Hang on a moment, I bet you’re wondering ‘what is an HRIS’, let alone how can an HRIS help my small, creative business? An HRIS might be something you think is only for larger organisations or is too costly for a small one. Well, hopefully I can provide a bit more insight to help you see that it could be just the thing your small, creative business needs. After all, I have set them up for several clients in creative industries.

What is an HRIS?

You’ve probably guessed what the first two letters stand for (Human Resources). The next two are Information System. I like this definition:

A human resources information system (HRIS) is…software designed to aid…in managing people, policies and procedures.

CIO.com

It focuses on the fact that it helps ‘in managing people’ (they are your most important resource after all) and doesn’t get too hung up on the data side of things. I’m not saying that’s not important but what I’m focusing on is how it can help your small, creative business. A small, creative business where you probably don’t have a dedicated HR person, let alone a team.

How are you currently managing HR?

As a small, creative business, without a dedicated HR person, HR is likely to be managed by you as the business leader. You’ve got lots of excel spreadsheets or google sheets with data on. In addition to this you’ve got a folder for each member of the team saved on your computer or even in a filing cabinet. You haven’t quite got around to reviewing all the company policies and procedures in the last year. Recruiting a new member of the team feels like it takes a lot longer than it should as each stage is very manual and time consuming.  You’re worrying that this whole set-up is not as GDPR compliant as it could or should be.

How can an HRIS actually help you?

Put simply, it can solve all the current issues mentioned above. An HRIS is a central hub for all your HR communication, documents and paperwork. An HRIS can automate and streamline your current HR systems and processes (like booking holiday, recording sick leave and other absences like time off in lieu). It will make them and you more efficient. It will provide secure, confidential storage for HR documents, reducing the worry of sensitive data being left somewhere it shouldn’t be. All the team will have easy, online access from anywhere, at any time. It’s much easier for a team member to find an answer to an HR question without the need to ask with you or their manager. Then there is the data side of things, the more data you put into an HRIS the more it can tell you. It can generate reports that help you identify trends and foresee issues, helping you to make decisions and solve problems. An HRIS can also include or have an add-on component to automate recruitment, expenses or rotas for example.

Which HRIS should you get?

Perhaps you’re now thinking, ok, I’m sold on the idea, which HRIS should I get? There are so many, possibly too many to choose from and this would definitely take up a lot of your valuable time. It’s important that the HRIS fits your business needs. What is it that takes the most time and causes the most stress? Does the HRIS have features that will improve and support those pain points for you and your team? It’s also important that it’s affordable and you’re getting value for money. 

What to do if you think an HRIS is a good idea but don’t have time to implement it?

I’ve enjoyed managing this project for a number of clients. When I research an HRIS for a client, I get to know about you, the team and the culture of the organisation. I ensure that the HRIS provider understands this too. For a small, creative business an HRIS should feel like something that makes managing HR easier. It needs to be straightforward and easy to use. It needs to appeal to members of the team who may not feel tech savvy or may not work with you all the time. A small, creative organisation today needs an HRIS that can be used remotely at any time, whether on a mobile or sitting at a desk. 

You may not feel ready to invest in an HRIS right now. It feels like an overhead expense you can’t justify. What if you install one and no-one uses it properly, it will be a waste of money. Try not to think of it in monetary terms but as a way of gaining time. Your time also costs the business money. An HRIS allows you not to spend so much of your time grappling with HR paperwork and issues. You can free up your time to focus on the bigger picture and manage your (human) resources effectively. For an HRIS to work effectively, it needs to be managed correctly as a project. Researching and selecting an HRIS that’s the right fit for your small, creative business. Implementing and communicating it with your team. Providing training as and when necessary.

Next steps

If you think you might be interested in implementing an HRIS in your small, creative business, I can help. Feel free to click HERE to contact me or pop me an email at contact@rachelpbarker.co.uk and I’ll be back in touch very soon to have a chat.

Find out more

You can find out how I have implemented HRIS for other small, creative organisations in my case studies HERE.