FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Two primary resource commitments are required:

1. People - In order to effectively create ownership of the membership and execute on technical requirements, Infohrm asks each organization to appoint an HR project manager and a technical lead. The project manager organizes on-site workshops, training sessions and annual briefings, as well as represents the company at pan-membership meetings. The technical lead manages extract script development and data quality assurance; and
2. Time-Fulfilling the roles described above typically requires an average of 2 to 8 hours per week for the project manager and 2 to 4 per week for the technical lead. However, due to the project nature of the work, periods of more intensive activity are interspersed with lulls. This is especially true of the technical work, which is intensive (20 to 80 hours) in the first four to eight weeks of membership.

To date, we have worked with all of the major HRIS systems, including PeopleSoft, SAP, Frontier, Oracle etc… With regard to staffing systems, we have worked with PeopleClick and WebHire, as well as a number of home-grown systems. We have yet to encounter insurmountable technical obstacles in obtaining data.

No. The only software requirement is a standard Internet browser (preferably Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher) equipped with Adobe Flash (a free plugin). There is no new software to install or license and no additional systems to maintain.

In order to ensure that Infohrm can effectively build the extract to dump the data tables out of the necessary application databases, 40 to 80 hours of IT time are required up-front to configure the extract script. Subsequent to the initial extract, which includes one to four years of history, a day is required per quarter to refresh the extract, encrypt, and transfer the files to Infohrm.

Our work to date indicates that most companies possess more robust data in their systems than is commonly perceived, as a result of the data required to administer payroll. Recognizing, though, that this is not a universal truth, we would propose a joint conversation with your HRIS systems administrator before concluding that this issue is prohibitive to participation.

Neither event precludes organizations from participating fully in Infohrm. Upgrades present little additional work for the member -extract scripts must be updated and tested against the new system. System changes (e.g., legacy to SAP or JDE to Peoplesoft) require substantial additional work by both the member and the Infohrm team and therefore carry an additional one-time charge. Much of the work of the first three months of membership must be repeated, and the old system’s data structure must be mapped to the new system.

Infohrm has a Data Privacy Policy that is available via our website. All of our staff are aware of and are trained in this policy and its requirements. Infohrm also has an Information Security Management Forum (ISMS) with representatives from across the business. This forum takes responsibility for overseeing the implementation and maintenance of formally documented and audited security practices and policies. We take great pride in our attention to detail around security and are constantly reviewing our operational practices and our workplace environment for security vulnerabilities and improvements. We actively practise open and honest communications around security with any current or prospective member organization as an integral part of developing the Infohrm ISMS.

The Infohrm website requires authentication by use of log-in IDs and strong passwords. Infohrm uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) with 128-bit encryption of communications between a user’s Web browser and the Infohrm Web server. Please ask for a copy of the Infohrm Security and Technology Overview Whitepaper to learn more.

As a rule, Infohrm will not accept data sets that contain personally identifying information that has not been de-identified prior to transmission to Infohrm staff. In these cases the data provided to Infohrm is not considered personal data and in nearly all cases, the requirements of various data privacy laws do not apply. However under some circumstances members may want to provide more sensitive information to Infohrm because they wish to view this information on their websites (e.g. in support of a Drill Through to Detail solution).

Infohrm offers a number of solutions for providing an extremely high level of protection for this information under these circumstances; ensuring that the content of these data fields is secured permanently via encryption so that their unencrypted form is never disclosed as part of data processing and preparation. None of these processes will impact the website construction process or the functionality of the published website; nor will they prevent users within member’s organizations from being able to view the unencrypted or real values in these data fields when using the website. Contact us for more information about our security solutions.

Yes. Many members use the website for both human capital and HR functional reporting. Common HR process measures include Payroll Error Rate, Manual Check Rate, and New Hire Transaction Timeliness.

While participation in Infohrm includes a standard set of the workforce metric definitions - based on our early research into the most commonly used definitions - companies are welcome to utilize customized definitions if desired. As a result of the transactional data sourcing methodology used to construct the website, our staff can apply customized decision rules to metric calculations.

Yes. The website administrator can define roles with various information viewing privileges. An individual’s access can be restricted

1. By metric, e.g. users outside HR cannot view the HR Expense per FTE metric
2. By data "cut", e.g. only certain HR users can cut data by salary band
3. By depth in the organizational chart, e.g. business managers can see aggregate results for other business, but only drill down into their own results.

Yes. See the above discussion about roles.

Yes. A Drill Through to Detail solution can be provided as an addition to the standard product offering. Infohrm offers a number of solutions for ensuring an extremely high level of protection for the sensitive information supporting Drill Through to Detail. Additional information on this solution and our security solutions can be made available on can be provided on request.

Infohrm memberships differ from traditional benchmarking approaches in three ways. First, benchmarking is one among many membership services (human capital, user training, executive education, consulting, etc.). Second, the Infohrm benchmark program relies on transactional data and common formulas, requiring no data collection on the part of the participant and ensuring the highest degree of comparability. Finally, benchmarks are integrated into member websites and superimposed on the company’s own results.

An initial website will be published for your review and verification 8 to 10 weeks from the date that the initial data extract is transmitted to Infohrm. Consequently, if a company is interested in pulling forward the go live date of its website, it is important to prioritize the work around extract configuration, file transmission, and verification of the initial website.

We can deliver a human capital website to you quickly and inexpensively by sharing the application development costs across many members and by specializing staff to develop process expertise. The current website application represents a very significant development investment made across the past decade. The data team processes 80+ member data sets in a narrow window of time at the close of each quarter. By partnering with other large organizations, you too can benefit from this well-developed capability.

Yes! Please contact Infohrm to request a demonstration.