Choosing an HR software system comes with many of the same challenges as implementing any other new procedure in your business. Because of this, you’ll need to show your employees that the software brings real value to their workday. 

This could be through making tasks easier or saving employees time. It could be through better communication or an improved end result. Either way, if those at your company don’t see value in the software, they will be less likely to want to use it. 

When choosing a new HR software system, you must make sure it addresses the challenges faced by your HR team. If the software does this, it’ll only be a matter of time before they see the value in the new tool and fully embrace using it.

Here is our guide to choosing the HR software system your people will love to use.

Does the HR Software Tackle Specific Challenges?

The key to successfully implementing HR software your employees will want to use is to ensure the software tackles the specific issues the HR team has. Talk to your organisation’s HR department to see what challenges they are facing and where they think HR software could improve their day-to-day work.

Perhaps they feel employee reviews are taking up too much time. In this case, choosing software that automates part of this process could be a priority. Alternatively, if your business has a high staff turnover, you may need software that can take care of part of the employee onboarding process.

Being sure about your needs is important because while most HR software platforms come with a similar core of features, there are differences in what they offer. Many also provide extra features and addons to tackle specific tasks such as payroll or employee rewards. 

Be sure to check that the software package you choose has features that tackle your business’s specific challenges. 

Is the Software User Friendly?

Your employees already have a way of working. It may not be optimal, but it is what they are used to, and old habits can be hard to replace. Therefore, the easier it is for your employees to get to grips with your new HR software, the more likely it is they will want to use it. 

Key to this is quality training. It’s very unlikely that your team will instantly understand even the easiest to use software. However, by choosing a product that provides robust instructional material or even in-person training you may be able to make the process easier. 

If your team is familiar with the software from day-one, it will reduce teething issues and ensure your team is able to get the most from the software straight away.

Does it Automate Key Processes?

One of the biggest draws of HR software is that it automates time-consuming processes, saving your HR team time and allowing them to focus on other tasks. The HR software you choose may automate many tasks including those related to:

• Document generation-By setting templates and specifying what information to fill, HR teams can automatically generate documents such as employment contracts and company policy.
• New hire onboarding-Many solutions automate much of the onboarding process, from capturing key employee information to providing them with training videos.
• Payroll-HR software can automate payments and keeps records. If you have hourly employees, it can automatically track hours worked on make payments based on this data.
• Data storage-By automatically keeping track of your records, HR employees can easily find the information they need when they need it. Some software systems allow you to set notifications based on this data. This can help with discovering when, for example, employee certificates are set to expire.
• Employee reviews-HR software can automatically take care of the employee review process by sending out timely questionnaires and storing the answers.

As mentioned in the first part of this article, it’s important that you speak to your HR teams to ensure the software you choose supports them with the tasks they feel they need help with. 

Is it Cloud-Based?

Cloud-based HR software has many advantages over non-cloud-based alternatives. Many of these advantages make using the software easier for your team.

Changes you make to HR system data will update automatically for every user, meaning your team will always have access to the latest information. Additionally, cloud-based systems can drive productivity by allowing your employees to work wherever they are through smartphone or browser-based apps. 

Beyond this, being cloud based means the software is easier to integrate into your business than on-site alternatives. Software updates are also easier and will happen automatically. 

Does the Software Have a Strong Employee Portal?

While most of the benefits of great HR software systems will be for the HR team itself, it is also important that it is easy for your business’s non-HR employees to access and use. This is because many of the features will require input from employees. 

A strong employee portal will allow your staff to complete tasks related to onboarding, training, and feedback. It may also allow them to check payslips and request holidays. 

How this works will depend on the HR software you choose. Some may provide an app that employees can download to manage aspects related to their job. Other may provide a browser log in. 

Either way, making this process as easy to access and use as possible will encourage workers to use the software, in turn making life easier for your HR team.

Does it Integrate with the Tools Your Team Already Uses?

HR software doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The more it can integrate with the tools your team already uses, the more likely it is they will be happy using the new software.

The exact integrations you require will depend on your team’s existing tools. Common integrations include those that work with time tracking apps, learning apps for ongoing training and onboarding, payroll software, and applicant tracking software for new hires. 

Wrapping Up

The HR software system your employees want to use is the one that tackles the challenges they face in the workplace. 

Being sure about what these challenges are and then picking a software based on solving these issues is the first step to choosing a platform your employees will love to use. Beyond this, the software should be user friendly and fit into the teams existing workflow.