3 HRM trends and associated challenges your HRMS can support

Every business area has challenges, and HR is no different. It’s never been a more exciting time to be in HR, supporting businesses that are 24/7, with competition that continues to exceed expectations. HR is a demanding area, and your HRMS can help you to meet your business objectives efficiently and cost-effectively. Here’s how your HRMS can support current HRM trends:

HRM Trend #1. Talent acquisition in a consumer driven market

As the global economy continues to develop, companies are ever more dependent upon specialized labor to meet their unique needs. It’s no longer enough to post job requisitions and to expect to have a choice of prime applicants. Instead, your company needs to actively search and engage with candidates in order to attract the right talent. It’s estimated that over 50 percent of companies are now using talent acquisition functionality in addition to basic applicant tracking. These modules and niche HRMS allow you to perform a variety of tasks, such as tracking passive candidates and indirectly reaching potential candidates through mediums unrelated to job searching, such as social media.

Recommended Reading: HRMS Vendor Guide - Find a vendor keeping up with HRM trends

HRM Trend #2. Increasing expectations of employees as consumers of HR services

HR has advanced greatly since Dave Ulrich first created the concept of a shared service center model for HR transactions, where employees could go to a center of HR operational excellence to perform transactions rather than to an individual HR representative. One challenge in HR today is that employees are used to receiving information on demand through a variety of technical channels in their personal lives, and so they expect HR to deliver at the same level.

Fortunately many HRMS offer employee dashboards for both viewing and updating data. Some applications are also mobile device enabled across a number of platforms. Usability has been key in HRMS system design, so that transactions can be performed without training, something not possible in earlier systems.

HRM Trend #3. The drive to increase workforce productivity

As HR professionals, we are constantly challenged to do more with less, reflecting the lean nature of business these days. HR is expected to deliver enhancements and improvements in the area of human resources, in order to bring strategic value to the business. Your HRMS can help improve productivity in a variety of ways.

Employee engagement has been found to have a direct impact on workforce productivity. Your HRMS can enable you to survey your employee population to determine their level of satisfaction with their job, supervisor, and compensation.

Productivity can also be increased by streamlining administrative activities such as basic timekeeping or requests for time off. Both of these actions can be driven through your HRMS, allowing your employees to focus their efforts on value-added work.