July 8, 2009
Market-Leading Integrated Talent Development Solution Improves Workforce Development, Meets Needs of Joint Commission
HRchitect featured SumTotal Systems in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. SumTotal Systems participated in the Learning Management Systems panel on June 10, 2009 as part of theHRshow. Kimberley Kasper, VP of Marketing, and Jon Ciampi, VP of Product Management with SumTotal Systems appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on May 1, 2009. SumTotal Systems also competed in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems in February 2009, where they were crowned the winner.
If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, talk to HRchitect first. We have unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation.
SumTotal Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMT), the market leader and a global provider of talent development solutions, today announced that Memorial Healthcare System (MHS) has selected its newly-launched Healthcare Solution Set for Talent Development.
“SumTotal’s Healthcare Solution Set will have an immediate, positive impact on our business processes,” said Ray Kendrick, chief human resources officer at MHS. “It will make our clinical competency and annual review processes more efficient, provide automated workflows and online availability of documents, and allow us to align our learning programs to target competency gaps.
The Solution Set allows healthcare providers to manage goals, perform clinical competency assessments and year-end reviews, create targeted learning and development programs that correct competency gaps, meet audit requirements of the Joint Commission, manage compensation and better track and manage continuing education credits required for regular license renewal. Through a partnership with Integrated HR Solutions (IHRS), the Solution Set enables customers to create and manage job descriptions and competency data in its DataManager software.
“Our healthcare customers tell us they have an immediate need to get their job descriptions and competencies cleaned up, and streamline the competency assessment process to be better prepared for Joint Commission surveys,” said Ray Pitts, vice president of professional services at SumTotal. “By using our solution, MHS will be able to create actionable recommendations that cultivate internal talent, continue to offer high quality of care for its patients, and continue to achieve high industry ratings.”
To learn more about SumTotal Systems’ Healthcare Solution Set for Talent Development Suite, please visit: http://www.sumtotalsystems.com/hc.
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
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Posted by mattlafata
June 22, 2009
HRchitect featured SilkRoad in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems vendors that businesses should consider. SilkRoad participated in the Onboarding Systems panel on June 10, 2009 as part of theHRshow2009 event. SilkRoad competed in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Onboarding Systems in January 2009 where they were crowned the winner. Brian Platz, EVP and COO of SilkRoad also appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on March 20, 2009. If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, talk to HRchitect first. We have unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation.
SilkRoad technology, inc., the leading provider of talent management solutions, announced today it was selected as a 2009 Tech 50 winner by TechJournal South, a technology business publication for the Southeast region based in Research Triangle Park. Tech 50 companies are recognized as the most innovative regional companies and are evaluated by technology innovation, management team, marketplace potential and success of execution.
2009 marks the second year in a row SilkRoad technology has been honored as a TechJournal South Tech 50 winner. SilkRoad qualified for the nomination across several key categories: technology companies that save money, companies that save energy, and companies that increase efficiency.
SilkRoad provides software as a service (SaaS) solutions that significantly improve talent management for more than 1,000 customers across the globe. The company has helped its customers cut millions of dollars in human resources costs by providing integrated solutions that manage the entire employee life cycle. Through the Life Suite™, SilkRoad assists customers in attracting best-fit talent, managing onboarding and employee transitions, maximizing employee performance, providing a centralized learning management system, and delivering accurate information with employee intranets and content management systems.
“Many of this year’s Tech 50 winners were outstanding in more than one category,” said Allan Maurer, editor at TechJournal South. “SilkRoad stood out to us for having a market leading product, having raised significant capital over the past year, and for their tremendous growth potential. We are happy to have included them, once again, in the Tech 50 winners.”
“Ongoing innovation and development to keep The Life Suite ahead of the technology curve has been a key to our success in helping companies save time and money managing their talent while maintaining our status as an industry leader,” said Andrew J. “Flip” Filipowski, CEO of SilkRoad technology. “TechJournal South’s recognition of SilkRoad and our technology further validates the strength of our business, the commitment of our hard-working staff and the ongoing growth for our company,”
For more information on SilkRoad, please visit www.silkroad.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Andrew Filipowski, Applicant Tracking Systems, Brian Platz, Employee Performance Management, HRchitect, Integrated Talent Management, LifeSuite, Matt Lafata, Onboarding, SilkRoad, Talent Acquisition Systems, Tech 50, theHRshow, WebMingle | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
April 8, 2009
Solution Provides HRsmart Customers with a Streamlined Process for Safe, Efficient Hiring
HRchitect includes HRsmart in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems vendors that businesses should consider.
