Why your company needs a human resource software?

If we talk about the most important department in a business organization, it is undoubtedly the human resource department. The reason is that the human resource department is responsible for hiring, training, and rewarding the staff members. And in case the right type of employees is not hired, the consequences can be dreadful.

To introduce utmost ease in the operations of the human resource department, experts have developed HRM software. Such a software assists the human resource department in numerous HR tasks such as hiring, payroll, and employee benefits.

While most companies are using an online HR software in their human resource departments, some companies are still reluctant to use it in their companies. They regard it as an extra expense rather than an investment. Let us look at some of the reasons why companies should use an HR management software in their businesses.

Workload management:

An HRMS software helps to reduce the workload of the human resource department. Such a software provides them a single place, where they can organize and record all the HR activities. Thus, such a software helps them to organize all the tasks very effectively.

Hiring:

Hiring is the most important task a human resource department needs to perform. Such a software provides you with a space, where you can post all the job advertisements. Through the same software, you can receive CVs of the interested candidates and track them. So you need to use such software in your organization for the purpose of making hiring easier.

Information hub:

Handling bulk of information regarding employees can be troublesome at times for the HR department. To solve this problem, you may use a human resource software, because it also acts an HRIS software. So it will be very easy for you to handle all the important data regarding the employees.

Productivity:

If the clerical tasks, such as record keeping and payroll, are performed by the software, then the employees in the human resource department can focus on more important issues such as employee training designs and crafting job designs. This increases the productivity of the HR department.

Many businesses are able to achieve superior performance by using an HR management software. Using such a software helps the HR department to be more effective in its operations, which in turn has good impacts on the overall business performance. 

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How a Human Resource Software is useful for your business?

It is of no doubt that the human resource department is the most crucial part for the success of an organization. It is the department, who designs all the policies for a company and they also put policies into practice. So every business needs to have well-trained, dedicated, and useful human resource. But it is not always easy to hire good employees!

Fortunately, technology has helped us in this regard. A Human Resource Management Software helps you in performing the functions of HR department in a very efficient way. It has a number of features and benefits, which will help your business flourish by leaps and bounds. Some of its uses are described below: 

Hiring: 

A HRMS Software provides you with a platform where you can post all the advertisements. People then put their resumes on the same place. This makes it easy for you to track all the job applications very efficiently. This helps you to hire such employees, who are fit for the job.

Leaves and Attendance: 

If your business makes use of a HRM software, you do not need to keep any attendance register in your company. Everybody marks his attendance through the software. Moreover, it also lets employees to put forwards their leave applications. Supervisors can then approve or disapprove the leave through the same software.

This adds automation to your business, decreases operating cost of the business, and lets employees divert their attention towards something more constructive such as job designs and training programs.

Payroll:

An Online HR software also lets you to make payroll calculations of each employee by taking into account all the important details such as leaves and employees’ benefits. This helps you save a lot of time of your business.

Information database:

Such a software not only adds automation to the HR activities, but also works as a HRIS Software. With such a software, you can add all the important information regarding employees such as their addresses, contact numbers, employment history, payroll information, and other such details.

Customization:

It is not the case that you need to adjust your business according to the software. Rather you can adjust this software according to your business requirements. Every business has its own unique needs, and such a software carries a number of templates, which you can use according to your business needs.

Many online HR softwares are available in the market. A good example of such a software is Employwise. 

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Why use Human Resource Management Softwares?

In the ever changing business environment, it has become tough for the management to meet the current challenges. To come up to the expectation of the business clients, you need to have a well-trained, dedicated, expert human resource.

Hiring the right type of employees has been always crucial for the business enterprise, as employees are the ones who are designing policies and then execute them. Most of the business functions are performed by technological advancements these days, and HR Software are used these days for performing different jobs of human resource management. 

Using HRMS Software has a number of benefits. Some of these benefits are detailed below: 

Productivity:

Many companies use HR solutions because they feel they can increase their productivity. Using such software introduces automation in many routine tasks such as payroll and administration. So in this way, you do not need to hire HR clerks, and your HR experts can focus their attention on major HR issues such as training tricks and tools for employees.  

Accuracy: 

To err is human. This old cliché is quite right in fact. Nobody would like the situation if his business has to face loss due to a human error, whether clerical or logical. In this situation, HR Software can be used to reduce the amount of errors, for example, in the payroll information. Such Software makes sure that everything is working as it should. 

