The 8 Must-Have Remote Management Tools

By this point, it’s become clear that remote work isn’t a passing trend, but a permanent shift in the way we work. It’s not only changed where we work, but also how we approach teamwork, productivity, and even company culture. If you’re thinking about shifting to a remote or hybrid work model, it’s important to have a proper remote management tool in place. 

A common theme among successful remote companies is that they integrate a robust set of remote management tools that support remote team communication, collaboration, and productivity. With the right Remote team management tools, you can bridge the gap between physical and virtual workspaces, creating a sense of connection and collaboration among team members. 

However, with the rise of remote working, we are spoiled with choice when it comes to remote employee management tools. To help you navigate through this, we’ve narrowed them down to eight categories of must-have remote management tools.

The Rise of Remote Work

remote team management tool

While many associate the rise of remote work with the COVID-19 pandemic, this trend has actually been steadily growing prior to the pandemic and over the last decade.

Taking Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Australia as an example, 5.2% of employed individuals worked remotely before the pandemic, which was the highest percentage across the 4 surveyed regions (North America, Europe, and Latin America). 

COVID-19 simply accelerated the shift to remote work, leading at least 36% of the APAC workforce to work remotely by November 2020. APAC also saw the largest increase in remote work, with 40% of employees either working remotely or preferring to do so post-pandemic. 

Combined, these statistics indicate a major shift towards remote work, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Key Drivers for Remote Work Shift

The shift to remote work didn’t happen overnight and is the result of several key drivers that, together, have enabled this trend to take hold. These include:

Technological advancement

From high-speed internet connection to cloud-based software and communication tools, advancements in technology have greatly facilitated remote work. Additionally, advancements in cybersecurity have made it safer for companies to allow employees to access sensitive information from remote locations.

Considering that the APAC has been a front-runner in terms of internet users and technology adoption at large, it explains why the region has seen a significant surge in remote work.

Read next: Harnessing Automation: AI Tools for HR in 2024

Economic factors

The high cost of living in major cities and the need for companies to cut down on overhead expenses have also led to greater adoption of remote work. With remote workers not requiring physical office spaces, this translates into substantial cost savings for businesses from office spaces and associated overhead expenses. 

Similarly, for employees, remote work reduces the cost of commuting, work attire, and other expenses associated with traditional office jobs. This makes it a double win for both employers and employees, leading to a greater shift towards remote work.

Employee preferences

Nowadays, to retain and attract top talent, companies need to offer flexible work options. With the younger workforce (Millenials and Gen Z) placing a higher value on employee wellbeing and work-life balance, remote work has become a key factor in employee satisfaction

This has led to companies adapting to this new trend to stay competitive. Otherwise, they risk losing their best employees to companies that offer remote work options. This is evident with statistics such as that one in two workers in Singapore say that they would leave their current job if they were forced to go to the office more often.

Learn more: The 4 Skills People Leaders Need For the Future of HR and the Gen Z Shift

Global talent pool

Businesses that offer remote work opportunities can tap into a global talent pool, giving them access to a diverse range of skills and expertise. This shatters geographical boundaries and allows companies to hire the best talent regardless of their location. 

On top of that, it also allows businesses to have a constant work cycle if needed, increasing efficiency and overall productivity.

Additional reading: 10 DEI Policies Your Organization Needs and How to Implement Them

Top 8 Remote Management Tools

remote employee management tool

Remote management tools make remote work a viable and effective option, but only when the right ones are used. The key lies not just in selecting any tools, but in curating a toolkit that aligns with your team’s specific needs and workflows.

These eight categories, each serving a specific purpose, make up the backbone of remote work management.

1. Communication and collaboration tools

A productive team is one that communicates clearly and effectively. This is precisely the purpose of remote management tools for communication and collaboration. They facilitate real-time communication via messaging (text and audio), video conferencing, and screen sharing to keep team members connected, no matter where they are.

Most of them also offer additional features, such as whiteboards, file sharing, and shared calendars to enhance collaboration. Some popular and user-friendly remote management tool options in this category include Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.

Read next: Slack Tips and Tricks for More Productive HR Teams

2. Project management and task-tracking tools

Project management and task-tracking remote management tools are those that help teams organize workloads, assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. These are essential for empowering your team to stay on top of their work and stay accountable.

With features like to-do lists, dashboards, charts, project views, automation, and integrations with other tools, they make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Some of the well-known remote management tool options for project management are Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and Monday.

3. Time tracking and productivity tools

Time tracking remote employee management tools don’t necessarily mean micromanaging your team every minute, but rather helping them stay focused and productive throughout their workday. They also help with tracking billable hours for freelancers and contractors, and managing team schedules.

These remote management tools are famous for features like time tracking for tasks and projects, time summaries, productivity reports, and invoice generation based on hours worked. Some popular options in this category are Toggl, Harvest, Clockify, and RescueTime.

4. File sharing and cloud storage tools

To avoid the classic email attachment frenzy, teams need a centralized location and organized way to store and share documents and files with one another. File sharing and cloud storage tools not only provide a secure way to store files but also enable easy collaboration on shared documents.

Such remote management tools provide features like file versioning, access control, password protection, and automatic backups–to name a few. Trusted options in this category include Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box.

5. Remote desktop and access tools

Certain roles often require remote desktop access to work on tasks or access files from a different location. Remote desktop and access tools allow for secure and efficient control of a remote computer, making it easier to troubleshoot technical issues and complete tasks from anywhere.

These remote team management tools are known for their ability to share screens, transfer files between computers, and grant temporary access to remote devices. Some options for this purpose are TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Chrome Remote Desktop, and Splashtop.

6. Employee engagement and productivity tools

One of the biggest challenges of remote work is maintaining a sense of connection and engagement among team members. Employee engagement and productivity tools can help bridge this gap by providing platforms for virtual team building and communication.

Some features you’ll likely find in these remote employee management tools are reward and recognition systems, mockups of social media feeds, employee survey creation and analysis, and engagement insights. Examples of such tools include Culture Amp, Motivosity, Bonusly, and WorkTango.

7. Security and data protection tools

From online security threats to data breaches, remote work can pose significant risks to sensitive information and company data. Therefore, proper security and data protection tools aren’t an option, but a necessity for remote teams.

These remote management tools can include password managers like LastPass, firewalls like Norton, virtual private networks (VPNs) like Express VPN, and data backup and recovery services like Acronis. The more sensitive your work is, the more advanced and robust security measures you’ll need to put in place.

8. All-in-one HRIS

It’s not always convenient to have a separate tool for every purpose, and orienting employees on multiple platforms can be time-consuming and confusing. On top of that, it can be challenging to keep track of employee data scattered across different remote employee management tools. 

That’s why many businesses seek an all-in-one Human Resource Information System (HRIS) that integrates several functions, from task and workflow management and time tracking to performance management and payroll. 

Having an HRIS not only streamlines processes but also provides a centralized database that is easily accessible, reducing redundancy and the likelihood of errors. Top HRIS options include Omni, BambooHR, Gusto, and Rippling.

Learn more: 5 Reasons to Switch to an All-In-One HR Software

Empower Your Remote Workforce with Omni

Embracing HRIS as a remote management tool is a powerful strategy to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and employee experience within remote organizations. By integrating AI into remote HR practices, organizations can optimize talent acquisition, streamline performance management and promote employee engagement.

Omni is an all-in-one HR software designed for growing businesses to reach their full potential. Our user-friendly platform helps you improve employee engagement and efficiency, streamline processes, increase productivity, and save time on administrative tasks for more strategic efforts that drive business results.

Our employee self-service portal empowers remote employees to submit their time off requests, which automatically routes to the appropriate manager thanks to customizable approval workflows. To make things easier, Omni seamlessly integrates with your team’s favorite remote management tools such as Slack, enabling managers to receive and manage time off approvals directly within the messaging platform, removing time-consuming steps from leave management with a quick push of a button.

To learn more about how Omni can help improve your remote business functions and liberate your HR team, book your demo with our team.

Employees are the heart and soul of your organization. It’s important to hire the right people and manage your workforce effectively, which is where human capital management comes in. 

In this guide, we will be exploring the key components that make up the HCM system and help you find the perfect HCM software to optimize employee productivity and growth.

What is Human Capital Management?

Human capital management (HCM) is a set of business practices used to recruit, manage, and empower an organization’s workers. It streamlines operations in HR workflows and adopts strategies that enhance productivity, support team goals, and optimize the value of a company’s human resources.

HCM goes beyond the traditional administrative tasks of HR teams, such as recruiting, onboarding, payroll, and others. It also includes other strategic activities like employee engagement, talent development, performance management, and wellbeing programs.

When done right, human capital management brings about high quality hires, skilled workforce, engaged employees, and increased productivity.

Furthermore, human capital management software helps organize and sift through data. This is necessary as today’s workforce has become dynamic, featuring HRIS and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that automates HR workflows and routine tasks. This opens up new opportunities for team collaboration and allows you to gain real-time insights into your staff.

Read next: The Difference Between HRIS vs HRMS

What are the key components of HCM systems?

human capital management software

As mentioned, HCM systems revolve around the wellbeing of employees and helping them achieve their maximum potential. Hence, the key components of human capital management are centered around various activities across the employee lifecycle.

Talent acquisition

HCM software addresses challenges encountered while recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new employees while monitoring recruitment KPIs. By adopting HCM systems, you easily identify the skills and qualifications needed for specific roles and attract qualified candidates to your organization.

Onboarding

Managing human capital also involves introducing new hires to your company’s culture and processes. This works by enlightening them about their job expectations and building a healthy environment where new hires can transition smoothly and thrive.

Additional resources: The Comprehensive 30-60-90 Day Plan Template

Performance management

This component of HCM systems aims to ensure that each employee’s performance aligns with business objectives. It involves goal-setting, regularly evaluating performance, providing continuous feedback, and adopting improvement strategies. Its goal is to optimize performance so the company yields returns from its recruitment efforts.

By aligning your employee’s activities with organizational goals, performance management can propel workers to success.

Relevant reading: The Role of AI Tools for Performance Management

Training and development

HCM software also nurtures workers to develop new skills that improve their performance and help them meet job expectations. This is done through regular training, such as financial education, professional workshops, 1-on-1 meetings with industry experts, seminars, webinars, coaching, career planning, and other employee development programs.

Compensation and benefits

This HCM software component offers in-depth insight into the compensation and benefits employees gain from working with your organization. It covers salaries, bonuses, health benefits, retirement plans, and other non-financial rewards like fringe benefits. Its goal is to ensure your company’s compensation stays competitive per industry standards and adapts to your business needs.

By using HCM software, you simplify managing your workforce benefits and make necessary deductions without any hassle.

