HR software

HR software is used to streamline HR functions, facilitating better management of day-to-day HR processes and improved strategic planning for HR management across the entire organisation.

HR software should be integrated into the broader make up of technology in an organisation and adhere to all the necessary requirements for data and cyber security.

Common terms used in describing HR Software suites include: HCM (Human Capital Management), HRMS (Human Resource Management System), and HRIS (Human Resource Information System). There are a small number of differences between these systems, with some leaning towards more people analytics and others towards talent management, but all usually contain a very similar set of core features for the HR function to utilise.

HR technology

There are several elements of the HR function that can be more effectively delivered with supporting software. A HRIS, HRMS or HCM software platform can bring together activities including:

• Storing employee data – securely storing and accessing employee data is essential for adhering to data protection legislation.

• Payroll administration – managing payroll requirements for employees, including bonuses or commission can be incredibly complex, ensuring the highest level of accuracy in the calculation and processing of payroll mitigates the potential risks of legislator breach or cashflow issues for employees.

• Expenses management – providing a simple interface for expenses claims, will help encourage the timely submission and accurate cataloguing of claims and payments.

• Benefits management – making benefits easy to claim and providing a central source of information on the benefits package available to employees, including role specific benefits, will help increase the usage of benefits and support better employee wellbeing.

• Recruitment and applicant tracking – monitoring active role recruitment and tracking how far through the recruitment lifecycle applicants are will help build a more accurate picture of your talent pipeline.

• Onboarding – assisting new starters to acclimatise to an organisation by providing them with easy to access essential information, opportunities to ask questions, and encouraging engagement with key contacts in the organisational structure will make them more productive more quickly. A good onboarding process can be time intensive, and the right software can make this more efficient.

• Training – providing a flexible training platform to support employee development will help them more actively manage their own development and support any future upskilling programme.

• Sickness and absence tracking – quickly capturing and analysing absence and sickness tracking can help to identify future wellbeing issues and proactively manage them.

• Time management – using tools to encourage teams to actively manage their time and monitor hot spots will allow better mapping of peak activity. Visibility of these peak periods will help workforce planning and management.

• Performance review – giving employees and managers a toolset to support their ongoing performance monitoring will help make reviews and performance management more efficient and effective.

• Reporting – with all of the data gathered above, a good HR software solution should allow a significant amount of reporting and analysis to be undertaken, this can then support strategic planning for the HR function.

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How much does HR software cost?

There are wide variety of software solutions currently available and costs can vary depending on the number of employees that will be serviced and package of tools that will be included in the platform. It is sensible to research several potential suppliers. You may also want to consider single and multiple supplier options depending on your specific needs.