Human Resources Software
An independant review of human resources software used in trade, commercial and industrial sectors. HR software can be the ideal solution for business management in your company.
Durham City Council Installs New eHL System
The City of Durham Council is rolling out Smart’s web-based management system e-HL. It is hoped that 1,300 employees in 13 different locations will benefit from the system.
The time and attendance features of the software improve the visibility and accountability of staff deployment and enable accurate measurement of different working patterns.
For More Information visit www.smarthumanlogistics.com
The Top Six Problems with HR Software
As many employees within an organisation will be able to tell you, the successful implementation of HR software is far from easy. Findings from new research have deduced increased workload, lack of support from HR and inconsistency in implementation are the main concerns organisations are tackled with when considering switching to HR functions online or using automated software. These results discovered by Martin Reddington, a research fellow at the Roffey Park Institute and research associate of Glasgow Business School, in his report Transforming HR: Creating value through people, have the potential to impede the operation of any Human Resources software.
Unclear roles and increased workload
Nowadays line managers can feel overloaded due to the flatter structure of organisations and many see the breakdown of HR by the introduction of HR software as adding to their tasks and confusing their role. It is essential that organisations purvey the fact that although e-HR systems can lead to increased responsibilities, the main purpose of HR software is to benefit the organisation. Reddington believes “These increased responsibilities in HR management can lead to a climate of fear and mistrust driven by HR.” The key to solving this problem is to ensure management really understand the underlying principle behind the development of HR software and how new advances can be beneficial to them.
Inconsistencies in Implementation
When fully up and running it is possible for e-HR systems to achieve a huge number of tasks, however, it is unreasonable to expect line managers to be able to apply all of these advantages from the word go. It is important for HR software systems to be introduced gradually allowing managers to get used to certain features before they are confronted with new ones.
Alienation of HR
Without doubt, as e-HR systems are more commonly used by staff, there will be less contact with the HR department. This can cause alienation and mistrust among other workers who believe HR software is put in place solely to benefit the Human Resources department rather than the line manager or other employees. Peter Reilly, director of corporate consultancy at the Institute for Employment Studies, adds “Consulting with all parties when designing the system and communicating the benefits to everyone is vital.” It is also important to keep the old system in place until HR can be sure the new software will not place a burden on staff.
Lack of objectives for line managers
Line managers can become frustrated if they are not able to devote sufficient time to HR activities, such as appraisals. The introduction of e-HR software is unlikely to change this unless line managers receive explicit support from senior staff.
Lack of adequate preparation
Many consultants report that companies under-valuing the importance of adequate training for a new system is still a major problem. With new systems most companies concentrate on the IT aspect of the system however, managers need training in people management skills which are often overlooked. David Lennan, managing director of Businesshr.net says “With e-HR, it is easy to get carried away with the e-tools and overlook the training and support that manages may need in other key areas.”
Lack of support from HR
The role of HR is radically changed when new software is introduced. It is important that HR embraces this new role otherwise they will be unable to give employees the necessary support when HR is devolved.
For more info on Martin Reddington’s research go to www.martinreddington.com