The term “cloud computing” is pretty common nowadays. Everything’s done in the cloud. Things like banking, listening to music and booking a holiday have all been made a lot simpler thanks to cloud technologies.
Another area that has been transformed thanks to cloud computing is HR. Many people associate cloud computing with finance and data companies but every industry and sector is capitalising on the benefits of cloud computing and HR is no different.
But what is cloud computing and cloud HR software? Will cloud HR software really revolutionise your HR department and business. In this article, we’re going to explore what Cloud HR software is and list the benefits a cloud HR tool could have on your business.
What is cloud HR software?
When you hear the phrase “cloud computing” one word normally springs to mind, and that word is data.
To put it simply, cloud computing is all about gathering a company’s data in one place (the cloud) and making it easily accessible to everyone in your business, no matter where you are.
Traditional HR software and software in general usually had to be installed on devices owned by a company. Whether that was on individual machines or on a private server owned by a business. Installing, managing and running this software could be costly and you’d need an expert in-house in case something breaks.
Cloud HR software lets you avoid these headaches. With your software on the cloud, it’s hosted on a third party server that you don’t need to worry about. All you need to do to access your software is sign in online. This means anyone, anywhere in your business, can login to your HR software to manage their holidays, book days off, request appraisals etc.
The only maintenance you need to do as an HR leader is pay a monthly or annual subscription fee and you can get access to your HR tools from anywhere you want.
In a nutshell cloud HR software is faster, easier and cheaper for you and your business to use than traditional software.
What are the top 10 benefits to Cloud HR software?
In the 21st century, businesses can’t survive without technology. Companies that adapt to new tools, trends and tech, quickly, are the ones that’ll gain a competitive advantage over their rivals.
Embracing new technologies is one of the best ways to distinguish your business from your competitors and can help you improve productivity, reduce stress and foster innovation. Using a cloud HR software can do all these things and we’ve listed the 10 biggest advantages a new piece of software could have on your business below.
1. Take advantage of a centralised management system
With cloud HR software, all your data and information is accessible from anywhere in the world. Unlike traditional HR software that lives on a machine in your office, cloud HR technology can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection.
This also means all your data and information is in one place and not spread across various machines and offices. Everything’s in one spot and nothing will get lost.
Since your software isn’t tied to a specific place, it allows your team members to engage with it anytime, increasing productivity and ease of use. Employees are more likely to use your HR software when there’s minimal barriers to entry.
2. Flexibility
Cloud HR software are flexible and allow for greater customisation than traditional software. Since they are mainly subscription based, you can upgrade, downgrade or cancel your usage at any time depending on your internal requirements.
Since the software doesn’t live on your servers or computers, it’s easy to request additional features and the legwork of installing those changes doesn’t lie with you and your team, but the tech team who run the software.
This lets you adapt to changes quickly and gives you greater flexibility when things in your company change. If you need to upgrade your service to manage more employees, that can be done very quickly.
3. Cloud HR technologies are cheaper
Installing, managing and maintaining in-house software is expensive. Depending on the size of your organisation it could require a small team of tech experts to keep your HR software functioning the way it’s supposed to. If there’s any issues with your servers, machines or software, that downtime can be frustrating and cost you money.
By investing in a cloud HR software, you remove this headache and don’t need to spend a small fortune maintaining the servers or machines the HR software runs on. You’re essentially outsourcing it and letting someone else do the heavy lifting of maintaining the software.
4. You’ll save a lot more time using a cloud HR software
Cloud HR software is great for automating the more mundane tasks that HR professionals need to deal with. By reducing the amount of administrative work you need to perform, cloud HR software can free up hours in the day that HR experts can use to complete value-added projects that’ll improve their business.
5. Your HR department will be more accessible
Cloud software can be accessed at any time and from pretty much any device. Your employees don’t need to go to the HR department in the office to get something sorted; they can login to your HR software via mobile, tablet or computer. This makes everyone’s lives easier and encourages staff to engage more with the HR team, which helps build teamwork and communication.
6. Cloud HR software can improve your security
It’s a common misconception that cloud technologies aren’t safe. In fact, the amount of security and controls on cloud HR software greatly surpass those of traditional tools. With all your data and information stored in one place away from your office it makes it difficult for hackers to access your files.
7. Cloud HR software lets you make data based decisions
Cloud HR software is great for collating and gathering actionable data about your company and employees. Having all your company’s data in one place, lets you spot trends and make informed decisions that can help improve your employees happiness, productivity and reduce churn.
8. Cloud HR software removes the burden of compliance management
Keeping up to date with employment law is a big task. It’s constantly changing and updates can come from a number of different locations. This means making sure your HR practice is compliant can be a pain, but it’s something that can’t be ignored.
Cloud HR software can help make this job a lot easier as it can be automatically updated by the service provider and therefore taking the job of updating HR processes away from your internal team. Cloud HR software can also adapt to your procedures quickly and add new features to your software when new legislation requires it.
9. You can scale with ease
If your HR software is cloud-based, it lets your staff easily access the portal from wherever they are. If you’re setting up a new team or office, they can be online and using your HR software in no time. You don’t need to set up their machines or hire a tech expert to set up the software, it’s ready to go.
10. You’re prepared for anything the world throws at you
Investing in cloud HR technology means your business is at the cutting edge of technology change. By staying ahead of the curve you can make sure your business is adaptable and forward thinking. Future proofing yourself in this way means other changes to HR and Payroll won’t be tasks you dread, but opportunities to further improve your business.
Are you looking for some new HR software?
If you’re on the lookout for some new HR software that could revolutionise your business you can use our free HR system selection tool in your search. We’re a HR consultancy who help business leaders improve their HR and Payroll processes. If you’d like to hear how we could help your company you can get in touch here.
