How Construction Companies Use KanBo to Facilitate Effective Knowledge Management in HR

In our information-driven economy, there is no sector including construction that can hope to survive without building a comprehensive knowledge base.

Whether a new employee is searching for training manuals or a seasoned veteran is looking to double-check a certain company policy, the presence of a quickly accessible knowledge hub ensures organization-wide efficiency. From health coverage and pension documentation to business rules to orientation, and far beyond, human resource departments are the guardians of some of an organization's most essential information that workers frequently require access to. In the absence of an adequate solution in place, distributing information and addressing inquiries may take up an undue amount of the company's time, driving other vital activities down the priority list.

That's why deploying an HR knowledge management system is a terrific approach for HR professionals to recoup some of that valuable time. This way they can make a diverse variety of information and responses accessible for workers. When a robust HR knowledge management technology is completely integrated and utilized intelligently, HR teams find themselves in a much better position to conduct daily operational activities without wasting time on repetitive tasks and queries.

KanBo offers construction organizations a complete and feature-rich knowledge management platform that can be deployed on any type of IT infrastructure. With the implementation of KanBo, HR departments of construction businesses have the capability to create informational hubs with complete transparency so the right information can reach the right people in time.

HR Knowledge Management & Its Importance in the Construction Industry

An HR Knowledge Management system makes it possible for everyone in the organization to have convenient access to view and modify all of the firm's HR papers, guidelines, records, and expertise. The importance of this central database is that it provides round-the-clock availability of HR information for all workers, irrespective of their function, position, or seniority. This decreases staff dissatisfaction, the risk of receiving obsolete or incorrect information, and the burden of HR workers who are no longer required to provide answers to the same queries.

While informational fragmentation may not appear to be a huge problem, it can have a significant effect when the issue is spread across an entire enterprise. It has been revealed that a large number of workers spend more than five hours each week searching and waiting for the right information. Management of HR knowledge is a simple means of reducing the roadblock in HR as a primary source of critical information for workers across a business. HR management in today's corporate environment is about getting the correct solution and getting it fast. There is a quick, practical, and simplified response to that mounting challenge: deployment of HR knowledge management systems.

Even though this all sounds good, nothing much will improve unless HR knowledge management is implemented. Although a locally developed HR management system or shared drive may seem like an easy solution, ultimately it will not provide the amount of control and intelligence that construction businesses are looking for. In order for HR departments to handle information effectively, a comprehensive solution must be found.

For HR knowledge management, begin by setting up a team that will establish the project's parameters before deciding on a solution. This group may also be tasked with developing an implementation strategy and a training program to promote widespread adoption within the firm.

During the pre-planning stage, it is important to keep the following points in mind:

• Preparing and deploying an HR knowledge management solution by collecting all relevant information.
• Defining a plan and timeframe for filling the HR knowledge management system with accurate and relevant content.
• Establishing an overall structure for how the data will be presented.
• Implementing access restrictions and permissions that may be tailored to suit the needs of each user.
• Planning training materials to introduce the new system to the whole company.

The Sustainability Objective for Construction Organizations

In order for construction enterprises to meet their climate goals, they will need to make investments in research and development activities pertaining to environmentally responsible production and consumption methods. It is imperative that the building industry places a high focus on climatic and environmental concerns if it hopes to be effective in recruiting younger people to work in the industry. This is particularly true when taking into consideration the fact that climate change and other environmental problems are among their primary concerns.

Even if the technological and economic models that are in use now are able to bring about a reduction in carbon emissions, new approaches will be required in order to achieve climate stability in the future. To solve the issue of environmental sustainability, there must be an emphasis on innovation in every aspect of the field, including how companies manage HR knowledge. As more advanced technologies become available, there is a growing need for digital solutions that are superior in terms of both their quality and functionality.

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations has suggested a new goal that's closely related to the construction industry. This objective is called Goal 9 and it promotes industrialization along with an economic growth approach that is both sustainable over the long term and available to a large number of people. Additionally, it pushes multinational corporations to invest in and create a supportive environment. In addition to this, organizations are compelled to take on this work because they want to achieve the objective of cultivating an atmosphere of innovation that is fostered by continuous research and development.

The following are some of the environmental goals that construction businesses should attempt to achieve:

• The development and installation of infrastructure that is both safe for the surrounding ecosystem and officially recognized, as well as the adoption of PPP principles. Aside from that, it is important to continue expanding the system of telecommunications, constructing new transportation infrastructure, and maintaining and expanding industrial participation and activities.
• This includes the promotion of workplace health and safety in addition to the provision of health services and participation in sports activities for employees, in addition to the development of real estate in the healthcare sector as a whole, as well as the expansion of real estate in general. Corporate sponsorship and citizenship programs should be established as a means through which to provide assistance to the communities in which construction companies are active.
• The government should be responsible for ensuring that all employees have access to a broad variety of options for continuing education, which should include the creation of higher education institutions and their oversight. In addition to this, there should be support for intellectual efforts, connections with academic institutions, engagement in corporate social responsibility and sponsorship programs that help the next generation of talent, and participation in a variety of other activities.
• It is essential to guarantee that the installation of flood protection and treatment facilities is coordinated with the development of water supply systems, as well as wastewater treatment and disposal systems. During every stage of the construction process, businesses should exercise prudence in order to minimize their impact on the surrounding environment to the maximum degree feasible.
• Greener building practices and more sustainable public works projects need to go hand in hand with the expansion of energy infrastructure. Firms in the construction industry, as well as companies in other sectors, should be the ones to create and execute alternative energy initiatives.

