As many of us spend another lockdown working remotely, glued to screens of various sizes, the idea of embracing any new tech might feel daunting – let alone implementing new software systems. But the right HR software could make life easier, not harder, for your workforce: unleashing their potential by offloading admin pressures and freeing them up to focus on what matters.
We will look at how HR management systems are more important now than ever – and hear how it boosted morale at one company.
At a time when more than a third of the UK workforce is operating remotely, streamlining processes, and ensuring employee wellness go hand in hand.
Specialised HR Management systems can maximise the positive impact of flexible working – not least for working parents juggling home-schooling and their to-do lists – by empowering people to take charge of their own work, while reducing the burden on managers and HR teams.
Prioritising what really matters
According to recent research, workers are now on average working an extra two and half hours per day compared to pre-pandemic levels, a trend mirrored across Europe.
This widespread lengthening of the workday has occurred despite a marked reduction in commuting time, and an increase in the responsibilities working parents, are facing. The impact of the crisis on people’s mental health has been huge – and people professionals are no different.
Over the past year, HR departments have been tasked with not only keeping themselves well, but also the rest of their organisations’ workforces, and this has taken its toll. Figures have shown a 70 per cent rise in the number of stress-related absences among HR professionals in 2020, compared to the previous year.
HR professionals add value through people development, employee engagement and strategic organisational development. However, they are also tasked with ensuring areas such as employee working hours and schedules, annual leave, planned and unplanned absences, skills and training and legislative compliance are managed correctly.
HR teams can find themselves with a very large administrative burden keeping on top of these tasks.
Implementing smart HR Management system will streamline processes that are often tieing people down and ultimately make the workforce more productive, profitable and loyal to the company acting to enhance their working experience.
A good workforce management solution will automate administrative tasks, freeing HR teams up to concentrate on more strategic initiatives to drive the company forward and enhance its attractiveness as a place to work – boosting the wellbeing of all employees, including the HR team.
Automated annual and sick leave recording, scheduling or rostering solutions and time logs to record employees working day enable organisations to optimise their workforce planning by aligning their resources with demand, enabling them to be more agile and drive efficiency and productivity.
Empowering people to take charge of their day
Sophisticated self-service solutions are also a great way of enabling employees to easily record their working hours, check their schedules, request leave and view leave balances on desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile.
HR management Systems can literally transform the way an organisation operates. They make life easier for all concerned and give employees more control over their working lives, in turn creating a culture of happy, motivated and empowered people.
This has certainly been the case for a number of our clients that started to use our HR Management System provided by Breathehr.
Many of our clients were still using paper files that were stored in cabinets in their offices. Accessing these files was time consuming, getting reports and going through them was becoming “a job in itself.
Now with the HR Management System clients can access reports, export them in seconds and store employee and company documents within the system. There is now no need to store paper copies of any documents. This has also freed up space in the office by allowing our clients to remove bulky storage cabinets.
Breathehr’s HR Management System fulfil our client’s particular needs, because of the way the system is laid out, it’s really easy for employees to request annual leave or to view their flexitime balances; they didn’t need intensive training on it. The system has been amazing; the staff love it. It has lifted staff morale: they wanted, and were frustrated that they didn’t have, real-time access to their balances. The staff now appreciate the availability of this information.”
This chimes with wider research that shows employees who work flexibly report a higher level of job satisfaction and commitment – while being more likely to increase discretionary effort – than those who do not work flexibly.
Flexible working also reduces absence rates, enables employees to manage disability and long-term health conditions, and supports their mental wellbeing.
So why now?
Our HR Management System can help your company manage your remote workforce while improving employee wellbeing, through automated scheduling or e-rostering on the one hand, and time and attendance management (which takes the burden off-line managers and empowers workers) on the other. At a time of high stress and new challenges, the support these solutions offer could be game-changing.
Covid-19 has undeniably challenged both employees and employers and will permanently reshape how many organisations operate. Managing your workforce efficiently and effectively will be key to your success. Having technology that can give you detailed and real-time information on your workforce will result in faster decision-making, improved scheduling and better cost and budget management. This will make your organisation more productive, competitive, and profitable.
We can provide our HR Management System on a non contractual month by month basis. Call us now on 07375 097443 to discuss.