HireRight, a leader in on-demand employment background and drug screening, has announced an alliance agreement with HRsmart, a leading provider of talent management software, employee performance management, applicant tracking, and human resource software solutions. The new HireRight Pre-integrated Solution for HRsmart will allow business users to manage their background and drug screening programs through the HRsmart Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
“Partnering with HireRight and offering their world-class employment screening solution within our Applicant Tracking System is a great value-add for our customers,” said Hanny Shehadeh, chief product officer for HRsmart. “Integrating the screening application allows our customers to streamline their hiring process and verify important candidate information with convenience.”
HireRight background and drug screening services are accessible through HireRight Pre-integrated Solution for HRsmart, enabling HRsmart customers to manage their employment screening program from a single location. The solution is delivered via the HireRight Connect integration framework, a scalable and secure integration environment designed to support pre-integrated screening solutions with ATS, custom integrations with third-party applications, and secure data feeds with third-party systems.
The robust HRsmart Applicant Tracking System includes a comprehensive dashboard tailored to the individual user, an easy-to-use and innovative functionality to help manage day to day activities, deep integrations for sourcing talent, managing assessments, communicating with Human Resources Information Systems, and now running employment background checks and drug tests through HireRight.
“HireRight is proud to partner with HRsmart, a recognized leader in talent management. As employers look to secure top talent, it is critical that they not only find well-qualified candidates, but that they also verify the credentials of each individual to create a high-performing and safe work environment. We expect our relationship with HRsmart will provide mutual customers with an efficient means for making smarter hiring decisions,” said David Nachman, vice president of business development at HireRight.
For more information on HRsmart, please visit www.hrsmart.com and for more information on HireRight, please visit www.hireright.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Applicant Tracking, ATS, Background Screening, David Nachman, Employee Performance Management, Hanny Shehadeh, HireRight, HRchitect, HRsmart, Matt Lafata, Talent Acquisition Systems, Talent Management Systems | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
April 5, 2009
HRchitect includes Saba in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider.
Saba (NASDAQ: SABA), the premier people management software and services provider, recently reported financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2009 ended February 28, 2009.
Third Quarter Results
Total revenues in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 were $26.1 million compared to $27.4 million in the same quarter last year. OnDemand revenue increased to $5.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 from $4.6 million in the prior year while license revenue of $4.7 million was $1.3 million below the prior year, product support of $8.5 million approximated prior year levels and consulting revenue at $7.6 million was $0.7 million below the prior year.
On a GAAP basis, net earnings increased to $1.3 million, or $0.05 per share, in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to net earnings of $158,000, or $0.01 per share, in the same quarter last year. On a non-GAAP basis, net income in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 increased to $3.2 million, or $0.11 per share, from net income of $1.7 million, or $0.06 per share, in the third quarter of fiscal 2008.
Non-GAAP results are computed by adjusting GAAP results to exclude the impact of certain restructuring activity and non-cash charges related to acquisition accounting and share-based compensation. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results is included in the financial statements accompanying this press release.
“During the third quarter, we continued to improve the overall profitability of the company as well as our operating cash flow,” said Bobby Yazdani, Chairman and CEO of Saba. “Our focus remains profitable growth, customer success and building our distribution channels worldwide.”
Third Quarter Highlights
During the third quarter of fiscal year 2009, Saba added or expanded relationships with a number of organizations worldwide, including: Allianz, Athens Technology Center, BDO Stoy Hayward, Canada School of Public Service, HP, Gwinnett County, L-3 Communications, McDonald’s, Medtronic, Ministerio De Defensa Spain, Nomura Research Institute and the Queensland Government Department of Education.
Saba also announced that Saba OnDemand now serves more than three million users globally and continues to demonstrate superior scalability through 15 global deployments with more than 50,000 users, seven of which have more than 100,000 users. Customers include Internal Revenue Service, AstraZeneca, Kaiser Permanente and Cisco.
Saba also received several accolades during the third quarter. The company received a Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Award for vendor innovation, which recognized the Saba Knowledge Center for its ability to deliver Web 2.0 collaboration. Saba was also positioned in the Visionaries Quadrant of the 2009 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software.
Business Outlook
The following statements are based on current expectations as of the date of this release. These statements are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. Saba does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements in any way or for any reason.
For fiscal year 2009, prior GAAP net earnings guidance will be impacted by a restructuring charge estimated at $0.01 per share for fiscal 2009 and a charge to non-cash compensation of $0.02 per share in connection with an amendment to existing stock options to extend the term of the options from six years to ten years. GAAP guidance including these charges will range from a loss of $0.05 to $0.10 per share. Saba is maintaining its prior non-GAAP net earnings guidance range of $0.18 per share to $0.23 per share.
The fiscal year 2009 non-GAAP outlook excludes the estimated non-cash amortization of intangibles (approximately $3.7 million), estimated charges related to share-based compensation expenses including the impact of extending the life of underwater options (approximately $2.7 million), costs incurred related to potential strategic transactions that were not completed (approximately $0.7 million), costs incurred for a restructuring (approximately $0.4 million) and estimated non-cash acquisition-related tax expenses (approximately $0.6 million).
