• Employee Information: keep all employee data together; contact information, emergency contacts, hiring date, promotions, disciplinary action if any, and salary.
• Payroll: Keep track of scheduling, salaries, year to date amounts, month to date amounts and other payroll activities.
• Training and Certification: Know which employees have gone on training, and which ones need to be scheduled. Keep track of certifications or license renewals. This is helpful for businesses that employ plumbers, electricians, etc.
• Documentation: Company manuals and procedures can be kept in one place and accessed when needed. Copies can be printed, or to save paper, accessed by employees as they need the information. 
• Employee Self Service: This is an excellent way for employees to update their own data and reduces the risk of errors. Employees can have direct access to their own information and update it as they need to. Contact information, training and leave requests, and job postings can be accessed. Security measures can be put in place so that employees will only have access to their own information, to comply with privacy laws. Each employee would have their own user id and password. Security keys or other authentication devices can be given out so they can access their information from home.
• Recruiting: HR Staff can look for talented recruits from within the company or from outside sources like job websites and unemployment offices. Invite qualified people to interview for job openings and highlight those that are most qualified. Keep copies of their resumes, portfolios, notes from the interviewer and more.
• Leave: Know at a glance which employees are on leave, which ones have requested leave and who has seniority in requests. Also keep track of leave pay if and when paid out.

When your business runs with precision and efficiency, there are less errors, more streamlined activity and happier employees. This means less sick time, less gossip and more productivity, which in turn means more profits for the company. Employees will feel valued and be less likely to look for a new job elsewhere. They will be more likely to recommend their friends to interview with the company.

When you are comparing features of a software system, be sure and choose one that fits your needs. There are many different systems that offer a wide range of services. You want to find something that fits with your company but has enough features that it can grow with your business. Start your search online; you will find dozens of sites that you can purchase online. You can also go to your favourite office supply store. If you purchase online, make sure you are buying from a reputable company. Make sure you get all your questions answered and ask about their shipping charges. You may be able to download it right after your purchase.

Whether you have a manufacturing business, a school, or a gift baskets business, you can take it to the highest limits and improve your profit margin with an HR software solution package. You will maintain a competitive advantage for years to come.   

1. Payroll: Keep track of all payroll information; dates, scheduling, amounts, year to dates, start dates of employees; know which employees get paid via cheque or direct deposit to their bank.
2. Sharing of information: If you have employees who are located in different offices, they can quickly and easily share information by having access to the same database. Updating information can be done quickly and easily and is updated in real time. 
3. Everything is all in one place: Having all of your HR systems and data in one place will save your HR staff from looking in several files or databases. One quick search is all it takes to access the desired information. Company policies and procedures as well as payroll, employee information and other important data can be kept online and extracted quickly. 
4. Employee Self Service: This is an invaluable resource that will save your company a huge amount of time and money. Your employees can have access to their own information, including address, training, leave and will be able to make changes accordingly. They can update their home address, phone number or emergency contact information. They can even request leave online and know instantly whether there is a conflict. They can also make training requests and update their certifications, etc. They can access training manuals or company policies. Employees can look at job openings throughout the company and apply using an automated service. 
5. Training: Keep track of all employees’ training schedules and certifications. Know when they are up for license renewals and schedule their training according to company policies and standards. 
6. Employee Information: Contact information such as home address, phone number and emergency contacts can be kept here. Start dates, pay, promotions and disciplinary action can also be recorded. Keep copies of their resume and portfolio, date of interview and any pertinent notes by the interviewer. 
7. Recruiting: Make hiring across the company as well as outside the company quick and simple. Recruit people from outside sources like online websites and invite them to interview for job openings. Keep track of their resumes, interview dates and highlight those who are most likely to get hired.

