Each of Microsoft's business units had its own system for tracking and managing headcount. When managers needed to make a change, they relied on a paper-based transaction process for HR to manually update one of the 18 staffing databases worldwide with the correct information. Twice per week, corporate HR in Redmond, WA, consolidated the 18 databases into a single database for global staffing reporting. It provides Microsoft managers with accurate, current information in a flexible format, allowing them to track and manage headcount information efficiently. A Centralized Application for Headcount Management HeadTrax is particularly useful to managers who need to view and change their organizations rapidly.
Managers can view employees by cost center or by their position in the organizational hierarchy.
Managers can also perform ad hoc queries against organizational data in HeadTrax. For example, a manager can query for all employees with a specific job title in one division of the organization. HeadTrax also enables administrative assistants or other employees working on a manager's behalf to revise data, such as transferring an employee to another department or initiating a new contingent-staff position request. To further streamline staffing processes, HeadTrax allows Microsoft managers to create employee requisitions within the application, which then communicates the requisition directly to Microsoft's U.S. resume tracking system, ResTrac, to begin recruitment for an open position. When a manager opens an employee requisition, HeadTrax sends an e-mail, which contains a reference to the requisition, to the appropriate HR representative for approval.