With the new year just days away, there has never been a better time than now to draw up plans of starting afresh. And this doesn’t just apply to personal resolutions but also to broader aspects such as workplaces. Our favourite question to ponder at the moment is: What do HR leaders look forward to in 2022?
The massive organizational transformation in the past year hasn’t been a big surprise for those in the workforce. But major shifts come at a cost, and Human Resources teams have borne the brunt of dealing with these changes. They have had to deal with great retention problems, creating policies for hybrid and remote teams, and address myriad other issues.
Basically, after two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, HR leaders are at their wits end and are stressed out.
Therefore, while it may be positive to look towards 2023 in positivity, HR still has to accomplish the HR tasks required to close 2022: Benefits administration, tax compliance, payroll, and others. So, as Human Resources looks towards 2023, they should also look for HR software that will support their work and help solve the demands of their team.
The strategy is simple; For HR to be able to focus on more strategic work, they need to look towards investing in a people management platform that will not only support their work but also deftly manage the demands that will pop up in the future.
If you are an HR professional or probably know one, here’s why you should act now, invest in a people management platform and ensure that your company has one in place.
Reasons to invest in a people management platform before the year ends
1. The time is ripe for some investment
Convincing management to make an investment in tech could simply be a matter of getting the timing right. And many companies rely on getting their new-year budgets approved in the fourth quarter. That makes this time ripe for the HR department to seek investment for an HR software.
Another reason to make the investment in a people management platform is that if the HR department had funds left over from the 2022 budget, then the time to spend it wisely would be now. Rather it be channeled to a tool that’s useful than be cut before the next budget comes in.
2. The perfect opportunity to set goals and plans
The end of the year is the ideal time to take stock of the things that came to pass, the goals that were met, and new objectives that can be set. The HR department’s planning process begins with getting an understanding of current staffing needs, and then giving an estimate of future staffing requirements based on the goals of the organization.
By the fine quarter of the year, the HR department will be looking at employee Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), employee performance, hiring needs for the upcoming year - and tools that can help them improve their processes.
The year-end results of the efforts of the HR department paints a picture of its activities over the past year through data which gives accurate data of investment needs in the company.
3. Get a year’s-worth of insights
People management platforms can help HR departments tackle the challenge of effectively monitoring key performance indicators such as voluntary turnover, performance reviews, and employee engagement. Metrics help the HR department determine whether KPIs have been met, the achievements that employees have earned, and gain a full year of data on the organization's progress.
Although you can implement a performance management system in the middle of the year, it is simply much cleaner to do it when the year begins. High-level goal setting leads to a cascade of tasks that gets allocated across managers, to teams, to individuals. This makes the beginning of he year the optimal time to implement a new system.
4. The way to go for centralised and secure employee data
No company is free from thirst of attacks and exposure, especially the cyber kind. An intelligent and modern workforce management system centralises sensitive employee information and eliminates the need for multiple data storage locations. This optimises security, streamlines data management, and avoids the errors and time-consumption of manual entries.
Thus, the HR software reduces the risk of exposure to cyber-attacks and offers a sense of security and ease of use to employees.
5. Not to mention the improved productivity and efficiency
It would be a wasted opportunity if we didn’t mention how people management platform completely alleviates the load of manual, repetitive tasks, an how it allows people to focus on more challenging and productive aspects of their work. The improved productivity and efficiency that teams are able to achieve through automation can save valuable resources throughout the organization.
The self-service feature of modern HR portals allows managers and employees to manage minor tasks with ease. This results in HR being empowered to focus on the bigger picture. And by giving employees the power to take actions for themselves, it can allow for more meaningful self-management tools such as career goal setting, training and performance review scheduling.
6. It’s the time for fresh beginnings
I’ve said it before and so have many before me - the new year is the time for fresh beginnings. For organisations, it is the time when new initiatives are planned for the new year, and the not-quite-successful ones are written off. Therefore, now would be the optimal time to make the workforce management software purchase so that it can be rolled out fresh into the new year.
7. Also, it’s time to evolve HR practices
People around the world have already embraced remote and hybrid as the new way of working. Ever since then, it has presented its own challenges to employees, managers, and the HR department. The biggest obstacle faced in the hybrid workplace was the feeling of disconnect that employees perceived from the organization and the inability to effectively communicate with work mates.
People management platforms can help employees, managers, and coworkers to stay connected to the organization an the culture through a regular channel of communication. Going back to the way things were was never an option. HR processes need to evolve to meet the needs of today’s workforce.
Final words
People management platforms are the necessary for maintaining today’s workforce management standards. Employee turnover and engagement are pertinent issues today, and platforms like peopleHum give organizations the foundation to keep the workforce engaged and provide reliable data for efficient HR processes.
It’s not too late for a fresh start. Schedule a demo with peopleHum today, and get started on your new journey.