When your company has an HR Solution in place to streamline HR activities, everyone can do their jobs with efficiency. There is no duplication of activities and communication is enhanced. This reduces the risk of errors and enhances employee cooperation. When employees can access their own information and make updates themselves, they will feel more in control and be more confident. They will know that the company they work for trusts them and treats them like adults. This results in happier employees; your company will notice less sick time, less gossip, and more satisfaction. Production will increase as will employee morale. This will result in greater profits for your company.

No matter what type of business you have, whether you have one location or several locations throughout the country, these solutions can help your business by giving your employees the tools they need to do their job more efficiently.  Every business, from manufacturing to schools has implemented these systems with immense success. When a business is able to run efficiently in the background, customers are more satisfied and will become repeat clients. They will be helped by happy employees who love their job and treat them with the respect and care they deserve. This all means higher profits and more money for you, the business owner. Look online for an HR Solution that’s right for your company.

A good choice of leave management software then frees up much of the time a human resources team spends doing often mundane but necessary tasks. Much of the manual work including payroll calculations and trend analysis can simply be shifted away from an office chair and put into the virtual world of computing.

Record Keeping

One of the best advantages leave management offers a company is the ability to keep records.  Good leave management software retain and retrieve records at the push of a button and integrate with other applications as necessary.

As the software will also be able to record vacation leave, sickness, and authorised absence such as maternity leave, time and the possibilities of mistakes is minimised.  The beauty of the software is that it saves money in several areas of leave management which traditionally have cost companies money in the past.

Vacation leave is traditionally an area where recording it for each employee has seen its fair share of mistakes. The wrong date, or a day not counted can often go unnoticed and cost the company money through paying for extra leave days. Money is also lost through the confusion of lost productivity as an employee’s recorded day off is different to the actual day they are taking.

Leave management software simply records the data fed in and integrates seamlessly with other reporting applications if necessary. This provides managers and supervisors with the knowledge they need to simply and effectively manage the day to day running of a department, as they know when their staff have time off throughout the year, and can plan accordingly.

If the software is good, it will also prove invaluable for unauthorised leave. This can be configured to apply metrics such as the Bradford Factor and raise notifications should an employee reach certain point scores within the system.  Subsequently, it can be configured to show what action needs to be taken at every stage of the unauthorised absence procedure that is in place.

Letters and Templates

At some point, human resources related letters will need to be generated and sent. These normally tie in with a procedure such as unauthorised absence. Letters and templates can be generated and configured to be printed at certain times using good HR software, which can then be sent to the relevant person.

Payroll

Payroll is a traditional area which sees a need for plenty of staff. It is also an area which may need modification to take into account various types of leave and bonuses. Leave management software takes the strain as it integrates with the rest of the system and automatically calculates additions and deductions to the payroll run, freeing up time for other important tasks.

Reports

Companies that use a largely manual based system often use a variety of programs that do not integrate with one another.  A lot of time is spent collating data to pull off a report. Good leave management software will not only integrate with itself and be able to handle every aspect of human resources administration, but it will also be able to interact with other reporting software. Every report will be calculated and generated by the software.
Investing in a good IT infrastructure, can save you money and time, especially in the field of human resources where good leave management software will do the mundane and complex work leaving staff free to concentrate on important issues.

Effective Leave Management

Software alone will not be enough to manage leave effectively. The company’s culture will determine the amount of unauthorised absences and their associated impacts. However, a good system that monitors all leave and applies policies such as the Bradford Factor, will make the whole issue much less time consuming, straight forward, and present all the information in a clear light.  The better leave management systems manage everything to do with leave and absence in one package.

Leave of Absence

Whether it be part of annual leave or whether it be something more long term such as maternity leave, a good leave management system will record annual leave taken for each employee and offset it against their allocated total for the year, together with recording what days they use as vacation. This can then be circulated to departments so they can make arrangements to cover the holiday. Good leave management systems have been proven to eliminate errors that are common in manual systems, and thus save money for the company.

