CREATE GOOD SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION

Set your team up for success by creating good documentation. Vendors typically provide some sort of a generic user guide or system overview document, but after the initial implementation this document rarely is referenced. Why? Usually it is due to the fact the document is too general and doesn’t address how the organization has actually implemented and is using the system and specific functional areas or modules. So, create an internal training manual or user guide specific to your organization, complete with screen shots, detailed descriptions on how the organization uses specific functionality (e.g. fields, tasks, workflows, security, etc.) and a checklist of related tasks needing to be performed (both inside or outside of the system). Add in any internal charts or guidelines that the team may frequently reference, such as a list of which employee types are eligible for which benefit plans, special notes on when and how custom fields should be used, or any data rules specific to the organization. Include any notes relating to processes and the frequency in which these processes are utilized. For example, some processes may only occur annually (e.g. open enrollment, performance evaluations and salary planning) whereas others may happen monthly (e.g. interfacing data to payroll, distribution of management reports, etc.).

CONDUCT NEW TEAM MEMBER TRAINING IN PERSON

In addition to good documentation pertaining to your HRIS, data and processes, whenever possible, conduct training for new team members in person. Although you may think your HRIS process documentation is “good” and up-to-date, with face-to-face training the chances of misunderstanding and misinterpretation are lessened considerably. Not to mention, nothing can replace the personal element to the real-life interaction between you and a new colleague. I also recommend only granting access to a new user once training has been completed. Keep in mind, training is an ongoing task to be revisited frequently and your internal HRIS documentation should be a living, breathing document, ideally in a place where all users can access it at any time.

CREATE VALIDATION RULES FOR ENTERING DATA INTO YOUR HRIS

Validation rules verify that the data a user enters meets the standards specified before the information can be saved. Establishing data validation rules prevents data errors from occurring in the first place. There could be validation rules to warn the user if the employee is not eligible for a benefit plan, if birthdate is missing or if an employee’s rate of pay is outside of their grade range. Warning messages could be created to notify the user if a phone number is not entered in the company’s standard format (i.e. 1.987.555.1212 vs. 987-555-1212) or if the postal code does not follow a specific country format (i.e. Canadian postal code is a six-character A1A 1A1, where A is a letter and 1 is a digit).

If validation rules are not possible, utilize the system’s reporting function to create queries for the administrator to run highlighting data entry errors or omissions. Create reports that help team members not only stay organized, but on top of the data for which they are responsible. For example, create a report showing all people on leave with their expected return-to-work date and a comment if the date is upcoming or in the past. Or, a report which prompts the user for a date range of new hires and whether or not the I-9 information for this new hire is complete.

It’s always hard to work under a budget. We look for deals, coupons, seasonal discounts and special offers everywhere. This is especially true when purchasing HR software. Since the human resources department is so important, businesses of all sizes need to identify and prioritize the most important features of HR software to improve operations without overspending.

But choosing the right HR software for your company is no small task, especially for resource-strapped small and midsize businesses. There are hundreds of options and lots of features to understand. It’s easy to get confused, which is where this guide comes in.

We’ll show you ways to save money and stay within your budget when purchasing HR software.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Use a Features Checklist

Compare Alternatives

Try Workarounds

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Use a Features Checklist

The most important way to save money is to figure out exactly what you need, and choose accordingly. For example, an HR software user called us saying she wanted to switch software because her company’s HR solution had too many features that were barely being used! They wanted to ditch it to save costs.

Our “Essential Features Checklist” for SMB HR solution buyers is a great place to start. The features listed here are categorized into two distinct types. While essential-for-all features are must-haves for small businesses, essential-for-some features will be relevant to specific use cases.

Below mentioned is a quick summary of these features. You can match these with your specific requirements from HR software.

Feature type Feature name Feature description

Essential-for-All Features Personnel Tracking Centralizes employee information and helps track employees’ work hours and locations.

 Benefits Administration Manages benefits programs, tracks vendors, monitors expenses and tracks employee preferences.

 Reporting Identifies trends and action points from employee data so you can better understand common issues.

Essential-for-Some Features Employee Management Manages employee workload and compensation.

 Recruiting Automates the processes of job posting, resume browsing, candidate shortlisting and more.

 Benefits Management Provides a self-service portal that lets employees manage their benefits on their own.

 Learning and Development Manages training initiatives across the organization in a uniform, organized and trackable manner

Questions to ask yourself when considering features:

Does your current software plan include the Essential-for-All Features mentioned above?

Are the functionalities built-in or offered as third-party integrations, for which you have to pay extra?

Would buying the software as a bundle result in cost savings?

