As technology continues to shape business, HR software is becoming ubiquitous across the world as a tool to optimize employee interaction and performance. MarketAnalysis.com predicts the global HR software industry will grow to $2.9 billion by 2022 with an annual growth rate of 2.4%. However, despite the many benefits of HR software, executives who are concerned about the bottom line want to know that they will be getting a return on the investment as quickly as possible. As a critical component of the overall cost of implementing a global HR software solution, localized training is too often overlooked as a way to optimize the return on investment. 

Localized training material of all media types is critical to the success of any global HR software rollout. Although translation does cost money, taking the time to do it right the first time will promote faster ROI on your implementation, enhance user adoption, and contribute to the proper use of the new system.

Get Better End-user Buy-in and Adoption
A software solution is only as effective as the people who use it, and HR software is no exception. Getting employee buy-in and comprehension early on in the rollout process is essential for the ultimate success of the system. If employees become frustrated or confused during the training process, they are less likely to use all of the available software features, they might not use the features in accordance with company procedures, or they might opt out entirely where possible.

High-quality translation of HR software training material helps overcome one of the hurdles of change management. Many employees are reluctant to adopt new systems in the first place. If they do not have access to training material in their native language, it is yet another reason to resist change.
It is a common mistake to assume that just because a company’s universal language is English, employees across the globe will easily learn a new technical skill in English. Even employees who are proficient in English are still likely to struggle with technical software training that is not in their native language.

Save Time and Money
More efficient use and maximum employee buy-in of HR software add up to savings of time and money in multiple ways.

Compliance: One of the key responsibilities of HR professionals is to ensure that the company and its employees comply with local and national employment laws. HR software plays a critical role in this type of compliance, but only if the system is used as intended. Comprehensive HR software training in the native language of every employee can help reduce errors, and subsequently, the costs of non-compliance, contributing to a faster ROI.

Employee Retention: The Association for Talent Development (ATD) has reported that inadequate training contributes to 41% of employees leaving within a year. Investing in translation and localization of HR software training demonstrates a commitment to employee development by helping them achieve success and satisfaction in their jobs.

Business Metrics: Most HR software has built-in reporting tools that allow executives to review and analyze employee data. When every employee is engaged in using the HR software system correctly, this data becomes more complete, and therefore more valuable to the business. Information such as employee turnover rate, hiring costs, and other metrics allow you to run “what-if” scenarios when devising and evaluating new business development strategies. Poor translation of training materials leads to insufficient engagement, which translates to incomplete or inaccurate data entry and, in effect, inaccurate business metrics.

Employee Productivity: A centralized HR tool makes it easier for employees and manager to communicate more effectively. For example, performance-tracking features help define goals for employees and provide a central place for supervisors and managers to make assessments. This improves the productivity of not only HR staff, but every employee. Getting the most from these features requires maximum end-user engagement, which depends on end-user comprehension during training. Without quality translation, you could be missing out on productivity improvements because employees will not fully engage with the HR software.

Read the original post: The Importance of Translation for HR Software Training
Author: Chris Phillips, VP of Production at Venga Global