HRMS Data: No Longer a Black Box of Mystery

One of the biggest changes that I’ve seen over 15 years of being involved in HR systems is how an HRMS is no longer the exclusive property of HR, but is a tool for the entire organization instead. Now that we have global systems, more groups are getting more HRMS data access. Managers and Employees expect 24/7 access via HRMS self-service, and key HR processes are now automated and online, thus becoming more of a regular part of an employee’s daily use. How else has HRMS data use changed over the years?

Incorporation of HRMS Data into Other Processes

As company-wide HRMS have become more common, the advantages of one common database have become apparent. I’ve noticed many departments and systems are eager to tap into and connect with this HRMS data, building it into their processes and systems, such as using termination data to know when to turn off IT accounts or corporate credit cards. As well, employee HR data is able to be used for employee profiling, such as using data to target portal content.

Access to the HRMS Itself

While HRMS self-service is an accepted and usual functionality of the HRMS these days, I’ve also noticed a growing trend in recent years of opening up other areas of the HRMS for different purposes. For example, you might give your travel department a limited view to certain HRMS data elements that enable them to set up a travel profile. Previously, such a need would have been handled through monthly reporting distributed from the HRMS team to the travel department, or on a one-off request basis.

This trend is further being supported by the current generation of HRMS, who build such functionality into the systems out of the box. For example, I’ve seen many major HRMS providers deliver a series of user security roles such as ‘IT Helpdesk Coordinator’. This role is delivered to support the centralized helpdesk structure found in many companies these days and allows access for the Helpdesk Coordinator to reset HRMS passwords or lock user accounts. Previously, HRMS user security would not have been seen so readily as a task for an employee outside an HR or HRMS function.