Employee relations

Human capital management software also supports building positive relationships among employers and employees. It involves initiatives such as employee engagement and recognition, work-life balance, financial wellness and more. This helps to define a positive workplace culture that fosters a sense of community within an organization and promotes employee satisfaction and retention.

HR analytics

HCM systems also involve collecting, analyzing, and interpreting human capital data in your organization. The goal is to ensure HR teams make data-driven decisions that improve results and highlight the impact of human resource practices. 

As a component of HCM software, HR analytics also helps track progress and forecast trends. It covers all employee and company data, including recruitment, retention, skill development, productivity, and more.

Read next: Intro to HR Analytics and Leveraging HR Data

How can human capital management benefit your team?

Let’s face it—managing HR tasks and keeping up with industry trends while complying with labor laws can be overwhelming. 

But it’s not all doom and gloom. After all, human capital management software offers many perks that outweigh the stress involved. So, if you’re wondering why you should invest in one, here are some benefits of using HCM systems:

Increase productivity

McKinsey revealed that more than 50% of employees report being unproductive at work. Per the survey, workers’ level of productivity is linked to employee satisfaction. That is, the higher the satisfaction and commitment employees experience, the higher their self-reported performance and well-being.

HCM systems can increase productivity by enhancing employee performance towards your company’s goals. For example, through performance management, HCM allows you to assess employees, address their concerns, acknowledge their efforts, and offer solutions to their work problems. In return, you get productive employees that advance your organization’s objectives.

Boost employee morale

Employees need that extra push to go the extra mile, and this can be done through the use of human capital management software. For instance, insights from HCM systems can help you offer quality feedback for employees, competitive salaries, and recognizing high-performing employees. With these initiatives, employees will feel motivated and engaged to perform better. 

To prove this, Nectar reports that 84% of employees believe recognition boosts their motivation to succeed. The reason isn’t far-fetched—HCM systems ensure employees feel appreciated and are encouraged to reach their full potential.

Lower employee turnover

Because HCM systems enhance employee engagement, boost job satisfaction, and increase productivity, businesses can grow while lowering employee turnover and reducing attrition rates. Ultimately, HCM software increases worker retention. And consequently, it gives potential hires the impression that your company must be doing something right for employees to stay longer with you.

Additional reading: How to Use Data to Better Understand Attrition and Retention

Gain competitive advantage

By adopting HCM software, it signals to employees that you value not just their work performance, but also their overall wellbeing and career development. In return, employees satisfied and engaged with their work become brand ambassadors, eager to contribute to your company’s success, and promote your organization to others.

Top 3 HCM Systems

Now that you understand what human capital management entails, here are three HCM softwares that can help you build a high performing workforce:

Omni

Omni is an all-in-one HCM software that helps you leverage automation and streamline your human resource processes. As a human capital management software, Omni offers actionable insights for continuous improvement and team effectiveness. With Omni, you need not work with multiple HR tools as it seamlessly integrates with other platforms you often use, plugging into your team’s favorite tools so you don’t miss a crucial moment.

Omni’s performance management lets you monitor review cycles, deliver tailored performance appraisals, and automate reminders to complete the review process smoothly. It also has customizable goal-tracking templates that help managers oversee performance evaluations, track employee submissions, and get data-driven insights that fuel business decisions in one centralized platform.

Also, during talent acquisition, Omni provides HR teams and managers access to custom reports on recruitment KPIs in the hiring process. This ensures you address possible bottlenecks and drive company success.

Workday

Workday is a cloud-based enterprise management system that integrates finance, human resources, industry operations, and planning into one platform. It gives businesses real-time data-driven insights that enable them to make informed decisions. Furthermore, this HCM software also offers AI-driven tools and continuous innovation that support companies in automating their processes, improving efficiency, and adapting to evolving business needs.

Workday offers different benefits, from financial management to human capital management, expense management, and enterprise planning. By doing so, this HR tool helps companies effectively manage their operations amid the changing work environment.

Whether managing payroll, hiring talent, or organizing compensations and benefits, Workday simplifies complex HR tasks and gives you the tools to stay afloat in a competitive market. 

BambooHR

BambooHR is a human capital management software that assists with payroll, hiring and onboarding, HR data and reporting, and employee experience and performance. 

Furthermore, this HCM software helps you find, hire, and onboard the best candidates in your industry. With its applicant tracking system and proactive onboarding tasks, you can create a captivating candidate experience and smooth first days for new hires.

BambooHR also provides tools that help you listen to employees and invest in their development by gathering feedback, strengthening employee satisfaction, and growing your team.

Building a High-Performance Workforce with Omni

HCM software

By evaluating your business needs, researching and trying out different solutions, finding the perfect human capital management software for your business needs does not have to be intimidating. Affordable, functional, and suitable for modern businesses — Omni is an HR software that HR teams can count on.

With Omni, you gain access to data-driven insights that empower informed decision-making, as well as seamless integrations that effortlessly connect with your existing employee favored systems, making your entire engagement process more efficient and modern.

Our full suite of modules provide support for every aspect of your business through an intuitive and fully customizable platform that integrates with your team’s favorite tools for a seamless and timely adoption.

Powering Asia’s fastest-growing, modern companies, Omni scales alongside your company so you can customize and leverage the system to meet your business exactly where you are — as well as where you’re going. 

To join the 83% of Omni customers who have unlocked new, actionable insights after using our modern HR software solution,

For a long time, assessing intangible aspects like employee morale, job satisfaction, and happiness has been difficult, resulting in hit-or-miss solutions like pizza parties and yoga classes. But what if we could take a more systemic approach to developing an employee wellbeing program? 

What is an employee wellbeing program?

Now, we’re not talking about the traditional Employee Assistance programs (EAPs), which see low utilization rates of 3 to 6%.  In contrast, a modern employee wellbeing program adopts a holistic and proactive approach to employee health, encompassing not just health insurance and subsidized GP visits, but also robust mental health support. They provide access to self-care resources, including coaches, counselors, and psychotherapists, aiming to address issues before they escalate into serious concerns.

Why an employee wellbeing program is important

wellness programs

The value of employee wellbeing programs is underscored by their impressive return on investment. According to the World Health Organization, workplace mental wellbeing programs can yield up to $4 for every $1 invested. This demonstrates that these programs are not only beneficial for employees—improving their physical and mental health, work-life balance, and job satisfaction—but also for employers, leading to reduced absenteeism and presenteeism, increased efficiency, and enhanced employee engagement.

What are HR analytics?

HR analytics includes data collection and analysis to drive human resource decisions. Some examples of basic HR analytics include tracking attendance and turnover rates. However, advanced HR analytics go beyond administrative bookkeeping. They bring about deeper, insightful data insights aimed to enhance employee wellbeing programs.

How HR analytics inform employee wellness programs

With HR analytics, organizations can:

  • Identity risk factors and intervene: By uncovering patterns in employee behavior, HR analytics enable proactive support and intervention.
  • Make data-driven decisions: Analytics provide accurate insights into employee experiences, replacing guesswork with data-backed decisions to shape effective workplace wellness programs.
  • Measure program effectiveness: Analytics track the impact of wellness programs, allowing HR to continually refine programs for better outcomes.

5 Steps for Building Data-Driven Workplace Wellness Programs

Creating an effective workplace wellness program requires more than just good intentions—it demands a strategic, data-driven approach. Here’s a five-step framework to guide you in building a program that leverages HR analytics for maximum impact.

1. Collect relevant HR analytics

As a start, you’ll need to collect relevant HR analytics. Start small by focusing on a few key metrics that matter most to your organization mission and goals, and focus on actionable insights. 

Examples of HR metrics to consider when developing your workplace wellness programs include:

  • Leave data: Monitor absences due to illness or mental health issues to assess the cost of absenteeism and presenteeism.
  • Performance data: Identify performance dips that could indicate employee burnout or productivity issues.
  • Employee wellbeing: Evaluate job satisfaction, stress levels, and work-life balance.
  • Benefits utilization: Assess how employees use wellness resources, like WFH days, and mental health support, to gauge engagement.

It’s also important to ensure employee data management is kept secure, anonymised, and used ethically throughout the entire process. 

Read next: Employee Data Management: How HRIS Can Help Achieve Accuracy and Security

Next up, identify risk factors, trends and areas of need for your employees. This makes it easier to craft an effective employee wellbeing program that caters to their needs, increasing utilization and adoption rates. 

Identifying trends can highlight areas needing attention. For instance, persistent salary stagnation might signal the need for a pay equity analysis. If resignations are clustered in specific departments or follow leadership changes, conducting detailed exit interviews and implementing 360-degree appraisals could provide valuable insights. Additionally, if diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues are evident, it may be time for leadership to undergo unconscious bias training.

Learn more: 4 Common Performance Appraisal Biases (and Tips to Avoid Them)

Here are other red flags to consider:

Job and compensation history

  • Frequent job changes (in less than 1 year)
  • Lack of career progression
  • Flat salaries with minimal bonuses

Headcount trend and attrition rate 

  • High turnover (over 20% annually) 
  • Sudden spikes in resignations
  • Loss of key talents
  • Flat or declining headcount 
  • Inconsistent hiring patterns 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

  • Representation gaps 
  • Pay equity gaps
  • Promotion rates disparities

3. Design targeted and evidence-based wellbeing program

Your findings from Step 1 and the gaps identified in Step 2 will shape your employee wellbeing program. Now’s the time to turn those insights into actionable strategies.

  • Address burnout: If your leave and performance data indicate burnout, it might be time to reassess your work-life balance policies. Consider implementing flexible work arrangements or additional wellness days such as mental health days to alleviate stress.
  • Build resilience: If stress levels rise during peak business periods, equip employees with strategies to manage their stress effectively. This could include offering workshops on emotional regulation or providing access to mindfulness resources.
  • Destigmatize benefits use: If employees are reluctant to use their benefits due to fear of negative perceptions, focus on destigmatising these resources. Promote a culture where seeking support is encouraged and normalized, perhaps through awareness campaigns or leadership endorsements.

4. Launch and track key metrics to measure success

After implementing an employee wellbeing program, monitor both short-term and long-term metrics. In the short term, track utilization rates and changes on absenteeism and presenteeism. In the long term, assess its effects on broader workplace outcomes like employee turnover, morale, and engagement. 

By comparing these metrics before and after implementation, you can effectively measure the program’s success and even determine its ROI in dollars and cents.

5. Utilize ongoing HR analytics to refine program for optimal results

HR analytics will be your guiding light as you continue refining your program. For instance, if utilization rates are low for your global workforce, consider localizing your workplace wellness programs to suit cultural contexts and local vendor availability. 