In the case of maternity leave, it will calculate the employee’s first and last day of leave as well as appropriate pay.  The better systems link in with payroll too so that there is no need to manually feed in the numbers to another system and thus save time and money.

Training Days

With the working world becoming more hectic, leave management systems have a feature that allow training days to be built into the infrastructure of the software. This enables managers to identify days where they may be thin on the ground and subsequently they are able to plan the work strategy around days such as these.

Unauthorised Absence

It is important that any system facilitates the accurate recording of unauthorised absence and that any action that needs to be taken is done so promptly with the minimum of fuss.

Unauthorised absenteeism causes more than just lost money in paying staff that are not at work. Lost productivity, increased workload on staff, and indeed the impacts on staff morale are just a few of the problems that are caused by unauthorised absence.

A good system not only records accurately the time and reasons for the absence but it also records the cost and applies the Bradford Factor or a company’s equivalent.  It will also be able to analyze and display patterns and trends, enabling companies to identify if they have a problem with a particular employee.

Managing unauthorised absence accurately and quickly can save a lot of time, money, and trouble in the future.

The cost of managing sickness and absence is significant to all companies, and the ones that manage the issues effectively are using a good quality system at the heart of their human resources operation. It saves them time, money, and lessens damage to morale by using a good leave management system.

Poor software can often lead to poor enforcement of laws, regulations and policies, and if the software is exceptionally poor, increase the risk of non-compliance. Though good software will not replace a good HR manager or officer, as a company is only as good as its people, software and good use of it, will make managing human resources and lowering associated compliance risks easier and logical.

Overview of Good Human Resources Software

Good HR software will be able do most of the work in the background. What a human resources manager and other personnel see will be relevant information after the system has applied legislation and policy to the particular facet of human resources.

For example, an HR assistant needs to be able to calculate how much pay an employee is entitled to in relation to maternity leave, and what benefits and legal issues must be adhered to. The compliance software configures the information and presents it to the HR assistant in a clearly defined logical manner.

To take HR software to the nth degree, it will be able to check company policy against legislative issues and highlight where company policy may breach it.

Areas of Compliance for Human Resources

Compliance is an essential issue for all HR personnel and their companies. Legal ramifications of bad HR practice can potentially destroy a business or organisation so it is vitally important that the HR software can easily handle the following issues.

• Labour laws
• Employee records and confidentiality
• Performance, behavior and conduct of employees
• Payroll
• Compensation and employee benefit
• Employee contact information

It is also vital that the software is well supported and updates automatically to keep pace with legislation.

Accuracy of the Data

It is important that the data entered into the software is as accurate as it can be, and that it is kept up to date. The software can only work with the data that it is given, and inaccurate data will inevitably lead to compliance problems. Good HR software can be configured to create reminders to update the system in accordance with labour laws, together with company policy.

Configurable Reports

Good software will be able to compute and display any report that is needed where human resources compliance is concerned together with other aspects that is relevant and needed.  The data should be able to be displayed in a variety of formats including graphically, so graphs and pie charts can be generated.

In many respects the art of using software in relation to HR compliance is mastering the reports it can generate.

Reference

Good HR software can also act as a reference guide, displaying legislation and company polices accordingly. This can save a lot of time searching online and checking through manuals. Putting the information at staff members fingertips, saves a business time and helps to reduce the risk of a compliance breach.

Auditing

At some stage all companies will be audited on HR. Good software will not only keep track of when audits are to take place but will suggest the necessary documentation needed for it. Anyone that has been audited will confirm that auditors take a dim view of HR managers and other staff that cannot lay their hands on misplaced documents.

Recording of Information

Good software will provide a good system of recording and retrieving information which can be broken down into relevant areas of human resources and stored and retrieved accordingly.

Compliance is arguably the biggest issue in human resources and keeping track of the plethora of legislation is a challenging and difficult task. An investment in good HR software represents a good investment in reducing compliance risk.

