10 Benefits of Having HR Software in 2020
A lot of of things have changed in the business world in 2020. One thing that hasn’t is the importance of any organization’s workforce. No company can succeed without a strong, well-organized team behind the scenes.
How teams get organized, though, has changed. And for the better. Video conferencing allows colleagues to cooperate over vast distances. File-sharing and hosted storage tools make working together on diverse projects a cinch. Human resource software, meanwhile, helps firms keep an efficient handle on their workforces.
The field of human resources is complex and nuanced at the best of times. In 2020 – like many things – it’s got even more complicated. Firms are having to furlough and lay-off workers at short notice. They’re having to adopt remote working and seek government support.
Keeping track of all the HR implications is a significant challenge. It’s one, however, that human resource software can help you meet. The following are ten of the main reasons why HR software could be the answer to many – if not all – of your problems.
Principal Benefits of HR Software
As in many areas, software in the HR niche has developed apace in recent years. Today’s solutions are comprehensive, agile, and adaptable. Whatever your field or the size of your firm, HR software helps streamline operations. Let’s take a look at ten of the principal benefits of HR platforms and tools.
Efficient Admin & Less Paperwork
Administration is one of the most time-consuming aspects of HR. Once a company has a dozen employees or more, the amount of information generated is vast. HR pros must keep across salaries, benefits, holidays, sick days, training courses. And plenty more besides.
Keeping track of all that information is a full-time job – sometimes literally. Ensuring ease of access to specific details or copies of documents also used to be a real chore. It’s why HR offices were once filled with huge filing cabinets, groaning with paperwork.
HR software – and particularly cloud-based solutions – have changed all that. Top HR tools let you handle all necessary admin through one, user-friendly interface. What’s more, an increasing number of processes can also get automated to save you time and effort.
With cloud-based software, too, information and documentation get saved virtually. You can keep all your data securely in the cloud. That’s rather than filling your premises with cabinets or hard drives with spreadsheets. With a few other changes, you could even make your HR department entirely paperless.
Intelligent, Instant Access to Information
Storing your HR files and data via cloud-based software has another notable benefit. That is that it’s far more straightforward to access the information you need. You can find that copy of a payslip or an employee’s original application with a few clicks.
HR software, too, lets you store all relevant info in one place. If you rely on spreadsheets or Google Docs to save HR details, you’re in danger of creating data silos. That’s when different information gets stored separately. It then needs to get located and accessed individually. In short, it’s a waste of time and resources.
Feedback & Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is critical to the productivity of any organization. Better engaged workers are happier and more productive. They’re also less likely to search for new jobs, helping to reduce a firm’s staff attrition rate. The best HR software can help you in this area, too.
One of the best ways HR solutions can aid employee engagement is by collecting feedback. It’s easy with a centralized HR system to send surveys and polls to assess the mood of your team. You can ask them about how they think you can improve company culture. Equally, you can take their collective temperature on the measures you have implemented.
Enhancing engagement is also about providing support when it’s needed. The tricky thing can be recognizing when that is. Real-time performance assessment via HR software makes it simpler. Choose the right tool, and you can track performance and engagement with ease. From there, it’s a small step to finding the team members who need help and offering it.
Supporting Cross-Organizational Communication
In the largest organizations, even communicating with the right person can be tough. Especially if they’re in another department. Attempting to collaborate with different colleagues across the firm can feel almost impossible. That’s a significant issue, as superior cooperation is vital to productivity.
A software-driven HR system can aid cross-organizational communication. All your employee data gets stored in one place. At the most basic level, that includes job roles and contact details. It’s straightforward, then, for an employee to find who to reach out to and how. They can then pick up the phone or set up a video call. Systems available by mobile browser or app even make it easy for an employee who’s out of the office or on the road.
Handling Disputes & Resolving Conflict
Every business owner or manager wants things to be harmonious all the time. In reality, that’s not possible. There will always be conflicts and disputes within any organization. When things get serious, it’s down to the HR department to step in. Conflict resolution and handling disputes are central parts of HR.