Key Benefits of HR Knowledge Management

Ensure Compliance with Laws and Regulations

It is no secret that the construction industry is heavily regulated. It means that the HR department in every construction organization needs to stay on top of a multitude of industry-oriented regulations and legislation along with general labor laws. These may include safety regulations, employment laws, union agreements, and other types of regional and federal guidelines. If there are foreign employees, HR also needs to ensure compliance with immigration regulations. All of this adds to the complexity of HR knowledge management.

In order to get this initiative right, construction companies can rely on professional corporate lawyers to ensure adequate knowledge management. For instance, a construction lawyer can help large-scale enterprises with solution-oriented legal advice to minimize business and contractual risks while reviewing and finalizing a diverse range of contracts and agreements including warranties, letters of intent, NDAs, bids, and more. On the other hand, a senior legal counsel can collaborate with different teams including engineering, procurement, health and safety, sustainability, quality assurance, human resource, and finance to ensure your organization is acting within the legal boundaries.

Standardize Work and Business Processes

It is possible to have a centralized repository for an HR knowledge management solution. Everybody has access to the same information, which reduces the risk of errors, reduces conflicts and misunderstandings, and facilitates the process of acquiring information and knowledge, enabling workers to move ahead swiftly and in accordance with strategic priorities. Obtaining HR responses from a singular digital library might be tricky if there isn't a uniform methodology in place to ensure consistency.

HR's work will become a touch simpler if businesses implement the requirement that workers use the HR software solution to answer queries before contacting HR. Cloud-based human resource knowledge management tools are being used by small and medium businesses along with large enterprises. You can even get software like KanBo that automates the procedure of recruiting a new employee by adding it to your system and sending a series of email notifications that collect, evaluate, and retain signed paperwork.

An array of knowledge base resources is available to current workers. Knowledge bases can be compared to library services. You may find all of your organization's policies and documentation in an organized fashion. Using this central hub, you can provide your employees with all the knowledge they desire at any given time, from vacation rules to regulations and training.

Enable High-Performance Decision-Making

There's more to HR knowledge management solutions than simply offering a repository of information. Utilized to its maximum extent, it has the ability to provide important information about the health of an enterprise as well as possible threats. With the "Latest Updated" timeframes available, HR departments can stay on top of the rules and documents that warrant updating. Human resources departments can use information like which division utilized the knowledge management system the most and which records were the most often browsed to determine where extra training or explanation is required. Better streamlining the flow of HR data is possible via the use of a knowledge management system that enables workers to pose questions and receive explanations within the same platform.

HR departments can plan future paperwork and adjustments more precisely when they have immediate access to data-based insights. As a result, it can assist teams in avoiding problems that have already occurred instead of dealing with them again and again.

Manage Permissions and Control Dispersion of Knowledge

Using HR knowledge management, workers may search and obtain the information they require on their own, even without the intervention of HR. It's possible that employees may get overburdened with knowledge if it's all made available to them at once. Adequate privileges and position-based access restrictions may be implemented to alleviate this problem. Since not all personnel should really have access to all of the organization's HR records, policies, and contracts, this is significant from a commercial standpoint. Staff will have an easier job using the HR knowledge management platform since the information they want is readily available.

It should be kept in mind that informational transparency is usually at the core of operational efficiency and high productivity. Employees who believe in the future of the company are more likely to be actively involved in their job roles as compared to those who don't have as much faith in the organization's future. If there is a gap in knowledge, it can directly lead to poor decision-making and a lack of growth and innovation. That's why it is imperative for a construction organization to achieve the right balance of transparency and control.

For enterprises with a vast global reach, specialized authorization is essential. There may be data that has to be tailored to meet the needs of a certain governmental body. As a consequence, it's critical to provide rapid, simple, and unambiguous access to accurate information for all personnel at every facility. Accessing incorrect information can have serious ramifications for the company. An individual's chances of receiving erroneous information are reduced by the flexibility of creating job-based access restrictions and tailored permissions.

Make a Central Repository of Existing Knowledge

Because time is such a precious resource, there is no need to waste it by repeatedly providing the same answers to queries or searching for a document that has already been produced. This is the reality for the vast majority of HR departments since they lack a single source of truth to which their company’s workers have access. Worse yet, an HR worker could recreate a report that already exists, just because they are unaware of its existence or are unable to locate it. Even while it may not be a major concern if it just happens once, wasting important HR resources by needlessly drafting paperwork, procedures, and so on several times is a wasteful practice.

When it comes to human resource knowledge management, having a platform that is well-structured makes it simple for employees, even those that are geographically separated, to know precisely what already exists and what truly needs to be developed. Even though a new policy draft or plan has to be produced, it is possible for organizations to reduce the amount of time and resources required to develop something completely new by building off of an existing document instead of starting from ground zero. In many instances, the knowledge and foundation are already in place; however, some areas might need minor adjustments, editing, or modernization.

