Almost a third of our lives are spent at work. We spend more time in our office with our colleagues than our family. A secret to perfect work-life balance is how we utilize our precious time in the workplace and make the most out of it. Let’s explore how you can deploy a proper HR management software to upgrade your organization drastically.
We can make it a far more comfortable experience just by embracing technology and doing things more smartly.
The HR landscape is evolving
Human Resource Management Software is changing the way we see and perceive the world these days. The market for HR management software is growing at a staggering rate. According to a report by KD Market research, the current value of the global Human Resource Management System (HRMS) market in 2019 is almost $16 Billion. Quite impressive right? Well, there’s more to it.
The worldwide market for HRMS has been forecasted to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4%, and reach USD 25.9 Billion by the year 2023
It cannot be stressed enough how an HR Software improves the various functions of every department. Even after knowing that, there might still be a few HR managers out there, who are yet to implement HR management software and switch from their paper-based manual practices. If you are one of them, then time to rethink!
This article will give you a complete outline of your HR management software implementation.
What are the Key Elements of Human Resource Management Software?
Okay, so the term “HRMS software” might sound pretty imprecise in the context as HRMS generally consists of several smaller components or ‘modules’ which are considered critical aspects of any HRMS solution.
For example, a comprehensive HR management Software suite might consist of numerous aspects of human resource management such as – management of payroll, compensation, compliance, personnel, benefits & claims, leave and attendance, employee training and so much more.
Researching suitable human resource management automation solutions and figuring out the best fit can be a challenge. You may not need every component that a full HRMS system offers, or it might be a case when you require even more.
Think of it like buying a laptop
While buying a laptop, your choice depends on your specific requirements. You might opt for a bigger RAM, but might not need a dedicated graphics card. There might also be some other features which could be regarded as optional like a mouse or an external HDD, but there’s also some absolute must-haves – like a keyboard, for instance.
Companies or business owners have to be careful while choosing the right vendor or the right combination of software integrations for their businesses.
If not done right, you might as well end up with a solution that will be no better than your filthy old spreadsheets.
Your fundamental HR practices
Despite new roles and responsibilities of HR professionals always arising, the essential practices of HR are:
• Payroll Processing and salary disbursement
• Leave and attendance policy transaction management
• Employee information management
• Recruiting and on-boarding
• Training and development
• Workforce planning
• Performance appraisal and succession planning
• Policy setting and adherence
• Employee services and engagement
• Statutory compliance and reporting
• Exit process management
All these tasks require a massive amount of dedicated staff-hours and intensive care, regardless of automation or no automation.
However, it suffices to say that digital management of the HR processes and functions through HR management software makes life a lot easier and productive for the HR dept.
The long term cost-effectiveness of this is enormous, but unfortunately, often this gets overlooked. It is vital to understand that not paying attention to the HR practices and culture, is enough to bring the downfall of a company.
Most HR executives agree that in general, it is more important to automate the tasks which are repetitive and dull or just time-consuming.
Your HR management Software Implementation Road map
Before starting researching available options, features, and probable integrations, as responsible HR managers, you need to assess the present situation and align it with the future goals of the department as well as the organization.
Firstly, identifying the pain points and understanding them thoroughly will surely help foreseeing desirable outcomes. Managers & business owners should think at least five years ahead.
What are my problems? → How to solve them efficiently? → What are the considerations?
Point out your burning issues: It’s undeniably critical to understand and deeply analyze the problems regarding HR management software before jumping on to the bandwagon of automation.
Some of the common challenges faced by the modern HR Professionals today are:
• Recruiting and retaining talented employees
• Leadership Development
• Complying with laws and regulations
• Simplifying the payroll process
• Scaling of processes to meet growth
• Bench-marking performance levels
• Efficiently providing mass training
• Centralized information source
Priorities should be set accordingly, and this will help to move onto the next step, which would be to map out probable ways to address the issues.
For innovative organizations, the key is to find the most efficient solution that best fits the needs of that specific organization. In the continually changing technological scene, it helps to have a clear idea of your company’s priorities.
Understand where you stand: If you are still reading this, there’s a high probability that you might be looking for solutions to your nagging HR problems. What sets successful HR departments apart from others is their ability to integrate technology efficiently within the operational and administrative processes.
Generally, HR departments across industries can be classified into either of the three categories:
- No Automation or Software: Paper-based/manual system
- Semi-automation: Necessary components helping to manage defined processes
- Existing HR Software: Live solution either meeting some needs or not meeting requirements
After a bit of self-analysis and a better understanding of the challenges, HR professionals can then look into new solutions that balance their budget and needs.
Depending on your necessities, you can get an all-inclusive solution consisting of all the different elements covering everything from employee onboarding to performance monitoring to analytics. You can also go for separate standalone solutions considering each of your HR processes and then integrate them under a combined platform.
By this point, it must’ve become evident to you that however complex it might be to integrate new HRMS features or even deploy a whole new solution for that sake, it is also of paramount importance if you want your company to grow and evolve.
When is the right time?
• Automation is now the call of the hour for your growing business, and you can’t manage it manually anymore
• Credibility, legal and compliance issues
• Your current HRMS solution is failing to meet the needs and expectations
Ask yourself these questions
• What made you consider HR Management software?
• What will it take to overcome the challenges you are facing currently?
• How will you be able to measure the success?
• Will you receive support from the vendor? If yes, then how?
