Ottawa, ON – December 10, 2009 – Emergency preparedness has emerged as a top priority for many organizations. A lack of continuity planning can result in serious problems, as employers attempt to address challenges such as weather or pandemic related emergencies with insufficient resources, and employees who might not be adequately trained for the tasks they will be asked to perform . Although human resources practitioners are regularly tasked with preparing for these potential disruptions in staffing, supplies or services, they often can’t immediately or easily identify which employees could support various emergency scenarios. With Halogen’s unique Talent Profiles feature, organizations have the added benefit of being able to manage emergency preparedness information.
Halogen Software’s Talent Profiles are an integrated feature of the company’s market leading talent management suite. The highly configurable employee profiles that come standard with the solution, enable organizations to gather the specific employee information they require for emergency planning, making it easy to identify qualified replacement and/or additional staff in times of emergency. Additionally, organizations can define what data fields each employee or group of employees can search/see in the profiles, helping to ensure sensitive information is handled appropriately.
Emergency preparedness encompasses a wide variety of scenarios, many of which can be easily supported in Halogen’s solution. Using these talent profiles, HR can get instant, up-to-date information on their employees, which is essential when creating or executing emergency preparedness projects like pandemic planning in a healthcare setting, or crisis management in the event of a natural disaster.
“As a healthcare organization we face emergency situations regularly, so preparing for numerous scenarios is an organizational priority,” said Teri Manning, Director, Nursing Office Operations/Nurse Recruitment Center, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. “From an HR perspective we are focused on ensuring we have the intelligence and data we need to make the right decisions during the planning and execution stage. Halogen’s Talent Profiles offer us the flexibility to gather the information we need and have it right at our fingertips when we need it.”
With this unique feature, organizations can create a process that requires all employees to update important information that will help HR address planning for multiple scenarios, including which employees:
• Have the appropriate background for disaster planning project teams;
• Are trained in critical functional areas and may be able to assist with emergency tasks for the organization, such as nurses who can deliver specialized types of care required during a crisis;
• Have four wheel drive vehicles and may be able to get to work in extreme weather conditions or provide transportation for other employees; and
• May require special considerations or are at higher levels of risk during specific emergency situations, or those in a healthcare setting that have been immunized.
“One area many healthcare organizations struggle with when faced with an emergency -whether it’s a flu outbreak, or extreme weather conditions – is finding employees that have the right qualifications to fill in,” explained Jim Frain, SPHR, Vice President of Human Resources, South Bend Medical Foundation. “Many positions require specialized training and/or certifications, so not just anyone can step in. Being able to quickly and easily identify staff with key skills and qualifications from our pool of employees will make it easier for us to react quickly in these types of situations. This means we can continue to deliver the quality patient care that our reputation is built upon.”
Halogen’s Talent Profile feature has been recognized industry-wide as an innovative approach to handling employee information. It is included with Halogen eAppraisal, at no extra cost, and works seamlessly with Halogen’s other talent management modules: eSuccession, eLearning Manager and eCompensation. For more information on talent profiles please visit: http://www.halogensoftware.com/products/halogen-eappraisal/talent-profile/
About Halogen Software
Halogen Software is recognized as a market leader by industry analysts and is strongly endorsed by the thousands of HR professionals who use their talent management solutions. The company offers a complete suite of web-based products that automate, simplify and integrate performance appraisals, 360 degree feedback, compensation management, succession planning and learning management. Halogen’s offering makes HR best-practices accessible to companies of all sizes and its healthcare, financial services and professional services specific suites meet the unique needs of these industries. Halogen is consistently recognized by the industry and its customers for its exceptional
implementation and support services. Halogen was named a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for employee performance management software in 2009 and has won multiple awards for its corporate leadership and product innovation, including HR Technology Product of the Year. For more information, visit www.halogensoftware.com.
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