Deliver a Better Experience to Your Employees

Posing a question and afterward having to wait forever is one of the most aggravating things that can happen in today's fast-paced business environment. Unfortunately, a majority of times you will inquire about something, wait, then send a reminder, then wait a little more. When there is just a single HR department responsible for the whole firm, it is easy for straightforward queries to get buried in the routine of day-to-day operations, putting employees in limbo. This barrier is virtually completely removed by using a knowledge management system for HR. If the infrastructure is well organized, and if the appropriate job-based access restrictions are in place, then all of the workers will be able to obtain the information they want in a more expedient and less difficult manner. This implies that staff in human resources will spend a much-reduced quantity of time responding to inquiries and looking for the appropriate documentation.

The method in which individuals are accustomed to obtaining information is taken into account by consolidated human resources knowledge management. It is possible to improve the worker experience by giving individuals the ability to acquire immediate answers directly without having to wait for an official response. This not only builds confidence among workers but also has the potential to enhance performance, as workers are more likely to be able to find solutions to their problems and move on without lingering over them for days.

Once a knowledge management system has been implemented, it will be much simpler for geographically distributed HR departments to acquire the information they want. For instance, if your branch needs to design a strategy that is unique to the office, you are able to instantly review what other offices have accomplished or check organizational policies to verify that you are in alignment with the larger business without actually sending a dozen emails to obtain all of the information you want.

Enhance Onboarding Experience for New Recruits

It is not exactly a secret that onboarding experience can largely define a new employee's attitude toward your business and organization. While onboarding packets usually created and distributed by the HR department can be useful, they are easy to lose and complex to update on time. According to a number of reports, subpar onboarding can cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars every year - the larger the company, the bigger the potential cost.

When personnel onboarding is moved to the HR knowledge management system, it becomes much more convenient for HR to enter additional information and quickly amend any current information as required. Additionally, it provides workers with an easy method to obtain the information they want at any moment, even many weeks after their commencement date, when a typical onboarding package may well have been misplaced. It fulfills a double function to acquaint new workers with this effective component for doing business by enabling them to acquire information pertaining to the onboarding process in the very same location where they would subsequently go for general organizational and HR information.

With a comprehensive HR knowledge management solution in place, construction companies and contractors have the opportunity to enhance the workforce experience, cut down onboarding duration, and lower the expenses of inefficient onboarding procedures if they streamline the HR component of the incoming employee onboarding process.

Improved HR Knowledge Management with KanBo

Every construction firm desires technology channels that can centrally manage all of its activities and duties. The scalability and versatility of KanBo's task and knowledge management platform might be advantageous to any construction company. When it comes to interdepartmental cooperation as well as the generation of new ideas and breakthroughs, construction companies are no longer required to construct information-restricting barriers. Even if an organization has a hierarchy of authority, KanBo can accommodate it.

KanBo Is the Digital Headquarters for the C-Suite

Using KanBo, employees may quickly access vital information like goals and projects, work assignments and skills, and internal communications. On an agile work and knowledge management platform, senior management may create a virtual base of operations and information, if desired. The construction industry's executives will now have quick access to data and analytics presented in a highly visual way. The innovation strategy of a business may benefit from a quicker and more precise decision-making process.

KanBo offers a Low-Code Platform for Citizen Programmers

Faster application delivery and less manual coding are the sole benefits of a low-code approach mentioned in this passage. It is now possible for non-programmers such as project managers and business analysts to design and develop mobile applications. Reducing IT backlogs and eliminating shadow technologies may allow non-technical personnel to have a greater impact on the firm. This is why the knowledge management system is now more efficient than ever as innovative new technologies are being created.

An Excellent Choice for Those Who Do Not Code

Both developers and non-developers may create application software without conventional computer programming. Those at the top of an organization who do not know how to code may be unable to do their duties efficiently. The key advantage of employing a platform like KanBo as a no-code solution is rapid application development. As the number of mobile employees increases and software knowledge becomes scarcer, organizations increasingly depend on these platforms for help.

Information Professionals Use KanBo as a Workflow Management Tool

Processes are long-term actions required to achieve a certain objective. The KanBo knowledge management platform equips HR as well as employees with the tools essential for effective project management. Using the software's components, several teams and departments can effortlessly interact with one another.

Final Word

Employees are by far the most significant assets a company may have in the construction sector. The finest construction businesses have HR departments whose jobs and functions revolve around looking out for the employees' well-being. HR works with each employee to motivate and engage them while also adding to the overall performance of the company. The most effective strategy for your human resources department to assist your business in being renowned as a destination where competent people would choose to work is to adhere to the best guiding principles for how to recruit, train, promote, and keep qualified professionals through effective HR knowledge management.

KanBo software has every capability to act as your construction organization's single source of truth removing the need for fragmented informational silos and distributed communication channels. With KanBo, construction companies can develop and optimize excellent HR knowledge management practices that play a substantial role in streamlining operations and delivering resource efficiencies.