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Introduction to and how to optimize the hire to retire end-to-end business process

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Applies to: Dynamics 365 Commerce, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Customer Voice, Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Human Resources, Dynamics 365 Project Operations, Dynamics 365 Sales, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

This article introduces the hire to retire end-to-end business process. It outlines how Dynamics 365 products can help organizations manage and optimize their hire to retire processes.

Hire to retire overview

The hire to retire process, also known as the employee lifecycle, is a critical business process that involves various activities from recruiting and onboarding employees to their separation from a company. In the context of Dynamics 365, the hire to retire process is facilitated and streamlined using various HR modules and tools available in the system.

A key portion of the process is defining your organizational structure and planning and then recruiting your workforce. In this stage the organization identifies its hiring needs, employee benefits, and compensation plans, and then begins talent acquisition, the recruiting of qualified candidates. Dynamics 365 includes features to help managers request positions, to recruit, and to streamline communications between departments. It also includes integration capabilities to existing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to help you integrate your data into job boards and external sites.

Once a candidate is hired, the onboarding process begins. Dynamics 365 includes onboarding features that help automate the onboarding process for new employees and to help your internal teams to prepare for the new hire.

The next stage of the process is managing the employee lifecycle, which includes performance management, career development, and succession planning. Dynamics 365 includes employee development capabilities such as the performance management module that automates the performance appraisal process by enabling managers to set goals, track progress, provide feedback, and conduct performance reviews. The system also includes a Learning module that allows employees to access training and development materials and track their progress towards career goals. With the Learning Management System (LMS) APIs you can quickly and easily surface the right courses to your workforce at the right time. HR managers can use tools such as skill gap analysis to identify and develop high-potential employees and create career development plans for them.

Dynamics 365 also includes tools to help with the day-to-day operations of the organization including managing time, leave and absence, and expenses for your workforce. For the HR team, we have features to help you stay compliant, perform audits, track safety incidents, and more. And of course, Dynamics 365 enables streamlined end-to-end integrations with partnering payroll systems via a payroll integration API.

The final stage of the process is separation. Dynamics 365 includes a Benefits management module that enables HR managers to manage employee benefits and retirement plans, ensuring that retiring employees receive the benefits they are entitled to. The system also includes features to help workers who are transitioning (into new roles or management, for example) or offboarding that helps to streamline the process of separating employees from the organization, including the exit interview process and the collection of company property that are tracked through loaned items.

The Microsoft 365 productivity suite can also be leveraged to help improve collaboration and communication within teams and across organizations, streamline business processes and workflows, enhance data security and compliance, and increase overall productivity and efficiency. With its diverse range of tools and applications such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more, Microsoft 365 offers a comprehensive solution for businesses of all sizes to achieve their goals and objectives. Other capabilities can be leveraged through use with tools such as Dynamics 365 Customer Voice, extension through the Power Platform, and integration with products such as Power BI, Dynamics 365 Finance, and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management.

Every organization has variations of the hire to retire process. Here, we define the basic outline for any organization looking to implement a technology solution to support the hire to retire process.

Impact on the organization

A well-defined hire to retire business process can improve efficiency, consistency, and employee experience; conversely, a poorly defined process can result in reduced efficiency, inconsistency, and contribute to a poor employee experience. A well-defined process streamlines the hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, and offboarding processes, while ensuring that each employee goes through the same steps, receives the same information, and follows the same policies and procedures, appropriate for each position or role. This can lead to greater fairness, transparency, compliance, job satisfaction, engagement, and retention. In contrast, a poorly defined process can result in wasted time, resources, costs, confusion, misunderstandings, potential legal or regulatory issues, lower job satisfaction, disengagement, and higher turnover rates.

Stakeholders

Implementing Dynamics 365 to facilitate the hire to retire process involves various stakeholders from different departments and roles. The following are some of the stakeholders who should be involved in the implementation process:

  • HR Team

    The HR team is responsible for managing the hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, and offboarding processes, and should be heavily involved in the implementation of Dynamics 365.

  • IT Team

    The IT team is responsible for implementing and maintaining the technical infrastructure and systems needed to support the Dynamics 365 platform.

  • Finance Team

    The finance team should be involved in the implementation process to ensure that the system is integrated with financial systems and processes and that budgetary requirements are considered.

  • Managers and Supervisors

    Managers and supervisors should be involved in the implementation process to ensure that the system aligns with their department's requirements and that they can manage their team's performance effectively.

  • Employees

    Employees are end-users of the system and should be involved in the implementation process to ensure that the system aligns with their needs and that they are trained on how to use it effectively.

  • Legal and Compliance Team

    The legal and compliance team should be involved in the implementation process to ensure that the system is compliant with legal and regulatory requirements, such as data privacy and security.

  • Project Manager

    A project manager should be responsible for leading the implementation process and coordinating with all stakeholders to ensure that the project is completed on time, within budget, and meets the organization's requirements.

Hire to retire benefits

When your organization plans to implement technology solutions to assist with the hire to retire process, there are several benefits the solution can help provide. These key benefits should be used to determine if the solution is a good fit for your business and to drive the specific business requirements for implementing the solution. These benefits should also be used to create a baseline and metrics for your goals and objectives for the project so that you can measure the success of implementing solutions to meet those business requirements.

Improved efficiency and productivity

Dynamics 365 Human Resources can automate and streamline many of the processes involved in the hire to retire process, such as applicant tracking, onboarding, performance management, and separation. This can reduce the time and effort required to complete these processes, enabling HR teams to focus on other critical tasks, and improving overall productivity and efficiency.

Increased visibility and transparency

Dynamics 365 provides real-time visibility and transparency into the entire hire to retire process, enabling managers and HR teams to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions. This can improve communication, collaboration, and decision-making across the organization, leading to better outcomes and results.

Enhanced compliance and security

Dynamics 365 provides robust security and compliance features that help ensure that sensitive employee data is protected, and that the organization is meeting legal and regulatory requirements. This can reduce the risk of data breaches, non-compliance penalties, and reputational damage, enhancing the organization's overall risk management and governance.

Improved employee experience

When you use Dynamics 365 Human Resources together with Customer Service, Project Operations, Sales, and/or Supply Chain Management organizations can achieve a more engaging and personalized experience for employees throughout the end-to-end hire to retire process. For example, employees can use self-service portals to access and update their personal information, review training materials, and communicate with their managers and HR teams. This can enhance employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention, leading to a more positive and productive work environment.

Better data and analytics

Dynamics 365 together with Power BI and Azure Data Lake with Azure Synapse provides advanced analytics and reporting capabilities that enable organizations to track key HR metrics, such as time-to-hire, retention rates, and employee performance. This can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the hire to retire process and enable organizations to make data-driven improvements and optimizations.

Next steps

If you want to implement Dynamics 365 solutions to assist with your hire to retire business processes, use the following resources and steps to learn more. (Links are added, when the articles are ready.)

  1. Define the goals and objectives of implementing a hire to retire technology solution. Learn more at Implementation strategy.

  2. Define the business process scope of your project. Learn more at Process-focused solution.

  3. Request a demo or a free trial of Dynamics 365 solutions for the hire to retire process. For more information, see Request a demo.

  4. Get an overview of the hire to retire process. Learn more at Hire to retire end-to-end overview

  5. Learn more about Hire to retire business process areas

You can use the following resources to learn more about the hire to retire process in Dynamics 365.