One of the most exciting things about developing new software happens when you realize the platform you’ve created can actually do many more things than you intended. That was when things were back in dreamland and still on the drawing board.

Let’s start with the legend. Back in the 1970s, a popular TV actor did a television commercial for dog food. In it, Lorne Greene told the world he fed his own dog Alpo. Soon after, the rumor spread that the president of Kal Kan dog food personally ate a can of the stuff at a shareholder’s meeting to prove how delicious and nutritious the product was. Yum, right?

Congratulations, HR!  You’ve hired well. The paperwork’s in order. Your new employee’s met the team. They understand the expectations of their job and where to find the tools they need to meet them.

The happiest and most frequent reason your employees take a leave of absence is the arrival of a new family member. Maybe it’s Dad who stays home with the baby. Maybe it’s Mom. Whoever takes on the full-time new parenting role is going to have a great time—and be away from work long enough for the work environment to change and evolve. In some parts of the world—here in the Czech Republic, for instance, that’s usually two years. In other countries, parental leave may be as short as three months. While individual needs and experiences may and do vary, the fact remains that the new parent who’s been changing diapers and singing lullabies for months or even years is going to have some catching up to do when s/he comes back to work.

To adopt new HR software or not to adopt new HR software? That is the question. Is it nobler to keep on struggling with sluggish and expensive processes or take a chance on something that promises to work better?

Whoever first said “A penny saved is a penny earned” obviously didn’t work in HR. Anyone whose job it is to find, sign, train and keep qualified employees knows that “penny-wise, pound-foolish” is the more appropriate aphorism.