However, extremely high utilization or oversubscription may suggest an employee wellbeing crisis. In this case, consider training managers and leaders with skills needed to provide relevant support. For example, Mental Health First Aid™ (MHFA) training can equip them with the skills needed to support team members’ mental health effectively.

Omni Tip: Consider mental health ambassadors within your organization to support, lead and implement your employee wellbeing programs!

Leverage Technology to Champion Employee Wellbeing

Modern problems require modern solutions, and HR analytics can be the answer to an effective employee wellbeing program. 

Common challenges in implementing HR analytics, such as data availability, migration, and security, often hinder progress, but Omni eliminates these obstacles. 

Acting as a single source of truth, Omni integrates data from various sources like payroll, time-off, and employee profiles, ensuring consistent and accurate HR analytics. Transitioning data from previous systems or spreadsheets can be time-consuming and error-prone, but our local support team assists with data input and workflow setup, ensuring a smooth transition. Additionally, protecting sensitive employee data is paramount; OmniHR is ISO 27001 certified and uses end-to-end encryption to guarantee maximum data protection.

Top 5 HR Workflow Automation Softwares in 2024

Savvy HR professionals know all too well the value of technology in their roles. With lots of data, moving parts, and a need for accuracy (all while maintaining top-tier confidentiality) manual workflows just aren’t cutting it in HR these days. Luckily, there’s plenty of options for workflow automation software you can turn to. But which one to choose?

Different workflow automation platforms offer different advantages, with specific features as unique as your organization. Here, we’re going to take a look at what makes a great workflow automation software, the details you should look for, and what will make the best workflow automation software system for your business.

What are HR workflows?

In a nutshell, HR workflows are the step-by-step processes that guide how HR tasks get done. They map out the sequence of actions, approvals, notifications, and data transfers involved in completing each HR activity.

As you probably already realize, optimizing HR workflows can be a game-changer for your team. It’s about more than just efficiency (although that’s a major bonus too). Here’s how streamlined workflows can transform your HR game:

  • Efficiency boost: Workflow automation tools take care of repetitive tasks, freeing up your team to focus on strategic initiatives and building relationships with employees.
  • Error reduction: Automating data entry and approval processes minimizes the risk of costly human errors.
  • Improved compliance: Workflow automation software can help you keep compliant with company policies and labor laws.
  • Enhanced employee experience: Streamlined processes mean faster response times, less hassle for employees, and a more positive employee experience.
  • Data-driven insights: By tracking and analyzing workflow data, you can identify bottlenecks, optimize processes, and make informed decisions.

What is an HR workflow automation software?

Now that we know what workflows are generally, let’s take a look at how the tech interacts with them. HR workflow automation software is a type of technology that automates and streamlines your HR processes. It’s like a digital assistant, handling tasks such as:

  • Onboarding new hires: Automatically sending welcome emails, collecting documents, and setting up payroll.
  • Managing employee data: Keeping track of employee information, leave requests, and performance reviews.
  • Approving requests: Automating approval workflows for time off, expense reimbursements, and other requests.
  • Sending notifications and reminders: Ensuring everyone stays informed about important dates, deadlines, and tasks.

HR workflow automation software is a powerful tool that can transform your HR operations. By automating repetitive tasks, streamlining processes, and improving data accuracy, it will help you create a more efficient, productive, and employee-centric workplace.

Benefits of Using an HR Workflow Automation Software

workflow automation tools

As you’ve probably already gathered from the rundown above, workflow automation software is more than just techy-sounding buzzwords. It’s a game-changer that can significantly improve your HR operations and overall employee experience. Here’s how:

Enhance efficiency and productivity

Reduce manual tasks: Automation takes over those repetitive, time-consuming tasks like data entry, approvals, and notifications. This frees up your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives, employee engagement, and other value-adding activities.

Speed up processes: Automated workflows zip through tasks much faster than manual ones. This means faster onboarding processes, quicker approvals, and less waiting around for employees.

Optimize resource allocation: By automating routine tasks, you can better allocate your resources to where they’re needed most, increasing efficiency and productivity.

Increase accuracy and compliance

Minimize errors: Humans make mistakes, it’s inevitable. But with automation, you can significantly reduce the risk of errors in data entry, calculations, and other processes. This translates to fewer headaches and less time spent fixing mistakes.

Standardize processes: Automated workflows ensure consistency and standardization in your HR processes. This helps maintain compliance with company policies, labor laws, and industry regulations.

Leave an audit trail: Automation creates a clear audit trail of all actions taken within the workflow, making it easier to track progress, identify issues, and ensure accountability.

Better employee experience

Empower self-service: Workflow automation tools give employees more control over their own information and requests. They can easily access and update their employee data, request time off, and track the status of their requests, all without having to wait on HR.

Speed up response times: Automated workflows mean faster response times to requests, which improves employee satisfaction and overall experience.

Personalize communication: Automation can be used to send personalized messages and reminders to employees, making them feel valued and informed.

Reduce frustration: By eliminating bottlenecks and delays, automation reduces the frustration that often comes with manual processes.

Things to Consider When Choosing Workflow Automation Tools

best workflow automation software system

With so many HR workflow automation software options out there, it can be tough to know where to start. Here are five key factors to keep in mind as you evaluate different tools:

1. Workflow needs and complexity

Before you even look at software, take a good look at your existing HR processes. Identify the workflows you want to automate and how complex they are. Are they simple, linear processes, or do they involve multiple steps and approvals? Some tools are better suited for simple workflows, while others can handle more complex processes. Make sure the software you choose can accommodate the level of complexity you need.

2. User needs and relevant technical skills

Consider who will be using the workflow automation platform. Will it be primarily HR staff, or will other employees need to interact with the system? The software should be intuitive and user-friendly, even for those who aren’t tech-savvy. A steep learning curve can lead to frustration and low adoption rates. Check if the vendor offers training and support resources to help your team get up to speed quickly.

3. Integration capabilities

Your HR automation tool should be able to integrate with your other HR systems, like your payroll software or applicant tracking system. This will ensure smooth data flow and eliminate the need for manual data entry. Look for a tool that offers robust APIs and pre-built integrations with popular HR software solutions.

4. Scalability and budget

Think about your company’s future growth plans. Will the software be able to scale with you as your workforce expands? Consider the pricing model of the software. Some tools charge per user, while others have a flat monthly fee. Make sure the pricing aligns with your budget and projected growth.

5. Security and compliance

HR data is sensitive, so choose a tool that prioritizes data security. Look for features like encryption, access controls, and regular backups. Ensure the software complies with relevant data protection regulations like GDPR or CCPA.

5 Best Workflow Automation Software Systems

By now, you’re hopefully convinced of the value these automation systems can bring. But what is the best workflow automation software system for your organization? Here are five top-notch workflow automation platforms to consider that can transform the way you manage your workforce:

Omni

Our cloud-based platform is a powerhouse for automating a wide range of HR processes, from onboarding and payroll to performance management and employee engagement. Its intuitive interface and customizable automated workflows make it a breeze to use, even for those who aren’t tech-savvy. With a range of features and fantastic customer service, Omni is great for a wide range of companies, regardless of size.

Zoho People

This comprehensive HR suite offers a variety of automation features, including onboarding, attendance tracking, leave management, and performance reviews. Zoho People integrates with other Zoho products, making it an appealing option for businesses already using Zoho’s suite of tools.

Bamboo HR

Known for its user-friendly interface and excellent customer support, BambooHR is a popular choice for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers a wide range of features, including applicant tracking, onboarding, performance management, and employee self-service.

Workday

This enterprise-grade platform is designed for large organizations with complex HR needs. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for talent management, payroll, benefits, and more. Workday’s powerful analytics and reporting capabilities provide insights into your workforce data.

Deel

If you have a global workforce, Deel is a great option because it specializes in international payroll, compliance, and contractor management. Deel’s platform makes it easy to onboard and pay employees and contractors in over 150 countries, all while staying compliant with local laws and regulations.

Future Proof Your Organization with Omni

Powering Asia’s fastest-growing, modern companies, Omni scales alongside your company so you can customize and leverage the system to meet your business exactly where you are—as well as where you’re going.

From onboarding to offboarding, save time with Omni’s workflow automation software system. With our customized template of workflows and task sequences, you can send out tasks to your team and track completion progress with a click of a button. 

Omni also integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams to automatically send task notifications and reminders so you can rest easy when it comes time for performance reviews or getting new joiners to complete onboarding paperwork. 

With Omni, you gain access to data-driven insights that empower informed decision-making, as well as seamless integrations that effortlessly connect with your existing employee favored systems, making your entire engagement process more efficient and modern.

Book a demo with our team now to learn how Omni’s automated HR workflows can help take your business processes to the next level.

The 10 HR Workflows Your Team Needs to Automate

With the exponential growth of SMEs in Asia Pacific, the region is expected to witness the highest adoption of business process automation software and HR workflows. According to Future Market Insights, that’s four times from 2023 to 2033. In India, the growth rate is even higher, at five times in the same period.

As a business leader, you want to keep up with business trends and facilitate your HR workflow. Understanding areas where you can implement automated HR workflows or automation software systems can streamline your processes and reduce administrative costs. Here’s everything you need to know to set up your HR workflow.

Why should you implement automated HR workflows?

HR automation is the use of automation software systems to automate repetitive HR tasks that require little to no manual input. But why invest in an automation software system when your employees can do the HR processes manually?

Automated HR workflows are time-efficient, economical, more accurate, and compliant with labor laws in your region. It also provides data and insights that inform your business decisions and enhance your employees’ overall work experience. Also, when you relieve your HR team of these tedious tasks, they have more time to work on strategies that matter.

10 HR Workflows Examples

automated hr workflows

Choosing the right, efficient operations to automate is important so that you can reap the benefits of your automation software system. Here are some examples to consider:

1. Job postings

Part of the recruitment process that may require automated HR workflows is posting job ads. You can automate job posting to career websites, social media platforms, and multiple job boards, such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed.

Use an automation software system that integrates with the websites of your choice to automatically post your job ads, promote the ad on your social media pages, and target the most relevant job boards and applicants.

This way, you can maximize exposure and have a bigger and better pool to choose from. Automated HR workflows such as these optimize your hiring process, which means you can run fewer hiring cycles and save on recruitment costs.

Relevant reading: How to Define Your Employee’s Job Scope (With a Template!)

2. Employee onboarding or offboarding

One of the most automated and complex HR workflows is employee onboarding. With a multi-step workflow, you can add an employee to your Human Resources Information System (HRIS), and an organization email account will be created automatically for them.

The first few emails they receive will include the onboarding material. Think of it as a starter pack for joining, including a welcome message, employee handbook, necessary company policies, and contact details for senior staff.

