CED is continuing its "Ask the Expert" series for readers to interact with local experts who write guest columns for CED. In CED's bi-weekly e-newsletter, we are asking readers to email questions on the topics covered in that week’s guest column to "expert@cednc.org." Select answers will then be featured in CED's blog.
The featured expert this week is Scott Secor, president of Raleigh-based Oryel, Inc. Here are three select questions, with Secor's answers:
QUESTION: How should you handle staffing issues after a business acquisition? How should you go about integrating management? How should you decided which employees are most valuable to the company?
ANSWER: Best practices call for these decisions to be made before an acquisition takes place, during the due diligence phase, and there are professionals whose expertise is in walking companies through all the issues involved in integrating management and employees. Paramount to the process is the new organization’s overall business objective and then the creation of cohesive units that support a thriving and motivated company culture.
QUESTION: What size company warrants purchasing the Web-based subscriptions?
ANSWER: I think that for all organizations, return on investment is a much stronger gauge of value rather than company size. We work with companies comprised of thousands of employees as well as with companies that have fewer than 100. For all, there is a capital break point, and it is determined by a number of factors. Hosted solutions require no purchase and installation of costly third person software. Hosted solutions can be wrapped around any current applications that are working well for you, such as payroll management, with no loss of investment. Modules can be customized to your specific needs and environment. And software maintenance and upgrades are included in your subscription price, eliminating for many companies the need for an in-house IT staff.
In addition, there is a lower cost of entry with a hosted solution because it is subscription-based rather than fee-based. And hosted solutions are available from anywhere in the world at any time, 24/7/365.
QUESTION: What are the best online resources for management recruitment?
ANSWER: Web-based human resource management systems can track applicant data and details, beginning with the requisition process, and are able to transfer the information into an employee database once the applicant is hired. This database includes education, skills, memberships, licenses, languages, and prior employment, as well as other customizable demographics. Multiple position applicants can be tracked with their application status history, interviews, test results, and associated recruitment costs.