There’s one particular type of dispute that HR software is invaluable in assisting with. Those are the classic ‘he said, she said’ conflicts where a worker disputes a claim from their employer. For instance, imagine if someone contravenes company policy. They might challenge any disciplinary action and say they were never told the policy.
Many modern HR systems have a feature to mitigate precisely that. You can use HR software to send policy documentation and other important communications. It will then keep a record of such communication. It will show that the employee got – and sometimes even that they read – the message in question.
Ease of Deployment & Upgrade
Many of the above benefits of HR software aren’t new. Human resource software with similar features has been around for a while. What makes such tools more viable in 2020 than ever before is the ease with which they can now get deployed.
Many HR solutions are now offered on a software as a service (SaaS) model. That means all it takes to deploy is to subscribe with a provider. You can then work with them to configure some simple software. That’s really not much to ask when you consider all the benefits such a solution can provide.
Cloud-based HR software provided via this model, too, is easy to upgrade or scale when required. Many providers offer different software packages. When a company grows, all they need to do would be to upgrade to a more comprehensive bundle.
Utilizing HR Data
Today, more than ever, knowledge is power. Modern businesses generate vast amounts of data about staff and operations. HR software makes it straightforward to collect and utilize such information. An HR system can make it easier to ID lots of useful insights.
You might, for instance, find that your marketing department has a high attrition rate. That suggests an issue which is affecting staff morale or engagement. With that information, you can then set out to find the precise problem and solve it.
The most cutting-edge HR software now also leverages AI for data analytics. Via machine learning, algorithms ID patterns in your HR data. That can help you find and solve issues even before they develop in severity. Such predictive problem-solving could make your HR far more efficient.
Cost-Efficiency
Speaking of efficiency, HR software in 2020 is a more cost-efficient option for many firms. Take, for instance, a small company that never before had a dedicated HR department. When it grows to the point that the owner can’t handle human resources themselves, they must act.
In the past, the business would often have to hire an HR pro. Today, they could instead leverage HR software. The timesaving and efficiency benefits of the software are vital. They can bring HR back within the compass of the firm’s existing team. They would no longer need to pay the significant wages of a specialist.
Security
We’ve talked about data a fair bit already. There’s lots of it involved in human resources for even a modest-sized company. A great deal of that data is of a confidential or personal nature. Think things like salaries, employee addresses, social security numbers, and similar.
Keeping such information private and secure is vital for any HR department. Today’s HR software gets designed with such considerations in mind. Providers of SaaS HR solutions leverage top-end cybersecurity measures to protect your data. Your data gets shield with firewalls, encrypted, and otherwise protected. All in all, it’s much more secure than keeping files in a locked filing cabinet.
Disaster Recovery
Data breaches or other cyberattacks are crippling for a company. Disasters that lead to the complete loss of data can be even worse. How would your firm fare if you lost all your tax or payroll information?
If you store all such data on paper or even on your own hard drives, such a loss of data is perfectly possible. All it would take is a fire or flood to destroy paper records. A ransomware or DDoS attack, meanwhile, could lock you out of your own IT systems.
With cloud-based HR software, disaster recovery is swift and effective. Data stored on the cloud gets backed up and saved in multiple locations. That means in the unlikely event of a system failure or other issue, you can restore all information at a snap.
HR Software – A Solution No Modern Business Can Do Without
In 2020 all companies must make the most of their workforces. Your staff is your most precious resource, especially in uncertain economic times. Getting your human resources processes correct, therefore, has never been more vital. HR software is a solution that can help you get there.
Find the right HR tool for you, and you’ll reap the benefits. From cost-efficiency to better employee engagement, and security to more efficient admin. Rather than an option to consider, HR software is becoming a tool no modern business can do without.
—
John Allen is the director of global SEO at RingCentral, a global UCaaS, VoIP and video conferencing solutions provider. He has over 14 years of experience and an extensive background in building and optimizing digital marketing programs. He has written for websites such as Hubspot.
Get caught up every month on all things HR. Don't worry, we promise we won't spam you.