The automaton software system can also collect e-signed forms, generate official documents, deliver devices to them without IT support, manage your employee data in one place, update it automatically, assign their onboarding schedule, send notifications to your new hires, set up payroll and benefits, and give them access to employee portals.

Read next: The HR Guide to a Successful Onboarding Process

As for the offboarding process, it all starts with an employee’s leave notice. The company can choose to retain the employee by counter offering.

Otherwise, the automated HR workflows will kickstart to revoke access to portals and tools, schedule exit interviews, prepare exit documents regulating equipment returns with checklists of the requested items, updating employee information, and sending surveys to former employees to ask for feedback.

3. Leave request and approval process

Leave management is one of the best automated HR workflows, as it prevents missing leave request emails and disrupting operations. 

For example, the automation software system can check an employee’s leave balance whilst abiding by the company policies to ensure there is minimum available workforce for each department. Once that is done, it can send automatic notifications to an employee’s manager for approval or rejection.

4. Leave tracking

With the right automation software system, you can record employee paid leaves for payroll circulation automatically and classify them according to the type of leave, such as sick leave and maternity leave. Then, the platform calculates and updates your employees’ remaining paid time off. Additionally, it consolidates all this information for easy access.

5. Performance review process

Consider automated HR workflows for the performance review process. This can be done simply by creating custom performance review questions for employees and managers to fill out. Then, you can set the automation software system up to send the company-wide surveys on set dates, thus establishing a regular review cycle.

After that, the analytics and statistics feature in the automation software system can supply you with the data necessary to establish or refine your HR strategies. Additionally, the program will store past performance reviews, which enables you to track employee progress easily.

Accordingly, you can issue raises and bonuses, take disciplinary action, or terminate your employees’ agreements. Either way, the decision will be bias-free because the tracked employee performance data from your automated HR workflows gives you a great reference point.

6. Employee recognition

Picture this: your managers and employees log into your employee recognition app to send a virtual clap to their employee or colleague for the effort they put into their latest team project. This form of employee recognition helps foster a positive company culture that every organization strives for. 

You can do so by implementing an automated reward system (ARS). This software rewards employees for their achievements and milestones based on defined criteria. Think bonuses, days off, public accolades, e-gift cards, and experiential gifts.

An ARS integrates with the HR software you already have to track your employees’ performance, identify rewardable achievements, and issue a personalized reward. For instance, you can send employees gifts on their work anniversaries to promote company loyalty.

7. Reporting expenses

Reporting expenses can benefit from automated HR workflows, leaving a positive impact on your employees. These include employee wages, office expenses, legal and professional services, insurance and tax expenses, and meals.

When you digitalize the expense reporting process, your employees can upload documents within an employee self-service portal from their end. Then, the software will notify the relevant manager to approve or reject the expense.

You can also use an integration platform to create an account for new hires automatically on the expense reporting software or app.

8. Payroll inquiries

One of the automated HR workflows you need is payroll inquiries because there’s less room for error, and employees get paid the correct amounts promptly. You can outsource it or integrate your HR system with the payroll system.

With such automated HR workflows, handling payroll inquiries about withholding amounts, time-offs, pay rates, and accumulation rates becomes a piece of cake. You can easily keep track of these payments, and the automation software system will withhold any necessary amounts for tax purposes.

9. Time and attendance tracking

When you have automated HR workflows for time and attendance tracking, you avoid missing or delays in approving or rejecting a leave request via Slack or email. Instead, you get automated sheets with real-time updates.

Even better, an automation software system with attendance tracking can be especially helpful for remote and hybrid teams, supporting team-wide visibility into who’s working at any given time. This way, employees can take their well-deserved time off without impacting business operations.

Additionally, a time-tracking automation software system allows you to track how many hours your team has worked per week. To illustrate, you can log your employees’ work hours manually or automatically and track attendance and absence.

Your HR personnel can benefit from the data and insights generated by these automated HR workflows. They can calculate the company’s absenteeism rate and notice alarming trends, such as when employees are taking too many or too little days off.

With these insights in hand, they can schedule meetings with such employees to find out the underlying cause. Then, they can take mitigating and actionable steps to optimize team productivity and labor costs.

10. Getting HR documents signed

As mentioned earlier, you can create automated HR workflows for signing forms. Using an automation software system for this makes processes like onboarding less stressful for new hires and the HR team, requires little to no physical paperwork, and accommodates hybrid or remote working models.

An automation software system can send new hires the relevant HR documents (such as employee handbook, offer letter, confidentiality agreements, and employment contracts) and request their digital signatures.

Then, the platform automatically collects e-signed forms, generates HR documents in PDF format, and stores them automatically within your HR management system.

Leveraging HR Workflows for Strategic Advantage

automation software system

HR tasks shouldn’t feel daunting. Omni automates admin work, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more strategic tasks. 

From onboarding to offboarding, save time with Omni’s workflow automation software system. With our customized template of workflows and task sequences, you can send out tasks to your team and track completion progress with a click of a button. 

Save time and improve accuracy with streamlined information and document collection. With our employee self-service portals, you can get employees to upload and input their employee data directly in Omni. Say goodbye to manual entry and error prone data! 

Omni also integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams to automatically send task notifications and reminders so you can rest easy when it comes time for performance reviews or getting new joiners to complete onboarding paperwork. 

Book a demo with our team now to learn how Omni’s automated HR workflows can help take your business processes to the next level. 

One of primary challenges HR leaders and employers face in the workplace is developing strategies to minimize employee turnover. This is because retaining employees involves understanding their diverse needs and motivations, addressing issues that affect job satisfaction, and implementing effective employee retention programs. 

However, big data is considered an effective tool in tackling these challenges, as it provides insights into trends, reasons for turnover, and employee satisfaction levels.

In this article, we will demonstrate how using attrition and retention data can empower your business to make informed decisions that enhance employee satisfaction and in turn, reduce turnover rates.

Understanding Employee Retention

Employees are every company’s greatest asset. This is because they bring in skills, creativity and innovation which are critical for the company’s success. Smart employers who know this spend time and resources looking for the best talents who can contribute to the growth and competitive advantage of the business. 

The difficult thing is all this investment can go to waste if HR leaders and managers don’t develop retention practices to prevent their talents from leaving. 

You understand the costs associated with hiring; now consider the significant expenses incurred when losing employees. When this happens, businesses take a financial hit, face disruptions in productivity and potentially lose their best talents to their competitors when they miss out on adopting employee retention strategies. 

Attrition vs Retention

To understand how attrition and retention is measured, you must know the similarities and differences of each. Here we explain each concept.

What is attrition?

Attrition, also known as employee turnover or labor turnover is a measure of the percentage of staff who leave the company during a particular period. 

Read next: What is Attrition Rate? Tools and Tips to Calculate, Analyze and Improve Your Team’s Retention

Turnover is classified into two different types such as voluntary turnover or involuntary turnover.

Voluntary turnover occurs when an employee decides to quit due to: 

  • Pay benefits: Staff who feel they are not paid fairly or that some other company will pay them higher, will lead to them being dissatisfied. This eventually causes them to leave. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 63% of the respondents mentioned low pay as a primary reason for leaving their job. 
  • Role mismanagement: This can happen when the employee perceives their job scope to be ambiguous or disconnected.
  • Workload: 46% of HR leaders claim that employee burnout could be responsible for as much as half of all workforce turnover. If an employee is overloaded with work, it could cause high stress levels, decreased productivity, and potential resignation. Contrastingly, if employees have limited tasks, they feel disengaged from the workplace and would seek opportunities elsewhere.
  • Manager’s attitude: Employees might choose to leave if they struggle with their manager’s ineffective leadership or mismanagement style.

Relevant reading: The Manager’s Guide to Asking for Feedback

Involuntary turnover happens when employees leave a company due to reasons beyond their control. This includes layoffs, restructuring, or termination for performance or misconduct reasons initiated by the employer.

What is retention?

Retention is the ability of a company to keep its staff. In other words, a direct measure of how long each employee stays. 

A high retention rate indicates employees are satisfied with their jobs and are less likely to leave the company. A low retention rate on the other hand, indicates that employees are unhappy with their jobs and are more likely to leave the company. 

Many factors contribute to employee retention, such as offering competitive salaries and benefits, opportunities for career growth, appreciation for employees’ hard work. Encouraging open communication and creating a positive workplace culture are additional ways to improve retention. 

Importance of Measuring Attrition and Retention

retention vs attrition

Attrition

Identify problem areas and develop targeted solutions

When companies have access to attrition data (that is they can pinpoint departments and roles with high turnover rates), it becomes easier for them to develop targeted solutions to address these challenges and improve retention. 

Inform employee retention strategies

With a better understanding of attrition rates, employers and HR leaders can plan their retention strategies accordingly. They can tailor strategies such as mentorship programs, adjustments in compensation packages, career development opportunities, or work-life balance initiatives to address specific needs and concerns of their employees.

Improve productivity and employee satisfaction

Strategies to counter attrition can in turn help increase efficiency and employee satisfaction. Companies benefit from high productivity and satisfaction levels, and enhances overall team stability and performance. 

Helps manage cost of recruitment

High turnover can be expensive. Replacing a full-time employee can cost anywhere between half to twice the employee’s annual salary. Measuring attrition rates helps organizations understand how much they’re spending on replacing employees and where they can save money by improving retention strategies.

Learn more: The Cost of Recruitment: HR’s Guide to Creating, Tracking and Implementing a Salary Budget

Retention

Ensure knowledge transfer and innovation

As experienced employees leave, they take their knowledge and expertise with them. For example, a sales manager leaving could result in loss of client relationships and sales strategies that were key to the team’s success. An increase in retention rates ensures that these knowledge and skills are passed down effectively, supporting business growth and longevity. 

Boost employee morale

Employee morale is closely linked to employee productivity. Companies can boost employee motivation by implementing effective retention strategies, such as recognition programs that contribute to job satisfaction, and overall happiness at work. 

Develop targeted retention strategies

Measuring retention rates provides insights into the effectiveness of existing efforts and enables organizations to tailor retention initiatives to better meet the needs of their workforce.

Track effectiveness of HR initiatives and company culture

Retention metrics show how healthy the organization is and how strong its culture is. By tracking retention rates over time, companies can see how HR policies, programs, and culture initiatives affect employee engagement and loyalty. This helps HR leaders improve workplace dynamics and keep employees happy.

Using Data to Understand Attrition and Retention

As you know by now, measuring and understanding attrition and retention is crucial for business success. Here’s how you can use data to get deeper insights. 

1. Unveil underlying reasons

Before you go into addressing your attrition and retention rates, you must first discover why employees leave, how long they stay, and what can be done to keep them longer. 

