Spinning Your Wheels

Today, I started with the usual Monday reports and follow up. Managers were not where they were scheduled and getting things done was a mess. Reporting from the 1/2 dozen or so HRIS systems are a nightmare. I am only getting half of the stores that are under my responsibility in one of them. When I did get the reports, I tried to send emails to get started on development plans. The first send was wrong, so I sent a new one. Two managers called and the second one was wrong, I called corp and they system that manages the data does not generate the report properly. We have to access a web based application where we can access a spreadsheet generated by corp that isn't updated yet. My third email was a major apology and request to ignore everything including instructions on how the managers can access the data that I can't. I emailed the boss to try to pin down when the data would be available. I'll find out when they want us to populate the sheet with the results of the projects that I can't communicate clearly or track because I don't have a report. After attempting to operate in HR in 6 different companies, I have determined that most HRIS "systems" are the equivalent of a patched sock. There is an old database that originally helped manager benefits and/or general employee data, then another system was added to manage applicants and job openings, then another to manage performance processes and data, and then a new system to bolster the old database that attempts to connect the applicant system to the benefits and new hire database. In the meantime, the ability to get a usuable HRIS report in the field erodes to nil. Worse yet, we get to learn 4 more systems that go back to the filling in boxes competency for managers. We begin regularly using the phone a friend option to hope to get anything done. Here's to the tattered sock approach to HRIS, supposedly it is the thought that counts.