Being a small business is hard these days. Not only are you trying to compete with all the major businesses out there who are operating on a global scale while using huge budgets to fund themselves, but you’ve also always got to do a lot of trial and error while trying to make sure that you get things right the first time.
However, this part of the process usually means taking advice from people who know what they are talking about, especially when it comes to how you can use HR software to streamline your HR processes. After some deep research, we soon discovered a tonne of myths out there you might have heard that can hold you back from being successful.
Here’s what we found:
Don’t Use HR Software as a Small Business
This is potentially the biggest load of rubbish we’ve ever seen. Of course, the principle of not investing in HR software as a small business stems from the fact that you’ll have a potentially tight budget that you could be investing in other things, but what’s more important than investing in the top talent and making sure your staff are working to their best abilities?
It doesn’t matter what size business you are, your HR department is one of the most important departments you’ll have, especially when you consider things like employee regulations, laws and rights in which any infringement could shut you down completely.
This could include anything and will solely depend on the nature of the software that you’re running. For example, you might be using software to make sure that all your employees are up to date with their health and safety training. Failure to comply with health and safety laws can get you and your business into a lot of trouble if there’s an accident.
As you can see, using HR software to accurately keep track of whose training can completely minimise this being a problem. However, there is a full range of regulations that can be covered, from things like making sure everybody gets the right amount of holiday, pays the right amount of tax and any employee issues are dealt with via the proper methods, all of which can be avoided using HR software.
The Software ‘Dehumanises’ the Office
Again, this is a completely false statement, although we can see why people, mostly technophobics, would get this idea. The fact of the matter is that HR software still needs a human element in which to operate. As you’ll already be well aware, there are many HR issues that you can come across daily that will need a human’s interaction.
This could be dealing with an employee’s holiday terms or payment issues, any events of discrimination or prejudice in the workplace, and of course all the recruitment processes of interviewing and contacting potential applicants.
All the software is used for is to handle the small, tedious and perhaps long-winded processes so the humans in the office can focus on carrying out more detailed, complex and more important activities.
For example, if you’re too busy to write up job description and reply to emails quickly in a professional manner, you can always use free online blogs like State of Writing and Viawriting. These are general writing skill blogs that can allow you to practice and enhance your writing skills, allowing you to get the job done quicker, allowing you more time to focus on other important tasks that need to be completed.
We’re Too Small for Compliance
If this is a myth that you believe, you’re doing so at the risk of you, your company and everyone involved in it. We’re not sure where this myth came from, but if you believe your business is too small to be affected by things like employee laws, legislation and rights, you’ve got a big thing coming.
Winston McNeil, an HR Software Manager at Academized comments: “If you have a health and safety incident, a racist, sexist or in other ways offensive situation unfold and the proper compliance is not in place to sort it out, it’s going to come down on you and your company. Using HR software, you can stay up to date with the latest rules and regulations with ease, helping you stay in the know and minimise the risk of problems”.
In most countries, if you have a business with over 50 employees, you’re classed as a large business, anything smaller than that is defined as a small business. Even if you’ve only got 5-10 employees, you still need to remember that you are regulated as a business by these laws.
It’s Just So Expensive
Okay, this is perhaps the most common misconception that surrounds the concept of HR software. Although, as a small business, you could be operating on a limited budget, you obviously haven’t fully looked around the marketplace to see what’s available.
“In addition to the fact that there are completely free, although rather limited, software platforms out there, there are also many payment options to choose from. You could be paying monthly, you could pay a different plan depending on how many people are in your business, and you can receive huge discounts for buying a year subscription in bulk, making it far more affordable than you might think” – explains Victoria Maultsby, an HR Manager at Ukwritings and HuffingtonPost expert.
I Can’t Learn It Quick Enough
If you’re not used to technology, investing and trying to learn a new piece of technology can be daunting and you’ll quickly find that you’re making up a lot of excuses, such as it’s too difficult, it’s too time-consuming or something along those lines.
However, while not all HR software is going to be the easiest to use, these are programs that have been invented and designed by people whose job is to make the software as easy to use as possible. Every button, process or feature will be designed with you in mind, so you can pick it up simply and without a problem.
This is such an easy misconception to overcome simply by downloading a free trial and giving it go, allowing you to see just how easy it is to streamline your day to day workflow.
Likewise, if you’re looking for a way to improve your skills, there is a tonne of free general writing resources out there that can help. For example, Grammarix or Paperfellows, both openly available writing improvement tools, have free online grammar checkers to help you improve your grammar and writing skills for a faster production rate at work.
Conclusion
As you can see, as technology has evolved, so have the reasons and myths for small businesses to not to invest in HR software, but these are simply myths, myths that could be holding you back from succeeding as a department.
By taking your time to ensure that you pick the right HR software for your small business, you can be certain that all your basic yet fundamental tasks have been taken care of, while the rest of your HR department can focus on the more important tasks at hand, streamlining your business and everybody inside it.