Your data collection process should involve gathering information from employee records, performance reviews, and exit interviews, and further analyzing it using different statistical methods. 

The next thing is to examine this data over time to identify regular patterns in employee attrition and retention. For instance, you might discover that more employees leave after yearly reviews. Perform a deep analysis to uncover the reasons behind employee turnover. 

Perform employee feedback analysis

Performing employee feedback analysis involves looking at employee satisfaction surveys or exit interviews to find common complaints and issues. This way, organizations can focus on fixing the most important problems to keep employees happy and reduce turnover.

Learn more: 20 Strategic Employee Engagement Survey Questions

2. Create targeted solutions and strategies

Segment data for targeted approach

Different groups of employees have different needs and challenges. By segmenting data, you can better understand these specific needs and tailor your strategies accordingly. This is done by grouping employees in various categories such as departments, job role, performance level and demographics. 

Implement proactive strategies through predictive analytics

Another method used in understanding attrition and retention involves using AI tools and statistical modeling to predict which employees might leave based on their past behavior. 

With these insights, you can create proactive strategies such as mentorship, career development plans, and better benefits specifically for identified employees with higher risk of leaving. This helps to prevent turnover and retain valuable talent within the organization.

3. Measure impact and ROI

Benchmark data against industry standards

Compare your company’s employee attrition and retention rates with those of similar companies in your industry. This benchmarking process helps you see if your company is doing well or needs to improve.

Evaluate retention programs 

By conducting a regular review and assessment of your employee attrition and retention programs, you can discover if the initiative is effective. Use metrics like employee satisfaction, engagement scores, and turnover rates to determine which programs are working and which need adjustment. 

Quantify financial impact of attrition

Companies that calculate the financial gains or losses from their retention efforts can allocate resources better and make smart decisions to improve overall company performance.

4. Make data driven decisions

Take the guesswork out of managing attrition and retention

Use data analytics to guide decision-making and develop strategic retention plans. This ensures strategies are based on evidence and are aligned with overall business goals.

Constantly monitor and track effectiveness of strategies

Monitoring and tracking the effectiveness of your strategies involves these two things: 

  • Implementing systems for ongoing monitoring of key metrics such as turnover rates, employee engagement levels, and the effectiveness of retention programs.
  • Conducting regular reviews and analyses of the attrition and retention data to identify trends and adjusting strategies along the way. 

10 Metrics to Include When Measuring Attrition and Retention

attrition vs retention

To effectively measure attrition and retention, companies should track certain key metrics. Here are 10 important metrics to consider:

Attrition metrics

Overall attrition rate

This is the percentage of employees who leave a company over a certain period. Attrition rate is calculated by dividing the number of employees who left within a specific timeframe by the average number of employees during the same timeframe.

Attrition rate % = (No of employees who left the organization/Total number of employees) × 100

Calculating and measuring attrition and retention rates helps organizations measure the health of their workforce. A high attrition rate indicates potential issues such as ineffective hiring processes, low employee satisfaction, or a toxic work environment. 

Time to hire

This measures the amount of time taken to fill a vacant position from the moment it is advertised until the candidate accepts the job offer. It is also an important metric used to determine the success of your recruiting process. 

For example, a long time to hire can indicate underlying issues like inefficiencies in the process, trouble attracting qualified candidates, decision-making delays, or poor coordination between hiring managers and recruiters. Fixing these issues can speed up hiring, lower recruitment costs, and improve the recruitment process.

Cost per hire

The cost that goes into hiring a new employee such as advertising, recruitment agency fees, and onboarding expenses is critical. It helps provide an understanding of the financial investment required to bring new talent into the organization.

Turnover by department/team

This metric calculates the attrition rate for specific departments and teams within the organization. It highlights areas experiencing high turnover, allowing HR teams to make insightful decisions.

Retention metrics

Overall retention rate

If a company’s turnover rate shows the people leaving a company, then the retention rate measures the opposite. The retention rate is a determination of how well a company can retain its employees. It is calculated by dividing the total number of employees deciding to stay in the company across a certain period with the number of employees deciding to stay within the company in the same period.

Retention rate % = (Number of employees at the end of a set time period / the number of employees at the start of a set time period) x 100

Length of service 

This retention metric calculates the average duration for which an employee holds their position. Longer lengths of service indicate higher retention rates and greater employee satisfaction.

Employee engagement scores

High engagement scores are often correlated with lower turnover rates. These scores help HR understand how employees feel about their roles and the company, guiding improvements in workplace culture and practices.

Promotion rate

This metric determines the percentage of employees who receive promotions over a specific period, indicating career growth opportunities within the organization.

Read next: The Employee Promotion Guide: Policies, Processes, and Best Practices

Additional considerations

Quality of hire

Another important attrition and retention metric to consider is quality of hire. With this metric, you can assess the performance and success of new hires after they have joined the company. 

Absenteeism rate

Absence rate or absenteeism is an attrition vs retention metric that calculates the total number of days an employee is absent from work. It is calculated by dividing work days missed by total scheduled days. Then the number obtained is multiplied with 100. It is important to note that the number of authorized days off work is not considered when calculating absence rate. 

Build a Thriving Workforce with Omni

Keeping your finger on the pulse of your workforce helps mitigate attrition rate risks such as dips in employee engagement or performance skill gaps. 

Omni centralized and tracks a wide range of employee data, from attendance records to attrition rate, automatically within our platform. Real-time graphs and easily exported reports simplifies employee analytics and cuts down on calculation times and errors, arming you with the data you need to understand the trends within your organization. 

Employee attrition and retention rate can be easily accessed for monthly, quarterly, annually, or any custom range of dates within minutes, making it easier for HR leaders and CEOs to keep track of their churn rate and address pain points at the first sign of trouble, helping to reduce your attrition rate and improve employee retention.

To learn more about how Omni can help you unlock your business’ potential, schedule a demo with our team today.

Which Employee Onboarding Software is Right for Your Team?

The employee onboarding process can be an overwhelming experience, bombarding new hires, managers, and HR professionals with tons of information, paperwork, and meetings. However, using the right employee onboarding software can significantly streamline and simplify this transition, making it a more manageable and welcoming experience for all parties involved.

In this article, we’ll help you find the right HR onboarding software you can use and key things to note before choosing your software. Let’s get into it!

Additional resources: 8 Key Onboarding Documents for Your New Hire Journey

What is employee onboarding software?

Before talking about what onboarding software is, let’s recap what employee onboarding is all about. Employee onboarding integrates new hires into an organization, providing tools, resources, and knowledge for their success in the new role.

That said, employee onboarding software helps simplify and automate the new hire process, ensuring a seamless integration into the organization. 

With features like document management, checklists, automated emails, and progress tracking, HR onboarding software makes it easier for new employees to get started and understand what’s expected of them.

What are the benefits of using an employee onboarding software?

employee onboarding software

Integrating employee onboarding software into your HR workflow offers several key benefits: 

For employers

  • Improved efficiency: With the software, you can automate manual tasks, reduce paperwork, and save time with your onboarding process for new employees.
  • Reduced costs: You’re also able to minimize the expenses associated with manual onboarding, such as printing and shipping documents helping you save costs.
  • Make data-driven decisions: As an employer you can gain valuable insights into the onboarding process, to help you make data-driven decisions for more efficient HR strategies.

For new hires

  • Smoother transition: Most new employees are nervous during the transition, good onboarding software can help them enjoy a seamless and guided onboarding experience, reducing anxiety and uncertainty.
  • Improved engagement: Giving new hires a smooth onboarding helps them bond well with colleagues and integrate into the company culture. They feel connected and invested in the company from day one, leading to increased job satisfaction and retention.
  • Positive first impression: First impressions matter most, even for employees. Using a good hr onboarding software can help to set the tone for a positive employee experience for new hires. 

What are the key elements of employee onboarding software?

User experience

UX is one of the top things the best employee onboarding software should have. An intuitive HR onboarding software should provide a seamless experience that avoids unnecessary complexity that confuses users or difficult steps and navigation. Instead, it should offer a user-friendly interface that makes onboarding effortless and efficient.

Streamlined processes

The whole reason for using an employee onboarding software is to have a streamlined process. The best employee onboarding software should help out with automation and workflow optimization that enables you to eliminate tedious tasks, reduce administrative burdens, create a seamless experience for new hires, and free up valuable time to focus on other parts of work.

Integration and analytics

An onboarding software should be able to integrate with existing HR systems, such as HRIS, payroll, and performance management tools. These integrations make it easier to use, and combined with reports and analytics, the HR team can monitor relevant data related to the onboarding processes.

Customization and security

A good employee onboarding software should allow for customization to fit each organization’s specific needs. These can include branding and workflow automation to create a personalized and welcoming experience for new hires.

It’s also important that the software can protect sensitive employee data in compliance with data protection regulations, to minimize risk and ensure compliance.

What to consider when choosing your employee onboarding software?

Now that you understand the key elements of an employee onboarding software, it’s time to consider how to select the best employee onboarding software for your business. With a range of options to consider, it’s crucial to carefully consider different factors to find the best fit for your company’s unique needs.

1. Assess your company’s needs and budget

To start, it’s important to assess your company’s needs such as onboarding requirements, company workflows, remote or hybrid working models, and the locations of your global workforce.

The budget allocated should also be considered when choosing the best employee onboarding software, alongside additional costs that may occur for setup and training. 

With a complete company’s needs assessment, the decision process will be much easier when assessing which software is suitable for your needs, while remaining well within the company budget.

2. Determine the software functionalities that you require

Once the budget is all sorted, you should identify the features you want your software to have. It could be automated workflows, integration with other software like Slack, document management, and analytics. 

At this point, you’re considering the level of flexibility the hr onboarding software has to adapt to your internal needs. This is to ensure you don’t end up using software that doesn’t benefit your employee onboarding plan.

3. Is the onboarding software easy to use and provides customization?

Another factor you want to consider when choosing onboarding software is how easy it is to use for both the employee and employer. The best employee onboarding software should have an easy-to-use and seamless interface. 

Picking a user-friendly and intuitive tool that offers customization options to align with your brand and processes is a plus in this regard. 

4. Are there any reporting and analytics features?

Additionally, consider software with the ability to provide valuable insights such as time of completion, number or rates of completion, and new hire satisfaction in the onboarding process. 

HR onboarding software with reporting and analytics can help refine your employee onboarding strategy, identify gaps in the process, give room for improvement in employee management, and accurately measure your onboarding process.

5. Does the software adhere to data privacy regulations?

Collecting and storing employee data — such as salary, benefits, and contact details —  is a huge part of employee onboarding. 

