What is HRIS?
An HRIS is used to automate many different HR workflows, such as payroll, perks administration and attendance records. It’s also an effective tool for organising and storing employee data (in the case of HRIS systems, this is usually quantitative data).
Compared with other HR management systems, an HRIS works with quantitative data, such how often employees are absent, how long their shifts are, and payroll data. An HRIS can help you streamline these various processes – it can analyse data you input and use this to improve different areas of productivity. An HRIS is usually part of a suite of HR systems, known as a human resources management system (HRMS).
Why choose an HRIS?
If your business is growing, and you’re looking to speed up processes, then an HRIS can be useful to you. It’s especially useful if you’re working with numerous employees across the country and need to organise all of their data in one place. If you’re working with remote employees around the world, a cloud-based HRIS can also be a great solution for managing employee data.
What can you use HRIS systems for?
HRIS systems can be used for a range of different purposes, and many tools on the market encompass most HR processes that use quantitative data. Some HRIS tools hone in on automating specific types of HR processes.
These systems are also usually cloud-based, which means that you can access them remotely and across multiple devices. Another advantage of using a cloud-based HRIS system is that you can often integrate these systems with other software that you’re using. You could use HRIS systems to manage the following key areas of your HR strategy:
- Streamlining recruitment and onboarding processes
- Employee engagement
- Performance management
- Managing employee attendance
- Creating an employee self-service system
- Managing and calculating employee pay
- Real-time analytics based on employee data
- Identifying employee lifecycles and gaps in the workforce
- Creating a visual overview of your business’s organisational structure
Therefore, HRIS systems are useful because they can handle much of the administrative work your HR teams would otherwise handle. Once the pressure is off them, they could focus on more urgent and important tasks which can’t be completed by automation.
Why is automation important?
Automation can be useful as it minimises the amount of human input that’s needed in order to complete tasks. Automation technology also reduces the risk of human error and the number of repetitive tasks your team has to complete – thereby freeing up their time for more crucial, urgent tasks that require their specialist knowledge. Next, let’s assess some other key benefits of using an HRIS system, so you can decide whether this could be a good option for you – and why.
Benefits of using an HRIS system
HRIS systems can be useful for your entire company – not just your HR staff. That’s because they could benefit your financial and accounting teams: they can be used to automate your payroll, for example. Let’s look at some other ways that HRIS systems could benefit your business:
Assist in compliance
HRIS systems could potentially support your efforts to stay aligned with changing business requirements by helping you organise information in one place. They can also automate certain administrative tasks that may assist your team in managing data in line with your organisation’s policies.
Keep your information more accurate
HRIS tools can help your team calculate payroll more efficiently by consolidating information in one place, which may reduce the likelihood of manual errors. Even if you’re a small or medium-sized business, automated payroll systems can be useful, as they can help reduce the number of errors you make during the process of paying your employees.
HRIS systems can also help reduce errors across any HR task, workflow, or schedule, as data is consolidated in the system and paper-based filing is eliminated.
Improve employee data security
The advanced cybersecurity facilities that come with many HRIS tools could protect your employee data more effectively than other storage methods. As your employees will be trusting you with their financial details, addresses, medical records and other private data, storing their data as safely as possible is likely a priority.
Manage the employee lifecycle
Managing your employees’ lifecycles is a large component of your HR team’s everyday schedule. However, by automating some repetitive aspects of the lifecycle process, you might be able to free up valuable time for your team.
For instance, you might be able to automate the onboarding process by offering new employees a self-onboarding process or providing them with an automated welcome pack and email. When these basics are covered by an automated process, your HR team can focus on the more human side of managing the lifecycle, such as introducing new employees to their team and company management.
HRIS systems can automate sending out the prerequisite paperwork that new employees have to sign, including the processing of e-signatures, and help your employees keep track of any signed supporting documents.
Finally, HRIS systems can help you to manage, organise and safely store any employee training records that you might have. This can include keeping note of any training completed, certification information and the progress that employees have made on certain training courses.
HRIS systems are useful for growing businesses that are looking to streamline the management of HR data in a number of meaningful ways, such as employee training, lifecycle, engagement or data security. One of the most notable benefits of using these systems is that they can help you to process data in a way that’s efficient and also less prone to error. Thanks to HRIS systems, your HR teams could have more time to spend on tasks that require a human element, such as addressing employee disputes or handling various onboarding processes.
