Subject Matter Minute, Episode #57 – Introduction to NEOGOV

Hello and welcome to another Subject Matter Minute, I’m Matt Nagy, thanks for joining me! So there’s been a new development in the Nagy family recently. (felt like it was time for an update) Due to the physically debilitating nature of Dental Hygiene, which is what my wife does, she decided that she needed to reduce her hours. Unfortunately, that didn’t work for the Dentist she had been working for for the last 10 years, so she started looking around. We found that there were a ton of jobs available in Colorado. Like most sane people, we love Steamboat and Tanna was able to snag a great job there. So, yeah… she’s commuting to Steamboat now. Kinda crazy, I know! She works 3 days a week, which means she leaves early morning Tuesday and comes back to Laramie Thursday evening. The only reason we can pull this off is because we have some friends who have a second home outside of Steamboat and for a nominal fee, they let Tanna stay there two nights a week. She loves it, so what can you do? It’s our new reality. 

Alright… for this episode, I want to thank HRD’s very own Jared Hanson for helping me out with the information. Thanks Jared, as always! Today we are going to talk about a new suite of software by a company called Neogov.

So, what is Neogov? All of us have, obviously, applied for a job at one point or another for the State of Wyoming, right? Well, if you did so in the last 10 years or so, the website that you used is Neogov. Neogov is the current system utilized to build job postings, advertise jobs, and collect applications. The system is managed by the Department of Administration & Information – Human Resources Division, but is obviously used by many more. Up until this point, this is all Neogov has been used for. Well, after a tedious RFP process, the state’s use of Neogov is expanding.

Some of you may recall a few years ago, hearing something about the Government Efficiency Commission. This commission was tasked with identifying opportunities in state government that could increase efficiency and reduce costs. As a result of these efforts, many recommendations were made – one of which was consolidating HR systems. All of us are familiar with the PMI system, Saba Talent Space. This was the system we had been using to complete performance evaluations. This video is not about that process – I know we all have mixed feelings about that. Instead, this video is to prepare you for some upcoming changes in PMI and other areas as a result of HRD’s efforts to consolidate systems. 

So, what does all of this mean to you and I? You may have seen something from your HR team during the PMI Planning Phase about Saba Talent Space going away. This is indeed true. As I mentioned, HRD completed multiple RFPs over the course of the last year –and– Neogov was selected as the vendor, not only to use them for what we have been using them for… recruiting, but also for conducting performance evaluations. As we speak, the PMI Continuous Improvement steering committee group is meeting to discuss changes needed with PMI and how these can be incorporated into the new Neogov system. In the meantime, PMI is on hiatus. (I’m guessing some of you look a little too happy) Look for more information to come from the committee as decisions are made.

I’m sure that this means more training to come. One of the hats I wear (besides this amazing show) is training, so yes, sadly for many of you, I enjoy creating training. As many of you supervisors remember from the previous PMI training.  The part that I’m most excited about, and that you guys might be the least excited about is that Neogov will be providing the State of Wyoming a new learning management system. This is where trainers put training. It allows trainers to build courses and conduct statewide or agency-specific training. This won’t change how you access certain training. ETS still has its own training platform and many agencies offer job-specific training utilizing a variety of platforms. So, this won’t be a one-stop shop…at least initially… we hope to eliminate some training platforms over time. HRD is building a training unit that’s part of HR Centralization so there will be more workforce development and HR compliance training available in the future. Once built, these opportunities will all be found in Neogov.

The changes that include Neogov don’t stop there. Other modules that are in the plan include onboarding and eforms. I’m sure everybody has had a different experience, positive or negative, as it relates to onboarding. This is something that HRD hopes to improve with HR Centralization. Neogov should make the process more efficient and hopefully make the experience a positive one for all the new employees. 

Eforms is document and workflow management software. It is HRD’s hope that manual forms can be converted into an electronic format using this software. Yes – it’s about time! 

Unfortunately, I don’t have a sneak peek for you at this time (that will be a future SMM), but if you are interested in learning more right now, feel free to visit neogov.com. (I put some links below) They have a full list of all their products and some good reading material about the modules mentioned. 

Again, this process has just started. As timelines and other expectations are established, they will be shared. In the meantime, if you have any feedback about HR systems or processes used in the past, please let someone on your HR team know. We will be using Neogov for many years to come and are hopeful that this system will work for everyone, not just HR- employees, supervisors, everyone. 

Alright, I gotta go. I promised my wife that I would telework from Steamboat this week – she’s been missing me a bit – so I got to get my pile ready as we leave at 5:30 in the morning.

Oh…. one last thing. There are two fabulous state employees out there that are getting hitched this weekend. I want to say congratulations to Seth and Laura! Can’t wait to celebrate, and sweat, with you guys in the 98 degree weather of Thermopolis! Bye everyone…