For more information on Saba, please visit www.saba.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
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Posted by mattlafata
March 7, 2009
During the most popular month for employee performance appraisals, SumTotal offers free consultation and resources to help organizations improve the process and ROI
HRchitect featured SumTotal Systems in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. SumTotal Systems also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems in February 2009, where they were crowned the winner.
As HR leaders and employees across the globe are completing 2008 performance reviews, SumTotal Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMT), the market leader and global provider of talent development solutions, has named March “National Performance Review Month.” The goal of this month-long initiative is to elevate performance management to a strategic, business-critical initiative rather than a laborious, tactical annual practice. In honor of National Performance Review Month, SumTotal is offering a free half-hour consultation session to any organization, whether or not they are a SumTotal customer, a complimentary Performance Management eBook and a series of webinars.
“It’s easy for many organizations to pigeonhole the performance review process as a routine task to be checked off the list,” said Jon Ciampi, VP of Product Management for SumTotal Systems. “Through National Performance Review Month, we hope to promote the power of performance management tightly integrated with business strategy. Especially in the down economy, organizations are changing rapidly, and performance reviews lay the foundation for managing through difficult periods.”
SumTotal is offering a complimentary Performance Management eBook a strategy manual about how to leverage performance management in an organization. The eBook includes more than five articles about goal alignment, competencies, compensation management, succession planning and redeployment. Additionally, SumTotal will host three performance management webinars throughout the month of March:
How to Make Performance Management a Strategic Contributor
Recorded on March 4, 2009
The True Value of Automating the Performance Management Process
March 11, 2009
1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Competency Management: The Engine that Drives Talent Development Strategy
March 18, 2009
1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Also in support of National Performance Review month, SumTotal is offering a free half-hour consulting session with a performance management expert. During each session a SumTotal consultant will analyze the organization’s review process and provide advice on how to improve the process and implement best practices, as well as offer insight into current performance challenges. Free sessions are only offered during the month of March and interested participants can sign up for a strategic advisory session at www.sumtotalsystems.com/pm_consultation.
Available on-demand and on-premise, SumTotal Performance Management offers a comprehensive range of goal management, performance appraisals, multi-rater/360 degree feedback, compensation management and career and succession planning. SumTotal has been recognized by industry analysts for the strength of its unified Talent Development Suite, integrating performance and learning management, and featuring anytime, anywhere access and Web 2.0 collaboration tools.
For regular updates relevant to talent development, learning and performance management, follow SumTotal on Twitter @sumtotalsystems. To learn more about National Performance Review Month and SumTotal Systems Performance Review solutions, please visit: http://www.sumtotalsystems.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Employee Performance Management, HRchitect, HRchitect Beauty Pageant, Integrated Talent Management, Jon Ciampi, Learning Management Systems, Matt Lafata, National Performance Review Month, SumTotal Systems, Talent Management Systems | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
February 18, 2009
Reduce impact of down economy by aligning compensation to performance, eliminating error and leveraging alternative incentives
HRchitect featured SumTotal Systems in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. SumTotal Systems also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Learning Management Systems in December 2008 and will participate in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems on February 19, 2009.
As organizations continue to tighten their budgets, HR managers need to practice greater diligence with compensation management, which has one of the most profound impacts on a company’s bottom line. SumTotal Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMT), the market leader and global provider of talent development solutions, compiled five tips HR professionals can use to improve and streamline employee compensation management, while continuing to engage, retain and develop the company’s most valuable asset – its workforce.
“With the state of the economy, anything HR professionals can do to ensure the most efficient use of corporate resources will have a significant effect on the bottom line,” said Richard Oyen, director of HR and Talent Development. “Leveraging compensation and performance management systems, such as SumTotal’s Talent Development Suite, and implementing best practices to optimize compensation management is crucial for HR professionals to help navigate their companies through leaner periods.”
SumTotal offers the following recommendations to HR professionals wanting to provide a valuable impact through a well-rounded compensation management model:
1. First and foremost: Align compensation with performance – To effectively use valuable budget it is important to evaluate pay-for-performance by thoroughly assessing the organization’s performance, calibrating results to eliminate any managerial bias, and ultimately compensating individuals for accomplishing their goal targets.
2. Eliminate any opportunities for error – Simply relying on spreadsheets to manage employee data is no longer the most accurate process for compiling information due to human inaccuracies. Implementing a compensation management system automates the process and mitigates the risk of manipulation and errors.
3. Hung up on dollars? Consider mixing in alternative incentives – When rewarding employees for their hard work, consider offering alternatives to pay raises such as stock options or one-time financial bonuses. These alternatives reflect the company’s faith in key employees while defining clear conduits for career growth.
