I’d Rather Trust a Computer Than a Spreadsheet…

None of us ever have quite enough time to do the things we want to get done at work and SMEs are no exception. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been trying to persuade two clients whose workforce is growing rapidly to explore technology to make their working practices more efficient. Both companies are holding data on spreadsheets. It’s messy, time consuming and not always very accurate. It takes ages to collate data, for example, to find out who’s got chronic Monday-it is. They both need a system to collect, record, store, manage, deliver, present and manipulate the data need to manage the workforce and it’s available in the many cost-effective cloud based HR systems developed for SMEs.

HR is often tackled piecemeal. Steps that can help the business grow i.e. resulting in better productivity, increased growth and higher profits often aren’t taken. Many SMEs are unwilling to spend money and time in order to become more efficient and end up with more time they could allocate to other aspects of their operation.

Time is too precious a resource to spend on repetitive work that can easily and cheaply be automated. A simple cloud system can help streamline a range of functions from the simple storage of information such as job history, pay history, contact and emergency contact details. They can keep and calculate holiday and attendance records, identify when compliance checks need to be made, e.g. driving licence checks. They can log what assets or property have been issued to which employee, e.g. mobile phones or laptops.

They can also offer a decision support function such as identifying absence or turnover rates, or identifying when a particular employee’s absence levels require attention. In the UK businesses lose an excess of £29 billion through employee absence. It is essential to manage it. A system that has an absence management element can easily show patterns in employee absence, something which is extremely difficult to do with pen and paper. With such software, it becomes much easier to relocate essential resources and cope with people being absent from the workplace. Linking the system to clocking devices or absence recording systems means that many routine transactions such as collating clocking information or reconciling absence reporting to attendance records can be automated.

HR systems increase efficiency and accuracy and they don’t make calculation errors. Why not explore some options? 

We deal with the good, the bad and the ugly of HR. If you need help resolving problems with HR management systems or any other HR issues, give us a call on 01908 262628.

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Russell HR Consulting provides expert knowledge in HR solutions, employment law training and HR tools and resources to businesses across the UK.

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