Is An HRIS Good For Small Businesses?

A Human Resources Information System (HRIS for short) can sure sound like a fancy piece of software for a small business. For an office that has under 20 employees, most small business owners will tell you that they think they have done pretty well to manage all of the human resources functions of the business using the tools that they already have. By tools, some of those mean they still use pens and index cards, but we’re not here to judge.  

What Does an HRIS Do In General?

  Before those pangs you feel when you are overwhelmed with foreign information start, let us put your mind at ease. It is not as complicated and difficult as it sounds.   This automated human resources solution actually has a lot of benefits that will take the responsibility of manually disseminating information to your staff, and put it in the HRIS where your employees can take advantage of benefits information, download forms, and update their personal information at-will. No more people wandering up to you for this and that and those who hover over your desk looking for information. All that goes away in a few mouse clicks.   More than just employee information, what makes an HRIS different than just a regular Human Resources Management System is that the financial pieces tied to your payroll, etc. in your accounting system are integrated into the HRIS, so that seamless records can be kept and remain fully accessible to your employees and line managers. When there are only one or two people at your firm in charge of getting this information to your employees, this system is a huge time savings.   Manually updating one system to reflect another (even if it is currently housed in a file cabinet) becomes a thing of the past. Better still, personal and legally protected information is more secure and out of the range of prying eyes or accidental glances.  

How Can an HRIS System Help The Small Company?

  Putting as much information in the hands of your employees as possible, allowing them to update whatever they need to as a self-service solution is well-worth looking into. Think of the time spent wearing two hats every week; one hat for the small business owner in charge of driving the business forward, the other the part-time human resources professional.   You can you keep track of:

1. Time sheets and attendance records
2. Employee payroll
3. Performance reviews and records
4. Benefits management
5. All HR/Personnel information
6. E-learning and continuing education records
7. Employee/Company scheduling
8. Paid time-off/vacation/absence records
9. Reporting

 

Is HRIS For Small Business Affordable?

  You would be surprised to find how easy it is to take advantage of an HRIS, no matter how small your business is. There are plenty available as SaaS (software as a service) models, so there is nothing to install and no IT hassle to manage. Depending on what you purchase for a package, many companies are happy to help you load in your information into their system as part of the service they provide.  

Do They Offer Benefits As Well?

While most HRIS systems do not offer employee benefits, all PEO services do offer an HRIS that you can take advantage of as being one of their enrolled clients. With employee leasing comes the lifted weight of human resources issues and now a robust online system to keep track of all that you need to as a small business employer, all for one price point. What could be better than that? There are many different PEOs and PEO service programs. Talk to a PEO broker to find the one that best suits your needs.