What should HR software do? It’s the sort of question which gets a lot of blank looks, even from HR professionals. Payroll, obviously. Maybe track holidays and a few other mandatory fields, such as the date an employee joined, sick days and a number to call in case of emergency.
And for most firms that’s it. Only that’s not it. Not even close.
Take skills matching. One basic function of HR is to know what skills a firm possesses. If a new client rings up from Vietnam trying to place a massive order, yet struggles with English, the HR department ought to be able to identify immediately any employee who speaks Vietnamese to seal the deal. Yet, annoyingly, their software package may not log this information. So unless they personally know that Jim in the warehouse grew up in Hanoi, there’s no way to match the skill to the need.
Another example. Your star saleswoman is shattering records. She’s logging month after month of big numbers. Suddenly she starts taking half-day holidays. Her performance dips. To those around her the warning signs are obvious: she’s looking for work elsewhere. Yet there’s almost no chance the HR team will notice this by casual observation. In companies with more than a few dozen employees, there is a limited scope for personal oversight. So the HR teams need performance analytics, capable of flagging up anomalies.
The software needs to be big data compliant, so data scientists can work with HR to discover hidden insights.
These are just a few things HR software needs to do. Its job starts the moment a candidate shows up for their first interview, and runs through people development, learning management, performance management, rewards and succession planning. It should be a unified talent management platform.
When a candidate is offered a job, the HR software should be able to generate an offer based on a category template. This saves HR hours of typing and means the paperwork can be in the candidate’s inbox the same day as the offer is made.
MidlandHR’s iTrent software transforms HR’s ability to manage and develop talent
As the employee’s career progresses, the software should track their development. Ideally, the employee should have control over their data. If they take a CPD (continuing professional development) course or extra-curricular tuition, they can add this new information to their profile. This ensures accuracy and timely updates.
MidlandHR’s software, iTrent, is used by 25 per cent of top universities, 30 per cent of local authorities and handles the HR needs of 10 per cent of UK employees in mid-sized to large enterprises, processing £6‑billion worth of BACS payments in 2014.
Cloud-based for ease of implementation and access, MidlandHR offers a complete HR package. The software iTrent handles traditional functions such as payroll, expenses, holiday approval, and health and safety. More than that, it transforms HR’s ability to manage and develop talent. It offers skills matching, performance analytics and big data functionality.
The dashboard interface makes it easy to use. It offers HR professionals a quick-glance overview on issues such as succession planning: what is the average age of a department; who is scheduled to retire in the next two years; and what skills will be lost? With MidlandHR these questions can be answered swiftly.
HR departments are at the heart of every growing, learning company. They can offer insights to all departments. All they need is the right software.
Please contact us on 0115 945 6000 or e‑mail info@midlandhr.co.uk to talk more about how we can help your organisation. Or visit www.midlandhr.com/talent to request our Talent Management brochure