Refer to this list when choosing what features your business needs. You can also call us at (844) 675-2849 for a free consultation with a software adviser to ask about the pricing of a specific tool.

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Compare Alternatives

We encourage organizations that call us for advice to check out more than one option. Some already have alternative software in mind, while others come with a blank slate. Whichever position you are in, checking out the alternatives is a good way to arrive at a final decision that suits your needs.

One of the primary reasons for reviewing alternatives is to manage costs. For that reason, you should review at least five vendors before you decide. To help you make the most cost-effective decision, we have identified alternatives to some of the most popular HR software solutions by comparing products with similar capabilities.

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Try Workarounds

Many times, when you make an impulse purchase, you reevaluate your choice and think: Did I really need that? The same thing can be said about software. Companies often overspend on suites without understanding the benefits of add-on features that are bundled in the package.

For that reason, here are some questions you should ask during the software selection stage:

Do I need to change/upgrade all of my existing software?

Can I use an existing software application, such as the current accounting system, with the new HR solution?

Does the vendor offer a one-time license or subscription payment method? Also, are there any deployment costs?

Do my employees need an advanced feature such as a certified HR consultant to help manage compliance with state and federal tax rules? How would I rate this requirement against my company’s needs?

Are there any hidden costs? What will be the total cost of ownership?

You won’t always find everything you need in bundles, so you need workarounds. Some features may be more affordable in a dedicated software suite, rather than as a module within a larger HR system. Alternatives like the ones below can help you address the most pressing needs without burning a hole in your pocket.

blog credit : Softwareadvice

Many workplace discussions during 2020 have touched on familiar topics for example:

How to manage pay concerns for remote employees?

Planning for upskilling and technology

How are workplace stress, health and wellness impacting our teams?

The global pandemic is a catalyst, accelerating trends which had been moving forward, delivering a more rapid pace of change than was envisioned.

Companies are now examining and taking stock of positives from these changes, thinking about future designs of their business. A helpful anchor point is understanding what their workforce views were going into the year.

Just before the pandemic arrived, ADP®, a global leader in providing human capital solutions, surveyed over 32,000 employees and gig workers between October 2019 and January 2020 – around various topics including pay, career and wellbeing – to understand what the modern workforce wants from work.

The results of the study are published in the report of “Workforce View 2020: Volume One pre-COVID-19[1]”, providing an interesting snapshot of the workforce view before the outbreak, which are valuable in assessing changes post-outbreak.

Asia Pacific: Full of optimism

Pre-pandemic global optimism was high as more than nine in ten (92%) respondents report feeling very or quite optimistic about the next five years at work. Asia Pacific was the most optimistic region (95%), and China was the most optimistic market in the global survey (96%)

1) Improves Productivity: Aro HRM software improves productivity of financial management as it makes entire payroll process automated. It saves HR’s efforts and time. This software keeps track of all employee details which reduces manpower and increases efficiency.

2) Reduces Errors: When considering HR software benefits, accuracy is the major factor to consider. This software makes all processes automated and reduces human errors.

3) Easy Analysis: Using Aro HRM software you can generate reports in single click and analyze data easily. Generating attendance, leave, and other reports becomes simpler with software.

4) Easy Access to Data: Aro HRM Sofware allows HR and employees to access and update data from their handheld devices. Employees can access their HR related details, payment details and personal details at any time.

Below, we’re discussing ten core functions of any given company that are managed by the human resources department. 

1. Planning for the Future 

HR departments prioritize long-term planning for an organization. For example, they’ll cater recruitment strategies around the kinds of talent that an organization needs not only to succeed now, but in ten years, or even twenty years.

The scope of this kind of planning also plays a part in other HR functions, such as performance management, succession planning, and employee onboarding, etc.

Any viable HR plan is molded to the unique specifications of a business’s model. Each decision should be reached, taking into account a company’s overall mission. 

For any HR manager to be successful with planning, they must harmoniously collaborate with all other departments. After all, an HR manager – for the most part – won’t be a sales expert, or a marketing guru, for that matter.

Therefore, it’s necessary to foster a relationship with sales leadership staff – which is conducive to productive communication. This way, the human resources team can gain further insight into relevant performance metrics, analytics, and data as they shape planning strategies. 

2. Recruiting Top Talent

To an HR professional, hiring the ideal talent that adheres to a business’s needs and circumstances is a delicate art form.

Recruiters must master what goes into attracting the most superior candidates for interviews. And they also require skills that help accurately pinpoint the cream of the crop during the selection process. 

Then, on top of those responsibilities, recruitment teams decipher whether a candidate’s personality and experience match the values and economics of a business. Sometimes, that entails hiring someone with less experience, but with more potential and at a more affordable price. 