4. Stay in touch with the market – By keeping a beat on the market pulse you can better gauge fair merit increases and bonuses, as well as highlight any salary gaps that may need adjustment. Having this insight is especially crucial for those roles facing high turnover risk.
5. Involve your managers – Collaboration between HR professionals and managers is crucial in determining the most appropriate compensation allocations. With the right tools, managers can make effective performance decisions and work with HR to ensure consistency and control costs.
For more information on SumTotal Systems, please visit www.sumtotalsystems.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
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Posted by mattlafata
February 17, 2009
SuccessFactors’ Position is Based on Its Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute
HRchitect featured SuccessFactors in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider.
SuccessFactors, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFSF), the global leader in on-demand performance and talent management solutions, today announced that it has been positioned in the “Leaders” quadrant by Gartner, Inc. for the Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software.
The “Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software,” by Jim Holincheck and Thomas Otter, and published February 3, 2009, estimates, “that the market for EPM software was more than $450 million for the 12 months ending on 30 September 2008.” Gartner defines leaders in this Magic Quadrant as companies that had “strong product functionality and superior customer experience with the vendor and its products… and strong or emerging multinational solutions (with corresponding service and support).”
With SuccessFactors’ announcement that the company exceeds 4.5 million global users, with more than 1.5 million users added in 2008, SuccessFactors is now one of the largest SaaS companies and is the leading provider of on-demand performance and talent management solutions.
“Now more than ever, organizations of all sizes are looking for unbiased, thoughtful analysis of where to invest their dollars, so SuccessFactors is honored to be recognized as a leader by Gartner in its Magic Quadrant for our market. I would personally like to thank the hard-working team I’m fortunate to lead at SuccessFactors,” said Lars Dalgaard, founder and president of SuccessFactors. “I believe this recognition validates the constant innovation and customer-first attitude that the world has come to expect from SuccessFactors.”
The SuccessFactors Performance and Talent Management Suite, which includes Performance Management, Goal Management, 360 Degree Reviews, Succession Management, Compensation Management, Learning and Development, Recruiting Management, Employee Profile, and Analytics and Reporting applications, creates a company-wide network of information related to employee performance, including skill-sets, interests, career aspirations, ability to relocate, experience, languages spoken and more. By providing deep, real-time, company-wide visibility into such critical performance data, companies are able to make better, more informed decisions about how to promote, recruit, compensate, reward and manage their entire employee base.
For more information on SuccessFactors, please visit www.successfactors.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Compensation Management, Employee Performance Management, Gartner, Goal Management, HRchitect, Integrated Talent Management, Jim Holincheck, Lars Dalgaard, Magic Quadrant, Matt Lafata, Recruiting Management, SuccessFactors, Succession Management, Talent Management Systems, Thomas Otter | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
February 13, 2009
Taleo Attributes ‘Very Advanced’ Web 2.0-based User Experience for Rapid Market Adoption of Solution
HRchitect featured Taleo in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems and Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. HRchitect is also the leading implementation partner for Taleo and Taleo Business Edition having performed more than 80 Taleo implementations.
Taleo (NASDAQ: TLEO), the leading provider of on-demand talent management solutions, today announced that it was positioned in the Visionaries quadrant in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software. Less than a year after its entry into the Performance Management segment, Taleo believes its exceptional user experience and proven ability to execute contributed to its positioning in this report. Taleo is also positioned in the Leaders quadrant of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for E-Recruitment Software report, published in June.
According to the Gartner Magic Quadrant on performance management, “employee performance management (EPM) software includes performance succession and compensation management capabilities.”
Taleo’s position in the report was based on the company’s completeness of vision and ability to execute. When assessing completeness of vision, Gartner analysts evaluate marketing understanding, marketing strategy, sales strategy, offering (product) strategy, business model, vertical/industry strategy, innovation and geographic strategy. Ability to execute is evaluated on product/service, overall viability, sales execution/pricing, market responsiveness and track record, marketing execution, customer experience and operations.
“Having crystal clear insight into your business’ key performers has never been more crucial ,” says Michael Gregoire, Chairman and CEO of Taleo. “Strategic performance management balances goals of increasing productivity, while reducing costs, a challenge all global businesses are attempting to master today. We are pleased to see influential analysts focus on this fast-emerging market of solutions that is driving positive change in global businesses.”
For more information about Taleo, please visit www.taleo.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: E-recruitment software, Employee Performance Management, Gartner, HRchitect, Integrated Talent Management, Magic Quadrant, Matt Lafata, Michael Gregoire, Talent Acquisition Systems, Talent Management Systems, Taleo | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
February 13, 2009
Softscape’s Single, Most Complete People Management Platform Solves Business Issues for Cost Containment, Restructuring, Mergers, and Compliance
HRchitect featured Softscape in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider.
