Note taking technology

Hi Kimberley,

I have used digital recorders (Olympus) for all HR meetings since about 2006. As an HR professional the difference it makes is that you move away from being the 'HR clerk' to the business partner who takes part in the process.

There are other unexpected benefits as well:

Using recording technology enforces accountability and standards of behaviour from all participants in the meeting.
Meetings follow a collaborative format as there isn't someone sat in the corner scribbling away frantically.
There can never be a dispute about what was said or not said.
Once employees receive their verbatim copy of the notes it engenders more trust as they know everything is being captured exactly as it happened. Or alternatively, you can just supply a copy of the WMD file. Again, creating that culture of 'nothing to hide here.'
The efficiencies are easy to quantify, how much of your time is spent transcribing meeting notes? If you are working in a busy operational role where there are numerous ER cases taking and transcribing notes is onerous and a complete waste of your hard-won skills.
If you are running a large meeting, say a joint consultation these digital recorders are good enough to pick up all the speakers and again, not being the note taker means you can be a part of the process.

The transcriber I have used for years is a firm called Essential Secretary (essentialsecretary.co.uk/), upload the files to their FTP site and away you go. They do all the typing and send back the finished version. But do, listen back to the recording and cross reference this to the typed notes, to be sure that all acronyms etcetera have been captured correctly.

In terms of changes that need to be made you just need to ensure that all your relevant policies state that all meetings will be recorded.

The only slight con for this process is if you have to go to Tribunal, as it then becomes a lot of paperwork to wade through. But again, it is accurate paperwork.

Oh and always (underlined) carry spare batteries.

Hi Kimberley,

I have used digital recorders (Olympus) for all HR meetings since about 2006. As an HR professional the difference it makes is that you move away from being the 'HR clerk' to the business partner who takes part in the process.

There are other unexpected benefits as well:

Using recording technology enforces accountability and standards of behaviour from all participants in the meeting.
Meetings follow a collaborative format as there isn't someone sat in the corner scribbling away frantically.
There can never be a dispute about what was said or not said.
Once employees receive their verbatim copy of the notes it engenders more trust as they know everything is being captured exactly as it happened. Or alternatively, you can just supply a copy of the WMD file. Again, creating that culture of 'nothing to hide here.'
The efficiencies are easy to quantify, how much of your time is spent transcribing meeting notes? If you are working in a busy operational role where there are numerous ER cases taking and transcribing notes is onerous and a complete waste of your hard-won skills.
If you are running a large meeting, say a joint consultation these digital recorders are good enough to pick up all the speakers and again, not being the note taker means you can be a part of the process.

The transcriber I have used for years is a firm called Essential Secretary (essentialsecretary.co.uk/), upload the files to their FTP site and away you go. They do all the typing and send back the finished version. But do, listen back to the recording and cross reference this to the typed notes, to be sure that all acronyms etcetera have been captured correctly.

In terms of changes that need to be made you just need to ensure that all your relevant policies state that all meetings will be recorded.

The only slight con for this process is if you have to go to Tribunal, as it then becomes a lot of paperwork to wade through. But again, it is accurate paperwork.

Oh and always (underlined) carry spare batteries.