Last installment, we discussed dropping your organization's time-consuming, manual processes and implementing a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) or Human Capital Management (HCM) platform. 

Automating People Processes through an HRIS Part 1

Think you’re ready to make the leap? Montani’s Consultants (with over 100 years of combined experience) have vetted and implemented dozens of these tools. We’ll share some of our hard-won wisdom to help make this a smoother experience.

Step One: Prioritize

Take the time to frame what you’re looking for in an HRIS. The two main questions are: what processes do you need the tool to handle immediately upon set-up, and what processes do you want the tool to manage within the next three years. What process is going to be the most impactful to automate? What processes are going to be a game changer to automate?

Also, consider how many employees you have currently and how many you anticipate adding to your team in the next 3-5 years. What are the most time-consuming or expensive processes you currently handle without technology or outdated technology? What processes will you need to automate in the next 3-5 years?

Step Two: Demo!

Sign up for demos of tools that seem to work with the employee count and priorities you’ve set out. As you zero in on a few options you like, make sure to pull in all relevant stakeholders, including HR, payroll, IT, finance, etc. 

Compile a list of questions to ask your sales representative about what the tool is capable of and where you believe it falls short. Be clear on what they do and what they don’t do – or do for an additional fee. Montani always likes to ask for access to a test site so we can play with the tool full of actual data without a sales rep walking us through it.

We also love crowdsourcing feedback from others who are currently using the tool the same way you want to use it – Facebook business owners’ groups and industry-specific groups would be great places to crowdsource the info you’re looking for or get general feedback on a tool.

Step Three: Implement like you mean it

Once you decide to move ahead with a tool, don’t do it halfway. HRIS tools are also only as good as the way they’re implemented, communicated, and put to work.

To make the most of your ROI, work with a consultant or a dedicated internal stakeholder to get all applicable (and accurate) data into the tool. Audit it to ensure it’s accurate – then audit it again. Nothing kills a rollout like bad data. Test it with a small group of employees and ask for their feedback – get buy-in before the big “reveal” to your employees.

Don’t forget about integrating systems that you already have – no one should be doing double entry when it comes to data in the HRIS tool.  Automate, automate, automate.

Step Four: One Source of Truth

Ensure that everyone using the HRIS or its data understands what the one source of truth is. Does the HRIS push information to other systems (we’d recommend), or does it pull from another database? Who is the ultimate person in charge of the data in the HRIS? Who can alter it, and when they do, who do they need to ensure knows the new process?

Designating this information early on will eliminate confusion, as well as eliminate redundancies throughout your organization. During your roll-out to employees, think about communicating this information in several ways; video tutorials, written standard operating procedures (SOPs) with screenshots, and company-wide presentations work well to ensure everyone is on the same page with your new system and its uses.

In the upcoming Montani newsletter, we’ll share some of the HRIS systems that are most requested by our clients and the reasons why; subscribe here or schedule a time on our calendar to chat with our team.