Author: Dwane Lay

VP of Customer Experience

About: Dwane is responsible for analyzing, defining, documenting and communicating HR processes and best practices to Dovetail’s HR product development team and the HR community, as well as working with prospects and customers to analyze their current environment and improve it with technology and process implementation. Prior to joining Dovetail, Dwane was the Director of HR for Missouri Baptist Medical Center, St. Louis MO. He is the author of LeanHRBlog.com and is a well-known presence on the HR social media landscape. Dwane holds an MBA from Lindenwood University in St. Louis, MO, is a certified Senior Professional of Human Resources with HCRI, and has earned a Six Sigma Black Belt. Expertise hr process design, hr technology, technology adoption and implementation

Posts by Dwane Lay:

Five HR Case Management Best Practices

February 6, 2014 Getting into the case management game? Working to improve documentation for your HR help desk? Just looking for some ideas on how to leverage your HR case management system better? Pull up a chair. We've got a few ideas to share with you. Five of them, specifically. 1) Every Day I Write the Book Nothing is more critical to an HR Shared Services team than documentation. Your case management system is only as good as the information you put in, in both quality and quantity. Consistent, robust logs of all calls, emails, personal meetings and research not only help in building your audit trail, but they help the next person with a similar problem solve it faster. The more you share, the more value you get in return. So everything goes in. 2) Imagination is a Powerful Deceiver Just like…

HR Shared Services Center Super Bowl!

January 30, 2014 I imagine a world where HR shared service centers get together to wage friendly battle on a field of green and the profession is cheered by a stadium full of happy employees. Where the HR help desk teams gather at midfield for the ceremonial merit increase coin flip, led by a CEO who has dragged a table along with him (you know, so everyone can have a seat). And as teams line up in their classic Tier 1 formation, the fans look on, munching on their wellness program approved kale chips and sipping pure spring water from their HRSSC Super Bowl souvenir cups. I see the teams engaging in a brutal contest of rapid firing questions about FMLA and 401k programs, while the defense furiously responds with automated emails, documented case studies and all the power employment law can muster. …

The Heart of HR

January 22, 2014 Human resources has been referred to by some as the heart of a business. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has ever been a practitioner. The role was once described to me, quite accurately I think, as part parent, part pastor. Within HR, though, is often another layer of complexity, an internal ecosystem that centers on the HR shared services team. They are very often the difference between employees cursing HR and not even knowing it exists. Which, when you get right down to it, is kind of what you want. When employees talk to the HR help desk team, that means they aren't working. And the longer they aren't working, the more your HR costs. The best case, then, is that employees don't ever talk to HR, and when they do it is brief and not memorable (except…

HR Carnival, Dovetail Style

January 15, 2014 Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside! Yes indeed, we're proud to host the HR Carnival again in 2014. So much great content and great voices in the HR space, and we're just happy to be part of the community. Let's jump right in! Smile, You're In HR! from Tiffany Kuehl over on the P.I.C. page. If working in HR has gotten you down on occasion, bookmarks this post to get you through those rainy days. The immortal China Gorman tells us something that we should all know and remember, Good Ethics = Good Business. Based on the data, this is a lesson we need to make sure has everyone's attention. And since we can't hear it enough, you should also read Leading…

Getting Started with Knowledge Management

January 9, 2014 I'm often asked in implementations the best way to start moving tribal knowledge and expertise into a living repository. What are the steps that need to be taken, and how long should the project last? This is a tough question for anyone working in an HR Shared Services team, where that information is important. HR Help Desk Knowledge Management is generally handled on an ongoing basis, not as an individual project, though you have to start somewhere. If you are building your HR Service Delivery strategy around collaboration and knowledge sharing, this will be an important element. With that in mind, here would be my suggested approach from a process perspective. I'm excluding thoughts on timing, since that may vary based on your situation. You are better off moving at the pace that is right for your team. Take…

SLA Rule Perspectives & HR Service Delivery – Part One

January 3, 2014 Today's post is the first in a two (or more) part series. In working with HR Service Center leaders, we are often called upon to assist in building HR metrics dashboards, which very often include Service Level Agreements (SLAs). For anyone who isn't familiar with the concept, an SLA is essentially a promise to your employees or customers that the HR Help Desk will resolve their issue in a defined time frame. The HR Service Center team is then measured on their performance against this metric. The time allowed for that resolution may be defined as an overall number or, usually, a variable number based on a combination of data elements, such as case type, location, priority, employee position, method of submission or other organization-specific items. Kane Frisby, our Chief Strategy Officer, and I were discussing SLAs recently, and have…

Stand Up or Sit Down

December 4, 2013 As we hit the home stretch of the year, we are inclined to reflect on what we've done, what we missed, and what we could improve on. As I look back on 2013, I can't help but be proud of the work we've done in several areas, not limited to that of an HR case management vendor, an HR shared services consultant, or our work evangelizing about HR technology. I also think about the work we've done with the HR community and beyond. We presented several hours of content for our HR practitioner friends, including live presentations at six different state SHRM conferences, HR Tech Europe, IQPC, LERHN and others. We also either hosted, led or appeared on webinars all year, not to mention appearances on Drive Thru HR and TalentNet Live, both as guest and host. Being a certified…

Building a HR Shared Service Function with HR Case Management

November 5, 2013 At Dovetail, we are very often asked to consult with clients who are building their HR Shared Services team. In many cases, this will include an HR helpdesk function and human resources case management software. This usually includes human resource reporting and human resources analytics, as well as physical and functional setup. While my focus with the team is usually on the HR reporting side, there are a few lessons we've learned when it comes to HR service delivery that apply almost universally. First, make sure you have the right people on the team. There is a myth that if your system is built correctly, you can staff your HR help desk team with entry level call center employees, and they need no experience with HR case management software or functionality. The truth is while our software may make the…

HR Tech Europe – The Show Across The Pond

October 31, 2013 This year, I had the pleasure of attending the HR Tech Europe show in Amsterdam for the first time. It's easy to see why HR leaders, especially those who run HR Shared Services or HR Service Delivery teams, would be willing to fly from around the globe for the show. And it's not just to visit Amsterdam. Marc Coleman and his team have put together a show that has grown in leaps and bounds in the last three years, and offers some serious value to those who make the trip. First, the atmosphere is one that every HR leader begging to be taken seriously should celebrate. A professional atmosphere, free of boondogglers and junketeers, marked by HR leaders dressed for a business conference, and vendors attired to match. I saw only one booth (and honestly can't recall who it was)…

HR Tech 2014 – The View From The Booth

October 21, 2013 I love HR Tech, but you probably knew that. Being part of the Dovetail team has given me a very different perspective on it, though. In the past, most of my time was spent in the sessions, which are great. This year, our booth was so busy, I didn't get much of a chance to step away. I found, though, that you can pick up some great information as a vendor without wandering far from home. The attendees this year were, I think, more educated than I've seen in the past. I'm basing this on the number of people who really knew what they were looking for, as opposed to wandering the floor with glazed eyes. I was part of several conversations around how the technology market has evolved lately and what it means to them. They are more concerned…

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