Six quick HRMS customization tips

Not only is there never a one-size-fits-all solution out there for your HR technology needs, there may not even be a one-size-fits-you. Sometimes, no matter how rigorous your selection process, you won’t find the perfect system for your organization. At that point, you choose the best available fit and customization becomes your lead option for meeting your needs.

Whether it’s delving into the code of an open source system for some serious tinkering or simply a question of changing the theme color scheme, here are six possible ways in which you might ‘pimp’ your HRMS.

1. Customized processes and forms

Depending on how elaborate your HR procedures are, it may be difficult to find a ready-made solution. The good news is that one way or another, many HRMS systems can be customized to fit your needs. All you need is clarity on the procedural steps involved, and the time and patience (and resources) to make the changes.

Of course, the assumption here is that your complex processes are actually the best and most streamlined way of meeting your business needs. A new HRMS is an opportunity to review current practices, and you may discover that a smaller amount of HRMS customization will encourage more efficient working practices.

Recommended reading: find HR software that you can customize to your own needs with our extensive HRMS vendor directory.

2. Different levels of access

Not everybody needs the same services and functionality from your HRMS and usually these differences are most marked by the organizational hierarchy: line managers need more access than frontline workers, senior managers need more access than line managers, for example.

In terms of what each of these different access types see on-screen, it serves nobody’s purpose (or ego) to have it be the same, otherwise the lower in the hierarchy you are, the more options and links you can see but not follow. Tailor the visuals by having a distinct and customized dashboard display for each access level.

3. Reports

Similarly, different people need different reporting options. HR staff need to be able to access a variety of analytics, a customer service representative may just need printouts of their own updated personal pay and benefits, and the HR Director may need budgetary data. Furthermore, at a strategic (i.e. analytic) level, the reporting functions available should reflect your organization’s strategic goals and KPIs.

4. Organizational and HR branding

If it doesn’t look like you, it probably isn’t. Whatever your corporate colors and branding (logos, fonts, layouts, etc.) your HRMS should appear complementary. Also, if your HR department is large enough to indulge in a little internal branding and marketing of its own, that too should be evident in the user interface.

5. User customization

It’s all very well hot-rodding your new HRMS to be unique to the organization but how about individual users? If you allow them to personalize their desks, why not their on-screen desktops? Within the bounds of the corporate branding, why not offer some freedom of layout, options and shortcuts? Allowing users to customize their own HRMS is a good way of driving up user adoption - often the Holy Grail when implementing a new system.

6. Look outward as well as inward

Aspects of your HRMS, and certainly some customizations, involve non-HR people: finance, IT, procurement, resources, the Board, etc. When customizing your HRMS, the final tip is, talk to your key stakeholders about what they might need too.