Which HR software is best for you?

No HR solution is a one-size-fits-all. Whether you’re a mid-size firm with rapid growth goals, a charity looking to ensure cost-savings, or a commercial business wanting to make your people strategy more data driven, your HR software can be the most invaluable tool or a thorn in your side when it comes to achieving your mission.

When deciding on an HR solution, an organisation’s practical, every day needs are also just as important as the big picture objectives, as these build the incremental foundations which make the latter possible. Because of this, it’s important to think about both long-term and short-term wins that you will need from your HRIS to ensure a strong Return on Investment.

Below, we delve into the different types of HR systems, some popular vendors, and the top priorities people professionals should consider when going to market for their new HR platform.

What kind of HR software do you need? HRIS vs HRMS vs HCM

HRIS

an HRIS is simply a database system or collection of databases that track employee data.

HRMS

An HRMS is a complete system used by organisations to manage employee information. An HRMS is usually more detailed than an HRIS.

HCM

An HCM offers an even broader suite of workforce management tools, which are often more complex and advanced than an HRMS and HRIS.

Here’s a breakdown of some popular HR solution vendors:

Single Solution

What is a single solution?

A single HR and Payroll solution means that everything HR and Payroll is all on the same system – this means no risky third-party integrations, no time-consuming manual data transfer, no more miscommunication between these key functions.

What are the benefits of a single solution?

In the day-to-day, this can relieve a massive administrative burden as any updates in payroll should flow through to HR, and vice versa. This means human error with re-keying data and employee queries when information doesn’t match up is drastically reduced. Strategically, a single solution means HR can bring Payroll data into their reporting. For example, being able to consider compensation and reward against absenteeism or performance, provides a holistic view of the workforce, enabling HR to make more informed decisions.

Salesforce

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is the world’s number one CRM (Customer Relationship Management platform), but because of its best-in-class features, many other world-renowned systems have been built on its technology to reap the same benefits.

What are the benefits of Salesforce?

Salesforce is known for its incredible security, a significant tick in the box for HR teams storing sensitive employee information. The technology is also infinitely configurable, which allows whatever platform has been built on it to evolve with the organisation it supports. Not to mention, as Salesforce is such a popular technology, there’s all kinds of Salesforce based tools for almost every business function. This means that wherever integrations are needed, a business can choose to focus utilising Salesforce-based systems exclusively, ensuring synergy between different departments.

Christopher Mitford-Slade, a global HR Director was one of the first to realise how well these benefits aligned with the needs of people professionals – which was the beginning of his founding the xcd people platform.

Payroll

Why Payroll?

A robust Payroll function is fundamental to employee trust. In an era where employee engagement is recognised for its impact on an organisation’s productivity and bottom-line success, it can be easy to get lost in the endless world of higher-level culture building projects. While these have their place, they’re rendered obsolete if your core people functions aren’t performing properly – there’s no point investing time and money in a glittery company social media platform if you regularly fail to pay your people correctly.

What should you look for in your payroll technology?

An HMRC compliant payroll module that offers automation, customisation, and reporting is crucial. Some key features you may want to keep an eye out for include:

• Flexible, uploadable ledger reporting
• Comprehensive control reports and dashboards
• Ability to process last-minute changes or additional runs with ease
• Easily trace data amends and track approvals
• Can manage multiple PAYEs, multiple frequency pay runs against the same PAYE
• Employees can view current and historical payslips and P60’s through self-service
• Employees can download all payslips individually or in bulk, grouped by tax year

“xcd has been transformational for our payroll.” – Henry Horsfall, HR Director at Landmark

Recruitment

Why recruitment?

When recruitment and onboarding tools are included in your HR solution, it empowers your team to encapsulate the end-to-end employee lifecycle. Talent strategy is a crucial aspect of business success, and so a strong management of your organisation’s hiring process, from employer branding to candidate experience, is crucial to ensuring your people have the skills and experience to drive the organisation forward.

What should you look for in your recruitment technology?

• CV anonymisation capabilities
• Configurable application forms
• Self-service interview scheduling
• Automation and workflows to slash admin
• Robust reporting and analytics features
• Social media integrations
• Candidate portal and hiring manager portal

Some HR solutions come with a built in talent module, while others may have ATS integration partners.

Highly Scalable

HR technology plays a critical role in supporting organisational growth, from tracking key data which informs workforce strategy to automation which provides time and cost savings. The right HR solution shouldn’t only have the tools to support company growth but should also itself have the ability to expand with an organisation, providing longevity and negating the need for costly vendor changes or upgrades.

“Working with xcd has given us a platform that allows us to grow, and it will continue to evolve. We have a platform now that works for us.” – Ruth Billen, CFO at Bridewell

Infinitely Customisable

The workplace has seen a huge amount of change, with many organisations realising the importance of flexibility, especially within their technology. A configurable HR solution will not only support business growth as outlined above, but also allow your workplace to adapt and evolve to unforeseen changes and challenges.

An HR solution should fit around the needs of your organisation, not the other way around, especially if you want it to serve your organisation in the long-term and generate the ROI your organisation specifically needs. Customisation may be something that’s carried out as self-service by your team, or there may be customisations that you prefer to hand over to your vendor. When selecting your HRIS, it will be important to discuss what you may want custom, and what aspects of your solution you want to be more standard.