Despite lip service paid to the idea that employees are a company's greates
t asset, too often they are sacrificed in the name of cutting costs and boo
sting efficiency. But that does not have to be the case. Intensive research
by Boston Consulting Group's Morten Hansen and Michael Deimler reveals tha
t the Internet technology that brought us B2B and B2C is now bringing us B2
E: business-to-employee management. By cultivating employees the way it cul
tivates customers, a company can develop a more satisfied, more productive
work force, achieve greater productivity, cut costs and beat its competitor
s.
Hansen and Deimler identify three components in a comprehensive B2E program
: online business processes, online people management and online services t
o the company community. The mode of delivery is the integrated enterprise
portal, which provides employees with the tools they need to access informa
tion and services at a single location.
When business processes are moved online, both the company and its employee
s gain benefits springing from reduced interaction efforts. Flight crew at
Delta Air Lines, for example, bid for shifts and receive their schedules on
line, which saves the company time and is more convenient for the employees
.
Online people management is driven by self-service and mass customization:
Employees can manage their own training, tailor their own healthcare packag
es and take care of introductory human-resources formalities online.
Online community services are driven by the somewhat counterintuitive notio
n that allowing employees to accomplish certain personal business online at
work will make them more productive. The online marketplace offered by Coc
a-Cola Co. is popular with employees and management alike.
To design a successful enterprise portal, companies should follow the model
of the online store: Supply features that customers (in this case, employe
es) want first, and then add features that the company wants the employees
to use. Building a portal can be expensive, and it requires a high level of
expertise, but the results can transform the company.