Choosing The Best Hr Information System (hris) - Benefits And Key Considerations

By Author: Aarathi B
Total Articles: 2
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Human resource information system (HRIS) or in other words human resource management system (HRMS) is a software application developed to streamline and simplify HR assignments through automated processes. It enables the human resource department in an organization to effectively strategize and manage human resource activities including, but not limited to, recruitment, payroll, workforce management, benefits administration, leave and time tracking, accounts, performance evaluation, etc. HRIS converts all manual work into computerized tasks that reduce the need for physical labor and minimizes turnaround time.

Technology outburst over the past years has led to many innovations in the HR domain. From advanced analytics to providing HR as a service, all the revolutions in information technology has had its share in transforming HR information systems and improving the scope of its functionalities. In its novel stages, HRIS was either installed on-premise or accessed through client servers. But the era of cloud computing brought about a transition from traditional server-based systems to web based applications. This shift ...
... was constructive in enabling managers and CHROs to effectively compile, track and process all HR data and information.

Benefits of HRIS

With the gradual progress of human resource operations into the mainframe business strategy; HR moved past conventional methods of reporting and performing transactional work. Human resource managers and practitioners started taking more responsibility to materialize workforce engagement and optimize productivity. HR leads nowadays, prioritize their work towards achieving business- centric targets.

With such a focus towards organizational improvement, a human resource information system is the key needed to unlock business capabilities.

Some of the many benefits of an HRIS are:

• Ability to perform real-time analysis and derive accurate business results.
• Improved employee engagement and development through training and integration with LMS.
• Maintains general compliances with regard to data security and protection. Automated processing leaves no room for human error.
• HRIS can be accessed remotely through web-based portals and applications.
• It can be modified based on requirements and has ample solutions to cater to different HR needs.
• Easy to track leave applications, reimbursements and approve them. A complete history of past activities can be compiled in minutes.
• Improved communication within teams and can rollout news feeds and latest updates massively.
• Centralized data source to access all employee information. This can be accessible across different business processes for individual needs.
• Automated tasks save valuable time and reduce costs.
• Reduced paper clutter and maintains consistency in data records.
• HRIS is made available in mobile and other devices through cloud hosting services.

Key considerations

When choosing the right HRIS for your organization, you should keep in mind certain concerns and needs, like:

• Basic business requirement
Run a complete analysis of what your business needs. List down all the features required and then approach vendors. Prioritizing necessities vs additional benefits is mandatory.

• Scalability
In any organization, the primary goal would be to develop and increase their global presence and visibility. To accommodate this amplification, all business systems require the flexibility to scale and resize based on change in the functionality.

• Consult vendors
Before directly jumping into choosing the HR information system that best suits the business, a detailed study highlighting the different systems available and a list of vendors providing them needs to be charted out. Communicate with the vendors and then narrow down on the options.

• One-stop shop
HRIS offers numerous solutions with different capabilities, like HR administration, payroll, training and recruitment. Make sure the system chosen is a comprehensive solution to all these needs, i.e. a single system that takes care of all HR undertakings.

• Positioning workforce
When implementing a new system into a business process, adequate training and guidance is required to prepare the workforce to handle the system interface and easily navigate between different tools. When considering an HRIS, learning and training methods must also be discussed.

I work with Zalaris ASA, a leading provider of HR and payroll services. I love to write and discuss the current trends around the world of HR, technology innovations and the latest buzz in the industry.