There are few businesses that have not experienced change during the pandemic, so have implemented small procedures to continue businesses as usual, while others have had to make dramatic alterations to keep staff safe while ensuring work can still take place.
Remote working is the new norm and even organisations that previously allowed regular working from home can struggle to manage staff for this elongated period. Cloud-based software is becoming a popular choice within HR teams to help ease the burden of their role during this time, click here to find out more.
However, is this software worth the investment? Businesses around the world have been panic buying various tools and software in the hopes that it will aid the workforce and keep everything afloat as the economy dwindles.
Below sets out the main, basic features within most HR software packages and how it can benefit businesses during lockdown.
Table of Contents
Mental Health
It’s well known that Covid-19 isn’t just affecting people physically, strains on mental health are already being reported and are expected to rise.
As normality is erased and the support from friends and family can only come virtually, it is not surprising that employees’ mental health can quickly diminish. It is the role of HR to look after employee wellbeing and this can be difficult from afar.
With breakroom chats and passing conversations no longer able to happen at the workplace, monitoring the mental health of those around us is a seemingly impossible task.
Humans are notorious for maintaining that ‘stiff upper lip’ and not allowing others to know if they are struggling. Video calling is the closest thing we currently have to normal and this doesn’t present a good opportunity for employees to voice their concerns when it comes to wellbeing.
HR software provides a platform to check in on staff members. Surveys can be created and completed by the workforce so HR teams can gauge if anyone does require extra support. These systems can also provide an insight into any correlations between poor mental health and teams, meaning HR can step in and make changes within particular departments.
If needed, these surveys can also be completed anonymously, removing any stigma staff members may be concerned about.
Communication
Smooth communication is the key to any business, without it, even those most experienced and skilled colleagues can find daily tasks a tough job.
Emails and telephone calls aren’t always suitable when trying to relay information or gain answers, especially when there are large teams involved in responses.
HR software can host messaging systems, perfect for essential or urgent messages. As emails can easily be lost within inboxes or large numbers of responses can cause confusion, this can be only of the useful tools HR and management can utilise.
This messaging platform can track those who open this information, it can also provide the opinion to ask staff to ‘tick and agree’ that they have understood what has been read. Meaning staff can be chased to read this and there will be no confusion in the future over who already had this related to them.
Security
Workspaces may have stringent security for computers and an internet connection, but not everybody has the same implemented in their own homes.
With so many organisations holding and sharing sensitive data and emails easily intercepted by hackers, security is a top concern. Storing this data on an HR platform means staff members can still access the information needed, while it remains secure.
Regardless of the sensitive nature of information, it can be disastrous if files are lost, faulty computers, theft of equipment of simply misplaced paper copies can lead to lost work and the potential to lose revenue.
As HR software if cloud-based, everything is securely stored on the server, meaning any concern about missing documents is eliminated.
Absences
Even with employees working from home, businesses are witnessing an increasing number of absences within teams. This could be due to being infected with the virus, needing to take a mental health day, childcare or simply needing holiday leave to get some rest from busy working life.
Businesses most likely have systems in place to track holiday and ensure staff members don’t go over their allocated days. However, with staff not at their desks, it can be hard to monitor holiday clashes.
HR software easily collates when team members have requested leave and allows managers to approve or deny requests, depending on the results of those currently off.
It also provides easy oversight as to any departments that may be understaffed and can alert managers to which teams may require more support or smaller workloads for this time.
Recruitment
Recruiting seems to be one of the biggest challenges of lockdown, what was once a formal, face to face process has now been moved into our own homes.
HR software offers tools for every stage of the process, from advertising to training new starters.
The systems can help filter through applications, group applicants into groups and automatic messages can be sent to candidates regarding their application process.
New started forms can be filled out online before employment commences and contracts can be drawn up and reviewed using HR software, meaning everything is in place for their first day.
Training manuals can be uploaded and team profiles can be arranged so new colleagues can get to know their team members and are aware of who contacts with any queries.
These are just a few of the features that HR software can offer businesses, packages can come tailored to suit specific needs and numbers of staff members. Overall, it has proved to be one of the valuable assets during Covid-19.
As working from home is predicted to see an increase, even after the pandemic, it is crucial that businesses have the right tools set in place to make daily life easier for HR and colleagues.