• Payroll: Keep track of payroll activities, including scheduling, month-to-date, and year-to-date amounts. Know which employees get paid via direct deposit or check.
• Training: Know which employees are scheduled for training courses or exams. Keep track of training requirements for each employee. Know when they are due for license or certification renewals. This is important for trades people like electricians, drivers, etc.
• Employee information: Keep all personal information in one place; home address, phone number, emergency contacts. Know what date they were hired, who they were hired by and what their job function is. Keep track of any promotions or disciplinary actions received.
• Recruitment: Find qualified applicants from within the company or from outside sources like temporary agencies, job websites or unemployment agencies. Invite qualified prospects to an interview and collect resumes, portfolios, etc. Highlight those who are most likely to get hired or who are most qualified.
• Documentation: Keep all company procedures, mission statements, safety regulations, and manuals in one place for employees and HR staff to access at any time.
• Leave: Keep track of leave requests, requirements, eligibility and possible scheduling conflicts. Know at any one time which employee is on leave and who is going next. You will also know who opted for leave pay instead of taking time off, if that is a viable option at your company.
• Employee self service system: When this option is implemented, employees can have access to their own information and make necessary changes and requests. Using their own personal id and password, they would sign in to their member’s area and be able to change home address info, or make leave and training requests online. This is a valuable feature, as it saves HR staff from receiving the request via email, then entering the data themselves; thus, it cuts down on the possibility of data entry errors and scheduling conflicts.

When employees can make some of their own decisions and have access over their own information, they will feel more in control of their life and their career. There is no need to treat them as if they need to run every decision by an HR staff member.  This results in happier, more content workers who will call in sick less, gossip around the water cooler less, and be more productive around the production floor or the office. Your organisation will soon become known as one of the best to work for and you will see your profits soar.

If your organisation has staff and offices throughout different locations, an HR system makes it easier to share information and compare data. Procedures and manuals can be shared online so that every office operates efficiently. Information can be gathered quickly so that decisions can be made with precision. All of your employees throughout your organisation will have access to the data they need and will be able to perform their jobs precisely. There is no limit to the functionality of these systems, and can be used by virtually any industry. No matter what size your organisation is or what industry you’re in, an HR system can help take your business to the next level.

An HRIS or Human Resources Information System is an integrated and comprehensive piece of software that helps with every aspect of a human resources function. No matter what type of business you have, or how many employees you have, your business can benefit from this type of system.  Here are five ways your business can be transformed by such a system.

1.  
   1. All data is in one place, in one database or software package: No longer will your staff have to look in several files or different databases for the information they need; all pertinent data is kept in place including employee information, payroll, leave schedules, job applicants, company handbooks, emergency procedures and much more.
   2. Important decisions can be made quickly and easily: Know who to hire and who to promote by a simple search that takes seconds; know which employees have disciplinary records and the salary that each one makes. You can also pin point which employees have an exemplary performance and want to take their career to the next level.
   3. Employees can make their own changes: by implementing an employee self service feature, your staff can make changes themselves to their own data, including contact information, leave requests and training requests. Once they make the change the data is updated instantly and your HR staff is notified immediately. This saves them from entering the data and reduces the possibility of data entry errors. 
   4. Recruiting becomes easier and more effective: Find qualified job prospects throughout the company or via outside websites and other sources and invite those prospects to be interviewed for any applicable job openings. Keep track of resumes, who interviewed them and any relevant notes taken by the interviewer. Highlight those that are most qualified.
   5. Keep track of training requirements: Know who has been on relevant training courses and who needs to be scheduled for training. Keep track of any license or certification renewals that are coming up so you can notify the employee immediately. This is an effective option for those who work in the trades industry such as electricians, plumbers, etc.

An HR solution can transform your business from a chaotic one to one that runs like a well-oiled machine. Decisions are made promptly and confidently; employees have more control over their career and as a result are happier. Happy employees means less sick days, less time off and better working conditions. All of this means bigger profits and less stress for you, the business owner. Your company will soon have a reputation for being efficient and your employees will brag to their friends and family about what a great place it is to work. They may even encourage them to apply for jobs.

