It is unusual for a large or medium-sized UK employer to be without a computerised personnel system...
Software Source, 26 Jun 2002
It is unusual for a large or medium-sized UK employer to be without a computerised personnel system. Many larger organisations have been running one for 20 years or more, and personnel practitioners have often used many different systems in their careers.
The earliest systems were driven by payroll, designed in house, and ran on mainframes. Software suppliers entered the market cautiously at first, but they are now well-established and competition is intense.
In spite of the differences, all computerised personnel systems hold details about employees and their jobs. Employee details include personal information, qualifications and career history. Job details focus on grade, pay, hours, responsibilities and so on. Most systems have the ability to produce reports, but here the differences begin.
Some organisations have sophisticated modelling and reporting tools, enabling them use the system for planning and decision-making. Others have much more basic tools. Most fall somewhere in between, with standard reports that anyone can run and more complex ones that can be used after training.
The degree of integration with non-HR systems varies enormously. Some personnel systems are integrated with payroll (and perhaps with pensions and accounts). Others stand alone.
Some systems are written with the wider world in mind - allowing links with company intranets or the Internet. They may, for example, allow Internet users to access details of vacancies and apply direct to the organisation. Some give potential job applicants a virtual tour of the company. Others use the Internet as a recruitment sieve, sending applicants psychometric or ability tests that they can then submit electronically.
But not everyone is at this stage. For many organisations, especially ones battling with old technology or limited budgets, such sophistication remains a dream.
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