These are all well-intended pleas. But in truth, spending a few million baht of your company’s resources sounds a bridge too far – unless, of course, you have unlimited funds or don’t care about the bottom line.
For the record, Market Media Research forecasts that the global human-resource-software market will be worth US$9.2 billion (Bt322 billion) by 2022.
So for the rest of us, what should HR do to get us over the line? This is part of a series of three articles that will shed some light and better equip human-resources departments to do exactly that.
The first step is to look at HR systems as consisting of three key components: system of Records, system of competitive Advantage, and system of Engagement – RAE for short. Each component serves a critical function and purpose for HR and the organisation. A system of records is concerned with how different stakeholders in the organisation – HR, managers and employees – manage their data on employee records, benefits claims, absences and payroll. This sounds very mundane and basic. But if you do it right, your new HR system should improve the way you manage employee data tenfold.
Yes, I do mean tenfold, and why not? Look at how technology has changed. In the past 60 years, there has been a 1-trillion-fold increase in performance of supercomputers, smartphones, smart watches, and video-game consoles, according to research by Experts Exchange. In fact, I advise my clients that we should be aiming for 10-times improvement.
A system of competitive advantage, as the name suggests, enables a company to best its competitors in recruiting faster and better talent. Not only that, it enables companies to reduce the training time it takes in order for employees to perform their jobs effectively.
Imagine a company operating in a sector with high employee turnover, like the retail industry, yet it beats its competitors because you have employees who are fully trained. That’s a shot in the arm and surely gives you the edge over your competitors.
The last component, system of engagement, deals with capturing the hearts and minds of your employees by providing them with easy-to-use tools, so they manage their careers, and connect with peers and colleagues who have similar interests with information that is needed to be successful in their jobs.
These tools often have a user interface similar to Facebook or LinkedIn. This means you don’t need to train them how to use it – just show them where and the rest is history.
Looking at your situation this way will help you translate your needs for a new HR system in terms of business value that your leadership can understand. And suddenly, they will be on your side, and the next question will be: “When can you have this ready?”

Suvit Chansrichawla is next-generation HR consultant under the brand Serendipity & Co, a partner of the Curve Group in Thailand.

*SHARP model developed byex-Harvard Professor Tal Ben Shahar and his colleague Angus Ridgway ex-McKinsey Head of Leadership Development.