There are some misconceptions that just don’t seem to disappear. Let’s take religion as an example. You might be surprised to learn that the bible never suggests that Jesus was born in December; that the Quran doesn’t actually promise 72 virgins; or that Buddha wasn’t even fat.
In the world of HR software, there are several equally false beliefs. For example:
– HR software is only for companies with lots of employees
– HR software will put me out of a job
– HR software will make my job too difficult
– HR software costs too much for smaller companies
– HR software means my staff all need PCs
If these were actually true, then I wouldn’t blame you for burying your head in the sand and staying in the dark age of spreadsheets and paper forms. But the trouble is, they’re not. So today, I’m going to help you bust each of these misconceptions for good.
HR software is only for companies with lots of employees
Just because you only employ a small staff, and just because you don’t deal with many holiday requests, doesn’t mean HR software can’t help you.
Small companies have different needs, sure. But HR software is about much more than just crunching big data and launching huge performance reviews. In fact, as a small business, HR software can actually help you grow!
As a small business, you probably don’t employ a full HR department. You might even be doing HR on your own. If so, a modern web-based HR solution can become like your own virtual HR assistant, helping you fill in the right boxes, and reminding you when important dates are due.
HR software will put me out of a job
Robots are not going to replace the HR department any time soon. At least not in the next 10-20 years or so. And contrary to popular belief, HR software doesn’t actually do your job for you – instead, it just makes you much better and more efficient at doing your job.
Yes, HR software saves you some time. But it doesn’t replace you.
In fact, quite the opposite. By getting you better at your job, and achieving more, it actually makes you a more valuable employee. It can help you gain favour with the “higher ups”. It can help you engage your workforce and improve performance. It can even help you to become your company’s HR data expert!
HR software will make my job too difficult
At the other end of the spectrum, there are HR professionals who believe that they will not be able to operate an HR system. They think that it will make more work for them, and more work for their IT teams.
OK, so if you buy traditional, locally-installed HR software, then yes there will be a steep learning curve – and you’ll need an IT team handy. But if you opt for a modern cloud-based HR solution? You’ll pick it up in no time – and you won’t need any support from IT.
HR software costs too much for smaller companies
Again, if you opt for a traditional, on-premise HR system, then as a small company, the cost will probably be too high. Traditional systems were designed to be installed locally and deployed across your company infrastructure – infrastructure that smaller businesses simply do not have.
But we are living in a modern age of mobile technology, and legacy systems are fading fast. Gartner even predicts that by the end of 2017, adoption of older systems will drop well below 50% – and this number will continue to fall.
Did you know that, as a small business, you can get started with cloud HR software for as little as £1/$1.50 per month?
HR software means my staff all need PCs
Yet another stereotype caused by traditional HR systems installed on your local servers. You don’t need a network of PCs to deploy HR software at your business!
If you find a decent, cloud-based HR solution provider, you’ll be able to take it anywhere, and use it on any device. You’ll need to make sure the HR software is built with responsive design if you want it to be easy to use on mobile – but this is something many companies now do already.
Isn’t it time you moved forward from these backward-thinking stereotypes?