Choose your system wisely and shop around for the one that best fits the needs of your company. Depending on the size of your business, you may need a small system that is shared by only a couple of people in one office, or you may need a system that needs to be shared by hundreds of people all across the country or even the world. If you have plans for expansion you may want to purchase something that will fit your needs in the future, so you don’t have to make two purchases. If you want to take your business to the next level and gain bigger profits, an HR solution could be your answer.

By implementing a self service system, employees can keep track of things like:

• Personal Information: They can make changes to their home address, phone number and emergency contacts. This saves HR staff from making the changes and reduces the possibility for data entry errors.
• Leave Requests: Employees can request vacation and be automatically informed whether there is a scheduling conflict with another employee. Leave can be instantly booked based on availability, eligibility and seniority. This saves admin staff from looking things up manually or in another database to grant leave requests.
• Documentation: Employees can access documents and procedures that are pertinent to their specific job function. They can print them out to keep a copy with them at all times, or, if they are large manuals, look them up only when needed. This saves on paper and printer related costs.
• Training: Employees can track their training requirements and courses, certifications and exams taken throughout the year.  They can check for any upcoming license renewals and schedule the training accordingly. This can save an enormous amount of time and reduces the margin for error.
• Job Postings: Employees can search for jobs internally throughout the company for new opportunities and challenges. This is an effective way to keep valuable employees in the company instead of losing them to the competition.

Systems can be set up as an internet (external) or intranet (internal) database. Security measures are integrated into each system, so employees can only access their own information and privacy is respected. Employees would be given user names and passwords and a time-out mechanism can be put in place. For example, if the computer is idle for 5 minutes, the employee will automatically be logged out. This ensures that others do not have access to sensitive information and abides by privacy laws.

Virtually any type of business can benefit from implementing an employee self service system. Financial institutions, manufacturing, importing, exporting, mining, health care and municipalities are just a few of the industries that have already implemented such systems. Large businesses that have offices across the country or even throughout the world will find administration costs lessened, as all employees can access information no matter where they are located.

HR staff duties can be streamlined by doing laser focused activities like payroll instead of dealing with employee requests and a host of other things that take up HR staff’s time and energy. Not only does this help HR staff, it also gives employees a sense of control. This makes them more confident and more content in the company. They will take more responsibility for their careers and be likely to stay. This saves an enormous amount of money, as there is not a constant need to hire and train new employees.

By keeping both HR staff and other employees satisfied, they will perform better, take less sick days and be happier about their jobs. They will speak highly of the company to others, and may even encourage their friends and family to apply. A happy employee can save thousands of rands in administration costs each year. Staff will be saved from reporting absenteeism, disciplinary actions and sick leave. Increased productivity and happier employees can definitely be achieved by implementing an employee self service system.

1. Job Applicants: Store all job applicants and keep track of resumes, portfolios and other relevant information. Identify those applicants who are most qualified, their interview date, interview notes and top qualities.
2. Training: List all required training courses and sessions that employees require; remind employees of upcoming certification, license renewals or exams that they need to take.
3. Benefits: List all benefits and eligibility requirements for all employees.
4. Employees: Virtually all important employee information can be kept here. Training taken and requested, leave taken and requested, any disciplinary action the employee has received, their hiring date,  benefits they are eligible for, benefits they have claimed, home address, phone number, emergency contacts and any raises they have received since starting with the company.
5. Payroll: Track payroll scheduling, amounts and methods like direct deposit or checks. Keep a running total of how much has been paid out to each employee, and as a whole. 
6. Leave: Keep track of leave eligibility requirements, procedures and schedules including maternity, study, family responsibility etc. Know which employee is on leave at any one time; which ones have opted for leave pay, and if there are any impending scheduling conflicts.
7. Performance Management: Highlight those employees that do exemplary work and have a true desire to rise up in the company. Reward those employees with extra incentive opportunities and make them a priority for promotions.
8. Documentation: Company manuals, procedures, employee handbooks, safety procedures, emergency evacuation procedures, how-to guides and employee expectation guidelines can all be kept in one place. Print them out, or keep them online for employees to access at any time.
9. Recruitment: Share information across the company or on various public websites to identify suitable applicants and contact them for an invitation to interview for any current open positions.
10. Employee self service: This will be part of the database that is accessed by employees so they can make changes to their personal information themselves. Address, phone number, emergency contacts, leave requests, etc. This saves the HR department a great amount of time in administration and reduces the possibilities of data entry errors.

