While leaders of small businesses may think that the digital transformation of their HR processes would mean a large and complex software purchase, in reality, the market is brimming with affordable HR software for small businesses.
Whether you need to:
- simplify annual leave bookings,
- improve the security of employee data,
- give employees better access to HR policies and processes,
- promote better performance management
- or streamline exchanges with payroll,
there is an increasing supply of affordable, cloud-based and easily accessible HR software with the scale and scope to fit any size business.
In this blog, we look at some of the areas of HR where software can help companies as they grow and look to professionalise their people-based activities.
Recruitment
The right recruitment software, also known as Applicant Tracking Software (ATS), can transform the resourcing journey for candidates, recruiters and employers. With direct access to multiple job boards from which all CVs come into one place, recruiters can shortlist, contact, test and schedule appointments with candidates from a secure, data compliant site. For growing businesses, an ATS can pay dividends in reducing time to hire and significantly reducing the administrative burden of recruitment. A digital application process allows small businesses to compete for talent with corporates creating a simplified, professional and modern hiring process that gives a strong first impression of your company.
Onboarding
On-boarding systems can provide a seamless, professional and welcoming experience for new employees. Often integrated with a core HRMS, onboarding modules can help automate new joiner tasks and workflows and make sure a recruit’s introduction to the organisation is modern and engaging.
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HR Management Systems
An HR Management System (HRMS) can streamline access to employee data, documents, HR policies and processes within a secure, access-controlled portal.
Most HRMS will, as a minimum, allow you to manage holiday requests, record other absences and provide employee self-service capability to update core information – contact details, next-of-kin, training records etc.
Once your employee information is in one place, it’s easy to create reports to help you understand and respond to your people metrics. These may be, for example, turnover, sick absence rates, average and gender-based pay, management reporting structures etc. and to communicate any changes to Payroll.
Understanding employee engagement
Leaders recognise that employee engagement is critical to achieving their objectives and that companies with highly engaged employees are more profitable and productive.
Engagement survey software can give you the tools needed to get to the heart of how26+ employees are truly feeling, identify what keeps your own employees engaged and understand what’s missing, suggest improvement actions and provide e-learning courses for managers that will help them keep their teams thriving.
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Learning Management Systems
Learning portals, often known as Learning Management Systems (LMS) are an increasingly popular choice for organisations that want to get e-learning content to their learners, fast. An LMS can provide cost-effective, scalable, and flexible solutions for open access or managed learning distribution by controlling a range of pre-loaded, curated skills and knowledge learning content. Although more advanced systems will allow employers to add their own content, the scope available in generic versions will often be sufficient for a growing organisation to support the development of its people.
Online benefits
While SMEs may not be able to offer the full range of employee benefits that Corporates provide, they can source, at low cost, discount benefit platforms that give employees access to valuable savings from thousands of retailers, service provider and financial products. Where additional personal benefits are provided, eg PHI, these can often be managed within the same platform.
Performance Management System
Performance management doesn’t have to mean a once-a-year ritual form-filling exercise. Performance management and review software enables regular, meaningful and recorded conversations with your team about their performance, objectives and development needs. It can give these interactions structure and consistency, make the process less time consuming, more collaborative and ultimately more productive.
Office Management
With employees likely to return to the office in a phased approach, employers may wish to control the numbers coming into an office environment on given days. Office management software offers online desk and room booking solutions, particularly useful for those looking to reduce office space in the future and embrace hybrid workplaces – without risking employees being turned away from the office because all desks have been taken. Employers can set up such systems to prioritise individuals or teams, flag if there is no First Aider or Fire Warden due on-site and allocate designated desks.
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While large employers will adapt and build integrated systems that incorporate the majority, if not all of the functionality discussed above blog, this is not likely to be a cost-effective approach for SMEs who are more likely to implement multiple systems to access the full benefit of digital HR. However, using a single sign-on capability can make the user experience simple and hassle-free.
Employers looking to introduce technology for processing employee data may need to update their data privacy statement and should consider whether they need to carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).
At ipeopleHR we work with SMEs to help them identify, implement and operate a variety of cloud-based, affordable HR software solutions that can enhance the employee experience and give the business better visibility and control over people data and processes. To discuss how this could help your company, please contact us at HR@ifteam.co.uk
