RCI implementations and the necessary steps required. RCI offered complete support and put into place a detailed training procedure. After thorough investigation and extensive interviews with key personnel at the company, RCI designed and implemented an ATS system according to the HMO's specific hiring process. It also integrated the entire system with the HMO's corporate website using the company's existing style sheets. Because the company did not want an out-of-the-box system, RCI offered extensive customizations that worked seamlessly with the new and existing processes. It trained the HCM team and offered easy-to-understand manuals to assist employees using the new ATS system and streamlined the recruitment process, inevitably saving the HMO time and money.
Result
The HMO acquired a complete customized ATS and changed its archaic manual system into an efficient automated one. The Director of Recruitment at the company said "Overall, I am extremely impressed with the smooth implementation of the ATS. The time it took to set up 20 requisitions was quite surprising and the least bit complex. The on-site training, along with the user manuals, provided a clear understanding and easy flow of information to learn the new system. It is very user-friendly and easy to navigate through. The data flow and page setups are nicely organized. We have already received several comments on the look and feel of the new systems. Several employees have commented on the simplicity of the on-line process.
"Having this new ATS," the Director continued, "has streamlined our recruiting efforts tremendously and cut down the prior manual process in half. I am highly satisfied with the system, and am excited to begin building our on-line talent pool."
In the end, RCI designed their system according to their hiring process. It integrated with their corporate website using their style sheets. The automation of the process and subsequent reduction in time, allowed the HMO team to redirect its workflow and apply better in-house efficiencies using skill sets in other areas.