Why talk about talent management software at a time when corporate HR budgets are being squeezed?
Firstly, because the cycle of war for talent, which began in the 90s, is not slowing down, quite the contrary: almost 60% of recruitments remain "difficult", according to data from Pole Emploi. Secondly, software is not a miracle solution, but it does complement the efforts of human relations to get to know, sometimes reveal, and above all develop employees whose attachment to their company may be gradually eroding.
As we shall see, software has come a long way in response to companies' quest for performance, and sometimes even survival (60% of French managers believe that their company will not be viable in 10 years' time without transforming its business model, according to a PWC study - 2024). At a time when HR teams are growing in number and scope, managing and automating a certain number of tasks seems like common sense.
Talent management and HR software
What do we mean by "talent management software"?
Talent management software encompasses 3 main dimensions:
- Performance management (annual appraisals, target setting and people reviews),
- Engagement management (360° feedback, pulse, surveys).
- Career management (talent marketplace, career path consulting, HR development, short assignments, mentoring).
Unlike HRIS systems for administrative management, expense reports, remuneration and time and attendance (TAM), which have an equipment rate of between 80 and 100%, the modules presented above have been adopted by 50% of companies with 250 or more employees.
How to interpret software equipment rates?
This equipment can be explained both by the reality of the HR profession, initially focused on administrative aspects, and by the gradual improvement in the offering of these tools for the attention of "talent."
Indeed, differences in HRIS software equipment rates reflect the priorities given to critical functions such as payroll and administrative management. Today, the gradual adoption of modules for performance or talent development can be explained by a more recent awareness of their strategic importance.
Challenges related to tool ergonomics and user training sometimes hinder their adoption, particularly when projects are not well calibrated or lack an inclusive approach. However, the current context, marked by issues such as the retention of high-potential or skills penurious employees, is driving the growing adoption of these solutions. The integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence is also substantially improving user experience and data management.
Why not invest in talent management software?
The choice of talent management software should be aligned with the company's maturity. Sometimes it's best to start with a specific module (e.g. performance management) before rolling out the full range of functionalities.
What are your reservations before taking the plunge?
"We lack the resources to manage such a project."
Reflection: Lack of resources is a legitimate obstacle, and gradual deployment can help manage the workload. Most companies target priority needs to spread the effort over the long term. In addition, some suppliers offer project support to free up a significant part of the operational aspects.
"Our current processes are working well, so why change?"
Reflection: If your current processes are working well, this is the best time to transcribe them faithfully into a platform that automates them and makes them more visible. What's more, this equipment makes it possible to step back and evaluate these processes on an ongoing basis, facilitating their improvement and adaptation to future developments in the company.
"We've already failed with similar projects in the past."
Reflection: past failures offer the best lessons. By analyzing what went wrong, you can put in place the tactics to succeed with the right people.
"Employee buy-in is a major challenge."
Reflection: employee resistance is a common challenge. To remedy this, involve them from the outset and on an ongoing basis by presenting the trade-offs that will have to be made. Choose an intuitive tool that respects your culture, raise managers' awareness and put in place solid support to facilitate their adoption.
The Main Components of Talent Management Software :
Performance Management
Just two figures are all you need to understand the importance of opting for this module:
- Managers spend an average of 210 hours a year assessing performance,
- 55% of HR managers never receive all the completed interview forms.
Talent management software automates and simplifies the definition and review of objectives, making progress in achieving them more transparent in real time. More and more companies are retaining annual appraisal interviews, but are turning to more frequent, development-focused exchanges skills. 360-degree feedback, combining multiple perspectives, enriches performance assessment.
Commitment Management
With 74% of employees declaring that they receive no feedback per month.
Wouldn't it be a good time to make managers aware of this aspect of their role? How can software help?
While this managerial act must, first and foremost, take the form of interaction, it can be fueled by comments, which a social platform facilitates. The other facets of engagement modules are onboarding and initial training. This period lasts around 9 months, according to Parlons RH, while 42% of departures occur in the first year of the contract, according to INSEE.
Employee involvement can also be measured through pulse surveys. These are only of interest if they are followed by corrective action to really improve employee satisfaction. Anonymized responses guarantee honest feedback, and reports can be used to precisely target the teams requiring the most attention.
Career Management
39% of employees say they have no visibility of internal opportunities.
Career management software provides greater transparency on available positions, and suggests suitable training courses to fill any gaps skills. It is not only useful for employees, but also makes the search for resources more fluid for managers who, withina talent marketplace, can quickly visualize the skills they need.
Last but not least, it structures the thinking and orchestration of succession planning, talent reviews and high-potential people reviews, in line with the company's needs.
Our advice on choosing the right solution
Start with the skills brick:
As mentioned above, skills must be the foundation on which all the different aspects are built. They represent the factor to be favored in the achievement of objectives, role evolutions and play a critical role in employee involvement. Without a clear and up-to-date mapping of skills essential to each position, the impact of these modules will be limited.
Careful selection of the project and deployment team :
Choosing software also means choosing a partner and a team who will support you throughout your project. To what extent does the team take the time tounderstand your constraints and corporate culture, and make relevant recommendations?
Ensure the quality of the training provided to your users:
Upstream of your decision, Neobrain provides complete documentation for each type of user: employees, managers, HR team. Key users are involved from the earliest stages of the project.
Quality software is, by its very nature, intuitive, but video tutorials explaining each process should be available online on your platform. At the same time, to ensure successful adoption of the software, initial training sessions and ongoing support are essential to maximize the use of its functionalities.
Anticipating change management :
HR teams are very exposed during this project. Explaining the choice and demonstrating the benefits of the new software is a challenge for which additional teaching aids can be made available by the supplier.
You should expect your partner to provide post-deployment tool adoption indicators , here are some examples:
- User coverage rate
- Average number of monthly connections
- Training completion rate
- Qualitative user feedback
- Problem resolution times according to criticality
Finally, regular reviews must be carried out to evaluate the software's effectiveness, adjust interfaces and processes if necessary, and introduce new functionalities over time.
Conclusion
The integration of this type of solution is progressing within structures of all sizes, and is even becoming a lever for attracting increasingly demanding talent. The scale of a project of this kind can dissuade some companies, as the return on investment is not always concrete and immediate. To put this into perspective, we believe it's essential to think in terms of objectives that bring together the HR and business spheres. Here's an example:
- Business objective : reduce operating costs by maximizing team efficiency.
- HR lever : improve individual and collective productivity by increasing the frequency and quality of performance appraisals.
- The benefits of a performance management module : increased alignment of performance assessment processes with strategic corporate objectives, such as a new product launch or market expansion, the company can use regular feedback to ensure that teams remain focused on business priorities while developing the skills necessary to achieve these objectives.
We are convinced of the importance of driving this evolution from a robust skills management foundation. For companies whose data quality is not yet perfect, we observe that AI and integrations with existing systems (such as Microsoft Graph) can reduce the impact of poor-quality data.
