Are your HR teams on top of their workload? Or are they struggling just to get by?
The COVID-19 pandemic put an undeniable strain on HR departments across the globe as they struggled to think on their feet and facilitate the dramatic push into remote working. As noted by Forbes, the challenges of 2020 have “reshaped the way HR functions.” Now that the initial panic is ebbing away, it’s time for HR leaders to assess what they have learned from the past year and prepare a new roadmap for the era of flexible work.
According to Tinypulse.com, HR professionals should “be committed to creating a better employee experience.” Be honest — if you were an employee at your organization, what would you change?
In this buyer’s guide to employee management software, we outline three steps to help you optimize your HR processes.
1. Assess your use cases
First, take a look at your current employee management system. Are there some areas where your HR teams are lacking? For example, your recruitment materials might be split across separate platforms, which can make it difficult to locate all relevant documents for an individual candidate.
In Wrike’s eBook on employee management, we outline 11 of the most common use cases in HR. Here are some examples:
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- A centralized request platform: You need to streamline all employee requests in one place to ensure they are tracked and followed up on. These requests can include PTO, payroll, and office equipment.
- An established onboarding procedure: To borrow a line from HRdive.com, “first impressions can be lasting impressions for new hires.” HR teams should have an effective onboarding process that ensures all new employees start off on the right foot.
- An employee performance tracker: Monitoring employee performance is a key element of HR. Leaders should have a system for tracking outputs, reviewing progress, and providing feedback.
2. Choose your required features
Once you have determined the specific use cases for your organization, it’s time to choose the appropriate features to help you tackle them. According to Teambay.com, “tools are the backbone of business processes.” This means HR departments should take some time to select suitable employee management software that offers all the required features for their unique needs.
Wrike’s employee management guide outlines 12 of the most beneficial features for an HR team. These include:
- Custom request forms: A dynamic form with customizable fields is the best way for HR teams to get all the information they need for a particular request.
- Templates: A large part of employee management is repeatable processes. Templates and blueprints can help leaders to save time by eliminating unnecessary admin tasks.
- Kanban boards: These boards offer a holistic view of multiple tasks and projects at a single glance, making them highly useful for tracking employee performance.
3. Create an employee management checklist
Still feel like you’re forgetting something? A simple checklist could be the answer. As Hartford Business Journal notes, there are many benefits to using a checklist, including better organization and increased productivity.
After you’ve done the research on your HR use cases and features, it’s useful to have a comprehensive list that encompasses all the desired benefits of using versatile employee management software. That way, you can compare it to your own department to ensure you have everything you need to uplevel your HR processes.
Wrike’s employee management guide includes a definitive checklist to make sure you have all your bases covered. Here’s a sneak peek at some items:
- A centralized workspace: Streamlining your HR tools will save your teams time and reduce distractions caused by switching platforms.
- Better resource management: Team leads should have full visibility into employee workloads so they can evenly distribute tasks and eliminate burnout.
- Easy-to-use tracking software: By creating timesheets and automating weekly reports, HR teams will have a better grasp on budget management.
Download the buyer's guide to optimizing employee management
Now you know the three steps to optimizing your HR processes, you can begin your journey to a better employee management system. For access to the complete lists of use cases, features, and benefits mentioned above, take a look at “The Definitive Buyer’s Guide to Employee Management for HR Teams” — download it here.
