One of the last vestiges…no, I’ll go so far as to say symbol of the good ol’ days of air travel is the 22” x 14” x 9” carry-on baggage allowance. They even still have those measurement boxes at the ticket counters implying that if it fits in that space then it will fit in the overhead bin of your aircraft. Not too likely if you are on a regional jet (or smaller). Sure—you can act like you are going to carry it on. Take it through security yourself, wait in the boarding area with it, even stroll past the gate agent towards the aircraft…your wheelie scooting along the tarmac like a Mercury astronaut’s oxygen tank. Sometimes you even get it on the plane and start the stuffing process before the flight attendant informs you that you’ll need to ‘gate check’ your bag. Want to get an angry look from a flight attendant? Try this. “But the ticket agent said it fit into your measuring box!” I love that look.
So why don’t they either A) Make the bins on the airplanes the proper size or B) Have measurement bins in the terminals that actually reflect the available space on the plane you are getting onto? Sure, it’s great we have these new highly efficient and fast regional jets but the designers seemed to completely forget about the fact we all still have about the same amount of stuff. I’ll explain that at the end of my blog but for now let me ask why in most every HR/PR outsourcing project I’ve been on the people seem to forget all about the size of the baggage too?
In my view, this is because one of the first things the outsourcing companies do is sell you on the new bag. It is just like your old bag—but sleeker, more modern, more efficient. And just LOOK at how it slips into the overhead bin like Cinderella’s toe into the glass slipper. (Disney made it look more like a round toe pump to me but stay with me and the fantasy a bit longer). The outsourcing companies don’t even have to sell very hard—who wouldn’t prefer to carry around the much smaller and lighter bag that fits anywhere. Does it fit into the new, smaller vehicle of choice? Okay then.
This is great until you start going through all your clothes and find stuff you’ve always had, stuff you love, stuff you NEED won’t fit in the new bag. (The old bag even had a special pocket just for my special stuff!). Maybe they’ll let us sow a pocket on the new bag. Nope. This is our standard bag. No pockets.
So it is with many of the features and functions of an organization’s HR or PAYROLL system when they look to outsource (same thing for Kronos or ADP eTime). It isn’t until everyone starts going through each item they currently have before they realize some things we think we still need won’t fit the new model.
Common examples of this are employee demographic information that can no longer be viewed or maintained in the timekeeping system, variations in pay and PTO plans for different entities, and the most common big-toe-in-the-slipper…a formal request process to do things your people just did directly in the system before. Want to get an angry look from a regional HR or Payroll manager? Try this. “But corporate said everyone was on board with the new system.” I hate that look.
Now I am in no way against outsourcing. In fact, I believe many organizations could stand to leave a few extra pounds of legacy policies and practices behind. Wouldn’t it be better though if we measured all this before we committed to a new model. Better if we were not designing so many work-arounds in the eleventh hour to meet a conversion deadline. And by measure I mean do it right—not that out-of-date 22 x 14 x 9 bin the person who sold you your ticket uses but really know where you are going and what all you are going to need when you get there.
The smart companies do. They do a before and after measurement of the WHOLE system and Total Cost of Ownership under the new model—not just narrow in on the HR or PR cost delta. Why do the airlines persist in using out-dated measuring devices when they know it over-states the capacity? Well, this is a consequence of the code-share system that exploded when the major airlines revamped the regional airline system. Basically the regional's inherited most if not all of the operating specifications and programs of their larger sponsors which included their ‘Carry-on baggage program’. As with most things in aviation, there is a pound of paperwork for everything they do and changing it, even a little bit, can cost a fortune. It was easier and less costly for the airlines to just ‘ramp up’ their ramp baggage check capacity. If you watch, it isn’t uncommon to see a first officer or even a captain helping with the ‘gate checked’ baggage at times. And now the airlines even charge for checked baggage. At least someone is benefiting from this.