You may be considering your HR21 Implementation. This could be a brand new implementation or it could be a move from the older (HR21 version 2) to the newer (HR21 version 3). Either way, it’s all quite a bit different now.

Different in a good way though. This is because HR21 version 3 is much more configurable than the older version.  Gone are the days where you have to contact the vendor and arrange for changes to be made.

What can you do with your HR21 Implementation?

With the new version of HR21 you are now in control of the following:

• The menu layout.
• The forms you want to display.
• The fields you want to display.
• Whether or not a form is updateable or view only.
• Whether or not individual fields are updateable or view only.
• Help notes on forms and fields.
• Notes placed on pages.
• Colour themes and logos.
• Making payment summaries available to employees online.

The big advantage of this is that you can better control your HR21 implementation by making changes when and as required. If you have some skills in-house you can do this work yourself, you can ask the vendor to do the work for you, or you can use an experienced consultant.

How do you do this?

You can undertake your own HR21 implementation by making the following changes in Chris21:

• The Menu Designer. You use the menu designer to create the menu options you want to make available in HR21. Create the menu and then assign this to HR21 user access records.
• The Data Dictionary. This is where you go to customise Chris21. You can now also use it to customise HR21. Use this area to create the HR21 pages to display, including the fields you want to display and their position on the page. Here you can also control whether or not a field is updateable.
• Chris21 security. Configure your security profile to define which forms can be updated and which are view only. Assign profiles and menus to users when setting up user access.

A sound knowledge of these areas is essential. I would recommend using an experienced consultant to help out if you don’t have the skills in-house. The consultant should be able to transfer sufficient knowledge to your Chris21 administrator so that ongoing maintenance can be handled in-house.

The role of Workflow

As a minimum you will be looking to setup your leave workflow so that the leave request process can be managed on-line. Some thought should go into your workflow requirements to ensure it meets your organisational needs.

Some key points to keep in mind are:

• Make sure your organisation structure (REL) is up to date. This defines the reporting structure HR21 workflow uses.
• Consider what to do with ‘broken’ workflows. For instance, if there is no one in a manager position the leave request will go to the fallback manager. Who is the best person for this?
• Consider using workflow escalations. If a manager hasn’t responded to a leave request in a given number of days, the request can be forwarded to the next manager in the organisation structure.
• Make sure you create the relevant email notifications. You will need one each for leave request, leave approval, leave forwarding, delete, decline and reject.
• What types of leave can employees request online? Some leave types may need more than one level of approval. This will need to be built into your workflow definition.

You have the ability to create quite complex workflow definitions in Chris21, so you should be able to create the right workflow for your needs.

As you can see, you now have the tools available to embark on a HR21 implementation that can be configured to meet your specific requirements. In addition, you can make your own changes as and when required. For more information see my blog Employee Self Service Implementations – Ensuring Success.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need advice. I’ve done many HR21 implementations and will be happy to offer advice. Or you can just leave a comment!