HR software acronyms made simple
While researching HR solutions, you’ll encounter three primary acronyms: Human resources information system (HRIS), human resources management system (HRMS), and human capital management (HCM).
The most important thing to know about the various kinds of HR software is that the acronym is not as important as the features and capabilities offered by each solution. That said, there are some general rules of thumb that can be applied to help you tell the difference between the acronyms.
HRIS and HRMS
HRIS is an older acronym that is now interchangeable with HRMS. HRMS software typically centralises the organisational structure of your HR team and people management by providing a single solution for managing people, procedures, and policies.
Common features:
- Payroll
- Time and attendance tracking
- Employee scheduling
- Leave and absence programmes
- Benefits management and administration
- Self-service employee portal
- Recruiting (Applicant tracking system)
- Basic people analytics
HCM refers to HR software that encompasses everything typically offered in an HRMS with the addition of workforce planning and integration with customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) business applications.
HCMS
Common features:
- All the capabilities of an HRMS.
- Full talent acquisition, including candidate relationship management.
- Onboarding resources.
- Employee performance evaluation tools.
- Learning management.
- Succession planning.
- Salary planning.
- In-depth people analytics for employee productivity and performance
- Workforce planning
Questions to ask when evaluating HR apps
Since HRIS, HRMS, and HCM mean different things to different vendors, it’s helpful to focus on the goals you want to achieve with your HR solution rather than what that solution is called. When comparing options, examine the features each solution offers and ask yourself the following questions:
- Does this solution help me build, execute, and measure effective HR programmes?
- Will this application meet our needs now, and grow to support our needs in the future?
- Does this solution help simplify the employee experience?
- How much training will be required to enable everyone on my team to use this software?
- Does this application integrate with the apps and tools we already use?
The primary goals of HR software
Modern HR software, regardless of whether it’s an HRMS or HCM, is designed to support four essential HR processes:
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Payroll administration
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Core HR programmes such as benefits management, leave and absence and time and attendance
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Talent experiences
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Workforce Planning and people analytics
In other words, its job is to digitise the employee experience while automating workflow. This frees up HR team members from time-consuming manual tasks so they can focus on being strategic business partners for the organisation as a whole.
As valuable and important as these processes are, they’re far from all-inclusive in the ways HR software can facilitate the success of your organisation. When HR professionals are supported by the right software, they can shift their focus to culture, retention, and other high-value priorities.
How HR software can support your organisation’s goals
One example of a strategic goal for your HR team is transitioning to a human capital management (HCM) model. HCM is an overall approach to considering employees the most important assets in the entire organisation. This people-centred approach is a shift towards attracting higher-calibre talent and nurturing that talent throughout an employee’s time with the company.
Transitioning to an HCM model for HR benefits the entire organisation. Increased employee satisfaction, performance, and personal development elevate the quality of work in every department. Employees who feel supported and valued by their company tend to work harder to provide value and stay with the company longer. This reduction in turnover leads to higher morale overall, and places less of a burden on recruitment. Instead of hustling to fill the same positions over and over, recruiters can focus on targeting the right people with the right skills and HR teams can focus on improving training and skills development.
The right HR software is uniquely suited to helping you make HCM a reality in your organisation with capabilities such as:
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Recruiting features that help you attract, recruit, and hire top talent.
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Talent management tools that track performance, foster employee growth, performance, and retention.
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Automating HR processes such as payroll, open enrolment, leave and absence, and time and attendance.
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Empowering employees with self-service tools.
Learn how HR software helps ECH attract top talent in a competitive field
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Transform HR with Dynamics 365
Support HCM within your organisation with Dynamics 365 Human Resources, which helps you provide positive experiences for employees. centralise workforce data and optimise core HR processes with an intuitive interface and streamlined integration to ERP and CRM apps.