Do Your Spreadsheets Drive You Crazy?

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With the first quarter of the new year well underway, you just might be behind already in updating your spreadsheets, in running your reports and in being able to streamline your processes.

For many of us, we would love to find a way to simplify our work lives and get out of the weeds. Streamlining, focusing, and concentrating efforts in the right direction are an integral part of being productive.

With our organizing habits in mind, it’s time to take a good look at how your company is keeping track of its employees. Still using bulky spreadsheets and paper records because that’s how it’s always been done?

Manual tracking systems are harder to manage – data gets tracked in multiple places, leading to issues with accuracy and consistency. Antiquated people management systems can also bog you down in the details and replicate efforts – the costs of that extra time spent managing data adds up quickly.

So what’s the solution?

The right Human Resources Information System (HRIS)! Instead of tracking data in multiple spreadsheets, an HRIS provides a complete information system and a single, centralized database to simplify HR-related processes.

Here are three great reasons you should ditch your current process in favour of an HRIS:

Go beyond payroll records. Centralizing information in an HRIS gets you organized and saves time, energy, and money by cleaning up data and putting it in a central location.

Having employee records in one database improves accuracy, simplifies reporting, and increases the productivity of HR.

Your ability to customize reports and look at trends within your workforce is unlimited with a database instead of a dozen different spreadsheets.

Encourage documentation. With an HRIS you enter information only once for many HR-related employee tasks. This means less time is spent on data management, and there is more time for you to focus on HR strategy. HRIS systems simplify data entry and provide easy access to multiple parties, making regular updates more likely.

While spreadsheet based-systems and manual tracking usually require access to specific systems and computers, HRIS systems only require internet access, making them easier to access. Employees can access the system to update their own contact information, and managers and supervisors may also access the system to enter data, including performance management information.

Support follow-up tracking. Using an HRIS provides the added benefit of “bring-forward” dates, to remind managers when annual performance reviews are due, or when an employee has hit a milestone anniversary with the organization.

Convinced? Keep these points in mind if you’re shopping for an HRIS:

  1. The system should be designed to prevent unauthorized access to confidential data or sensitive information. Do your research: find out how different systems compare, and how they will protect employee and organization information before you commit to one.
  2. Make sure the system you decide on is the right size and has the right capabilities for your organization, and will do what you need it to. Request an online tour, and get on the phone with product reps who will be able to help you narrow down your list.
  3. For smaller companies, the cost of an HRIS can seem prohibitive. With the rise in cloud-based computing has come an increase in the number of cloud-based HRIS systems available – these systems are generally less expensive and require less initial outlay, increasing their accessibility for smaller organizations.
  4. Set aside time to select the right system for your organization and to train the right people to use it. The system is only as useful as you make it – while an HRIS will save you time in the long run, it will also require an initial time investment.

Your Engaged Assignment: Check around and see just how many spreadsheets you have with the same information on them that have to be updated individually. Inventory that list of spreadsheets, and use it as a checklist to find the HRIS system that works for you.

Found the perfect HRIS for your organization and want to shout it from the rooftops? We’d love to hear about it!