Human resources information system as a unified solution

HRIS Implementation

The author of this report is to analyze and summarize the current HRIS structure for ABC Corporation and how it could or should be combined and coalesced into a single HRIS collective of modules rather than remaining in the disjointed formation that is currently on display. The current system is vastly overdue for an upgrade and some of the components are insecure and/or they are not online at all and this needs to be corrected immediately. While the current system may be very workable and usable in the definition of ABC, it could be hundreds of times better with a little proper planning and money spent wisely.

Before getting into how a single-source HRSI system would manifest and benefit the firm, the current inadequacies in the current design and procedure should be assessed and summarized first. To begin with, an HRIS system that is more than twenty years old is unforgivable and this needs to be rectified immediately. This is not to say that ABC needs the newest and most expensive HRIS system instead. However, five years is an eternity in the IT world, let alone more than four times that. Even if their system has been extensively upgraded, this is little consolation if the underlying foundation and rules have not completely changed as well. Regardless, the use of offline documents and off-site documents alone combined with rudimentary spreadsheets proves that either they cannot get effective integration or they just simply refuse to engage in the effort to get to that point.

The data fiels and information they currently track is fairly sufficient although it could be expanded to include benefit information, the workers compensation items that are currently stored offsite, performance review and compensation tracking and so forth. The use of a "in writing" system to change information should absolutely be replaced with an electronic version of the same. There is nothing wrong with the request/approval model, but doing it using paper and pen is absolutely not needed in today's HR world. The use of Excel worksheets, as is used for training/development and compensation management should be shifted to an integrated system.

Next up is the workers compensation situation. Even if the workers compensation is done off-site, the information about the employees claims and other information relative to workers compensation should also be stored on site as only having it in the hands of a third party is lunacy given that their retention practices, especially after their services are no longer used, may not be followed to the letter and/or may not be all that long. The practice of employee relations employees using paper-only documents and only having copies in their locked offices also needs to end. Those documents should be secured and only viewable on a "need to know" basis but they should absolutely be online and should not be a hammer of crowbar away from being readable by any person who happens to be in the office including unauthorized employees, cleaning crews and identity thieves in general. Similarly, all employee files should be stored, updated and issued out from a centralized location rather than being dispersed out amongst the different managers. Centralization is important so that higher-ups and other managers can get access as needed even if the manager in question is not immediately available. This could be absolutely vital in the case of events like harassment investigations or if one of the managers is fired or leaves abruptly. Again, access to these files should be on a "need to know" but there should never be an instance where all relevant powers that be do not have immediately access, even remote access, if/when it is needed. It needs to be secure but the ability to share and access information to need-to-know parties should never be interrupted (Zoho, 2014).

To offer a high level view of how a new HRIS system should work, there are a few things that should be followed. If at all possible, an HRIS solution should come entirely from one vendor and that vendor should be able to customize and adapt the solution to the needs and wants of ABC Corporation. Second, if more than one vendor is needed, then it needs to be verified before ANY work is done that the systems play well together and do so efficiently. Third, if there is a way to create integration between the Microsoft Office or any other prevalent third party platforms (e.g. IBM, SAS, etc.) and the chosen HRIS solution, then that is certainly optimal although not required. However, some firms like Oracle and Microsoft can literally offer everything that is needed. Other times, an HRIS solution like PeopleSoft (owned by Oracle) can be picked but there can be integration and discourse with other programs or suites of programs such as Microsoft in their Lync, Office and other offerings. It is important to note that some major vendors are compatible but many are not (Microsoft, 2014).