Softscape, the global leader in complete people management software, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the Visionaries quadrant of the ‘Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software’ report. Gartner’s comprehensive report evaluates employee performance management software vendors, assessing the vendor’s ability to execute and the completeness of their vision.
According to the Gartner report, “Visionaries have been advanced in promoting the latest trends (for example, user experience) driving EPM solutions.” Softscape believes that its positioning in the visionaries quadrant further validates the company’s strong history as an innovative leader in the human capital management (HCM) market.
Having pioneered talent management over a decade ago, Softscape has consistently introduced forward thinking technology to offer customers the most complete people management solution in a single platform. Softscape provides the HR foundation which includes a core talent-based employee system of record, as well as the key capabilities to manage performance, development, compensation, succession planning, learning, 360 feedback, incentive compensation, hiring and recruiting, survey management, social networking, and workforce analytics. As a leader in the industry, Softscape offers superior customer care and support, and maintains the industry’s highest customer satisfaction and retention rate of ninety eight percent (98% ).
“In our opinion, being in the visionaries quadrant is more than just providing advanced and superior products to customers. It is fundamentally about providing customers with demonstrable, bottom-line results,” said Dave Watkins, CEO and co-founder of Softscape. “With our fourteen-year proven history and deep understanding of customer needs, Softscape has helped some of the most successful global organizations solve real business issues to drive performance, productivity, and workforce efficiencies. Consistently recognized as a leader by industry luminaries, analysts, and our customers, we continue to forge new innovations in our products, as well as in how we care for our customers.”
For more information about Softscape’s solutions, please visit http://www.softscape.com.
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: compensation, Dave Watkins, Employee Performance Management, Gartner, HCM, HRchitect, Human Capital Management, Integrated Talent Management, Magic Quadrant, Matt Lafata, social networking, Softscape, Succession Planning, Talent Management Systems, Workforce Analytics | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
February 13, 2009
Workscape and Milliman Work Together to Expand Outsourced Benefits Administration Offering
HRchitect featured Workscape in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Workscape also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Talent Management Systems on November 21, 2008, and will be participating in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems on February 19, 2009.
Workscape, Inc., a leading provider of web-based outsourced benefits and talent management solutions, and Milliman, Inc., one of the world’s largest independent actuarial and consulting firms, have forged a strategic alliance designed to extend Workscape’s health & welfare services and Milliman’s defined benefit and defined contribution services (DB/DC) to the market, as well as their respective clients.
Since the company’s inception, Workscape has delivered a comprehensive array of web-based health and welfare benefits administration technologies and services that enable organizations to reduce their overall healthcare spending while also helping employees to identify, select and manage their benefit elections. The addition of Milliman’s services extends the company’s offering, which means Workscape can now help to meet the DB/DC needs of a client’s active workforce as well as its retirees.
Milliman’s total retirement outsourcing (TRO) service helps employers to eliminate the paperwork and expense typically associated with DB/DC administration, while simultaneously improving access to pension and other retirement-related information for employees. Through a sophisticated yet easy-to-use web portal, participants can view their 401K investments and pension plan details, make changes and leverage powerful calculation and modeling tools to ensure that their savings strategies are consistent with their retirement goals.
From a healthcare benefits perspective, Workscape adheres to the same core belief of making the selection and participation process as simple and as straightforward as possible. Integrated, web-based decision support tools help employees to select the healthcare plan that is best suited to their personal and financial needs, cost calculators drive greater participation in flexible spending account programs and health risk assessments help employees to become more aware of their health condition and more proactive in addressing potential concerns. Through these capabilities, HR organizations can transform the benefits enrollment process from a largely transactional activity to one of high strategic value which drives tangible bottom-line results.
In addition to the various online tools made available through this alliance, client organizations can also leverage the services of Workscape’s 24×7 U.S.-based employee support center to answer questions and assist with enrollment. As a result, employers can deliver a consistent service experience and create a better-informed, more secure and more content workforce.
“Milliman is consistently ranked as a ‘best-in-breed’ provider in the defined contribution space and shares our dedication to improving the overall benefits experience for employer and employee alike,” said Tim Clifford, Workscape’s founder and CEO. “Together, our two organizations can provide employers in virtually any industry with a complete, end-to-end, integrated benefits solution.”
For more information, visit http://www.workscape.com or www.milliman.com.
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Employee Performance Management, HRchitect, HRchitect Beauty Pageant, Integrated Talent Management, Matt Lafata, Milliman, Outsourced Benefits Administration, Talent Management Systems, Tim Clifford, Workscape | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
February 13, 2009
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation™ and Hy-Vee, Inc.™ Use CompAnalyst® From Salary.com to Analyze and Plan the Cost of Seasonal Support
HRchitect featured Salary.com in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Salary.com also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Talent Management Systems on November 21, 2008, and will compete in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems on February 19, 2009.
