The paper-pen-calculator trio has been replaced by the Spreadsheet tools and they are very common in the HR departments across the country. They have emerged to be very handy and cost-effective for the businesses in the past but they have become irrelevant and irrational at times. This article portrays the problems of using Spreadsheets, the integral part of office work and how replacing it with a dedicated HR technology may do wonders for you.
Using a spreadsheet tool is the standard operating procedure for processing payroll but one needs to collect numerous inputs from multiple files, musters, and registers which is a very tedious exercise especially when you are dealing with a considerably big workforce. The compiling of data to make individual calculations and disbursing is a mammoth task followed by the filing of statutory compliances is a cherry on the top of already cumbersome HR job profile. Apparently, one may not find payroll processing anything more than releasing salaries at the month end but every HR will admit it to be their second job for which they aren’t even paid. It also fails to justify the cost incurred on overheads as the productive output is very limited while the errors in Payroll and statutory compliance is potentially dangerous. Perhaps, switching to software may simply change the game. They can automate the process through extensive integration to collect inputs and process them centrally. This decimates any scope of error to help businesses feel confident about their Payroll and corresponding legalities as timely compliance is achieved with virtually zero errors in Payroll. Moreover, the need for accountants or lawyers to ensure legal safety is also eliminated.
Cost-Effective HR Operations
As mentioned earlier, a lot of counterproductive work can be reduced which shall increase overall productivity and efficiency. For instance, the ESS Portals can be utilized to provide a central platform for communication throughout the organization. The employees can use their own devices to access the Portal where they can mark their attendance, apply for leaves, make claims for reimbursements and view the current status of their applications. Also, the cloud-based hr software allows employees to view and download their own salary slips which is one of the most desired functionalities for any HR professional. The performance analysis is made easy as it has a built-in Performance Management System which collects comprehensive data on employee performance and behavioral patterns which helps businesses to have better provisions for dealing with similar problems in the future. The PMS also helps to report managers to counsel and train the struggling employees in a timely manner. The good traits can be identified and incentivized which helps to create a positive work environment. The Geo Fencing and Geo Tracking are features which were considered blue ribbon for any organization can now be used to manage employee attendance by the aspiring businesses as well.
Reporting and Business Analytics
For any business, it is very necessary to know about the employees’ competencies and work as a company invests and relies on its human resources to achieve its objectives. While the manual generation is not feasible by any means, the quality also remains questionable. It results in the absence of proper reporting which in turn can be the last thing any conscious business would like to deal with. The benefit of using software to serve this purpose is that all the reports are generated instantly as all the data can be processed immediately. These reports may cover very comprehensive topics such as expenses made on employee compensation, performance, new joiners report, leave and attendance reports, claim reports which aid the decision making the process by providing intuitive inputs. The analysis of this data is very important as new trends have surfaced such as changes in taxation, gig economy, freelancing, and enhanced international business. By using spreadsheets, you only resemble sheep inviting wolfs for dinner.
Thus, using spreadsheet tools may be convenient for very small businesses but its high time that they switch to dedicated HR technology which is very cost-effective for businesses of all sizes. Remember that the time you spend on saving money by Spreadsheets can be used to make money!