Attracting top-tier candidates for interviews necessitates a robust and attractive employer branding strategy. HR should collaborate with the marketing department to craft an alluring recruitment campaign.

There are also plenty of tools that help screen candidates before interviews. Some businesses even use chatbots. Offsetting recruitment costs is invaluable, as the process costs 30% of companies $1,000 - $3,000 per hire.That begins to add up over time—specifically if companies have high turnover rates. 

While speaking of turnover rates, it's worth noting that quality recruitment drastically reduces turnover rates because it perfectly matches a candidate with the position. Research indicates that the average cost of turning over a highly skilled job is 213% of the yearly salary. Mitigating these detrimental costs is of the utmost importance. 

3. Succession (Career) Planning

The notion of planning for the future was already discussed in this blog. Given the impact that long-term vision has on a company, HR should work alongside other leadership staff to earmark top-performing talent in entry-level and different non-management positions. From there, there’s a need to create a plan around fostering this talent’s growth in the company.

Internal promotions tend to be more fruitful for companies over time. According to comprehensive studies, external hires are 61% more likely to leave the company via layoff or outright termination within their first two years. These employees are also 21% more likely to leave the job than an internal promotion.

Furthermore, 86% of leaders view succession planning as a pressing priority.

Yet, a study from 2010 showed that only 54% of boards were grooming a specific successor for CEO. While 39% lacked an adequate internal candidate, who could immediately step into the role. There’s a reason that only 40% of new CEOs fail to meet performance expectations in their first 18 months in the position. 

4. Evaluating Job Functions

Each position within an organization comes with an array of factors and functions that are weighed meticulously via HR departments.

HR assesses these functions through perspectives such as qualifications, quality, availability, location, work schedule, responsibilities, economics, and overall job value. The evaluation, ideally, will dictate which jobs are most similar and base the reward system on those shared traits.    

Popular methods of evaluation are as follows: 

Classification:

1. Categorizes jobs and ranks them using those guidelines
2. Categorization accounts for factors such as:

• Education
• Experience
• Specialized skills and demand for those skills

Ranking:

1. Discipline-specific experts rank how crucial a job is to the company
2. Compares functions and discerns which are more valuable
3. After all functions run through the process, they are ranked accordingly

Points:

1. HR categorizes jobs by how much it contributes to the overall success of a company
2. Awards points to each category base on factors, such as:

• Problem-solving
• Technical knowledge
• Communication skills
• Influence
• Innovation
• Business sense

5. Incentives and Rewards

Employees need rewards, otherwise, what’s the point of doing the job? 

Yes, making a living (or even acquiring personal wealth) is undoubtedly an incentive in itself, but recognition goes beyond that. Matters such as status, culture, work-life balance, and career opportunities are also seen as viable rewards. 

HR plays a huge role in deciding who receives rewards, why they are handed out, and what kind of incentives are offered. 

Here are four elements of this model.

1. Communication Meet-Ups

Employees crave communication. They appreciate being “in the know,” having clear expectations, being able to celebrate wins and being able to connect what they are doing with the organization’s purpose. Communication meet-ups can range from in-person huddles to communication apps. They are a way to share information, either one on one or in groups, and to empower employees by ensuring they have the right information to foster growth and creative thinking. When employees have the information they need, they can take great strides in testing their growth skills on the results they are working toward. Additionally, having regular, open communication is a huge engagement factor, a theme you’ll see in all four elements of a robust performance management model.

2. Development Conversations

According to Gallup research, a focus on growth and development is key to employee engagement. High-performing employees want to keep growing and being challenged. They’ve laid out ways to develop and are looking for time with their leaders to partner on the difficulties they may be having as they grow, items they want to bounce off the leader for coaching or working through next steps in their plan.

Whatever the focus, development conversations are critical for today’s workforce. Employees are less concerned about career ladders in companies and more occupied with growth ladders. Any performance management model should include built-in development conversations. These conversations aren’t annual reviews or quarterly check-ins; they are 10- to 15-minute check-in conversations. If leaders can do them as frequently as weekly, they should.

Whatever the focus, development conversations are critical for today’s workforce.

3. Performance Dashboards

An often overlooked key element of performance management models is performance dashboards. These dashboards should contain meaningful metrics for leaders and their employees that connect the work they do to the organization’s “why.” Employees feel a sense of connection when they can see how their work is purposeful, worthwhile and making a difference.

Too often, performance dashboards are constrained by an attempt to fit everyone around the same set of key indicators. But guess what? People want to be individuals. They want their “why” to connect to their company’s “why.” Don’t allow performance dashboards to constrain the connection of those whys. Allow for flexibility by empowering the employees to identify some of their metrics, and discuss the connections in communication meet-ups and development conversations. Leaders can help in guiding and scoping the metrics during development conversations.

