In today’s competitive era where all the companies are in a rat race to be at the top, every aspect of the organization becomes vital. Whether it is a product, policies, trade secrets or even the employees; it is essential for a company to keep a strong system to protect the company’s insider information. Human resource is an asset to the company, and it is the duty of the company to keep the vital information and personal details about the employees under covers or protected. Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is an integrated specially designed system that gathers, stores, and processes and analyzes the information of the employees of the organization. According to Tannenbaum, “HRIS is one which is used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve and distribute information about the organizations Human resources.” (Tannenbaum, 1990)
If a company wants to diversify its business, and open its office overseas then it is mandatory for an organization to use HRIS as it makes the tedious job of finding and recruiting employees easy. Human Resource Information System provides various functions that make it easy to establish in a foreign country, it performs various functions such as tracking of employees, payroll, attendance, performance appraisal, maintaining and protecting data and many accountancy functions. It is electronic software that keeps the record of the data and helps in tracking all the required information in an ethical, legal and reliable manner.
Benefits of HRIS
Human Resource Information System not only helps the organization in completing the day to day activities in a timely manner. It gives freedom to Human Resource manager to focus on other strategic issues; it also helps the employees in maintaining their records, changing and updating their personal details from time to time. This automated software enables employees to update their attendance on a daily basis. It helps the employees in training and development, and there is significantly growth in the career graph of an employee. It helps the employees to work efficiently and use resources in a judicious manner.
List of HRIS Programmes
- Interactive Voice Record (IVR) - It is one of the latest methods adopted in the company’s under HRIS. This involves updating the information related to one’s life i.e. birth of a child, retirement plan, address change, etc. It helps employees in timely upgrading of the information and statics of the Merck & Co. shows that there is 86% of cost reduction in per HR transaction when employees perform such activities.
- H.R Portal- H.R Portal enables intra- company communication without being physically present. It helps employees to send messages and communicate via Emails, News, and Web cam. One such innovative strategy was adopted by Cisco System of San Jose; the company expanded its HRIS system by enabling Web cam facility, where employees can monitor their children.
- Automated Pay roll systems- Companies realized the benefit of HRIS and introduced automated payroll systems. By integrating the technology companies save unnecessary time is not wasted and use it in taking important strategic decisions.
- Decision Analysis Tool- Company’s not only limited the use of HRIS for human resources department but created further avenues by helping employees and managers in taking decisions. The tool provided all the relevant information in different fields. The system also helped the basic commercial off the shelf software.
Human Resource Information system also has to comply with the legal obligation of the countries. Countries like United States of America are particular about the information and database; it becomes important for a company to comply with the rules and regulations of the country.
- Export laws Compliance- Company needs to adhere to export rules under US international traffic and US department of states under DTDC and Bureau of industry security. It is essential to complete all the formalities related to Dual ownership of two nations and procurement of a license.
- Labour control and Immigration regulations- If a company wants to recruit employee from the home country in that case company needs to comply with all the regulations and submit certificates related to Green card, employees records, qualification details, passport information, Pert certification. Though it is a complicated procedure but with the help HRIS it is simplified.
- E-Verify- E-Verify services are a unique service that provides employees facility to confirm their eligibility for employment in USA via internet. USA stringent laws do not allow any illegal person to be employed whether the citizen of the country or a foreigner. So it offers the best solution to the employees to confirm their authentication.
Conclusion
In order to diversify the business HRIS is as a support system to the organization that not only binds the company and eases the Human Resource activities but it also is important for the employees, customers, retailers, suppliers and the general public as it serves an authentic source of information. The most important decision to be made is the type of HRIS solution to choose. A solution that is well integrated with the values, aims, mission and long term objective of the company. A system that is customized to the needs of the company and enhances the growth of the company not only in the present but also in the future.
References
The benefits of implementing an HRIS in your organization. (2013, June 6). . Retrieved July 7, 2014, from http://www.dohertyemployment.com/blog/benefits-implementing-hris-your-organization#.U7QPuGPgjIU
Rietsema, D. (n.d.). What is HRIS?. . Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.hrpayrollsystems.net/hris
Kovach, K. A., Hughes, A. A., Fagan, P., & Maggitt, P. G. (n.d.). Administrative and Strategic Advantages of HRIS. . Retrieved July 2, 2014, from https://www1.villanova.edu/content/dam/villanova/VSB/assets/maggittiresearch/Human%20Resource%20Information%20Systems%20Administrative%20and%20Strategic%20Advantages
HRIS Compliance & Governance. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.emptrust.com/PR-EMPverify.aspx
Heathfield, S. M. (n.d.). Human Resources Information System (HRIS) . . Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/a/hris.htm
