Bank of America’s new human-resources-by-phone system proves user friendly

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1997 | 12:07 p.m.

When Paula Dorney has a personnel matter in her office, she doesn't walk down the hall to the human resources director any more.

She picks up the phone or goes on line.

Dorney, a senior vice president and district manager in Bank of America's retail division in Las Vegas, said the early response has been favorable to the San Francisco-based bank's new HR Connection service for employees systemwide.

"In time savings alone, I'd say it's been good for the employees who have used it," said Dorney. "The ease of access to the system is great."

BofA employees in Nevada were the first group to have access to the new human-resources-by-phone system, implemented as a resource to give workers immediate access to an automated system or a specialist on a variety of personnel matters. BofA-Nevada employees have had access for about two weeks.

In Nevada, each bank employee was issued a card that explains how the system works. Employees can access the system with a toll-free call between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., or they can connect to an intranet site and navigate a series of pages that will answer most questions.

For example, after entering a Social Security number and a personal identification number, employees can get information on how much vacation time or sick time they have at their disposal or the status of their 401(k) retirement accounts.

They can also order forms by fax, have policies involving family leave or performance evaluations explained or gain access to experts in harassment and discrimination cases.

A Southern Nevada human resources professional said automated systems like BofA's HR Connection will be a growing trend in the workplace as companies downsize their HR functions in a bid to become more efficient.

"When you have somebody as big as BofA, a system like this is great for accessibility and is much more user friendly," said Sharon Powers, general manager of Interim Personnel and president of the Southern Nevada Human Resource Association, which is affiliated with the national Society for Human Resource Management.

"You keep hearing everything about the virtual office and people not having to have an office anymore," said Powers. "We're working from cars, with cellulars and with schedulers with fax capabilities. This (a human resource call center) is just more of that."

Kathi Burke, vice chairman and director of corporate human resources for BofA, was in Las Vegas on Monday, explaining details of the system for department managers, fielding questions and getting comments.

One criticism received at a meeting with managers was a "dehumanizing effect" the system has on bank personnel. Burke responded that the system offers quick access on personnel issues and that employees can choose to talk directly to one of 20 human resource specialists who are among the 80 that staff the call center in Pasadena, Calif.

Burke said the number of employees dedicated to human resources has remained constant systemwide with the new call system, but employee satisfaction is expected to rise as more workers use the system. BofA spokesman Paul Stowell said human resource issues in Nevada had been handled from the bank's Phoenix offices, so there was no jobs shifted here.

Several high-tech companies like Intel, IBM and Cisco have implemented similar personnel calling center systems, but BofA is believed to be the first bank to have the capability, Burke said.