Not all employees will hit this process out of the park on swing one, two or three. It is a continuous improvement process. However, as the dashboards are built, they are still founded on metrics the employees chose, that have value and meaning to them. This process is another key engagement factor.

4. Thought Experiments/Passion Projects

The fourth element is not practiced in a lot of organizations. You probably won’t find a place for this piece in a traditional performance management suite yet, but as employees keep asking for it, it will start to show up. Google once had a policy that allowed employees to dedicate 20 percent of their time  to work on passion projects, and while they removed parts of this policy, it inspired other companies. Organizations saw it as an opportunity for an abstract training ground that was a value-add for employees.

Incorporate time into employee’s schedules to experiment. Whether it’s thought experiment on how to improve a process or time to work on a passion side project, this time allows for questioning. In an age where we have multiple answers right at our fingertips, the value of a beautiful question has increased drastically. It also allows for employees to have a sense of ownership in what they are doing.

A good performance management model for employees is a must. Employees want to work for an organization that invests in them. The four elements shared here don’t cost a lot to get up and running. Most are now basic expectations employees have of their employers. Take this opportunity to impact employees’ lives and be actively involved in their development by implementing a strong performance management model.

In many countries the differences between men and women in the workplace are still big. Same for the differences between white people and people of colour. The differences are getting smaller, but very slow.

2020 will be a good year for more aggressive and impactful actions. A soft approach does not seem to work. Some organisations have taken brave measures, and more will follow.

Financial services provider APG found unexplainable differences between the salaries of men and women, and increased the salaries of women to the level of comparable men. The University of Eindhoven announced that the vacancies for academic staff are exclusively open  for women for the time being. Establishing quota for women in senior positions always causes heated discussions, but the “pro quota” group seems to grow.

Blog credits : Globe News Wire 
The global human resource (HR) technology market grew at a CAGR of 14% during 2014-2019. Human resource technology is a significant part of the human resource industry. It enhances all the aspects of employment with the organization, starting from the first day of recruitment until the retirement of the employees. The human resources technologies help the employer to manage payrolls, onboarding, talent sourcing, performance and workforce management, talent management, etc.

The global human resource technology market is primarily driven by the aging of conventional human resource tools as enterprises are now gradually adopting the human resource software ecosystem. The human resource software solutions provide a time and cost-effective way for managing numerous human resources. Moreover, rapid technological innovations have augmented the demand for such solutions for diverse applications, such as workforce management, and talent management. Furthermore, rising working population and complex management methods are also creating a positive impact on this market. Owing to this, there has been an escalating development in the marketplace for recruitment, advertisement, assessment, and interviewing.

Moreover, human resource technology lowers the risks of systemic errors in comparison to the conventional methods of human resourcing. This helps in time management, along with increasing productivity and reducing employment costs. Looking forward, the publisher expects the global human resource technology market to exhibit a double-digit growth during the forecast period (2020-2025).

Oversees the implementation of Human Resources programs through Human Resources staff. Identifies opportunities for improvement and resolves problems.

Oversees and manages the work of reporting Human Resources staff. Encourages the ongoing development of the Human Resources staff.

Develops and monitors an annual budget that includes Human Resources services, employee recognition, sports teams and community events support, company philanthropic giving, and benefits administration.

Selects and supervises Human Resources consultants, attorneys, and training specialists, and coordinates company use of insurance brokers, insurance carriers, pension administrators, and other outside sources.

Conducts a continuing study of all Human Resources policies, programs, and practices to keep management informed of new developments.

Leads the development of department goals, objectives, and systems. Provides leadership for Human Resources strategic planning.

Establishes HR departmental measurements that support the accomplishment of the company's strategic goals.

Manages the preparation and maintenance of such reports as are necessary to carry out the functions of the department. Prepares periodic reports for management, as necessary or requested, to track strategic goal accomplishment.

Develops and administers programs, procedures, and guidelines to help align the workforce with the strategic goals of the company.

Participates in executive, management, and company staff meetings and attends other meetings and seminars.

With the CEO, CFO, and community relations group, plan the company's philanthropic and charitable giving.

Image Credits : the balance

The Human Resources Manager guides and manages the overall provision of Human Resources services, policies, and programs for a company within a small to mid-sized company, or a portion of the Human Resources function within a large company.

The job responsibilities of the Human Resources Manager differ depending on the overall needs of the company or organization. The Human Resources Manager determines or is assigned the duties and job responsibilities that are required by the senior management team to meet the needs of their workforce management.