Before choosing an employee onboarding software, you should verify that the software complies with relevant data protection regulations to ensure the security and privacy of sensitive employee data. Employee data management is important and the software you are choosing should prioritize this as well.

4 Employee Onboarding Software For Your Team

best employee onboarding software

Selecting the best employee onboarding software for your business can be challenging due to the numerous available options. To streamline your search, we have compiled and emphasized the essential features of the top tools you can use.

Here are some of the best employee onboarding software to consider:

Omni

Omni is a fully automated HRIS designed as a go-to tool to manage employee lifecycle — recruitment, onboarding, and employee management. Using this onboarding software gives you access to customizable automation to tailor the onboarding process to your needs, centralized data storage for easy access, and personalized onboarding experiences that cater to each new hire’s unique requirements. 

With Omni, you can create a memorable and engaging onboarding experience that sets the tone for a positive and productive employee journey. Our platform also effortlessly integrates with your existing HR tools, making it easy for both employees and HR teams to use. 

Pros, Cons, and Pricing

Omni is the employee onboarding software for you if you love easy features and a great user interface. At Omni, we believe in flexible and transparent pricing. Subscription plans start from USD $3/per employee/month of core platform and add-on applications based on your needs.

Enboarder

Enboarder is an onboarding software that empowers managers and new hires to create tailored experiences. With intuitive tools like drag-and-drop interfaces, task management, and automation, users can craft personalized journeys that foster connection and employee engagement

Pros, Cons, and Pricing

One of the enjoyable features of Enboarder is that it creates an engaging way to handle the onboarding process even though the customization options and settings can be tricky for some users to navigate. Enboarder offers a custom pricing system.

Coassemble

Coassemble is an software that helps organizations convert their content and ideas into engaging, bite-sized microlearning experiences that are both enjoyable and effective for new hires 

With Coassemble, you can create a wide range of interactive learning materials like step-by-step guides, process tutorials, checklists, video tutorials, and even AI-generated quizzes based on your content. Plus, you can monitor progress and engagement in real-time, ensuring that your learners are on track and fully engaged.

Pros, Cons, and Pricing

Coassemble allows you to build engaging onboarding training that new employees can interact with. But because it’s course-based it may lack some traditional employee onboarding features organizations require or prefer. 

They offer a free starter plan, enabling unlimited course creation, with the option to upgrade to the business plan for additional features like advanced course distribution, access control, insights, and a built-in image library. There’s also an enterprise plan for further customization and support.

Innform

Innform is a learning and management system for delivering fun onboarding experiences in the form of modules and journeys. It’s ideal for teams who aim to centralize their online training initiatives. With their available features, you can get new hires informed with useful information on your company, culture, and benefits.

Pros, Cons, and Pricing

With Innfrom, you can gamify your onboarding process with points, levels, and leaderboards, and this empowers new employees to take charge of their onboarding. Although there’s no option to customize user profiles or bios with this software. 

Innform offers a free trial, with four paid plans. You’ll only pay for active users, with the option to be billed monthly or annually based on your chosen plan. 

Unlocking Potential Through Streamlined Onboarding

Omni’s fully automated platform is the go-to solution for modern, growing businesses seeking reliable employee onboarding software. By automating manual onboarding tasks, Omni saves you time and effort, allowing you to focus on more strategic aspects of your business.

With Omni, you can easily collect and manage all the necessary employee documents in one secure location, eliminating the hassle of sifting through paperwork. But it doesn’t stop there — Omni goes the extra mile by enabling you to fully personalize the onboarding experience. With our customer care supported implementation process, you can tap into increased engagement levels for your new hires, setting the stage for their long-term success within your organization while receiving world-class support from our attentive support team.

If you’re ready to automate your onboarding process with the exceptional features of this HR onboarding software, book a demo with our team today and learn more! 

The Best 360 Feedback Tools for Employee Engagement

If you’re looking in one direction, there’s only so much you can see. With a 360 degree feedback tool, you’ll have the complete picture of what’s going on around you. 360 feedback tools go to multiple sources to get the full view of your employee’s performance, and build a plan of action based on better information.

But this kind of feedback has a lot more moving parts than a simple performance review. With multiple sources to consider, and the number of people involved, more and more HR departments are turning to readily available 360 feedback tools to take advantage of the benefits 360 degree feedback can offer.

Here, we’re going to take a look at the best 360 feedback tools, and the characteristics you’re going to want to look for in them so that they make the biggest impact for your organization.

Relevant reading: A Guide to Mastering Performance Management

What is 360 degree feedback?

360 degree feedback (sometimes called multi-rater feedback) is a type of performance evaluation currently favored by many HR professionals. It gathers feedback from multiple sources about your employees performance, behaviors, and competencies and, unlike traditional performance reviews conducted by a single manager, 360 degree feedback involves collecting input from multiple team members.

The “360 degree” reflects the comprehensive nature of the feedback, which takes a look at all sides of an employee’s performance and contributions, with feedback taken from peers, subordinates and even sometimes external partners or clients. This holistic approach provides a well-rounded assessment of your employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

We’ve explored 360 degree feedback in previous blogs, but in short, it’s commonly used for everything from performance appraisal and leadership development to talent management, and employee development purposes. When effectively applied, it can promote self-awareness, identify blind spots, boost collaboration, and support professional growth and development.

Read next: Mastering 360 Degree Feedback: Definitions, Tips, and Tools

What are the benefits for 360 degree feedback?

As mentioned above, there’s a ton of advantages to 360 feedback. One person may have very specific insight into your employee’s performance, but not the full picture. Here’s how 360 feedback paints a complete portrait:

Provides a comprehensive evaluation

Rather than just one person giving their opinion, 360 degree feedback gathers input from multiple sources. This comprehensive approach offers a more holistic (and ideally accurate) assessment of your employees’ performance, behaviors, and strengths, providing insights from different perspectives, each with its own value.

Improves employee engagement and morale

Involving your employees in the feedback process can increase their sense of ownership and engagement with their own development. When employees feel that their opinions are valued and heard, they are more likely to feel motivated and committed to their work and the organization as a whole. On top of that, knowing their own feedback will come from their peers will encourage them to work collaboratively and bond as a team.

Enhances performance through targeted development

The feedback collected through 360 feedback assessments can identify areas of strength and areas for improvement for your employees. Armed with this information, they can create targeted development plans to address performance gaps, improve performance, and advance their career goals.

Foster a culture of open communication and feedback

Implementing a 360 degree feedback signals to your employees that your organization values open communication and continuous improvement. By encouraging feedback from multiple sources, your company can promote a culture where its employees’ are comfortable providing and receiving constructive feedback, increasing transparency, collaboration, and trust.
Overall, the benefits of 360 degree feedback extend beyond individual development to impact the culture of your organization, employee engagement, and performance outcomes. By leveraging multiple perspectives and promoting a culture of continuous feedback and improvement, organizations can unlock the full potential of their workforce and drive sustainable success.

What to consider when choosing a 360 degree feedback tool?

360 feedback

While the amount of technology available to choose from means lots of flexibility, it can also be a bit daunting, and make selecting the right solution for your organization difficult. Here are key aspects of the best 360 degree feedback tool you should consider:

1. Is it customizable?

Look for a 360 feedback tool that allows customization to align with your company’s mission, unique goals and performance criteria. The ability to tailor questions, rating scales, and feedback categories ensures that the assessment reflects your organization’s specific needs and objectives. It also means you can update the nature of the feedback your organization collects as it grows and evolves, reflecting its new aims.

2. Is it easy to use?

User experience is absolutely essential for the successful adoption of any 360 feedback tool. Choose a platform that is intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible across devices. Your employees should be able to navigate the tool easily, complete assessments efficiently, and access their feedback and development resources without unnecessary complexity.

3. Does it offer reporting and analytics?

A robust 360 feedback tool should provide comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities to derive actionable insights from assessment data. Look for features such as customizable dashboards, trend analysis, and benchmarking tools to track progress, identify trends, and measure the impact of developmental interventions over time.

4. Does the tool prioritize data security?

Protecting sensitive employee data should be your top priority. Ensure the 360 feedback tool you choose adheres to industry-standard data security protocols and compliance requirements. Look for features such as encryption, role-based access controls, and regular security audits to safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of your employees’ data.

5. Can it integrate with your existing HR systems?

Seamless integration with your organization’s existing HR systems, such as performance management, learning management, and talent development platforms, is essential for data consistency and workflow efficiency. Choose a 360 feedback tool that offers robust integration capabilities or APIs to streamline data sharing and reporting processes.

6. Can the tool scale and adapt based on your needs?

As your organization evolves and grows, your feedback tool should be able to scale and adapt to accommodate changing needs and requirements. Consider factors such as scalability, flexibility, and vendor support when looking at potential solutions to make sure the 360 feedback tool you go with can grow with your organization and continue to meet your evolving needs over time.

By carefully considering these factors when selecting a 360 degree feedback tool, you can choose a solution that fits with your organization’s objectives, promotes employee engagement and development, and drives meaningful performance improvement across your workforce.

Best 360 Feedback Tools for 2024

360 degree feedback

With all that in mind, what are the 360 feedback tools which exemplify the characteristics we spoke about in the previous section? Here, we take a look at some of the best 360 feedback tools available and breakdown what they can do for your organization:

Omni

Omni offers a comprehensive suite of features for 360 degree feedback, including customizable performance assessments, real-time feedback tracking, and robust reporting and analytics. Our user-friendly interface and flexible customization options make it a popular choice for organizations seeking to enhance employee engagement and performance. And of course Omni is more than just a 360 feedback tool—it’s also a powerful HRIS which offers a comprehensive suite of high-caliber HR tools in addition to its 360 degree feedback enablement.

SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow’s 360 degree feedback tool is known for its intuitive design, tailored surveys, and advanced reporting capabilities. With features such as multi-rater assessments, automated reminders, and AI-powered insights, SurveySparrow helps different organizations gather actionable feedback and drive continuous improvement across their teams.

Peoplebox

Peoplebox is one of the top 360 degree feedback tool that integrates with your existing work tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Hubspot, and Asana to make your employees fall in love with reviews and feedback. 

Its integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams goes beyond just notifications and allows your employees to update goals, write reviews, schedule 1-on-1 meetings and receive feedback. Alongside features like built in templates, form personalization, customer weightage for goals and more, Peoplebox helps organizations to drive performance, retention and business outcomes.

Trakstar

Trakstar’s 360 degree feedback platform helps organizations streamline the feedback process, track employee performance, and identify areas for development. With customizable assessment templates, real-time feedback tracking, and configurable reporting options, Trakstar can help organizations leverage feedback to drive individual and organizational growth.

SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey offers a user-friendly and versatile platform for conducting 360 degree feedback assessments. With a wide range of survey templates, customizable questionnaires, and powerful analytics tools, SurveyMonkey enables organizations to gather actionable feedback, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and drive performance improvement.

Spidergap

Spidergap’s 360 degree feedback tool is designed to simplify the feedback process and promote employee development. Like other options on this list, it features customizable assessments, automated feedback reminders, and interactive reporting dashboards. Spidergap helps organizations create a culture of continuous feedback and improve the performance of its team members.

Consider these 360 degree feedback tools for your organization—they offer a range of features and capabilities to support your team in gathering actionable feedback, driving employee engagement and development, and achieving your performance goals in 2024 and beyond.

Driving Performance and Engagement with Omni

best 360 feedback tools

Utilizing a 360 degree feedback tool suitable for your business needs can significantly boost your approach to enhance growth, development, and collaboration. 

With a 360 degree feedback tool like Omni, managers, employees, and the HR teams that serve them can take full advantage of its many benefits. Omni simplifies the entire performance review process, making it easier for managers to customize performance review questions, schedule performance review cycles, and run performance review cycles. With our user-friendly interface and intuitive features, Omni ensures a seamless experience for both participants and administrators.

Omni’s performance review solution integrates seamlessly with the 360 degree feedback process, allowing you to consolidate feedback from various sources and present it in a comprehensive format. Our platform ensures anonymity and confidentiality, encouraging honest feedback from all participants for you to leverage for performance improvement.

Book a demo with our team today to learn more about how Omni is the 360 feedback tool for your business.

Tips for Increasing Workplace Efficiency and How HRIS Can Help

According to MIT, the future workplace hinges upon efficiency, effectiveness and balance. As businesses navigate the post-pandemic landscape, a key focus for HR leaders is building and maintaining a strong talent pipeline. 

With increasing workforce mobility and changing priorities, companies are forced to adjust their workforce policies in order to remain competitive. This requires a balance between increasing efficiency and supporting employees in achieving a work-life balance. This then raises the crucial question: What constitutes workplace efficiency, and what are the strategies that companies can put in place to enhance it? 

What is work efficiency?

The efficiency of work refers to how effectively and productively tasks are completed. It’s about completing tasks in a smart manner, minimizing wasted time and resources. 

A common misconception is that efficiency is all about getting things done. However, the emphasis here is on quality of work. To put it simply, being efficient means producing quality work within specified timeframes, instead of simply working hard.

Why is increasing efficiency important?

efficiency of work

No matter the size of your organization, increasing efficiency of work is paramount to achieve success and maintaining a competitive edge. 

For employers

Increasing efficiency of work is a golden ticket for employers to unlock benefits that significantly impact its bottom line, workforce, and competitive edge.

In today’s competitive landscape, speed and cost-effectiveness are key to becoming an industry leader. Increasing efficiency of work becomes pivotal for growing businesses to innovate and adapt to changing market conditions.

Efficient workplaces can enhance satisfaction by reducing burnout and create a sense of accomplishment. This leads to increased employee satisfaction and retention rates. Happy employees are also likely to go the extra mile.

For employees

Implementing structured work habits can promote employee motivation and performance as mentioned above, but also fosters a positive company culture

When employees adhere to efficient work practices, they are able to complete tasks more effectively, meet deadlines, and collaborate easily with colleagues. As a result, employees are more engaged in their work, leading to higher job satisfaction and a more motivated workforce.

Looking for more ways to improve your employee engagement?

Ways on increasing efficiency at work

The process of increasing efficiency at work often involves optimizing processes, minimizing wasted time and resources, and achieving maximum output with minimum input. 

Here are 10 tips on how you can improve the efficiency of work at your workplace: 

1. Organize a to-do list

Writing down tasks increases efficiency of work by enhancing the encoding process. Research has shown that when employees have a plan to complete tasks, it alleviates the anxiety caused by unfinished tasks, known as the Zeigarnik effect. This is why till this day, creating a structured to-do list remains one of the most effective methods when it comes to increasing efficiency. 

Aside from prioritizing tasks, to-do lists also ensures that important items are not overlooked. An added advantage of this method is the sense of accomplishment it provides upon checking off the tasks, further boosting employee morale. 

2. Remove distractions

Next tip for increasing efficiency of work is to Identify and remove distractions in your work environment. Creating a distraction-free environment enables you to enter a state of flow. This might involve turning off notifications, finding a quiet workspace, or using noise-canceling headphones.

3. Batch similar tasks together

Research suggests that productivity suffers when individuals switch between tasks, resulting in significant time loss. 

An effective way to tackle this is by implementing task batching to increase efficiency of work. By grouping similar tasks together, it allows you to streamline workflows and minimize the time spent switching between different types of tasks. 

For example, schedule specific times during the day to respond to emails. Instead of checking emails sporadically throughout the day, which can be distracting and disrupt workflow, you can batch this task by setting aside 15-20 minutes in the morning and another 15-20 minutes in the afternoon to respond to emails. This allows you to focus on other tasks at hand without interruptions and can result in overall productivity. 

4. Take breaks

Aside from the daily stressors of our personal and professional lives, 15% of working-age adults were reported to struggle with mental health issues in 2019. This further highlights the importance of incorporating mental health days at work

Additionally, regular breaks as short as short 15-20 minute intervals can aid in sustaining focus and reducing the risk of employee burnout. These breaks can also improve concentration and overall productivity.

5. Clean up your workspace

Next, let’s discuss the importance of organizing your workspace when it comes to increasing efficiency of work. 

The Fellowes Workplace Wellness Trend Report highlights that employees value working in a healthy and clean environment. A tidy workspace can lead to a clearer mind and increased efficiency. It’s important to organize your workspace to reduce clutter and improve productivity. 

This can include decluttering surfaces, ensuring essential items are easily accessible, and creating a layout that supports your workflow. By creating a clean and tidy workspace, you can enhance your focus and efficiency of work throughout the day. 

6. Communicate clearly

Effective communication helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures information is conveyed correctly, leading to timely task completion. Use clear, concise and specific language when conveying your messages.

This is especially important for remote teams, where interactions are often done through digital tools such as Slack. In a remote setting, clear communication can help bridge the physical gap between team members, fostering collaboration and maintaining efficiency of work.

Read next: Navigating the Digital Divide: Enhancing Remote Team Communication


7. Delegate effectively

Delegating tasks to team members can also help lighten your workload and enhance the efficiency of work within an organization.

Effective delegation not only lightens the workload of individuals but also improves overall team productivity and time management. It leverages on the existing skill set of team members while also providing opportunities for them to acquire new capabilities and knowledge. This process enhances the team’s overall adaptability, enabling them to take up responsibilities based on individual strengths and interests.

Delegation also fosters trust and commitment, as employees feel empowered to contribute meaningfully to the team’s goals and company mission. By delegating tasks to those best suited to handle them, organizations can ensure that work is completed to a high standard.

8. Establish realistic goals

Setting SMART goals helps employees maintain motivation and focus as it provides something to work towards and look forward to. They provide a sense of purpose, ownership, and pride when they are realistic. 

By breaking down large goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, employees can track their progress and stay on target. This approach not only increases efficiency of work, but also provides a sense of accomplishment as milestones are achieved. Additionally, SMART goals promote clarity and alignment within teams, ensuring that everyone is working towards a common goal or objective. 

Celebrating and acknowledging employee efforts when goals are achieved is equally important. This boosts employee morale and reinforces a workplace culture of appreciation and motivation.

Relevant reads: 12 Employee Recognition Examples to Keep Your Team Engaged All Year

9. Develop a routine

According to the World Economic Forum, establishing a routine can have huge benefits in both personal and professional development.

Implementing a daily routine creates structure and improves time management. It also boosts cognitive function and stimulates innovation and creativity. Studies indicate that regular work processes allows employees to spend less cognitive energy on mundane and repetitive tasks, thereby encouraging focus and creativity for more complex tasks and increasing overall efficiency of work. 

10. Leverage technology

When increasing efficiency of work, you don’t have to do it manually. Use tools and software to automate repetitive tasks, manage projects, and improve communication. 

For example, harnessing AI tools can help HR teams streamline processes, make data-driven decisions, and create personalized experiences for employees throughout the entire employee lifecycle

Additional reading: The HR Tools Growing Teams Need in 2024

Increasing Efficiency of Work with HRIS

increasing efficiency

As mentioned, tools like Human Resources Information System (HRIS) play a huge role in increasing efficiency of work. Here’s how: 

Automating tasks

HRIS automates mundane, repetitive tasks such as payroll processing, leave management, performance evaluations and more. It reduces the time and effort required for these activities, freeing up HR professionals to focus on strategic tasks such as talent management, employee development, and strategic workforce planning. 

Empowering employees

Some HRIS platforms offer employee self-service portals, which empower employees to access information such as payslips, time off balances and attendance records. Employees can also submit requests, and update their personal information through the portal without HR intervention, thereby increasing data accuracy and employee engagement

Streamlined data management

HRIS helps in increasing efficiency of work by consolidating employee information, ensuring accuracy and immediate updates across the system.

Having all employee data in a single source simplifies retrieval, saving time and effort for decision-making. Another added advantage is heightened data security as access to sensitive information can be easily controlled and monitored.

Integration with other systems

HRIS platforms allow for integration with other systems, such as accounting or recruitment software, further increasing efficiency by removing the need for manual data entry and ensuring seamless information flow across departments.

Improved reporting

Last but not least, HRIS offers advanced reporting capabilities, enabling HR teams to generate customized reports on metrics such as attrition rates or training effectiveness. These reports provide valuable insights that help in decision-making and workforce planning. 

HRIS reports can also assist in monitoring compliance and assessing the effectiveness of HR initiatives. With the help of comprehensive and real-time data, organizations are able to make informed decisions that drive organizational growth and success.

Building a More Efficient Future with Omni

Increasing efficiency of work is crucial for organizations that want to remain competitive and achieve their business goals. However, improving workplace efficiency is an ongoing process that requires commitment and effort from all levels of management. That’s why it’s important to have the right tools by your side to achieve maximum results with minimum effort. 

Omni’s fully automated HR platform allows HR teams and managers to create customizable templates that grow alongside your business, molding to each employee’s unique needs and reducing the administrative burden that comes with managing the employee lifecycle.

Our full suite of modules supports every aspect of your business, offering an intuitive and fully customizable platform that integrates with your team’s favorite tools for a seamless and timely adoption.

If you’d like to learn more about how Omni’s all-in-one HR software automates the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle, saving People leaders from administrative tasks and increasing efficiency of work, book a demo with our team!

