By Nick Hutchinson
Human Resource Management in this decade is about employee learning and development, about creating high performing teams that are empowered to autonomously deliver amazing results. It is about enhancing the relationship between employer and employee for mutual benefit and about preparing for the future, a future of greater opportunities through automation, technical prowess and quality. Finally it is about developing real and lasting relationships, great culture and people focused.
Too often though, HR is weighed down with moving files, managing worker data, ensuring the right document is in the right place for each worker, reviewing work patterns, rostering and scheduling, and a huge range of other administrative tasks. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that this type of work is not important for employers and employees, it certainly is, however it doesn’t necessarily add quality to employee and employer relationship, life, and performance.
One solution to assist you moving from HR administration to providing quality HRM is to implement a Human Resource Information System (HRIS). There are many on the market with a variety of features ranging from employee data management, through to development and succession planning. They usually provide a level of automation to cover the entire employee lifecycle.
So why do you need one?
1. To save time
Time is one resource that we cannot generate more of. Yes, we can purchase time through employing others, but we cannot gain more of it without any cost.
A good HRIS will save you time by automating various processes, from employee onboarding, through to managing training records and competencies that expire. Many top end HRIS also provide functionality to build custom business processes that automatically remind people (employees, managers, and admins) to do actions at specific times. It allows things like single button clicks to review and submit Tax declarations, or process employee hours and rosters, linking directly to payroll software (if the system doesn’t have its own). All this administration is important, but it takes time. A good HRIS will take the administration burden away from people, or at the very least redistribute it to the right people at the right time.
2. To make great decisions. Great data = great decisions
Making informed business decisions relies on good data. If managers and leaders make business decisions and investments based on poor or incorrect data, it can be costly.
A good HRIS, if used correctly, will be able to report quality data that guides quality decision making. Whether it is data about the most valuable recruitment sources to a business, the most successful succession pathways within the organisation, gaps in training competence and capability, or reasons for staff turnover or underperformance, a good HRIS will be able to help you make better business decisions relating to your people and organisational capability.
3. To ensure strategic alignment
Aligning worker activities to strategic goals is important. It helps employees at all levels know how their contribution leads to the overall function and performance of the company. It provides meaningful place and purpose for people in the context of the organisation.
HRIS that are well utilised should ensure that the breakdown of work tasks is directly related to the overall strategic activities of the business. For the CEO this might mean growing the business profit by 5% year-on-year. Filtered down to the receptionist, it might mean having 100% customer satisfaction or filtering customer enquiries to the right people quickly. A HRIS that links activities and objectives will provide a clear picture of ‘how’ the business will achieve its goals.
4. To focus on development
One of the core factors in high performing teams is centred on the team’s capability – what can they actually do? What do their knowledge, skills and knowhow allow them to achieve?
An effective HRIS will allow business leaders to identify areas of organisational capability that need improvement, and then plan, implement, and deliver activities that will provide that improvement. From setting up development goals through to managing online and hybrid learning activities, as well as testing knowledge and capability, a good HRIS will provide a platform for development that is aligned to business strategy at the highest level.
Developing your employees and their capability is crucial to being a leading organisation in any industry. Very few companies have remained successful by doing the same thing, the same way, the same time with the same people forever. Development helps your business adapt ready for the future.
5. To be organised
Having a single source-of-truth and a clear organisation of employee data, policies, employment documentation, safety data etc. can save employees and managers time if they have queries about their employment. When this data is spread across systems it actually consumes time when people need a piece of information.
A good HRIS will provide clever information management for all things relating to employees. This means people can find what they are looking for when they need it. It reduces administrative queries and empowers employees to ‘own’ their own information.
Do you have a HRIS? Does it function well for you? Does it save time, increase quality and enhance your work as a HR leader or manager? If not, give Hutchinson Resources a call. We specialise in transforming organisations through the implementation of Human Resource Information Systems that suit your needs..
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