As workforces become more remote and widespread, HR teams across the country are faced with the challenge of staying connected with their people. Outdated processes and ageing technology can often hinder this process, with HR teams finding themselves bogged down by admin tasks and losing sight of the human element that is so vital to the success of their organisation.
The systems and technologies leveraged by your business should help your HR teams achieve the full scope of their new role. We feel that cloud-based HR systems represent the future for organisations who are looking to drive forward their productivity and profitability and most importantly, free their people teams from the masses of admin heavy tasks traditionally associated with their role.
Cloud-based HR systems offer businesses an unparalleled level of insight and data regarding the day to day working processes within their organisation. More importantly still, cloud-based systems offer a sense of continuity- particularly across larger organisations- with regards to the HR function. By leaning on a system which is fully supported by an external provider and offers a centralised, automated hub for HCM resources, businesses are able to offer a universal employee experience, regardless of the size of their organisation.
Why use a cloud-based HR system?
HR software has been evolving in complexity over the past few years, moving in lockstep with increased demand from organisations for a greater degree of oversight and granular detail about their people. A shift to remote working has also created a heightened awareness around issues of data security and compliance, with more organisations turning towards cloud-based solutions in order to gain a measure of confidence in the security of their business-critical data.
This shift has brought with it a heightened appreciation of the importance of employee engagement in achieving business goals. With the main focus of chief executives currently understandably focused on enabling a strong post-pandemic recovery, the issue of employee engagement will be at the forefront for many and will undoubtedly determine the success of any business strategies moving forwards.
Having proper oversight of the mood and overall engagement of their employees will be crucial in helping executives gain a measure of how effective any strategies or initiatives are. With a clear focus on driving profitability and productivity, understanding the mood of their people can also help retain key talent, ensuring time and resources aren’t lost in needless searches for replacements.
HR systems will also play a vital role in bridging the gap between remote and office-based employees, ensuring a seamless, sympathetic experience for all and allowing clear communication of company policy and expectations. An effective HR platform will offer a centralised hub for employees, allowing clear and effective communication of company updates as well as offering a single, easy to use platform for access to relevant resources.
Cloud-based solutions shoulder the burden of hosting for organisations, providing services on dedicated servers. This is an aspect which is an undeniable boon for organisations with specific security concerns surrounding their operations, or any who simply wish to be vigilant regarding the integrity of their employee and customer’s data.
What does a cloud-based HR system do?
One of the greatest shifts in the wider world of workforce management has been the increased uptake in remote clocking solutions and other similar employee self service functions. These are a freeing element for many HR teams who find that by allowing their people a degree of independence in managing holiday requests and scheduling, they are able to focus on the more business critical elements of their role. HR systems have needed to evolve to meet this shift in technology, ensuring that even as responsibility is ceded to employees in many respects, that organisations still have the oversight required.
Many high ranking professionals within the C-suite are now waking up to the possibilities of cloud based HR systems as a comprehensive solution to help them drive forward their future business strategy. Gone are the old days of perceiving the HR function as an outmoded, sluggish arm of an organisation- bogged down by countless admin tasks.
Over the past couple of years, HR professionals have proven themselves to be influential and driving forces within wider business planning, therefore those at the helm of organisations are now looking at how the systems they invest in can help them better leverage the talents of their people teams. This is where cloud-based HR systems come in.
Businesses across all sectors understand that the modern workforce is an ever-evolving space and the systems which they rely upon have to be as agile as possible in order to meet the needs of their organisation. One of the driving reasons behind the switch from on-site HR systems to cloud-based, is the need for a system that exists as an ever-evolving digital architecture.
Some of the key features of a cloud-based HR system include:
- Storing of employee data
- Attendance tracking and absenteeism management
- Document management
- Expenses management
- Benefits and rewards scheme management
- Recruitment and applicant tracking
- Onboarding
- Performance evaluation
- Reporting
Can I integrate HR management with other systems?
In short, the answer is yes! In fact, for most businesses the ideal end state of any form of digital transformation will be ensuring that the relevant systems and processes that they use talk to each other and work sympathetically together. Most modern HR systems offer some form of modular functionality, being able to slot in alongside other elements of the HCM function such as time and attendance or payroll.
One of the key considerations that organisations should bear in mind when going to market to source a new HR solution is how effectively any system will be able to work alongside their current processes. This can often be a sticking point for many who find themselves impressed with the complexity and functionality of a potential HR system without realising that it doesn’t work sympathetically with their existing payroll or time and attendance processes.
Remember that the end goal of sourcing a cloud based HR system is to cut down on manual input, reduce admin time and ultimately free your people teams to fulfil a more influential role throughout the business. Opting for a solution which doesn’t align with your current processes will only compound the amount of manual input and cross checking demands of your HR people and will inevitably give rise to frustration and errors.
Your ideal HR solution is one which will work in unison with your time and attendance solutions and your payroll systems, collate and feed information through to ensure a seamless function and integrity and accuracy of data.
What’s next?
For most organisations, the benefits of exploring digital transformation of the HR function should be self explanatory- the knowledge and skills possessed by their people teams are far too valuable to be wasted on hours upon hours of cross checks and manual input. The ongoing success of organisations may very well be determined by their ability to effectively harness the talents of their HR teams and therefore, it is important that the systems and processes they are using are able to help them achieve this.
At Advanced, we believe in the power of technology to help you achieve more. We know how important the HCM function is to your businesses which is why we believe that the systems and processes used by your HR teams should work in harmony to provide a seamless and harmonious people management experience.
Our Cloud HR software solution has been designed to work seamlessly alongside other elements of the HCM function, providing the accuracy and automation businesses need to free their HR teams from the drudgery of manual input and cross checking of errors.
If you’d like to find out more about how Cloud HR can help transform the way you look after your people, get in touch with one of our friendly team members today.