In the past, companies would have to search several different databases or files to access this abundance of information. But with an HR information system, data can be found by searching in one place, saving businesses countless time, money and resources. Important decisions can be made with confidence and precision. Businesses can be assured that they have hired the right employee, promoted the right employee, and that employee requests have been dealt with in a timely manner. This not only saves time and money, but also creates a harmonious balance within the company.  Employees will be more likely to stay on and be content with their careers. They will feel confident with their own decisions and know that they are being well taken care of.

HRIS systems can be purchased as an online database, or as downloadable software. There are many different systems and some that are more comprehensive than others. Choose with care and purchase only what is needed to fit the needs of the company. Small businesses usually have different needs than larger businesses that have more employees and procedures to keep track of.  No matter what HR Information System is chosen rest assured that it will be an asset to your business.

An HRIS is a comprehensive system that can be used for data entry and tracking. It is also very efficient at tracking employee disciplinary actions, leave requests and job applicants.

There are numerous products available with differing capabilities; you will want to choose your system wisely based on your company’s specific requirements. Small businesses may not need the same full range of services that larger businesses require.

Generally, HRIS systems will allow your business to:
• Manage employee information
• Report and analyze employee information
• Create and store company manuals, emergency evacuation procedures and employee guidebooks
• Keep track of benefits, claims and eligibility
• Track and analyze applicants’ skills
• Manage leave requests and employee eligibility

One of the biggest benefits of an HRIS system is that pertinent data is kept organised and searchable. You can find any information you need in seconds. This will help you make critical business decisions with precision and accuracy. When decisions are made with confidence, mistakes are reduced and money is saved. This will increase profits as well as employee satisfaction. You can rest assured that you have hired the right employee, or even let go of the right employee.

When a business decision can be made with precision and accuracy, there is less time wasted, and greater productivity within the company by all employees. HR departments are the hub of any business and when this department runs smoothly, the rest of the company follows suit. Employees that get their questions answered quickly and efficiently tend to be more satisfied and will stay with you longer.
Some systems will also allow your employees to manage their own leave requests, benefits changes and address changes, thus saving your HR staff further time and money. Training can also be tracked. Staff can regulate training requests, requirements and scheduling to make sure your employees get the training they need, when they need it. This is especially important if you have employees who have certain licenses they need to keep up to date, like electricians, plumbers, etc. An employee self service system cuts down on data entry errors and possible scheduling conflicts.

Any HR function can be effectively utilised in an HRIS system. Decisions can quickly be made regarding training, leave requests and scheduling, payroll, benefits, and virtually any other task. Job applicants can be kept on file with information like resumes, portfolios, etc; applicants can be highlighted or tagged in order of qualifications. Applicants can be recruited from across the organisation or from outside sources including job sourcing websites.

Do your research and find the best system that suits your needs. Ask your colleagues or other business owners what system they use; they may be able to make a recommendation. These systems are available as a software package, or an online database. If your HR staff is spread out through different locations or work from home, a database may be more suitable. This way information can be shared with other staff members. If the software is downloaded only on one computer, it can be difficult to share with others if they need access to the same information. No matter which HRIS system you choose, you can be confident it will help your business.