User Friendly HRMS System versus Complexity & functionality

Is user friendliness important when considering an Human Resources Management System (HRMS) Systems or HRIS system software product? Absolutely! But only to the level that the HRMS system meets your needs.

For example, in the past I worked with a couple of HRMS systems both containing report writers but at completely different levels of ease of use and of complexity. The first HR Management System had the easiest report writer I have seen. It demoed well and users loved the fact that it required little, if any, training to generate basic reports. The other HR Management Software system’s report writer required training and database knowledge to create reports. This system did not demo well and, frankly, it scared clients. If asked, nine out of ten times most would have selected the first report writer; but there was, of course, a potential problem with that choice.

While easy to use, the first report writer had serious limitations. You could not group information, you could not add counts or totals, you could not create custom function fields in the report and graphing was not an option. If you wanted a simple employee list report without grouping or totals, this product met the need. If you wanted, however, to create a detail turnover statistics report or detailed compensation report it would not meet the needs. This is just one example of where the most easy to use HRMS system was not the best. My advice when reviewing HR software solution products is to make sure the system can create the most detailed reports you need created. Include in your needs assessment, the type and complexity of reports you will require and ask the perspective HR software vendor to show the process of creating those reports.

The ease of setting up the HRMS system is another important consideration. One product may be far easier to setup but require more work for you to maintain going forward. Often, but not always, the more detail the setup, the less work later to maintain the data.

About the Author

Clay Scroggin has worked in the Human Resource and Payroll Software Industry for more than fifteen years. During that time Clay and those who have worked for him, have sold and implemented hundreds of HR professionals with their HR software needs. In 2007 Clay began working on Comparehris.com, a site dedicated to assisting HR professionals with their search, selection, implementation and use of HR systems. The site contains several tools to assist HR professionals with their HR software research including: a HRIS and HRMS Software Selection Tool and a HR software technology forum.

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