Why HR Systems Are Essential Tools for Businesses

We live in a fast-paced world and both employers and employees can quickly feel the pressure. Thankfully, we also live in a world of technology that can help ease that pressure and stress, and a HR system is a tool that provides some much-needed support to HR professionals around the world and here’s why.

1.   It Saves Time

They say time is money so what better reason to invest in any new aspect of a business than to save more employee time. Time-consuming staff management tasks are automated with the use of an HR system which allows the HR teams to spend more time on other tasks and projects.

Monitoring, storing, accessing and updating employee details, such as new phone numbers or bank details, can easily become troublesome, messy and confusing when using traditional paper copies and filing cabinets.

Paper copies are easily lost or misplaced and trying to locate something that has been filing incorrectly can lead to hours, if not days, of searching.

Automating this with the HR system simplifies this entire process. Not only does it save time, but it also has the added benefit of being more friendly to the planet and freeing up precious office floor space.

2. Monitor Absence Easily

When a cold or flu starts spreading through the office, sick leave can suddenly increase without warning. Similarly, at the beginning of each year when holiday can be requested for the coming 12 months, the influx of annual leave request forms can become too much to handle for small HR teams.

Paper forms can be a nightmare to keep on top of and can easily be missed. HR systems can keep track of all of this at the touch of a button.

Not only can HR teams and management see holiday requests but they can also be provided with a quick overview of colleagues who have already had their annual leave approved. This helps to prevent holiday clashes within teams and the potential of understaffing.

Staff can also keep track of these days themselves, they always know what has been requested, approved and how many days they have left of their annual leave. Common questions that are frequently asked of the HR team that can be time-consuming.

Sick leave can be managed easily and staff can report their absence easily, allowing all their team members to know they are unwell, without them having to make individual calls.

Symptoms can be logged and tracked, this is helping HR teams during the COVID-19 pandemic as they can quickly alert other staff members who may have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case.

3. Easy Access

Especially with employees now working from home, having access to vital information has proven tricky, but with an HR system, this is becoming one of the easiest things to do.

Everything is stored in one central place and can be accessed from any device in any location, with the use of the cloud.

There’s no need to delay tasks because of the wait for delivery of paper copies and nothing can be lost as it is all safely backed-up on servers.

Not only is it basic information that is easily accessed, but an HR system is also sophisticated enough to provide actionable insights into data. Anything from training costs to KPIs can be quickly collated into easy-to-read data.

4. Better Employee Development

Employee development isn’t just crucial to staff, but also the business. Created a better skilled and more effective workforce generates more revenue and increases your employee retention.

However, it can be difficult to track training, especially within large organisations. HR systems allow you to track what training is in place and which individuals have completed this.

Performance reviews can be logged, alongside objectives and managers can be given reminders about essential elements to development, such as regular one-to-ones and group meetings.

This improves employee engagement, makes them feel valued and reduces the risk of losing key staff members to competitors.

5. Improve Security

HR teams are responsible for sensitive data, anything from employee ID to details regarding their personal health. Should any of this be leaked, it can be incredibly detrimental and lead to GDPR related fines.

An HR system uses the cloud to protect this data, not just from being destroyed physically by a disaster such as flooding or fire, but also from prying eyes.

Password-protected accounts mean no one who doesn’t have prior authority can view these details.

Even historical data can be protected and pulled whenever necessary, or handbooks, manuals and policies are just a click away, while remaining secure.

Filing cabinets previously undertook this role, with the added security of locks and keys. But if keys are lost or the key holder is no in the office, this could lead to problems.

6. Onboarding

Hiring new staff is essential to business growth and success, but can be arduous if not properly managed or tracked.

HR systems can help with every stage of the process, from advertising a role on various platforms, storing contact details of applicants and contacting those who are being considered.

Once a new candidate has been chosen, all the necessary documents they need, such as contracts and staff handbooks, can be accessed from their own homes, before they start employment.

Training schedules can be implemented via HR system platforms and both new starters and managers can keep track of progress.

Overall, there is little reason for any business, large or small, to not feel the benefits of using  an HR system. Not only does it save time, but also reduces overall costs. Packages are available to suit any need and can be tailored to the compliance needs to all sectors.