What Does HRIS Stand For?

Quite simply, a human resource information system (HRIS) is software that integrates human resources management and information technology.

When the organizational power and precision of IT enters the world of HR, it opens a whole new level of simplicity when it comes to managing data. It also allows the organization to create smarter, more efficient, and more cooperative processes.

What is HRIS?

HRIS stands for Human Resources Information System. It lets HR, payroll, and accounting manage their data entry, tracking, and organization. Many HR teams have some semblance of an HRIS to keep them organized, but oftentimes it is a piece-meal amalgamation of spreadsheets, sticky notes, and file folders.

What are the different types of HRIS available?

There are actually several types of HRIS, including:

• Employee information systems, which are used to maintain information on each employee within the organization in order to facilitate decision-making and reporting.
• Position control systems, which are used to organize tasks that each employee performs under a specific job title or classification.
• Applicant placement systems, which are systems designed to help recruiters sift through and decide among candidates by evaluating them against certain criteria and available open positions.
• Government reporting and compliance systems, which ensure compliance with and adherence to federal and/or state regulations and requirements.

There are also specialized HRIS tools that allow for specific types of planning that depends on the market(s) being served and the needs of the company or organization.

In recent years, the development of a scalable, comprehensive HRIS has started to replace the more fragmented or segmented solitary systems. Comprehensive HRIS systems allow for the management, organization, and simplification of the aforementioned systems while distilling them into one streamlined, efficient platform.

What are the benefits of having a HRIS?

There are many benefits to having a HRIS, including:

Improved Compliance: Regulations can affect many different aspects of HR. An HRIS can help your team stay on top of compliance requirements and meet them more efficiently.

Time Saved: Ordinarily tedious processes are simplified and streamlined thanks to a HRIS. Save hours by setting up policies once and ensuring everything falls in line with these policies, with no extra time needed for maintenance.

Better Organization: Forget file folders, sticky notes, or cumbersome spreadsheets. A good HRIS can help keep you and your team better organized. Search, update, organize, track, and manage documents almost effortlessly.

Quality Employee Experience: When things are done more efficiently, it creates a better perception of the company. With a better perception of the company comes increased employee loyalty.

Helpful HR Strategy Development: With less time spent micromanaging operational tasks and day-to-day processes, HR can spend more of their valuable time working on initiatives that benefit key company goals in employee retention, company culture, and much more.

Why HRIS is worth the investment

A good HRIS will pay for itself many times over. Not just in terms of time saved, but also in overall simplicity and productivity. To be sure, it’s a big step no matter how large or small your company is. But you can’t expect to grow and still do things like they’ve always been done. Taking this approach is inefficient, and sooner or later it will hold you back.

With a reliable HRIS, you can look to your platform vendor as a partner that helps you learn the system with the end goal of managing tasks more quickly and thoroughly while maintaining an emphasis on delivering an exceptional experience to each and every employee. As technology changes and new demands are placed on various departments and teams, so must HR remain flexible and focused. A good HRIS can help you do just that, and much, much more.