Salary.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLRY), a leading provider of on-demand compensation, talent management and payroll solutions, is providing its flagship compensation solutions to retailers to forecast and price temporary help during unpredictable retail times. With economic concerns on the rise, retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation and Hy-Vee, Inc. are using Salary.com solutions to strategically price key positions and help manage expenses.
2009 forecasts are challenging given the economic climate; consequently, retailers are seeking out strategies that will help them manage costs while sales remain uncertain. Burlington Coat Factory and Hy-Vee, among other retailers, have taken a proactive approach to managing one of their largest expenses — their employees. Both retailers recognize the importance of investing in their employees who will help manage merchandising, marketing, and selling efforts for increased sales, brand management, and customer retention. These retailers have selected CompAnalyst to help market price compensation for key positions in the front office, ecommerce, and brick-and-mortar locations for better managing costs and profitability.
“These uncertain times require proactive analysis of compensation plans to handle the ups and downs of retail demand. We help retailers forecast the cost of compensating their seasonal help and ensure they are offering competitive wages to attract key positions and manage the overall health of their businesses,” said Carol Ferrari, product marketing director of compensation at Salary.com.
About CompAnalyst
CompAnalyst provides an integrated suite of on-demand compensation benchmarking and pay analytics tools to help businesses design competitive and equitable pay programs. Salary.com’s flagship product is trusted by thousands of brand name customers and is comprised of flexible modules that can be used on an integrated or stand-alone basis:
- Market Data: fully scoped HR-reported market data for over 3,700 benchmark jobs in the U.S. and more than 700 in Canada
- Survey Management: online survey storage and management for 3rd party data
- Pay Analytics: reporting tools to assess internal equity and external competitiveness
- Salary Structures: modeling tools to build and analyze salary structures
- Merit Modeling: tools for assessing the impact of different merit scenarios
- Executive Benchmarking: a complete executive compensation research tool.
For more information on Salary.com, please visit www.salary.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: CompAnalyst, compensation, Employee Performance Management, HRchitect, HRchitect Beauty Pageant, HRMS, Integrated Talent Management, Matt Lafata, payroll, Salary.com, Talent Management Systems | Permalink
Posted by mattlafata
February 13, 2009
Workers Now Looking for Job Security and Desirable Commute over Friendly Relationships with Managers
Retention Strategies are Critical for Employers, Even in a Challenging Economy
HRchitect featured Salary.com in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Salary.com also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Talent Management Systems on November 21, 2008, and will compete in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems on February 19, 2009.
Salary.com, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand HRMS/payroll, compensation, and talent management solutions, today released results from its fourth annual 2008/2009 Employee Satisfaction and Retention Survey. According to the survey, employee satisfaction levels are often overestimated by employers. A set of questions new to this year’s survey found that the current economic climate was less of a deterrent to job seeking than employers anticipated, while variables such as income, job level, industry and age remained consistent factors that affect job satisfaction year-over-year.
Key data points:
- Overall, the survey showed that 65% of employees are at least somewhat satisfied in their jobs while employers estimated that figure to be 77%.
- Approximately 65% of employees admitted to passively or actively looking for a new job, compared to employers’ estimate of 37%.
- While employers have a good sense of overall employee satisfaction, they often overestimate the degree of extremely satisfied employees nearly 2 to 1.
- The levels of satisfaction among employees surveyed varied by job level and salary. Not surprisingly, the results of the survey suggest there is a direct link between pay and satisfaction – the higher the salary and job level, the greater the number of extremely satisfied employees.
- Age affects job satisfaction – millennials report the lowest job satisfaction.
More than 7,141 employees and 363 human resources (HR) professionals participated in the survey which revealed new insights into who is happy, who is looking, why employees stay, where employers may be off target in their efforts to retain employees and where they may be at risk when economy recovers. The survey offers new insights to help employers align with what employee’s value and be more effective in designing retention strategies that work.
“The most interesting result from the 2008 survey was the evidence that employers were out of touch with their employees’ satisfaction levels and were overestimating the tough economic environment as a deterrent to job seeking,” said Nicholas Camelio, senior vice president of human resources, Salary.com. “Consequently, many employers have not placed enough emphasis on important retention strategies. This could lead to their best employees’ defecting during the next year, just when this talent will be most needed to help turn businesses around.”
Job Searching Defies Economic Environment
Many employers believe that during tough economic times their employees will not be searching for a new job. According to the survey, employers are underestimating the number of employers searching for new jobs by nearly 2 to 1, revealing a potential blind spot for employers. The survey revealed that the majority of employees report they are looking and engaged in some form of search activity such as networking, surfing job listings, updating and posting their resume. Millennials are the most likely group to look for a job, followed closely by Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers. Industries including Financial Services, Construction and Retail topped the list of extremely dissatisfied employees, while Internet, Education/Government and Non-Profit, Software and Networking topped the list of extremely satisfied employees.
