Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

In recent years, information technology has effects on almost every aspect of our society, as
well on organizational processes, including HRM processes and practices .From a position
associated with administrative management, it has managed to become a strategic partner of
organizations, largely because of the use of technologies.

Kovach et al. defines human resources information systems (HRIS) as a systematic procedure for
collection, storing, maintaining, retrieving, and validating data needed by organizations about
HR . Tannenbaum defines it as a technology-based system used to acquire, store, manipulate,
analyze, retrieve, and distribute pertinent information regarding HR in the organization

HRIS shapes an integration between HRM and information technology . HRIS is a manage-
ment system designed specifcally to provide managers with information to make HR deci-
sions. Is a system that lets you keep track of all your employees and information about them.
It is usually done in a database, or more often in a series of inter-related databases.

Modules Of HRIS Systems

1.Record keeping

Record keeping of all personal data is application which has database with data of all employees.
It is very important for each company to have these data, and in most cases data must be
standardized. For instance, if company needs information on whether an employee has a
certificate for particular type of work and if the company has 7000 employee only search of
standardized records can be effective.

2.Payroll module

Payroll module automates the pay process by collecting data on employee time and attendance,
calculating various deductions and taxes, and generating periodic pay cheques and employee tax
reports. This module is often not fully part of the HRIS, because it is heavily integrated into the
system for financial management of the company. However, the financial management system
cannot work without necessary input of the payroll data on time spent at work, absences,
performances or regulatory compliances. We can find very different solutions in synergy of these
two applications.

3.Benefits Administration

Benefits Administration provides administration of employee participation in various forms of

benefits. All employees must be aware of their rights and obligations. The most important
activities are included in pension plans, buying life insurance policies, but also in the distribution
of shares of the company or division of profits. The primary function of this module is to monitor
all benefit programs and to notice any potential deficiencies. The advantage of online access is
very important in this module. The fastest and cheapest way to maintain the beneficiary database
is ability of online access to the data by the employees. In self service module they can fill the
forms about their preferences.

4.Training module

Training module and learning management systems provides a system for organizations to
administer and track employee training and development efforts. Company can buy this module
on the software market as a separate solution. The most important functions of this module are
tracking the education level of employees, their qualifications and / or skills. It allows storing
and displaying various types of courses, books, lectures or materials that are suitable for web
learning. Online learning and testing of employees is a remarkable savings in time and money,
and provides a high flexibility.

5.Performance management

Performance management is very important for each company because continuous monitoring
and evaluation are essential when company makes conclusions about effectiveness of HRIS. It is
also important to realize whether the objectives are met and which segment should improve. The
goal of this process is not criticism but insight in potential updates and upgrades of the system.
This module contains features for monitoring system performances, which provides valuable
information for the management of the company.

6.Employee Self-Service

Employee Self-Service in modern environment is module based on web technology which allows
employee, together with professionals in HR department to manage the employee’s database.
With the right permission they can access their data with read-only or change status. Depending
on the exact solutions data access can be provided within Intranet (safety is increased) or through
the Internet (in which case the company has greater availability of data).

Uses of Human Resource Information System

The human resource information system is extensively used in operational, strategic &
administrative fields by not only the human resource manger but also other managers of the
organization. In case of operational uses, the HRIS point out the potential internal applicants for
the vacant positions, promotes career opportunities to the existing employees of the organization
& saves the costs of external hiring. In field of strategic level, the current selection &
promotional programs can be made effective along with the improvement in the organizational
strategies by utilizing the value able information of the HRIS.

Strategic Planning & HRIS

The HRIS facilitates the strategic planning process of an organizational which would in turn
improve the performance. For this purpose the proactive managers use the useful information of
HRIS for developing quantitative measures & performance targets. The HR plans can be purified
on the qualitative as well as quantitative basis that results into the effectiveness of the functions
performed by the HR Managers. The performance of different employees can be compared with
the benchmarked performance of the industry & in this way the difference is reconciled.

The Security & Privacy of HRIS

It is the duty of the HR department that it must develop such policies & procedures that secure
the important data of employees so that this data cannot be retrieve by any wrong person. For
this purpose the main check is to keep control on the access to the HRIS information.

Reducing Errors and Maintaining Compliance

Many HR tasks are highly regulated, and because of this, even a minor error on the part of a
human resources employee could result in considerable legal issues and even financial loss for
the company. For example, when resumes are not reviewed in a fair and just manner during the
hiring process, a lawsuit may ensue. A HRIS can provide guidance to avoid these types of issues
before they escalate.

When considering HRIS benefits for your organization, the ability to reduce issues and other
related errors associated with human oversight or other factors can be considerable. Furthermore,
additional HRIS benefits relate to compliance issues. Some software programs are designed to
review compliance with specific rules and regulations—this makes it easier to ensure that your
company is in compliance with these laws and regulations. Ultimately, this can improve
company reputation and help to avoid penalties.

Benefits of HRIS

 Expedition of recurring tasks through automation

 Improved ability to reach large candidate pools regarding new position openings
 Ability to quickly apply higher selection standards to a number of applications
 Speedy onboarding made possible by mobile accessibility
 Reduction of paper and related materials and storage – often yields cost savings
 Ease in distributing up-to-date materials concerning company policies and procedures
 Potential for greater employee engagement through self-service options
 Streamlining of open enrollment for benefits
 Empowerment of employees to change benefits information directly as changes occur
 Improved collaboration throughout organization, even when there are multiple company
locations
 Improvements in training capabilities through integration with LMS and development
tracking features
 Scheduling optimization with emphasis on compliance and immediate distribution to
employees
  Reduction of errors in payroll and employee information database
 Improved time and attendance tracking abilities and accuracy
 Decrease in compliance woes aided by alerts and automatic reporting options
 Ability to make more informed decisions in real time by using analytics and integration
of organizational data

Conclusion

Human resource information system (HRIS), refers to the systems and processes at the
intersection between human resource management (HRM) and information technology.
Technology that exists today can help in streamline Human Resource department and simplify
every aspect of their job from hiring new employees to managing benefits.