What is the one resource in an organization for which the organization itself exists? No, it isn’t the awesome computer system that takes care of everything including the ERP or the great labs or the production facilities or the 5-star type of an office. What is, is the human resource. Everything else is there to take care of the human resources and further their interests in every way.
That said, every organization ought to have systems that take care of its most dynamic of resource, the human resources. And one of the best ways of going about it is to invest in and use the best HRMS software also called HRIS systems.
A HRIS by any strict definition means a system, computerised and digitized in every case that almost resembles an umbrella under whose over-arching canopy every activity of an organization that directly or indirectly affects its HR are recorded and analysed in great detail.
If the definition itself remains so vast, how would be its very scope in real life, and of course it benefits to business! They remain quite a few. We explain a few below.
1. Know who is doing what, and why
With growth comes the need for more people and with that comes the chances of being misguided on who does what. In fact, most organizations beyond certain time and size invariably have people who could have minimal or no work but are there because no one mapped their existence or the reason why they were there in the first place! Without a centralized system, this is a very real possibility which not only adds people but also deducts their wages and remuneration from an organization’s income and thereby reducing it, sometimes rather steeply. A centralized, digitized hris function is the best way to keep a minute to minute know of who does what.
2. Know if the above is in line with the organization’s aims and goals
Recruiting in the short terms may not always be in line with the long-terms thoughts and strategies of an organization. And sometimes if the short-terms recruitments are in large numbers, they can obstruct or even divert the long-term plans. For that, it’s important to invest in the best HRIS function so that the organization’s long and short-term thoughts and strategies are red-flagged and known to everyone such that in the event of an inadvertent offshooting, red-lights flash and the move is scrutinized by everyone in managerial position
3. Know the costs involved with HR and if the same is justified
A centralized HRIS function with the best digitization and computerization is one of the best ways to keep track of costs. Pen, paper and calculator just don’t add up these days, especially when demands and market conditions, and consequent corporate needs change at the drop of a hat. The only way to match needs with existing resources is to compare them size-by-side which takes place ONLY thru digitized means which is at the centre of a HRIS system.
4. Know if there is an alternative to doing things the present way
Strategies including Human-resource related strategies are no more the preserve of the manager and a few subordinates who do that over week-ends. Formulating strategies and deciding alternatives, including mechanization, are things that are best done by high-end machines with the right software which can, using things like gaming theories, pinpoint alternatives and strategies which can be resorted to, in order to either cope up with the existing need or even better them while everything else including costs remain the same.
5. Keep track of business and departmental efficiency and inefficiencies
Businesses these days have departments, off-shoots, activities and concerns that are as vast and developed as tree roots and branches. These are so because times are uncertain and it thus makes sense to diversify and contain the risks. That said, there is always the danger of things becoming lop-sided with either too many people or way too less occupying places of importance. The best way to know which department needs what, when and why is when the organization has a HRIS system that can map out the entire organization and departments in terms of their activities and needs and then assigns manpower accordingly!