- 63% of employers believe their employees are not searching for a new job compared to 35% of employees who indicated they were not searching for a new job.
- In fact, the survey indicates that 65% of employees are looking and are engaged in just-in-case job search activities, such as surfing jobs lists (63%), updating resumes (47%), networking with friends (40%) and posting resumes (33%).
- Surfing job listings has increased dramatically — up 17% from last year’s results.
- Nearly 80% of employers do not believe employees will begin a job search in next few months while nearly 60% of employees intend to intensify their job search in next 3 months.
Priorities Shift for Employees
Good Relationships with Co-Workers remains one of the top three reasons why people stay in their jobs. In this year’s survey, employees cited new reasons why they choose to stay in their current jobs. Job Security, Desirable Commute and Desirable Hours have replaced Good Relationships with Managers and Adequate Benefits for the most influential reasons why people remain in a given job.
Top reasons to leave a job stayed same from last year’s survey results: Inadequate Compensation, Inadequate Development Opportunities and Insufficient Recognition.
2008/2009 Employee Job Satisfaction and Retention Survey Methodology
Salary.com invited a cross-section of individual employees and business representatives from across America to participate in its 2008/2009 Employee Satisfaction and Retention Survey. Prospective participants received an email containing the survey questionnaire. Participants completed as many sections of the survey as they desired, and then submitted their results to Salary.com electronically.
Salary.com compensation professionals reviewed the data for consistency and accuracy and excluded data that appeared to be invalid. A total of 7,141 individuals and 363 human resource or other company representatives responded to the survey. Among the individual employee respondents, 6,812 were employed and provided valid responses to the survey questions–the remaining 329 were excluded from all analysis. Analysis included in this report utilized generational cuts compiled using the following classifications: Retirement Age (68+); About to Retire (58-67); Baby Boomers (44-57); Gen X (31-43) and Millennials (18-30).
For more information on Salary.com, please visit www.salary.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
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Posted by mattlafata
February 9, 2009
SuccessFactors Selects Imperva to Protect Leading Cloud-based Employee Performance and Talent Management Applications — SecureSphere Selected for Unique Ability to Monitor and Protect SaaS Application from Web to Backend Database
HRchitect featured SuccessFactors in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider.
Imperva, the leader in application data security, today announced that SuccessFactors, Inc., the global leader in on-demand performance and talent management solutions, has deployed SecureSphere to protect its Software as a Service (SaaS) application and the sensitive Human Resources (HR) data it processes. SuccessFactors has implemented SecureSphere’s integrated Web Application Firewall (WAF) and database security gateway capabilities, which provide unique visibility and security that spans the front end application to the backend database.
SuccessFactors has over 2,300 customers with 4 million users in 185 countries for its SaaS based suite of HR performance and talent management applications, including more than 20% of the Fortune 500. These applications are large, complex, and customizable for each customer, which presents a significant security challenge. Following a comprehensive evaluation of WAF products, SuccessFactors selected Imperva for its ability to be deployed inline or out-of-band, and protect backend databases.
“Our applications are very complex with a lot of custom parameters, so we needed an application and data security solution that could recognize and adapt to code modifications without constant manual changes,” said Joe White, director of web application security for SuccessFactors, Inc. “SecureSphere delivers the visibility and automation we need to keep our applications secure as they change, and is the only vendor solution that provides integrated capabilities for both web application firewall and database protection.”
Integrated WAF and DAM
To avoid constant manual tuning, SecureSphere WAF uses dynamic profiling technology to automatically build a baseline for legitimate application behavior and adapt security policies as the code changes over time. This capability is extremely valuable for SuccessFactors since its applications are customizable for each customer. To protect sensitive data exposed to the web, SecureSphere provides Database Activity Monitoring (DAM) to identify unauthorized and suspicious actions by web users, web applications, and database administrators. This capability is unique to SecureSphere, and was a key selling point for SuccessFactors.
“SuccessFactors’ environment, which combines Software as a Service with a multitude of parameters that can be customized for customers, represents a unique application and data security challenge,” said Mark Kraynak, vice president of marketing for Imperva. “SecureSphere’s ability to automatically adapt policy to application changes was one of the key drivers in SuccessFactors decision to select Imperva, in addition to our database monitoring and protection capabilities.”
For more information on SuccessFactors, please visit www.successfactors.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
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Posted by mattlafata
November 21, 2008
Earlier today, the second HRchitect beauty pageant took place. This time it was on Talent Management Systems and the participants included Cornerstone OnDemand, Halogen Software, Plateau Systems, Salary.com and Workscape. At the end of the exciting and informative event, Cornerstone OnDemand was crowned the “Talent Management Systems 2008” beauty pageant winner and Plateau was the runner-up. Congratulations to Cornerstone OnDemand and thank you to all the vendors for participating.