Employee Data Management: How HRIS Can Help Achieve Accuracy and Security

An effective HR team is one that makes the most of their employee data. Employee data can be useful in predicting trends, avoiding inefficiencies and fostering a better workplace culture for everyone on the team. And because it’s so important, employee data management needs to be taken seriously.

It starts with security. Your team has to find ways to keep your employee information safe. But it also needs to be accessible—both for employees who have a right to their information, and to government regulators who might audit you to ensure compliance. Finding ways to balance your employee data management can be tricky, but it’s absolutely essential.

Here, we’ll take a look at what managing your employee data means, steps you can take to ensure you’re following best practices, and an employee data template that will help you get there.

Understanding Employee Data Management

Employee data management refers to the process that covers the collection, storage, organization, and use of different types of information related to employees within your organization.

This data includes personal details, employment history, performance evaluations, training records, compensation details, and more, which we’ll talk about more in the next section. Effective management of employee data is essential for your HR team to make informed decisions, ensure compliance with regulations, and support the top-level goals and company mission.

Proper employee data management requires a combination of technology, policies, and procedures to ensure accuracy, security, and compliance throughout your employees’ lifecycles. One major tool to consider are HRIS solutions—they play a crucial role in streamlining data management processes, enhancing data accuracy, and supporting HR professionals in their strategic initiatives.

Read next: 5 Ways Employee Database Software Elevates Your Business

Types of Employee Data

Not all data is the same, but when it pertains to your employees information, all data needs to be treated and handled correctly. Here are the different types of employee data you can expect to manage:

Core HR Data

  • Personal information: This includes basic details such as name, address, contact information, date of birth, and social security or identification numbers. Personal information forms the foundation of your employee records and is necessary for identification and communication purposes.
  • Employment details: Core HR data also encompasses employment-related information such as job title, department, reporting structure, hire date, employment status (full-time, part-time, temporary), and work location. These details provide insights into your employee’s role within your organization.
  • Payroll and tax information: Employee payroll data includes salary or wage details, tax withholding information, deductions, bonuses, and direct deposit preferences. You need to ensure accuracy in payroll and tax data because it is essential for compliance with labor laws and regulations.

Job specific data

  • Skills and qualifications: This category deals with information related to your employee’s skills, certifications, educational qualifications, and professional development activities. Tracking their skills and qualifications enables you and your team to identify performance gaps, plan training programs, and make informed decisions about job assignments and promotions.
  • Performance data: Performance-related data includes employee performance evaluations, goal progress, feedback, and other HR metrics related to how well they perform in their role. Evaluating and documenting employee performance is important for providing constructive feedback, identifying areas for improvement, and recognizing high performers.
  • Project assignments: Job-specific data also includes details of project assignments, current tasks, project timelines, and deliverables. Tracking project assignments helps managers and your HR team monitor workload distribution, assess project outcomes, and make sure resources are allocated where they need to be.

Additional data

  • Benefits enrollment: This covers information about your employee benefits enrollment, including health insurance coverage, retirement plans, flexible spending accounts, and other benefits you offer your employees. Managing this data accurately is important for administering your benefit programs, tracking eligibility, and keeping compliant with benefit regulations.
  • Time and attendance: Data related to employee attendance, work hours, time-off requests, and leave balances falls into this category. Time and attendance data is needed for processing payroll, monitoring employee attendance patterns, and ensuring compliance with labor laws regarding working hours and overtime.
  • Travel and expense records: Information regarding employee travel expenses, reimbursements, business-related expenditures, and travel itineraries. Managing travel and expense data efficiently helps your organization control costs and track business expenses.

With effective employee data management, your HR department can streamline its processes, make informed decisions, and create a positive employee experience within your organization. 

Importance of Accurate and Secure Employee Data

Everyone wants the peace of mind of knowing their data is safe but it’s more than that—laws and regulations govern employee data as it’s your team’s job to abide by all regulations and safeguard data accordingly. Here’s why it’s so important:

Compliance with regulations: Adhering to local, regional, and international regulations dealing with data privacy and protection is incredibly important. Accurate and secure employee data management ensures compliance with laws such as Singapore’s PDPA and other data protection regulations, and prevents your company from facing fines or other legal penalties.

Data-driven decision making: Reliable employee data management serves as the foundation for informed decision-making processes within your organization. You and your HR team rely on accurate data to understand workforce trends, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing employee engagement, productivity, and retention. The proper storage and safekeeping of your employee data is essential for this.

Employee trust and confidence: Maintaining the integrity and security of your employee data builds trust and confidence among your team. When your employees feel confident that their personal and sensitive information is handled with care and confidentiality, they are more likely to engage with your HR processes and share relevant information.

Efficient HR operations: Accurate and up-to-date employee data streamlines your HR operations and administrative tasks such as payroll processing, benefits administration, performance management, and talent acquisition. With reliable data at your disposal, you can complete tasks more efficiently, with reduced errors and less administrative burden.

Risk mitigation: Making sure your employee data management is secure and accurate reduces the risk of data breaches, identity theft, and unauthorized access. Putting in place data security measures will protect sensitive employee information from threats and vulnerabilities.

Steps for Employee Data Management

employee data template

Once you’ve decided to prioritize your employee data management, you need to take the steps to secure it properly. Here’s an employee data template for your reference:

1. Define needs and implement security measures

Clearly define your organization’s employee data management needs and objectives, taking into account regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Implement robust security measures, including encryption, access controls, and user authentication, to protect sensitive employee information from unauthorized access and cyber threats.

2. Standardize data collection and maintain data accuracy

Establish standardized procedures for collecting, storing, and updating your employee data across your organization. Ensure data accuracy by regularly auditing and validating employee information, addressing any discrepancies or errors promptly. Put in place data quality controls and validation checks to maintain data integrity throughout the employee lifecycle.

3. Utilize HR technology and train HR staff

Leverage HRIS and other technology to streamline data management processes and enhance data accuracy and security. Provide comprehensive training and support to your HR team on the proper use of HR technology tools, data handling procedures, and compliance requirements.

Read next: The 7 Best HR Software Singapore Has to Offer in 2024

4. Develop a data retention policy and implement secure disposal 

Next step in our employee data template is to develop a data retention policy outlining the types of employee data collected, retention periods, and procedures for secure disposal or deletion. 

Make sure you’re adhering to regulatory requirements and industry standards when determining data retention periods.These include secure data disposal practices, such as shredding physical documents and permanently deleting electronic records, to minimize the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.

If your team follows this employee data template, your organization can establish best practices that prioritize accuracy, security, and compliance, and reap the benefits that come from effective employee data management.

Employee Data Management Under PDPA Singapore

The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in Singapore sets out specific rules for organizations managing employee data to ensure compliance with data protection regulations. Here’s what you need to know:

Compliance obligation

  • Notice obligations: Your organization must inform employees about the purposes for collecting, using, and disclosing their personal data. This includes providing clear and concise privacy notices outlining the types of personal data collected, the purposes of collection, and how the data will be used.
  • Consent obligation: Your organization has to obtain employees’ consent before collecting, using, or disclosing their personal data, unless an exception under the PDPA Singapore applies. Consent should be voluntary, informed, and obtained for specific purposes, and your employees should be able to withdraw their consent at any time.
  • Access obligation: Employees have the right to request access to their personal data held by your organization and to request corrections if the data is inaccurate or incomplete. Your organization needs to establish procedures for handling access requests, and respond to them within a reasonable time.

Security measures

  • Access controls: Your team needs to implement access controls to restrict access to employee data to authorized personnel only. This includes role-based controls, user authentication mechanisms, and password policies to prevent unauthorized users having sensitive data available to them.
  • Data encryption: Employ encryption technologies to protect employee data during storage, transmission, and processing. Encryption helps protect data from unauthorized interception or access, making sure that sensitive information remains confidential and secure.
  • Regular security audits: Conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and compliance gaps in employee data management practices. These audits help your organization proactively address security risks and stay compliant with PDPA Singapore requirements.

Data retention

Develop clear data retention policies outlining how long employee data will be retained and how it will be securely disposed of. Your HR team will need to make sure that data retention periods align with legal requirements under PDPA Singapore and the needs of your business. You’ll also need to put in place secure disposal procedures in your employee data management practice to permanently erase or anonymize employee data that is no longer needed. 

Utilizing HRIS to Achieve Accuracy and Security

HRIS platforms play a huge role in facilitating accurate and secure management of your employee data. Here’s how HRIS can help your organization achieve accuracy and security for managing employee data:

Automated data entry

HRIS platforms streamline data entry by automating the collection, storage, and retrieval of your employee information. Automated data entry enormously reduces the risk of human error and helps maintain data consistency over many different HR processes, like payroll processing, benefits administration, and performance management.

Access control

These platforms also incorporate robust access control mechanisms to restrict access to employee data on role-based permissions. Administrators can define user roles and permissions, making sure that only authorized people have access to sensitive employee information. Access control features help your team prevent unauthorized access and protect employee privacy.

Data encryption

Modern HRIS platforms use encryption techniques to secure employee data both at rest (when stored) and in transit (being exchanged among authorized users). Data encryption converts sensitive information into an unreadable format that can only be accessed with an encryption key. By encrypting employee data, HRIS platforms ensure confidentiality and protection against unauthorized access or data breaches.

Audit trails

Utilizing HRIS systems in employee data management can help maintain detailed audit trails that record all activities related to your employee data, including access attempts, modifications, and deletions. Audit trails provide visibility into who accessed specific data, when the access occurred, and what actions were taken. This transparency ensures accountability and helps you stay compliant with data protection regulations like PDPA Singapore.

Reporting and analytics

HRIS platforms offer robust reporting and analytics capabilities that enable your organization to gain insights into its workforce data. Your HR team can generate customized reports and dashboards to analyze employee metrics, track key performance indicators, and identify trends or patterns. By leveraging reporting and analytics tools for your employee data management, your organization can make informed decisions, optimize HR processes, and ultimately enjoy a boost in efficiency.

Read next: Your Guide to Successfully Pitching HR Software to Leadership

Leveraging Omni for Secure Employee Data Management

employee data

All-in-one HR software like Omni is a powerful tool for unifying all of the disparate employee data scattered across your company. As a single source of truth for employee data management, HRIS streamlines your HR processes and makes them more efficient.

Powering Asia’s fastest-growing, modern companies, Omni’s employee database software scales alongside your company so you can customize and leverage the system to meet your evolving employee data management needs while ensuring compliance with regulations like PDPA Singapore. 

Omni’s intuitive and fully customizable platform integrates with your team’s favorite tools for a seamless and timely adoption. And at only $3/employee/month, you can leverage HR automation to decrease administrative costs.

Book a demo with our team today to learn how Omni can help transform your businesses employee data management processes.

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