Climbing the corporate ladder may be as simple as surfing the Web.
Bell Canada announced on Wednesday the launch of e-Human Resources Centre. Running on Technomedia Training Inc.‘s Sigal platform, the Web-based service is available immediately.
May Scally, Bell Canada vice-president of e-business, says a number of companies have been testing the system, but Bell has more than a passing familiarity with Sigal, as it is also Bell’s HR platform. The service comprises more than HR functions like managing employee performance, recruitment and performance appraisal. It also includes online course content and learning management components.
Jean-Pierre Beauchesne, business consultant for Montreal-based Technomedia, says companies stand to save money through the e-learning component, for example, because employees won’t have to be pulled off site for training. On the HR side, companies can better plan for the future through the succession planning function.
“People are leaving so you need to replace them, but who are you going to put in their place? Who is qualified to take that job?” Beauchesne asks.
He says a business can know who is qualified for the position because the system tracks training history as well as categorizes résumés.
“That knowledge is an asset and if you have an asset maybe you’d like to have an inventory of it,” says Beauchesne. “More and more companies are beginning to realize it’s all tied into knowledge management.”
Bell isn’t targeting a particular vertical, but likely candidates are companies with multiple branch offices like the professional business services. In terms of getting the system up and running, Scally says if the e-learning content is already available or just needs some slight customization it can online in 30 to 40 days.
Scally says there will be some up-front costs and a user fee, but this will change.
“We’re going to be reducing the amount of up-front infrastructure investment required by the customer, so that it becomes more and more usage-driven, which feedback from our customer base indicates is really what they’re looking for,” says Scally.