For those that missed out on the event, here is a quick recap.
The pageant started with an introduction by HRchitect and an overview of the Talent Management Systems marketplace. From there, we moved into the ground rules of the pageant itself.
Starting off was a presentation by Halogen Software, then Plateau Systems, Salary.com, Cornerstone OnDemand, and finally Workscape. The order was chosen at random prior to the contest beginning.
We talked about the format of these beauty pageants in our November 14 blog so I won’t repeat them here. In that blog, we discussed the news about iCIMS being crowned the “Talent Acquisition Systems 2008” beauty pageant winner last week with Authoria coming in as the runner-up.
The beauty pageants are receiving a tremendous amount of interest and may span a reality show soon. Actually I’m sort of kidding but we are very pleased with the response to these great events which are allowing vendors an additional avenue of exposure to a large audience and on the flip side, allowing businesses to have exposure to a number of vendors in a fun and informative format.
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank our Marketing Director, Tiffany Appleby, for her tremendous work as the Production Manager of these pageants. I know there is a great deal of effort involved and we appreciate her hard work and dedication in ensuring these pageants flow smoothly.
Here is the schedule for upcoming beauty pageants along with instructions for registering:
December 12 – 11am CST – HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems)
December 19 – 11am CST – LMS (Learning Management Systems)
January 9 – 11am CST – Mid-market ATS
January 16 – 11am CST – Onboarding
January 23 – 11am CST – EPM (Employee Performance Management)
February 6 – 11am CST – Mid-market HRIS
February 13 – 11am CST – T&A (Time & Attendance Systems)
February 20 – 11am CST – Workforce Planning
March 13 – 11am CST – Compensation Management
March 20 – 11am CST – Succession Planning
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
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November 19, 2008
I’ve blogged about this before but after last week’s widely successful beauty pageant on Talent Acquisition Systems, where iCIMS was crowned Ms. Talent Acquisition Systems 2008, I want to make sure you don’t miss this Friday’s beauty pageant on Talent Management Systems …
This week’s beauty pageant will feature five vendors from the Talent Management Systems world – Cornerstone OnDemand, Halogen Software, Plateau Systems, Salary.com, and Workscape.
The 90-minute webinar agenda will look like this:
Intro by HRchitect
Overview of the TMS marketplace by HRchitect
Short vendor presentations (vendor order will be determine at random)
Q&A of vendors from the audience
Crowning of Ms. Talent Management Systems 2008
Wrap-up
The session will be moderated by Matt Lafata, our VP of Sales & Marketing. HRchitect developed a format to help guide each vendor with an outline of what should be covered during each portion of the pageant. Since we have billed this as a beauty pageant, we tried to come up with pageant categories for vendors to loosely follow. Of course each vendor is free to follow their own format as this is simply a guideline:
Evening gown – To start off each portion, we are asking the vendor to come out in their best ‘outfit’ – corporate overview, history, specific identity, financial viability, marquee clients, leadership team, etc. This will be the grand entrance.
Swimsuit – Here the vendors will show some skin in this portion – usability, configurability, etc.
Talent – This portion will cover functionality, technology/integration, global ability, etc.
Interview – This will be the Q & A section from the audience.
These beauty pageants are designed to give the audience a quick overview of five leading vendors and we are looking for creativity in presentations. HRmarketer said it best in their blog on Friday, November 14, when they made several statements including, “I won’t call anybody out in particular, but overall I thought the sales pitches just weren’t very good. Most of them lacked clarity and marketing creativity. The workflow productivity improvement solutions were confusing. Now step it up, folks, ’cause I’ll be watching.”
Here is the schedule of upcoming beauty pageants along with instructions for registering:
November 21 – 11am CST – TMS (Talent Management Systems)
December 12 – 11am CST – HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems)
December 19 – 11am CST – LMS (Learning Management Systems)
January 9 – 11am CST – Mid-market ATS
January 16 – 11am CST – Onboarding
January 23 – 11am CST – EPM (Employee Performance Management)
February 6 – 11am CST – Mid-market HRIS
February 13 – 11am CST – T&A (Time & Attendance Systems)
February 20 – 11am CST – Workforce Planning
March 13 – 11am CST – Compensation Management
March 20 – 11am CST – Succession Planning
As of November 19, 2008, the following vendors have confirmed for the December 19 beauty pageant on Learning Management Systems:
Cornerstone OnDemand, Plateau Systems, and SumTotal.
Watch this blog and our web site for updates on all of our upcoming beauty pageants and register today so you won’t be left puzzled by HR Technology!
Matt Lafata, HRchitect
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Posted by mattlafata
