Human Resources Information System free essay sample

Introduction Human resource management information system (HRIS) refers to as software or a system that is used to handle human resource data in an organization. It is also referred to as a human resource management system (HRMS) (Talwar, 2006). HRIS connects the human resource management department and the information technology department in order to solve human resource data needs in an organization. It is worth noting that most of the leading organizations have a large number of employees and it is difficult and uneconomical to handle all the details of the employees manually. It is therefore important to have a software or online solution to the human resource data needs. Some of the functions of HRIS in an organization include data entry and data tracking among other functions (Compare HRIS, 2008). This report aims at evaluating the HRIS used by Kharafi National Company. Kharafi National was formed in 1976 from a local contracting company to a global company based in the UAE (Kharafa National, 2007, a). The company offers a wide range of services ranging from project development, facilities management and communication among others. According to the analysis conducted on the UAE companies in 2009, Kharafi National is a multi-disciplined world- class pan- Arabian company that operates internationally. The company has registered a rapid growth in the last 2 decades. For instance, in the year 2011, the company forecasted an annual turnover of US$ 2. 5 billion and a workforce of 35136 employees. Among the employees of Kharafi National, managers, superintendents, clerical staff, and technicians constitute 11% ( Kharafa National, 2007, d ). This means that Kharafi National is a large company with a large number of employees in all parts of the world. The company operates globally with its head office in the UAE. It is therefore difficult for the management at the head office to handle human resource data manually or for the employees in the different parts of the world to visit the head office in UAE whenever they want to submit some information regarding their employment and other activities of the company and policies affecting the employees (Kharafa National, 2007, b). The company therefore has well developed HRIS that enables the management to handle most of the human resources data needs online. Similarly, employees of the company are able to track and update their data without visiting the head office through the company’s HRIS. This report tries to evaluate the Kharafi National’s HRIS in order to determine its impact to the company’s human resource management processes. This report will involve a literature review of all the readily available information about the Kharafi National’s HRIS. The information reviewed will be obtained from the available business journals, Kharafa National’s website, books, online academic journals Description and history of HRIS model used by the company The Kharafi National’ HRIS is as old as the history of the company. Since the formation of the company in 1976, the company has been giving information technology priority in its activities and human resource management is one of them. The company has embraced information technology throughout its history as a way of improving its efficiency and competencies. The company uses a data warehouse model of HRIS to manage its human resources data. This is an advanced model that standardizes all the systems in the different units of the company. This can be represented diagrammatically as shown below Figure 1. Source (Talwar, 2006). The system is controlled from a central palace in the head office of the organization and all the departments can access the company’s data available in the system. Services provided by the Kharafa National’ HRIS model The above model connects all the activities of the Kharafa National Company to the central head office in the UAE. The HRIS is used by the employees of the company throughout the world but in different capacities. It serves as a communication between the regional branches of the company and the head ffice in UAE as shown on the diagram above diagram, Figure 1. The company’s model facilitates communication, data updating, data tracking and data submission from all the departments of the company and all the branches and human resources worldwide. The system has helped the company to maximize resources, cut costs, and minimize time wastage in management. Generally, the HRIS helps the company to manage its human resourc es from the head office in the UAE ( Kharafa National, 2007, c ). HR activities supported by the Kharafa National’s HRIS The company’s HRIS support various human resources activities of the company and ensure that the multinational employees of the company are well linked and connected with the head office. The following are some of the major human resource activities that are supported by the company’s HRIS: 1. Management of the employee data- Kharafi National is a multinational company and it has thousands of employees HRIS enables the management of the company to manage all the information of the employees from the central head office ( Kharafa National, 2007, c ). . Payroll preparation and integration with other financial and accounting systems- The HRIS has enabled the management of the company to integrate the employee’s payroll and other financial systems of the company for easy management of employee remuneration. 3. Employee data storage- the HRIS has enabled the company to ensure that all the data pertaining the company’s employees are well stored and can be easily accessed with ease from the end office and by employees from wherever they are online. 4. Administration of employee benefits- the company is able to administer employee benefits such as change of status, information backups an enrollment online without having the employee to visit the head office (Talwar, 2006). 5. Employee reporting and analysis- the management of the Kharafi national is able to evaluate and monitor employee information without having to call them to the head office or visit their places of work. 6. Employee recruitment and promotion management- the HRIS has enabled the management of the company to conduct employee recruitment, promotion, applicant tracking and resume management online. Staff reaction to the implementation of the HRIS Like any other organization that introduces a new system to its existing one, Kharafi National Company witnessed difficulties when introducing HRIS into its system. However, the company emphasized on its information technology department and the company was able to incorporate HRIS into its system without affecting the company’s employees and other management processes (Mohapatra, 2010). Initially, the staffs of Kharafi National were not friendly to the idea of introducing HRIS to in the company. This was because most of the company employees were not conversant with information technology and they felt that HRIS could just make