Tech Taking Over? HRIS Trends

Most every company is looking at the HRIS. What should your system be doing? For some guidance on this trend, we turned to BLR’s recently published HR Playbook: HR’s Gameplan for the Future.

In a recent BLR® survey, we asked HR professionals who currently use a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) in their workplaces which tasks they perform via the HRIS.

Data reporting was the top result, with 78% of surveyed HRIS users noting that they use their system to generate reports of strategic and demographic employee data.

Unsurprisingly, payroll management was also a top response, with 68% of surveyed HRIS users reporting that their system is used to process payroll in their businesses.

Try BLR’s all-in-one compensation website, Compensation.BLR.com®, and get a complimentary special report, Top 100 FLSA Overtime Q&As, no matter what you decide.   Find out more.

Other popular functions of leading HRIS systems include:

• Benefits management and enrollment. On average, HR professionals spend up to 30% of their time on benefits administration. If your company offers multiple plans such as health, life, dental, and disability, you may not only be dealing with multiple employees but also with multiple carriers.

Benefits modules for an HRIS allow HR to define benefits plans and track details such as enrollment eligibility, premium payment, and beneficiaries. These modules also make strategic analysis of benefits data—for example, enrollment numbers after a change in policy—accessible. Finally, employee self-service allows employees to enroll or add coverage through the assistance of the HRIS portal.

• PTO and leave tracking. These modules track any and all of the various types of policy-based leave to which your employees may be entitled, including paid time off (PTO)/vacation, holidays, and sick leave. General attendance and unexcused absences may also be easily tracked and documented, simplifying disciplinary procedures while also providing statistical data on trends in employee absenteeism and leave usage.

Furthermore, HRISs also provide modules for tracking statutorily granted leave, such as medical leave under the state and federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), military leave, jury duty and witness service leave, and voting leave.

• Compliance filings. From the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Act to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), government laws and regulations often require comprehensive recordkeeping as well as periodic reports of select employee information. Since the systems are already tracking and storing comprehensive, up-to-date employee data, many HRIS platforms can also generate the preformatted reports and documentation required to comply with these and other federal and state employment laws.

• Applicant tracking. Just as an HRIS can help track existing hires, some systems also allow tracking of potential hires. HR professionals can create job postings in the HRIS, accept and review résumés, prequalify applicants for listed positions, and assign and track the status of candidates throughout the recruitment stages. Some systems also provide e-mail alerts and communications to in-house managers, as well as to the applicants themselves.

• Performance management. These modules provide a secure electronic database of past and present employee performance reviews. HR personnel and supervisors can document employee performance, schedule regular reviews, and set future goals. When integrated with additional talent management modules, using an HRIS to store performance management information can also help identify employees who are ready for promotion based on performance and skill set, ensuring the right fit the first time.

Try BLR’s all-in-one compensation website, Compensation.BLR.com®, and get a complimentary special report, Top 100 FLSA Overtime Q&As, no matter what you decide.   Find out more.

• Training. These modules may administer and track attendance and performance on Web-based employee training and development programs. Employee education, qualification, and skills may also be recorded within the module, helping identify appropriate training and development opportunities.

• Employee self-service (ESS). Forty percent of survey respondents who use an HRIS report using ESS features. The ESS allows employees and managers to have limited access to the HRIS to record and update their own information—without having to ask the HR department to do it.

For example, the ESS may include very simple tasks—letting employees update personal details, such as name after a marriage, address after a move, or number of dependents after a birth.

Sophisticated ESS solutions may also allow employees to apply for and view remaining balances of leave, change bank account details and print or view pay stubs and tax information, alter benefits enrollments, view performance evaluation results, submit expense reports, trade work shifts, sign up for training classes, and much more. Supervisors and managers may also access the portals to approve requested leave and shift changes, document performance, request hires, and also perform the same tasks listed above for their own leave, demographic, and pay needs.

In tomorrow’s Advisor, we will present key factors to consider when looking at HRIS systems, plus we announce the publication of the HR Playbook: HR’s Gameplan for the Future.