Information Database: 

Gone are the days when you require a bundle of reams of paper to record information regarding employees. You do not need to handle a lot of paper files containing all the employees’ data. The reason is that such software also acts as HRIS Software, and all the information regarding employees such as performance appraisal results, important dates, and other such information. This is the value added function of a good HR software. 

Time: 

Automation not only increases productivity but also saves a lot of time. It is beneficial to use HRMS Software because they provide you with a single place, where all the employees can post their leaves and the managers can mark their approval or disapproval as well. It also provides you a place where management can post all the new job advertisements and track all the resumes online. So it definitely saves a lot of time. 

Using an HR software, such as Employwise is very beneficial for the business enterprise, as it reaps a number of benefits for the business.

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EmployWise - The Rise of Employee Self-service portals

HR being the resourceful department first used employee self-service portals as a cost cutting method.  With the surge in technology, these SSPs are emerging as the new generation tools and proving to be contributors to productivity and greater employee satisfaction.

The SSPs  within the human resource framework allows the automation of the ever growing administrative tasks like payroll, benefits administration, corporate information, employee data base and training material. It points the Human Resource team in the direction of becoming a strategic and focal point within an organization.  These SSPs provide direct access to the employees to important information and eliminate the unnecessary HR processes that increase time and add to delays in these transactions.  This in turn frees up the HR team to work on value-added tasks like talent management, succession planning, staff development, performance and retention strategies and compensation & benefits policies.

A well-structured HRIS would allow employees to access the information through a completely web-based model using a web browser. The other kind of data that HR would be able to upload would be performance appraisal documents, all employee emails, employee handbooks containing update HR policies and guides.  Without these self-help portals, HRIS would only be useful for the HR team who would still need to labour to get these across to all employees.  With an EIP the onus to keep up to date with the happenings in the company, lies with the employees.

The automation of these regular administrative processes reduces the turnaround time for each transaction, saves on valuable man-hours being spent on a rote task, increases awareness and satisfaction both for employees and management and saves on the cost of possibly outsourcing these tasks.  HR leaders would be able to invest time in putting together metrics to accurately assess the cost savings and effectiveness of this self-help portal to justify its existence within the HR realm.

The automation of these processes eliminates mundane paperwork, streamlines routing and approval processes, enhances tracking and compilation of data for HRIS and replaces the old time consuming data management processes. With such accurate data in place the possibility of error is largely reduced and hence the stream of calls to the HR team to rectify such errors also becomes a forgotten story.

In addition to the lowering of administrative dependency on HR, it’s is putting the employees in the driver’s seat.  They feel a sense of empowerment as their vital information and details along with accurate business information is at their fingertips and is available to them to peruse whenever they are free to do so.  These portals also increase the sense of responsibility on the part of the employees with whom the onus lies to keep their personal information updated and also to keep abreast with the latest happenings in the company.  Since first hand and precise information is readily available, divergent information and rumors are kept at bay, leading to an increase in employee satisfaction and retention.

Self-service portals within the HR realm are highly recommended and would be desirable for many organizations.  HR is a crucial function and all the transactions, like other critical business transactions, require supporting data, are time bound and are part of a larger framework that support organizational goals.  The software on these portals must be easy to understand and use, keeping employees motivated and spurred on to keep it constantly on their radar.  Companies can think of allowing access of this self-service portal via mobile devices too.  This will empower the users even further and will reduce the time taken for information to be available to all concerned.  These Self Service Portals make for effective collaboration between the company’s processes and its most valuable resource – the human resource.

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EmployWise - Nothing suits me like a suit!

While many companies are turning to a more relaxed, casual work environment, a majority of companies in India have a strict dress code policy although there is very little employee acceptability for such enforced rules. Clothes have a way of reflecting a person’s personality traits and at the same time there is a definite psychological influence on the wearer as well as the audience.

Harvey Specter and Don Draper; two powerful men with good looks and important clients have a knack for closing business deals by their sheer presence. What else do they have in common? A love for suits! The two best dressed men of our times have a fetish for impeccable designer suits and not just because the dress code is so. Even Barney Stintson, America’s favorite lady killer chose his suit over a hot girl. Suits, the epitome of power dressing symbolizes confidence, success and ambition, all at one go.  In India, power dressing is reserved for once-in-a-month events like big-client meetings, conferences and ofcourse job interviews.

