In the Market for an HRIS? Don’t Forget These Factors

Yesterday’s Advisor looked at trends in technology and HRIS for HR. Today, for guidance on what to look for, we again turn to BLR’s recently-published HR Playbook: HR’s Gameplan for the Future.

Whether you’re considering an HRIS for the first time or looking to augment your current system, there are some key factors you need to consider in order to keep your HRIS from becoming more of a hindrance than a help:

1. Remember the importance of integration. “You will face ongoing headaches if the different modules are not well-integrated,” notes Electronic Commerce, Inc., in its White Paper, Selecting an HRIS Solution That Meets Your Needs. “While there will always be room in the world for some individual ‘point’ solutions, an integrated suite is clearly preferable, especially for small- and mid-sized organizations.”16

This is an excellent point, particularly if you’re looking to add on to an existing HRIS platform—you may be better off in the long run going with a fully integrated system, even if it means switching away from what you’re using now, than trying to fuse multiple pieces together.

Additionally, it may be worth your while to get IT involved, too, “to see if you are dealing with a truly integrated solution or different databases that are tacked together,” says Electronic Commerce.

2. Don’t get a bigger package than you need. If all you really need is payroll processing functionality, don’t invest in a super-deluxe HRIS system with all the bells and whistles. You will quickly feel overwhelmed and frustrated, not to mention that you will be spending more money than you need to. By the same token, however, look toward the future when choosing an HRIS provider. Your company’s needs in 2014 won’t be the same as your needs in 2019 or 2024.

3. Follow up on references. Just as you wouldn’t hire a candidate (we hope!) without following up on his or her references, you shouldn’t invest in an HRIS system without speaking to other companies that are already investing in it. This additional legwork up front can save you massive time and headaches down the road. Electronic Commerce points out that “it is worth digging to find references that are similar to your organization in terms of size, industry, and sophistication.”

You want to be asking about things like ease of use, customizability to your particular needs, annoying quirks they didn’t see coming, how long it takes to get fully trained and up to speed, how easy it is to generate the reports you need, and so on.

4. Get clear on the real costs. Will you need to pay for new versions of the software? Will you pay extra for off-hours support? Are all modules included, or will you need optional add-ons at an additional price? Are there separate training and/or installation charges? Does your cost go up with additional users?

5. Check the support. Before investing in any HRIS solution, find out up front what level of customer service you can expect, and what hours and forms (phone calls? online chats? in-person service?) will be available to you. Also, what can you expect in terms of fixes and/or “work-arounds” when there’s a problem? How long could you be left hanging offline? As with so many things, this is an area where you get what you pay for.

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.

From HRIS shopping to benefits comparisons, and everything in between, comp never sleeps. “Maintain internal equity and external competitiveness and control turnover, but still meet management’s demands for lowered costs.” Heard that one before?

Many of the professionals we serve find helpful answers to all their compensation and benefits questions at Compensation.BLR.com®, BLR’s comprehensive compensation website.

And there’s great news! The site has just been revamped in two important ways. First, compliance-focused information has been updated to include the latest on COBRA, Lilly Ledbetter, and the FMLA. Second, user features are enhanced to make the site even quicker to respond to your particular needs, such as:

• Topics Navigator—Lets you drill down by topical areas to get to the right data fast.
• Customizable Home Page—Can be configured to display whatever content you want to see most often.
• Menu Navigation—Displays all the main content areas and tools that you need in a simple, easy format.
• Quick Links—Enables you to quickly navigate to all the new and updated content areas.
• Localized Salary Finder. Based on reliable research among thousands of employers, here are pay scales (including 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles) for hundreds of commonly held jobs, from line worker to president of the company. The data are customized for your state and metro area, your industry, and your company size, so you can base your salaries on what’s offered in your specific market, not nationally.

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.

• State and Federal Wage-Hour and Other Legal Advice. Plain-English explanations of wage-hour and other compensation- and benefits-related laws at both federal and state levels. “State” means the laws of your state because the site is customized to your use. (Other states can be added at a modest extra charge.)
• Job Descriptions. The website provides them by the hundreds, already written, legally reviewed, and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandate that essential job functions be separated from those less critical. All descriptions carry employment grade levels to current norms—another huge time-saver.
• Merit Increase, Salary, and Benefits Surveys. The service includes the results of three surveys a year. Results for exempt and nonexempt employees are reported separately.
• Daily Updates. Comp and benefits news are updated daily (as is the whole site).
• “Ask the Experts” Service. E-mail a question to our editors and get a personalized response within 3 business days.

If we sound as if we’re excited about the program, it’s because we are. For about $3 a working day, the help it offers to those with compensation responsibilities is enormous.

This one’s definitely worth a look, which you can get by clicking the link below.

Click here to get more information or start a no-cost trial and get a complimentary special report!