their working more difficult. Some even felt that the system could make them lose their jobs. This was a few years after the company was formed and there were less HR data to handle. Additionally, the company had not expanded internationally and most of the activities were handled locally. Consequently, staffs of Kharafi National were able to handle all the activities of the company manually (Mohapatra, 2010). However, with time the activities of the company expanded and the as it spread its business globally and the company ventured into more different sectors. Handling the HR data became complicated and the staff had difficulties in ensuring that all the activities of different parts of the world and on a timely basis. As a result, the idea of introducing HRIS into the company became necessary to the staff of Kharafa National. Although most of the staff did not welcome introduction of HRIS immediately it was introduced, they later became friendly to the implementation of HRIS after familiarizing with it and realizing that it was meant to make their work easier. However this was after intervention by the top management of Kharafi National Company through seminars, training and workshops. HRIS professionals were also outsourced by the company to orientate the Kharafi National staff on how to use it. Eventually, the staff was able to acclimatize with the use of HRIS in the company and accepted it. Staff training during the implementation of HRIS in the company The kharafa National Company had to train its staff on how to use the HRIS in order to make them friendly to it and ensure that their performance was affected. One of the initial training that the company offered to its staff was how to use the new system to carry out the HR of the company ( Looise, 2011). The staffs were trained on how to incorporate their existing works into the new system without losing it. This was followed with training on how to update, remove and distribute data through the system among others. There was also need to educate the staff on the work related benefits they could get by using HRIS effectively. This was important to ensure they have accepted it and take it positively because some of them thought it was meant to make them jobless ( Looise, 2011). It was also important to train the employees on minor technical procedures that they could do in case the system develops technical itches while they are working. This was done to ensure that employees were not stressed or stuck when using the new system. The training was effective because the company was able to ensure that there was no production challenges during the transition period and throughout the implementation of the HRIS afterwards. The company was also able to change the perception they had towards the HRIS and ensure that they are friendly to it. It is also worth noting that the company was able to expand its business worldwide and still ensure that all the human resources data is controlled from the head office in UAE. The company was able to maintain its staff members who were not well conversant with the functionality of HRIS by training them. This shows that indeed the training was effective. Benefits and pitfalls experienced by the HR departments with the HRIS Although Kharafi National was successful in introducing HRIS into its system, it is worth noting that not all companies introducing HRIS into the company’s HR department is not always a smooth transition. The process comes with both benefits and pitfalls which include the following: Advantages 1. Efficiency and competence- introduction of HRIS ensures the HR departments are more effective and competent in their activities. The departments are able to handle the employee data in a more timely and accurate ways there ensuring that the employees of the organization in questionnaire satisfied (Looise, 2011). 2. Time saving- the HRIS makes the handling of data easier and this saves the time spent by the HR department handling the employee information. 3. Accuracy- HRIS is more accurate than manual handling of the data by the HR department staff. 4. Innovation- use of HRIS enables the HR department staff to become more inventive and discover new ways of making their work more efficient through the use of technology ( Bagdi, 2012). 5. Integration with other departments- HRIS enables the HR department to connect with other departments of the organization and this makes the working easier. Disadvantages 1. Lack of acceptance- HR departments experience difficulties in implementing HRIS when the staff fails to accept and take HRIS positively ( Looise, 2011). 2. Lack of adequate knowledge- some of the staff members in the HR departments are not conversant with IT and this becomes a challenge for the HR department. 3. Lack of maintenance technicians- some of the HR departments does not have technicians to service the system and this becomes a challenge when it fails. Conclusion In this report I found that the introduction of HRIS by the Kharafi National to its systems has enabled the company to improve the way it handles its human resources data. HRIS has enabled the company to automate most of its human resources data and this has made it able to serve all its employees from all the parts of the world without having to travel to the head office at the UAE. It is also evident from the study that although some HR departments have challenges with HRIS, the system is more beneficial to the modern companies and its worth implementing. Recommendation * Keep up with the new technology and try to update the system and change it to match the need of the company * Don’t rely on the technology and forget the manpower because they are the real assets to the company and without them the company cannot achieve the success * Train the employee and inform them about any change will happen before any implementation * Provide maintenance technicians for HR department to help them fix any problem may face HR employees References Bagdi. S . ( 2012). Practical Human Resource Information Systems. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd Compare HRIS. ( 2008). HRIS Overview. Retrieved on 10th May 2013 from http://www. comparehris. com/HRIS-overview/ Kharafa National. ( 2007). About us. Retrieved on 10th May 2013 from http://www. kharafinational. com/kn/companyprofile/aboutus. html Kharafa National. ( 2007). Human resources. Retrieved on 10th May 2013 from http://www. kharafinational. com/kn/operations%20services/human_resources. tml Kharafa National. ( 2007). Information Technology. Retrieved on 10th May 2013 from http://www. kharafinational. com/kn/operations%20services/information_technoloty. html Kharafa National. ( 2007). Retrieved on 10th May 2013 from http://www. kharafinational. com/kn/index. html Looise. J. C. (2011). Electronic HRM in Theory and Practice. Emerald Group Publishing. Mohapatra. (2010). Business Process Automation. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Talwar. P. (2006). Human Resource Management. Gyan Publishing House.