While many companies are turning to a more relaxed, casual work environment, a majority of companies in India have a strict dress code policy although there is very little employee acceptability for such enforced rules. Clothes have a way of reflecting a person’s personality traits and at the same time there is a definite psychological influence on the wearer as well as the audience.

Appropriate dress codes are important in a workplace as they reflect the company’s intention to stay focused on serious about their business. A compulsory dress code helps in enhancing and maintaining the company’s public perception and image.  This holds true especially when there is a lot of consumer interface like in banks, educational institutes, retail or consultancies. There is no direct link between dress code and productivity, but surveys point to the fact that casual clothes have a negative influence on the employee’s attitude and energy level. Many firms in India are flexible in their formal dress code attire and do not insist on female employees wearing suits, trousers and shirt or formal skirts. Indian formals (i.e sari and kurti) are also equally acceptable as long as they are not accessorized.. Quite a few firms in India even give out extremely detailed dress codes defining the appropriate heel size for shoes, necktie style or the acceptable jewelry designs. These restrictive policies do not work well in India as employees refuse to accept these given parameters most of the time. 

To avoid the hornet’s nest many companies just ask their employees to ‘dress professionally’. Then there are firms that encourage their employees’ uniqueness by simply asking them to ‘wear something’ like Google India does. Infact until a few years ago, employees of IT firms, dotcoms and even advertising firms could walk in to the office in tank tops, shorts and flip-flops. While such casual clothing attitude does encourage informality and a heightened level of casualness, employers should be proactive in creating and circulating a list of non-acceptable cloth items also. Specific dress code standards should be set up so that employees can differentiate between relaxed, casual and informal dressing styles. Also, the employer needs to lay equal stress on neatness and orderliness as things like unpolished shoes, dirty nails, uncombed hair are also a big no-no in the work-place but in India these things are pointedly ignored as they are too personal in nature.   

It is imperative to have a definite dress code in the office so that employees know what is expected from them and what is not acceptable. It should not follow a specific fashion trend but instead focus on the business environment as it should be appropriate. The employer needs to remember that the employees need to be comfortable in what they wear or productivity will suffer.

EmployWise is the only HR Software delivered in the HR SaaS Software model that provides total employee life-cycle management capabilities. Start your free trial for 30 days....

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EmployWise: Designing Effective Performance-linked Compensation Plans

Performance based compensation is the variable portion of the total compensation and is paid when performance criteria are met or exceeded. Companies often tie variable compensation to individual, team or company targets. Such compensation allows companies to influence employee behavior so that they meet the specific company objectives. Creating effective performance based compensation plans can be very tricky. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you designing rules for your variable compensation. 

1. Make the targets achievable – While it is important to set high standards for your employees, it is equally important to make the targets not too difficult to achieve. Many leaders make the mistake of setting the bar too high. If your employees feel that they simply cannot achieve the goals set by you, they may completely lose interest in working towards the targets.
2. Make the goals clear and measurable – Everyday, I see a road sign on my way to work. It says – ‘Do not over speed’. That’s it. The sign does not say anything else and there is no other sign on that entire stretch. I am always confused. What is the speed limit? How much speed is too much? Here, even if I slow down, I do not know if I achieved the goal of not over speeding. ‘Do not over speed’ is not a clear goal and is definitely not measurable. It seems merely a suggestion. Your company incentives should be clearly defined and should be tied to measurable goals. In the case above, a more appropriate sign would say ‘Do not drive over 40 MPH’.
3. Use criteria that your employees can control – You should connect the right people to the appropriate targets. For example, you should not keep company profitability a target for a sales person who sells your products. It is not up to the sales person to ensure company profitability. If you want to encourage your sales people to sell more profitable products over less profitable products, you need to set individual product sales targets or change the product mix. In this situation, do keep in mind that if all your employees start selling the more profitable product then the sales of the less profitable product will plummet.
4. Do not change your Plans too often – It is OK to tweak the compensation rules and the plan structure in the early days of the performance period. However do not adjust them in the middle of the cycle. You run the risk of confusing your employees or making them think that the management does not want to pay their incentives.
5. Calculate the rewards accurately and pay immediately – At the end of the performance review, you should be able to calculate and pay the incentive quickly. Many companies finish their performance year in December and do not pay their variable compensation till April or even May. While it may work for some, your top performers may get demotivated and disengaged with such a long delay in getting paid. If your incentive rules require you to do a ton of spreadsheet work and is becoming taxing on your HR, you should look into getting a quality compensation management solution. A good tool will reduce your overall time to calculate variable compensation substantially and will provide you with greater accuracy over manual calculations.

