In 2023, the working world is an incredibly stressful and difficult environment for many employees. Take a look at some of these hard-to-swallow statistics:
- 1 in 8 employees have claimed that their pay does not support an acceptable standard of living due to rising costs and limited support.
- 46% of the population would not recommend their occupation to the younger generation.
- 58% of people trust total strangers more than they trust their current boss.
- Over 79% of individuals who quit their role state that ‘a lack of appreciation’ is the main reason for them leaving.
It would seem that it is more important than ever to have a well-functioning human resources department to maintain a happy work culture and retain colleagues. Thankfully there are countless tools and software dedicated to improving your HR services within your company.
At Literal Humans, we use a roster of Human Resource tools to support our excellent People Operations team and help give our employees a work environment they can look forward to. For instance, we partnered with More Happi to provide unlimited coaching sessions to all our colleagues.
The benefits go all the way up. “More Happi coaching has been an absolute godsend. It’s helped me improve my practice as a manager and leader by giving me a great thought partner in all my big decisions. My coach Srishti is amazing.”
- Paul David Perry, CEO and Co-Founder at Literal Humans
15five, another helpful tool, helps our team set goals, track agendas for 1:1 meetings, and foster a culture of positive accountability.
“”Using 15Five has helped me facilitate regular team check-ins, gather insightful feedback, and ensure alignment on goals and expectations. Additionally, it enables me to set and track my own goals, fostering accountability.”
- Megan Clark, Client Success and Operations Manager at Literal Humans
How did we arrive at these tools? Let’s take a look at the steps to take before deciding to go with an HR management solution to suit your needs.
4 steps to follow when investing in an HR management solution
Whether you are a small business or a massive corporation, investing in an HR solution can be a costly endeavor. There are hundreds of tools available of varying suitability and quality, but we have compiled four steps that are guaranteed to find your perfect solution.
1. Identify your key requirements
One issue that many business owners will find when selecting an HR platform is the sheer volume of choices available. This decision can undeniably be overwhelming as these tools can provide solutions for numerous aspects of HR:
- Payroll and bookkeeping
- Recruitment and staffing
- Employee engagement
- HR outsourcing
- Talent acquisition
- Job description management
- Employee handbook design
- Compliance
- Employee benefits
- Disciplinaries
- Competency mapping
- People management
- Absence monitoring
- Human resources consulting
- HR forecasting
When discussing HR solutions, they are often categorized into three distinct types:
- Human resource information system (HRIS): This type of software typically includes features such as employee data management, time and attendance tracking, payroll processing, benefits administration, performance management, and reporting.
- Human capital management software (HCM): HCM encompasses various strategies, processes, and systems to attract, develop, engage, and retain employees. It focuses on maximizing the value and potential of an organization’s workforce.
- Human resource management system (HRMS): This software is a full-service package and includes features such as employee records management, recruitment and onboarding, performance management, training and development, compensation and benefits administration, and HR analytics.
To identify which type of solution your company needs, it is important to examine what your human resources team requires. To do this, we recommend that you take some time to work through these simple activities.
- Budget: Talk to your financial team to determine how much you can plausibly spend on an HR solution.
- Employee experience: Survey your entire team to understand the current state of employee satisfaction and areas that need the most improvement.
- Shortcomings: Speak directly to your HR department to identify any challenges or issues facing the team, including time-consuming tasks, outdated practices, and ineffective systems.
- Review: If you currently use HR software, consider what benefits and drawbacks the team has experienced using the application.
- Evaluate your team: Discern how capable and confident your team is at utilizing different complexity levels of technology.
- Remember your policies: When selecting a new HR solution, it is always important to bear in mind policies and regulations that could impact this decision.
2. Shop around
There are hundreds if not thousands of fantastic HR software available; a quick search of Google will retrieve over 1,260,000,000 search results.
This immense amount of information about different providers is undeniably overwhelming, so how exactly do you decide where to start? We recommend looking towards comparison websites, sites that highlight the pros and cons of multiple human resources solutions.
We have compiled a list of the very best comparison websites that are sure to direct you toward your perfect solution:
As you examine the multiple providers, remember to consider the following questions:
- Which software has the best rating?
- How does each provider meet your requirements?
- What is the key feature of each tool?
- How favorable are the customer’s testimonials and reviews?
- Does this tool integrate seamlessly with your current software?
- Are you confident that your team will be able to use the tool?
- Do the pricing plans fit into your budget?
3. Narrowing down the competition
Once you have answered these questions, it is now time to create a list of five potential candidates. Perform the following tasks to review each shortlisted provider:
- Create a profile for each contender featuring the summarized details of your research.
- Take a deep dive into reviews and testimonials from HR professionals to create a full picture of the customer experience.
- Discuss with your HR department about the benefits and drawbacks of each software.
- Arrange a call with the sales teams of each tool, and make sure to ask any looming questions you may have.
It is important to note that countless providers offer a free trial that allows potential customers to see if the software is a correct fit for their team. This is the perfect opportunity to test out an HR tool and understand its suitability for your team; ask your employees to note down the following:
- Overall experience
- Ease of use
- Pros and cons
- Concerns
- Suitability
- Best features
Here is our list of top HR business solutions that offer users a free trial:
Once you have tried and assessed the different software, it is time to make the final decision. Weigh up all of the information that you have uncovered during your research and select the best-suited HR solution for your business.
If you are still on the fence, remember that many providers offer monthly subscriptions, which means if you are unsatisfied with the service, you can decide to opt-out after only a month.
4. All onboard
Now that you have followed our handy guide to find your ideal HR business solutions, it is incredibly important to onboard your entire team onto this new software. This may seem obvious, but shockingly only 50% of employees were happy with the resources provided when learning new technology.
Without this training, you are unlikely to see the desired benefits or a return on investment from your new software. To ensure this isn’t the case, follow these helpful tips:
- Host a team meeting announcing your intention to use new software and answer any concerns or questions regarding this change.
- Many HR solution providers offer in-depth training surrounding their software, make sure that every member of staff completes this as a mandatory requirement.
- Elect a member of staff to be in charge of this changeover, providing an obvious point of contact and knowledge base for other employees.
- Highlight how employees can reach out to the software operators when encountering any issues through ticket creation, forms, or email addresses.
- At the end of the training period, ask each member of staff to fill out a brief survey about their confidence level with the new software.
Find your dream solution
Selecting the best HR solution for your organization is a decision that should not be taken lightly. By thoroughly assessing the human resource department’s needs, setting a budget, researching different options, trialing the software, and checking provider reputation, you can make an informed choice.
Remember, the best HR solution is not the same for every organization; it should be tailored to your specific needs and objectives. Investing time and effort into selecting the right solution will pay off in the long term, as it can streamline your processes, improve efficiency, and enhance overall performance.