Challenges you are most likely to face
During the transitions, the difficulties which may become hurdles along the way could be-
• Lack of resources
• Technical problems revolving around people
• Resistance to change
• Rogue or dirty data
Again, ask yourself how you would handle these challenges systematically
There are also other challenges that you could face while implementing an HRMS. The most common of which could be the time to implement, budget, and the probability of finding and integrating an all-encompassing software suite.
Implementation timeline: A successful company is defined by its Human resources practices and policies. HR management software functions deal with all the other administrative procedures and activities. Time- sensitivity is a big challenge while introducing any departmental change.
The actual scope of the department needs to be considered, and if HR operations fall short of timelines and efficiency, it trickles down to all the other administrative activities and slows them down too. Most companies want a solution to be deployed close to within about six months.
Maintaining strict timelines and deliverables during the transition process eliminates unnecessary employee resistance
Budget: No company wants to shell out a big chunk of their revenues for automation, disregarding the importance and value provided overtime. It is essential to understand for businesses that a proper investment in HR management software can save unimaginable amounts of time costs in the long run.
Measuring your ROI: Measuring the ROI is important because this sets the standard for future additions of functionality into the system. Technology adoption ROI is directly linked to the overall profitability of the business, so managers and business owners will always have to keep this in mind.
Although there might not be a widely accepted calculation tool or set of criteria surrounding HR automation ROI, the bottom line is clear, that saving more and adding more value than the money spent is what eventually matters.
Let’s look into some cases:
Case 01: Shafia is a Human Resource Manager. She manages 200+ employees at a company. Some of the most painstaking and time-consuming tasks, according to her, is the employee onboarding process.
Whenever there’s a new hire, most of her workday gets eaten up by this. With automation in on-boarding, at least half of that time could be saved. With her company hiring 25 new employees every year, imagine how much can the company actually save in terms of precious working hours!
Case 02: Saroar Munshi is an HR executive at an NGO. His salary and benefits amount to $20 per hour. Managing employee information and keeping them updated all the time takes up about 15 hours out of his schedule every week.
If the system gets automated, then it would only take about 3 hours out of his weekly schedule, as through employee self-service, employees themselves can do these tasks whenever needed.
This saves 12 staff-hours for Saroar per week, which amounts to $240. For a year, that amounts to $12,480 – for just one employee. How amazing right? Not to mention the almost immeasurable paper costs it saves.
Typically, if an HR executive has to dedicate most of the workday for doing manual day-to-day HR tasks, the real value and utility of the department gets lost – which is to ensure employee satisfaction and building a healthy and enjoyable organizational culture.
Consider your options carefully
To get the most out of your Human Resource Management Software deployment/integration, begin with studying the industry and the different solutions on offer in the market. Sometimes, for some companies, especially for small or medium enterprises, incorporating a full-fledged HR Management Software would not be feasible. Specialized tools or integrations from specialized vendors may be the key here.
Whereas for large enterprises, a holistic and comprehensive HRMS platform can be the go-to option because of the consistency across all modules, credibility, ease of use, and scalability
As always, your organizational requirements act as a barometer for measuring what should be your accomplishment goal and what the best possible way to achieve that is.
Now, let us suppose you have decided to move forward with the goal of implementing an HRMS; your next step is to identify what to expect next. The figure below will help you sort through your options:
| Options | Pros | Cons |
| Get a branded Solution | Status Image Credibility | Higher costs Absence of proper support & maintenance mechanisms Customization Not Viable |
| Build a custom solution, in house | Efficiency Reflects your Brand Full Control | Development Time Lack of Experience Lack of expertise High Overhead & other Costs |
| Have custom solution built by a 3rd party vendor | Cost Effective Less liability Peace of mind | Communication gaps Unequal motivation Risky system design |
| Local product with support and client record | Tested and proven support record Time-saving, customizable Proactive recommendation from the vendor – Easier requirement collection Lower cost of operation Easier to reach vendor Smoother enhancements Pay for the vendors experience | Requires dedicated contribution from your side. Time factor |
Examine the options wisely to come up with perfect solutions for your company. You should be able to bring all the related departments (especially management, accounts, admin) on one common ground through the platform to carry out organizational responsibilities seamlessly. The HR management software should facilitate future enhancements based on changes in need, which will also leave sensible scopes for scalability.
Examine the options wisely to come up with perfect solutions for your company. You should be able to bring all the related departments (especially management, accounts, admin) on one common ground through the platform to carry out organizational responsibilities seamlessly. The software should facilitate future enhancements based on changes in need, which will also leave sensible scopes for scalability.
Planning out the approach and deploying a lifesaving HRMS solution comes with its challenges and perks. Running a self-assessment test and studying your requirements and priorities is something that cannot be neglected at any cost.
Before coming to any conclusions, be sure to ensure that your hard work gets awarded
The foundations of your success are your people. With the right tools or the right HR software, they can be more efficient at their work, and this will, in turn, strengthen your overall organizational and administrative structure.
If the HR department is empowered, the positive effects spread across all the other departments. In the ever-evolving 21st century, an effective HR Management Software is the first prerequisite to optimum growth
Finding the right HR software is not an easy task at all. Our experts have over 300 years of combined experience in the HR industry.
If you are looking for a viable HR software solution for your organization and know what you want, but confused about how to go about it, we’re here to help!
Get in touch with us to know more, and you can leave a comment on what aspects of your HR are you most willing to automate.
Also, read our blog on Human Resource Management for the 21st Century HR Professionals.
