Many naysayers think that using HR software or HR systems is all about saving time and money. Well of course, the truth is that this is real and measurable benefit, but there is so much more. The pandemic has put immeasurable pressure on HR teams, and their systems and processes. And many are now realising that their existing systems simply aren’t up to the job. They are not flexible and most definitely not meeting the changing business needs. Get rid of paper processes and excel and enjoy the benefits that HR software and technology can deliver.
Thanks to the benefits of SaaS cloud HR software, HR teams now have the tools to reduce or remove repetitive, mundane tasks together with simplifying administrative and complex tasks and processes. This will also eliminate errors in payroll which have a big impact for staff (and HR and payroll) when you don’t get it right. Accurate management and access of data is achieved by removing human error. You’ll significantly improve decision making in real-time, rather than waiting for out-of-date reports and data.
Traditionally you had to be an HR professional to update an HR record, those days are long gone. By reducing, simplifying or automating administrative tasks, HR can instead focus on issues that will make or break a business and deliver competitive advantage.
So, if you’re still using paper files, spreadsheets or multiple other processes that don’t work well together to manage your HR function, read on.
Say goodbye to paperwork
Less paperwork definitely saves both time and money. Gone are the years of storing records in filing cabinets. All records can now be securely stored and accessed instantly, based on role and permissions instantly. Mobile-first HR software means the right staff can access what they need 24/7 from any device. Because data is stored digitally, both HR and other staff can search, view and act in a matter of seconds. Clients have told us they have cut their paperwork by as much as 75% by using HR software.
Digitising paperwork solves many of the confidentiality and security issues, HR teams face with maintaining paper based systems. Although excel is not paper-based, it represents the same problem with security, accessibility and permissions. Excel Hell is something many business experience, with a spike in their use to manage furlough, flex-furlough and payroll during the pandemic.
Finally, the removal of paperwork and paper processes something auditors like, as record keeping is more accurate. Who wouldn’t want to remove the pain associated with audits?
Speed and efficiency
Any HR department handles a multitude of responsibility and daily tasks. Many are time critical, repetitive and monotonous. Whatever the size your HR department they’ll be dealing with regular updates and adapting to the needs of employees and leadership priorities.
That’s why streamlining HR process makes HR team’s working environment easier but also speeds up many process (no offense to our lovely HR colleagues). HR software will help support daily and regular activities and responsibilities and automate processes. This approach will reveal actions and activities that are ‘the most important to act on now’.
HR teams will gain their ‘go-faster’ stripes, but this isn’t about doing more, its allowing software to pick up the mundane, so HR can focus on other priorities that will positively impact staff and the strategic performance of the business – adding value.
Another significant and key benefit for HR teams is job satisfaction.
Self-service
As already highlighted, admin tasks can waste valuable time, which is why one of the key benefits of HR software is employee self-service capabilities. This means you can empower employees to take ownership and responsibility of their own data.
Employee self-service is such more than this as it can handle many processes that employees prefer to own and there is a real benefit with utilising intuitive self-service for high volume transactional tasks that historically required intervention from HR:
- Sickness, absence
- Holidays and other time off requests
- Payslips
- Work rota and scheduling
- Availability for work
- Payroll processes (e.g. bank and personal details maintenance)
- Recruitment processes
- On-boarding
- Self-drive training
- Benefits enrolment
- Health and safety
- RTW and working time directive compliance (automation within self-service)
HR self-service does not need to feel impersonal, but it does need to be intuitive. Human interaction of course still plays an essential role in HR. Whether its submitting holiday requests, register absences, submit expenses or update personal information, with employee self-service, HR software gives your employees autonomy and accountability for their own data, which is what THEY want.
Data you can trust
Saying goodbye to paper based HR process enables you to centralise all your HR information and management (HRIS/HRMS). You’ll benefit from instant access to all your data, in real-time too. No longer waiting for reports that are out of date when they arrive.
Ideally, HR teams want a single HR system to deliver a single source of truth when it comes to people data. Data you can trust, by eliminating countless spreadsheets or multiple systems that stitch your data together, often with errors, to make data-driven decisions for the business. You can trust your data because you’re record keeping is more accurate records.
Interrogation of your data will give you quick visibility of everything you need to know. This often highlights blind spots that had not been revealed previously.
You will also improve your data security as HR software is more secure than paper files or spreadsheets. And greater control over managing the personal and sensitive data of your employees and thus GDPR compliant.
Another benefit from HR software is the delivery of accurate, real-time dashboards, which are constantly refreshed with real-time, accurate data. This delivers visibility and insights that aid faster and more accurate action and decision making.
Smoother payroll
The complexity of correctly calculating and managing payroll can be a mammoth task. Employees expect to get paid correctly and on time. So when there are errors staff are unhappy, become disengaged and directly impacts retention rates.
There is no room for error. The EY Global Payroll Survey highlights handling late submissions, corrections and legislative requirements as some of the biggest hurdles for payroll. However you handle payroll, whether its in-house, externally or a blend, payroll is a daunting task. With integrated HR and payroll software you will reduce chaos and queries. It can also handle the complexity and changes that come from schemes such as Furlough, flex-furlough, along with contract types, hourly workers and additional hours and shifts.
Having tightly integrated HR and Payroll systems and services will create an ecosystem that works in harmony. With the added benefit of employee self-service mentioned earlier you’ll reduce your instances of errors. One system that can easily manage promotions, payroll changes, new joiners and leavers automatically.
Whenever HR adds a new employee, or a manager makes a salary change, shift or rota change, this will become a single source, automatically updating so it is reflected in payroll.
No more headaches, confidence in your processes, reduction of support calls and queries and happy staff too.
Staff scheduling made easy
You’ll really benefit from the tools that come with HR software if your business relies on staff fulfilling different roles, at different rates of pay or are hourly paid. You will save significant time too if your business is in industry sectors such as manufacturing, hospitality, retail, construction, or travel, where scheduling staff can be a very time consuming and complex process.
The business needs just the right number of appropriately skilled staff in the right place at the right time. So often businesses over-compensate in their staff scheduling which adds cost. Additionally, staff are not happy when they are scheduled for a shift that they are clearly not needed for (although they are probably happy with the additional pay). With HR software that includes workforce management planning, this can be complex process can feel very simple and take a fraction of the time to complete. Additionally, you can balance the peaks and troughs of the business with staff scheduling. You’ll gain visibility on the myriad of regulations, laws, health codes and business rules to ensure staff are not scheduled to work incorrectly.
Getting scheduling right can significantly reduce staff turnover rates too, with some industries reporting anything from 30% up to over 73% staff churn rates.
The benefit of HR software is that you can see who is working when, and easily change shifts. And you’ll empower your people to submit availability and shift swaps through the self-service tools.
Whether your people are physically in the office, or working from home, your HR system will give you and your management team complete visibility over sickness, annual leave, jury service, absences, skills, training and anything else you can think of. So that you can quickly check who is working when.
elementsuite HR Software
