HRM (Human Resource Management) is crucial for a company’s success. It includes processes like recruitment training, handling payroll responsibilities, appraisals, employee benefits, safety, helping employees to maintain a work-life balance, and morale, to name a few. Do you want to know about the modern way of handling all these processes? The answer is an HRMS or Human Resource Management Software.
An HRMS can be used in this case because it contains employee self-service tools and different administrative modules to help HR managers manage all the important aspects of their department. It can also save time in the long run, in fact, there are more than 11 ways your HR software can save your time. But there are some factors you need to consider while choosing which HRMS software to use. It must check all of the boxes of functionality (solve a problem), flexibility (can you customize the workflow?), usability (does it require hours of training?), time, and cost (subscription or license). You will also learn what mistakes you should avoid during the process to get the best deal.
What to look for while choosing HR software?
The right HR software applications can help businesses build their future. So, instead of blindly trusting glamorous advertisements of an online HR software, you need to focus on these areas.
- Functionality
- System flexibility
- Price
- Time to implement
- User-friendliness
These points will be discussed in the following part of the article.
Functionality
As said earlier, HRM requirements differ from industry to industry, and even from company to company. Company A might need assistance with payroll and tax management, while company B might use it for tracking employee attendance. You might need it for something entirely different from these things, or a combination of all of them. So before you pick an application, ask these questions:
- Can it solve the exact HRM problem your company is facing (for example, for payroll, leave, and attendance management)? Does it have all the modules to solve those problems?
- How important is it to solve these problems (in terms of relevance or urgency)?
- What is the depth of modules present here?
What to avoid?
Don’t select a software that contains modules without depth, because it will do more harm than good. You may have to purchase a different software, which means an unnecessary expenditure, more time lost on training, and more trouble.
Flexibility
You would want a software that is quite flexible or scalable, i.e., can be utilized as per the business’s needs. Here are the questions you must ask:
- Can you customize or scale the workflows within the software, according to your business’s scope, and goals?
- Do you have to modify the processes (payroll, hiring, etc.) to suit the software?
What to avoid?
Most modern software applications are customizable, that’s the beauty of it. However, you should be careful while selecting it, especially if it does not align with your business’s goals and objectives. You should not give a lot of time to it, the system should match the business, if it’s not, look elsewhere. A rigid software cannot stand the test of time in the long run.
User complexity/ usability
After a business purchases HRMS software, managers will have to arrange training sessions for employees, if its internal proceedings are complex. Also, if people cannot use it easily during their regular activities, the software has failed to serve its purpose. So these are the things you must think about before selecting the application:
- Do your employees need hours of training? If so, then how many hours are needed?
- Are you happy with the intuitiveness and the complexity of the software? (an intuitive software means a quicker adoption and ease of usability)
What to avoid?
When you introduce an application, you would have to give some time to your employees to get accustomed to it. You may have to arrange training sessions, it is normal. But you have to check if the software can simplify the regular tasks within an organization or not. If not, it can be an added burden for a business.
Cost
Yes, you would have to check the price quote, but it extends much more than that. What are the points that should be checked are:
- What is the pricing strategy of this application? Is it user-count, subscription-based, or license-based? What happens to cost when the number of users increases?
- Will there be maintenance costs or is it a one-time payment?
- Are there any hidden costs?
- Do you need a separate team to handle the software?
What to avoid?
The software application should not come with any strings attached to it. If there are strings attached, there will be costs involved. So, you have to check for those applications that clearly explain the cost for different hierarchical or complexity levels.
Time to set up
Last on the list, but not least, is the time taken to set up the application within the organization. You must use this checklist to understand if the application is the right fit for your business:
- How long will it take to set this application up? What other clients have been saying about that?
- How long will it take to configure the application, and what needs to be done?
What to avoid?
When contacting the vendor, you have to ask about the time to set up, otherwise, you could be stuck for weeks. Cloud HR software will take less time, and is easier to launch and easily utilize the application.
Final words
HR software can automate tasks, allowing HR managers to perform more complex processes without any distractions. But it should be the right fit for the business, which is quite difficult to choose. If you are planning to get one, you must check its flexibility, functionality, complexity, cost, and time. It should match your business’s requirements (payroll, recruitment, etc.), and must be flexible enough to enable workflow customizations. The software application must be scalable enough to help you with the company’s growth. It is necessary to figure out the cost, as it can significantly impact the company’s budget. You don’t want to invest in an application that costs too much but does not deliver much value. And lastly, a HRMS that takes too long to launch and run is a business disaster.
Keeping these points in mind, you will find these applications particularly helpful. ZingHR has been leading the HRMS market for quite a while and is one of the applications that introduced the mobile-friendly approach. It contains a lot of features designed to make HRM easier and error-free. Another option you can try is Pypa HR, a tool that can simplify HR management tasks, like leave management, communications, and reporting and analytics. Currently under beta testing, with this tool, you can run your business, and make it a successful venture.