Remember not all incentives offered by you need to be monetary. While additional cash is a good reward, there are other cost-saving awards that can motivate your employees just as much. Many service based companies give reserved parking spots each month to the highest performer of the month. For high performing working parents, companies have started to offer flexible hours and work-from-home benefits. Such incentives cost very little and go a long way in creating a motivated and energized workforce. Other rewards such as faster laptops, latest phones, catered lunches and additional training can create a win-win situation for the employers and the employees. As the employee enjoys these awards, the employer gets a more productive and skilled workforce.

By keeping the above in mind, you can create a very efficient, effective and extremely manageable performance based compensation systems that will not only motivate your employees but also help you achieve your company goals successfully.

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HR Information Systems: Is It Really Challenging The Business Acumen?

HR Information Systems – Is It Really Challenging The Business Acumen?

Irrespective of the current economic scenario, the demand for enhancing the workforce is increasing drastically, these days. While some organizations are heavily investing in HR Systems to have a better view of their transactional data, others are finding it difficult to have an insight through data available in HR Information Systems. This is making HR a weak link.

The Untouched Goldmine... Without having a defined data flow and specifications in place for the set of HR metrics, analytics and reporting, people seem to sit on an unexploited goldmine. This again challenges the internal benchmarking and raises questions regarding Business Acumen being practiced by HR in any organization.

The problems start arising when decision makers require accessing relevant data in a reliable and timely manner, the HR Department is not able to process the insights given by the HR Information Systems, thus making it difficult for senior executives to make business decisions. This not only creates a missing link in organizational information, but also enlarges the gap between profitability and people.

Top-Notch Organizations Using HR Data...

There are some top-notch organizations that keep themselves updated with workforce analytics and manage their HR processes with accurate data. This facilitates them to calculate the impact of HR interventions, focus on right HR measures, have the best upshots out of Business Acumen and create data-driven business cases.

So, this may not only require investing in the best technology, but also a change in behavior and culture of HR department. The more managers will start taking useful insights out of HR Information Systems, the better will HR approach updated data with a level of inquisition. This will ultimately result in larger groups of internal consumers procuring the process. So, if you also want to be one of the “World Class Organizations”, just make sure that you are not sitting on top of an untouched goldmine.

Employwise is a complete HR Software for the life-cycle of an employee including Leave and Attendance software, Employee Database, Travel and Expense Management. Start your 30-day free trial....

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HRIS: The best solution

With the growing challenges in the HR space today, human resource professionals are eager to incorporate automation tools, which provide them with best results at their fingertips & would also reduce the paperwork.

Even though, spreadsheet is the most commonly used means, but it has many drawbacks. The major drawback is to carry out large amount of functions and also the chances of errors are very high. Hence, HR professionals are looking to adopt automation tools that can accomplish wide range of tasks through a single click, in such cases HRIS system is the apt solution for solving the problems HR professionals are facing while using the current trend.

HRMS or HRIS provides one stop solution for all the HR related work areas, such as recruitment, training, employee performance, payroll, retirement and many more. HRIS system provides large data storage, where the HR executives can enjoy the convention of self-service access to the online records. HRIS, being secure, prevents unauthorized intervention & also provides the ability of exporting the spreadsheet data into the system.

HR automating systems are user friendly, and ensure accuracy and consistency of data in a related database. They are not expensive & allow the organization to choose a plan that best suits their workforce. Also, there is no need for an in-house IT team to set up equipment or load applications. It enables greater accuracy in computing data, is faster and easy to manage.

Unlike the traditional software base, HRIS are also available as web based systems, which enables the HR professionals to enjoy the benefits of online management system, which makes the life of the HR professionals easier enabling them to access data instantly anywhere anytime. With such a system in place, the HR can now work even more flawlessly and focus more on the strategic part rather than transactional part.

Employwise is a complete HR software for the life-cycle of an employee including Leave and Attendance software, Employee Database, Travel and Expense Management. Start your 30-day free trial....

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