Best Buy expanding use of corporate Internet site

Best Buy Co. Inc. is planning to add more human resources functions to its TagZone corporate Internet site within 12 months, Brian Tracy, manager of enterprise portal development, says. Already, corporate staffers and store associates can use the online system to enroll for benefits, review and update personal information, check work history, make changes to their life events which affect their eligibility for insurance coverage and perform other functions. Best Buy is planning to add payroll data and to allow managers to perform performance reviews online.

In addition, Best Buy is looking at adding services that affect workers’ lives outside of the store, such as helping them find day care, offering discounts on entertainment options and possibly even offering some shopping options. TagZone’s HR functions are designed to make Best Buy a better place to work, not reduce costs, Tracy says. “We are not removing head count from HR,” he says. “We want to empower the employees to have flexibility to perform these functions themselves, but we also will still have people available to answer questions.”