HR Software: Benefits & Tips to Make the Right Choice

manager using hr software
Stories
Morgane Lança
August 28 2024

Human resources management software, often referred to as HRIS (Human Resources Information System), automates the administrative tasks involved in talent management. Its main features include absence and leave request management, centralized HR data, reminders of tasks to be completed on a dashboard, and timesheets to track your employees’ work schedules.

So what’s the aim of these HR tools? They are meant to simplify and optimize HR administrative management, and gain a more strategic view of human resources across the enterprise. All that on easy-to-use, self-service platforms that are accessible anywhere, anytime.

In this article, we present the benefits and different types of HR solutions, as well as best practices for choosing HR software that matches your company’s needs and reality.

Benefits of HR Software

Here are the main benefits of HR software for your company and your employees:

  • Save time and efficiency: avoid double-entry of information, time spent searching for information spread across disparate systems and Excel sheets, and multiple email exchanges to complete HR administrative tasks. Focus on strategic staff management that benefits both your organization and your talent, and automate repetitive, low-value-added processes.
  • Reduce human error: repetitive tasks and manual processes often leads to risk of errors or oversights. The automation features offered by HRIS ensure that all information is reliable and that your strategic visibility is optimal.
  • Improve internal communication: manage access to centralized data on your HR software so that employees and managers can find the information they need with just a few clicks. Avoid lengthy email exchanges between HR and employees, and ensure that everyone has access to the documents and resources they need.
  • Better legal compliance: make sure you comply with labor laws thanks to features dedicated to your company’s legal compliance, and avoid potential data leaks or privacy breaches by managing employee accesses within your organization.
  • Optimized talent management: thanks to employee self-service and optimized management of employee experience in your company, you’ll benefit from more motivated, productive teams and streamlined talent management.

Types of HR software

There are many different types of HR software covering various HR processes. It’s up to you to decide which one is most essential for your organization:

HRIS (Human Resources Information System)

HRMS, HCM and HRIS systems are generally grouped together. These are solutions that offer a wide range of features that cover the majority of HR processes, and track every stage of an employee’s career (from the onboarding process to exit management, including training and employee performance appraisals).

HRIS is often the foundation of a company’s digital ecosystem, centralizing all employee records and HR data single platform.

ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

As their name suggests, these tools offer advanced features to simplify and optimize the entire recruitment process, including keyword-based searches for top talent in a centralized candidate database, integration with your career page, and automated emails to potential recruits.

Time and Attendance Software

These solutions focus on tracking employee working hours and schedules. They are particularly useful for companies that operate on a clock-in/clock-out or flexible shift system, and help to better manage the work weeks and hours of regular or seasonal employees.

Employee Engagement and Recognition Platforms

Some HR software packages offer features designed to enhance employee recognition, team-building and well-being initiatives, with the aim of improving team engagement and providing a healthy working environment for all.

Performance Management Software

A feature often included in HRIS, performance management is sometimes offered as an individual platform for tracking individual results and objectives, streamlining performance appraisals across the organization, and improving team productivity.

How to choose the best HR software

Here are a few essential steps to follow in your HR software implementation project:

1. Determine your specific needs

First of all, it’s essential to determine what your key HR issues are, and how you can address them. By taking your needs and organizational reality into account, you’ll be able to create a checklist of selection criteria that will help you make the best choice.

Do you want software solutions that focus on performance management and the various stages of the employee experience, or a platform dedicated to recruiting the best talent? Clearly define your strategic objectives and the features that will help you achieve them.

2. Compare your budget with proposed prices

Before you start your HR software implementation project, you need to have an idea of your budget and determine whether it’s realistic compared with market prices.

Create an initial list of HR solutions that match your selection criteria and budget, and don’t forget to check the implementation costs of the tools you end up choosing.

3. Check integration capabilties with other systems

You’re probably already using technological solutions in your company. Remember to check if there are any integration possibilities between your payroll software, for example, and the HRIS you’re looking for.

Even if this isn’t the case, pay close attention to the integrations offered by each HR solution provider: they will make all the difference in setting up your digital ecosystem and improving your day-to-day efficiency.

4. Evaluate user-friendliness

By requesting a demonstration of the product you’re interested in, you’ll be able to assess if the HR platform is easy-to-use, and how quickly your employees will implement the solution into their daily practices.

If the processes are too complex and your teams are not used to using technological tools, it makes more sense to look for another, more intuitive and user-friendly HR software.

5. Find out about the quality of customer support and training

Last but not least, customer support quality is an essential point you should not overlook. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about the support and training provided during the HRIS implementation period, as well as on a day-to-day basis.

If your teams are bilingual, it’s a good idea to have support teams who can assist you in both languages. Take the time to assess the contact you have with the HR software supplier’s team, so that you can plan for a long-term collaboration.

Folks HR: Best HR Software for Canadian SMBs

Folks HR is a full-featured HRIS software from Canada, also available as a mobile application. Key features include:

  • Certification and training management: tracking of training budget and time, reminders of certification renewal deadlines and career management module.
  • Leave request management in just a few clicks: self-service requests for employees, validations in seconds by managers and monitoring of vacation calendar and leave banks at all times.
  • Employee onboarding: create onboarding plans for each position, assign tasks to the right people, and receive automated reminders when deadlines approach.
  • HR reporting and performance indicators: track key indicators such as turnover, absenteeism or employee retention, all on an intuitive dashboard updated in real time.
  • Electronic signature: you can sign and have signed essential documents directly on your platform, eliminating the need for multiple reminders and e-mail exchanges.
  • Centralized employee files: each employee’s information is centralized and accessible in just a few clicks, and your teams can modify their data in self-service mode whenever necessary.
  • Performance management software: comprehensive, customizable performance management module, compatible with your performance assessment methods and adaptable to your company’s reality.
  • Wide range of integration possibilities: integrations with intuitive ATS, payroll and time management software to build a complete digital HR ecosystem and make your teams’ day-to-day work easier.

All on a platform designed by an SMB, for Canadian SMBs! What are you waiting for to discover our powerful HR features and how they can benefit your business? Request your free demo today!

Psst… Discover a list of the best HR software for SMBs right here!

Ready to benefit from flexible and powerful HR software in your company?

Discover Folks HR, the best HRIS for Canadian SMBs!

DISCOVER YOUR FREE DEMO

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