Last week marked ADP’s 24th Annual Meeting of the Minds conference, attended by nearly 1,400 HR and Payroll practitioners. It was a pleasure to provide the first of twelve topics dedicated to global materials pre-approved for Recertification Credit Hours (RCH) in International Management. Global track sessions focused on the ever-expanding trend toward globalization in the marketplace and ours provided a quick view of the hottest topics surfacing among global clients:
• Global Payroll
• SaaS / Cloud Technology
• Process Harmonization
• Data Security and Privacy
• Mobility and Workforce 2020
During the session, the more than 50 participants considered ways in which these trends might affect their company, their in-flight projects, and their own experiences and value to the global client organization they work in today. While later sessions would focus more specifically on global capabilities met by ADP’s growing technology and services, this one included broad-based discussion of the marketplace and how clients must increasingly navigate a sea of competing technologies and service providers to formulate a sound global HR strategy.
Several participants were interested to know how others were leveraging technologies and services in a similar fashion. While each client’s situation may vary depending on their existing systems to leverage (an ERP system, ADP systems, legacy or no systems) and geographic footprint, one common thread underlies them all: clients benefit most from the guidance of solid marketplace data upon which to base their decision-making. The world of service providers is complex and dynamic, with different “front-runners” and strategic partners in each major part of the world. And while HR is good at ranking transformation and capabilities more highly than cost savings, it is critical to recognize up front that high-impact transformation often requires significant investment. An advisor’s experience with business case and market price ranges can save your client time and effort by replacing high level RFIs with tangible market prevalence and pricing data to better define your direction before courting the market.
In the coming days, delegates interested in understanding global issues in greater depth dove into sessions focused on Canadian payroll, global payroll, mobility and expat services, emerging LATAM markets, performance management, RPO, compensation, benchmarking and benefits. Each of these topics is as deep as it is wide. But, more importantly, how does your company look at its HR landscape?
For an interactive discussion specific to your issues, technologies, and global footprint, I welcome the chance to hear what you’re doing today, what problem you most need to solve, and what keeps you up at night. Why not add some personal color to your follow-on Meeting of the Minds with a brief discussion on what this year’s global hot topics specifically mean for your company?
About the author
With more than 25 years of industry and consulting experience, Julie is an invaluable advisor for enterprises needing to evaluate and assess alternatives for multi-process HR service delivery, including workforce administration, payroll, benefits, compensation, recruiting, technology, learning, and talent management. Julie leads complex global HR assessments and transactions around the world. Prior to joining ISG, Julie worked for nearly a decade as an independent consultant, providing market research, vendor assessments, systems testing and implementation consulting to a broad community of benefits administration vendors and human resources departments. Julie started her career in human resources outsourcing, establishing shared service centers for a national benefits consulting and administration firm. She is a well-published thought leader in her field.
