The world of technology is driven by innovation and continual change. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of evolving technology we use everyday. The average adult spends 45% of the 15 hours and 45 min he/she is awake using some form of technology. However, our frequent personal use of technology does not necessarily transform into user adoption of workplace technology. One of the biggest challenges organizations face when implementing or upgrading their WFM application is a lack of user adoption. People resist change – it is a cliché because it is true to the extent that organizations often deal with significant internal resistance during the implementation of major systems, especially a system like Kronos which touches every employee. Therefore, dedicating a significant amount of time, energy, and resources into Change Management planning is key to overcoming natural resistance.
User Adoption is defined as:
“Presenting information about a new technology in such a way that it becomes an accepted part of an employee’s work day regimen, ensuring they understand it and accept it as part of what they do.”
In this blog post we will discuss some of the key practices used to ensure user adoption throughout your entire organization, specifically for the implementation of Kronos applications.
A well thought-out introduction coupled with clear communication can significantly improve how employees think and feel about the change they will experience during an enterprise Kronos implementation or upgrade. Create a communication plan to ensure you clearly articulate the decision making process and the implementation process. Make sure to manage the change, monitoring feedback from all parties involved. Unclear communication and misunderstandings are some of the biggest hindrances to user adoption.
Learning a new system or software takes a significant amount of time and energy from your employees, meaning they may not be willing to invest in the change unless you give them a good reason. Ensure you take the time to understand the daily responsibilities of the employees who will be using Kronos. Understand the employees' complaints, pain-points, what they do well and what they don’t like doing. If you understand all of these specifics, you will be able to clearly explain how the application will make those daily responsibilities easier and more efficient, eradicating some complaints and pain-points. You may be introducing new workflows to your employees so plan to make their first impression a positive one. A new workforce management system can be intimidating to employees who have never encountered the system before.
Taking all of the user information you have gathered, develop a customized Kronos training plan. Your training will vary depending on many factors including education, background, and learning style. Address all learning styles and make sure to include real-world examples. Ensure your training is customized and scheduled at a convenient time for your employees. For example, if you schedule training on Friday near the end of the day, you will have a much harder time keeping everyone’s attention than if you schedule training at the start of their shift on Tuesday.
Thorough user analysis after training is complete allows you to tailor future projects to be just as, or more, successful. Survey your employees after each training is completed. The information you receive allows you improve future training. It is a common mistake to assume the training has stopped after the rollout of the learning events. Users will change roles, new users will be hired and the applications will change. No training rollout achieves perfection. A topic may have been missed entirely or misrepresented as part of a user's work-day. These knowledge gaps must be addressed. At day 30, 75, and 100, talk to both managers and employees about their experience working with the program. Update training materials according to their feedback to make sure everyone has what they need to be successful. Training is an essential part of every successful technology adoption. Consider hiring a Kronos training specialist to help you develop re-usable training plans to improve user adoption.
Learn more about building a Kronos Training Plan for your organization by downloading our Training Framework.