Your team has worked diligently to improve the visibility of your immigration process from chaotic to predictable. You’ve made noticeable progress and you can continue that success by keeping the momentum going. Now that you’ve built the foundation to take the process to another level, you can begin to optimize it by reviewing results, soliciting feedback, and implementing improvements that will ensure you have a functional and effective immigration program suited to your needs.
The case for optimization
Optimizing the process provides benefits and opportunities for collaboration not only to your team but also all of the end users that have a vested interest in the process. It changes the focus from just employee self-service to a strategic process that easily adapts to the organization’s changing needs. A McKinsey survey reports that as much as 45% of employee activities can be automated by adopting current technologies.
Quality assessment
Your new process seems improved. Requests for updates and answers to questions have decreased. However, you have little verifiable information to corroborate the results. In the current process, there’s no way to assess how well it’s working for employees and you’re not sure how much the process has improved.
HR and employee-related data is critical to measure but is frequently one of the most unreliable. In a Deloitte study, only 15% of participating organizations rated themselves highly for the accuracy of HR data. The ability to accurately measure multiple data points provides a detailed and accurate picture of the success of the process and an opportunity to make necessary adjustments.
Efficiency
An efficient, streamlined process reduces time wasted searching in the wrong places for data and updates. Efficiency in retrieval of data, monitoring individual statuses, and responding to questions is not only a time saver but also reduces costs in staff hours.
Improved accuracy
Improvements to the process ensure that data is accurate and current which produces optimized results and reduces the need for redundancy and corrections.
Adaptability
Optimizing the process supports the organization’s ability to be agile in adapting to changing business or user needs. Adaptability positions the organization for increased innovation and creativity.
Continuous improvement
It’s easier to observe the process in real time and make needed adjustments quickly. A process that is accessible, adaptable and well-documented, creates a foundation for improvement opportunities and fosters collaboration with other business teams.
Employee satisfaction
It’s critical that employees feel that the improved process has given them a sense of control over their own process with more access and visibility into their status. Employee input and participation in their own immigration process enhances their engagement and resulting satisfaction with the business and increases the organization’s retention rate.
Moving from process management to process optimization
Optimization is an ongoing process that will continue to provide opportunities for improvements to the process with more valid results.
Solicit feedback
The end users are in the best position to provide feedback about what’s working and what needs to be modified. Utilize regular pulse surveys to determine:
- Vendor response times and accuracy of information provided
- Employee preferences for communication and information access
- General workstyle preferences
- Efficacy of use by talent teams
Obtaining information about and acting on employee concerns with regards to process visibility remains key to engaging and retaining them. Gallup reports that employee disengagement in the U.S. rose only slightly in 2021 but it still increased to 15% in the first 6 months of 2021. That represents only a slight increase from 2020 which suggests that things are improving slightly.
However, 2021 is also the year of what some are calling The Great Resignation. Actively engaging international employees by providing them opportunities for input and access to the immigration process is one of the most critical strategies that organizations can do to ensure “the great retention.”
Content in this publication is not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. For additional information on the issues discussed, consult a Bridge-affiliated partner attorney or another qualified legal professional.
