HR is under more pressure than ever before to juggle the strategic aspects of its role with a never-ending stream of demands from managers and staff.
The Board wants you to come up with a succession plan that will help future proof the business, while at the same time, line managers are banging on the door needing help with a challenging employee or a dispute that is bubbling up between employees. And that’s before you’ve even factored in employees with queries about their salary or wanting updates on their holiday entitlement.
The good news is that with the right HR software on your side, you can not only liberate yourself from time-consuming admin, but also deliver a service that everyone will appreciate.
Here’s how Cloud based systems like Cezanne HR can help ease the pressure and keep all your internal customers and stakeholders happy:
1. Self Service
People are impatient – and we are living in an era where everyone wants instant answers to their questions. Employees get frustrated if they are trying to book a holiday and have to negotiate a long-winded, manual process before they can get approval from their manager. They get anxious if they need to update their bank details in time for the next pay run, but can’t get hold of anyone in HR. Cloud HR software systems that come with self service capability can help to speed up administrative processes – and thanks to the availability of mobile apps, they can also give employees the anytime, anywhere access to information that they have now come to expect.
2. Recruitment
At a time when talent is at a premium, organizations need their recruitment processes to be fast and seamless so they don’t miss out on the best candidates. HR software can help the business reach more potential applicants and cut hiring costs by reducing reliance on agencies. Systems can also save valuable time by helping to filter CVs and manage communication with candidates. Poor hiring processes have the potential to seriously damage an organization’s brand and reputation. Automating key parts of the process ensures candidates come away with a good impression of the business – whether they are successful in securing the job or not.
3. Onboarding
As Cezanne HR’s recent survey has shown, getting on-boarding right is crucial if you want to get new hires off to a good start and retain talented people. Our research shows that 37.5 per cent of people changed their mind between accepting a role and starting, often because of poor follow up or communication from the company. 45 per cent said they didn’t know what to expect on their first day and would have appreciated more contact from their manager beforehand. Cezanne HR’s on-boarding module allows you to set up a user-friendly welcome portal where people can get easy access to any paperwork they need to complete before starting, as well as team profiles and staff contact details and locations. It can also be set up to link through to key departments like IT, for example, to make sure all the necessary equipment is set up in time and to payroll to make sure all the right personal and bank details have been obtained.
4. Management reporting
What’s not to love about immediate access to up-to-date reports on everything from headcount to absence levels? The latest Cloud HR software systems put a mine of valuable management information at your fingertips. The board are planning to venture into a new market and need to know what specialist or language skills the business already has in house. A departmental manager is worried about rising absence levels in their team and wants to get a clear idea of the extent of the problem and what it is costing the business. Software systems make it easy for you to extract and analyse the relevant data easily so that leaders have the information they need to inform strategies and support key business decisions.
5. Cost effective Cloud solutions
The advent of the Cloud and software-as-a-service has put sophisticated HR software within reach of most businesses. It’s easy to demonstrate how the system will save everyone time, help make core processes more consistent and efficient and make sure important deadlines (like end of probation periods or visa renewal dates) aren’t missed. Given the advent of GDPR, there’s also a strong case to be made about how automated systems can help you keep data safe and ensure you remain compliant. Put all this together with the low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and it shouldn’t be too difficult to win over the finance team and get sign off.
Erika Lucas
Writer and Communications Consultant
Erika Lucas is a writer and communications consultant with a special interest in HR, leadership, management and personal development. Her career has spanned journalism and PR, with previous roles in regional press, BBC Radio, PR consultancy, charities and business schools.
