NMU is preparing for the June 1 conversion from PeopleAdmin to PageUp, a new talent management system that offers an expansive suite of modules related to employee recruitment, onboarding and performance. Human Resources will offer a sneak peek of PageUp at its New Automation Open House for NMU staff and faculty from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, in Cohodas 109.
“The nice thing about the new program is that it makes the whole process seamless,” said Rhea Dever, assistant V.P. for Human Resources. “Most employees only interact if they're updating job descriptions, but performance evaluations will all be online in one place. Managers will be able to access the full dashboard of recruitment functions with a single sign-on. Search committees will have a similar portal to assess applicants and communicate within the system rather than through email.”
From an external standpoint, Dever said prospective applicants will have a nicer experience with a clearly branded NMU site that allows them to search for positions and create job alerts. Because it is all mobile-enabled, people can apply remotely from their phones, which isn't possible with PeopleAdmin.
A PageUp onboarding site will guide new hires through initial tasks such as obtaining a laptop, ID and parking permit. It can also be customized to include helpful material relevant to specific positions. The site will also include a link to a video produced by NMU Marketing and Communications that highlights the benefits of the campus work environment.
“Overall, the user experience will be better, with a streamlined look and feel,” Dever said. “There's more guidance language and flexibility. We had put out a [Request for Proposals] at this time last year and worked with purchasing and a core group from both inside and outside HR to select from vendors' offers based on what we could do with the system and the cost. In the end, we're not paying much more for PageUp, but we're getting more out of it.”
With support from IT staff, HR began configuring the whole system to meet NMU's needs in September and is in the midst of user testing. In-person training sessions will be offered in May, leading up to the June 1 rollout.
At its March 18 open house, HR will also share details on its LawLogix electronic system for I-9 forms and the Work Number, which provides automated employment verifications.
“We're always exploring ways that technology can be used to automate and speed up some of the processes that take longer when using paper,” Dever said.