Copy and paste is the natural sworn enemy of business professionals. Well, sort of, the real enemy is actually neglecting to proofread, using out-of-date data and using manual processes instead of more accurate automated ones. The act of copy and pasting is merely complicit in these unfavourable practices. Though, complacency is also guilty.
In HR, these unfavourable practices are particularly important to avoid, as you are dealing with sensitive employee information and REM. It is not only a matter of professionalism that HR ensures this information is accurate, up-to-date and only accessible to select individuals, but it is a matter of compliance.
The best way an HR professional can ensure they do not fall into the trap of copy and pasting is by using an HR software system with an advanced data flow. This ensures employee data is up-to-date, accurate, and streamlined with the processes the data is needed for.
What does advanced data flow mean in terms of HR software?
Data flow refers to the movement of data between systems. In these movements, the data may change form as it passes from one component of the system to another.
In HR software, data needs to flow between all stages of the employee journey. An HR software that can do this, and intuitively integrate this data within HR processes is a system that has advanced data flow.
Why is advanced data flow so important?
Data is only increasing – so you can’t be playing catch up
In the last 2 years, 90% of all the data in the world was produced. To put it bluntly, that’s a lot of data. Now you may be thinking, ‘I don’t have that much data’. Well, you’d be wrong – sorry.
Every SMS, email and phone call you send or have with a candidate is data, and if you aren’t using the right tools, this data cannot be effectively stored, reviewed and utilised.
Additionally, you also have data pertaining to your candidates, employees and positions to worry about. Efficiently keeping track of this amount of data is impossible without an HR platform with advanced data flow and storage.
You can ensure accurate and up-to-date data
You cannot confidently and competently conduct your everyday HR tasks with inaccurate and out of date data. Not only would it be pointless, but it would also be unprofessional.
With our HR software, you can easily update your data from a single point of administration, which will update your database in real-time for you and your team. Meaning there should be no chance of accidentally using the wrong data, as your data is pulled from your single source of truth database.
As an example, when creating an employee onboarding pack, our platform will automatically populate relevant forms and the contract based on the position knowledge library and candidate data collected in earlier phases of the recruitment process. Once the pack is eventually submitted, this data will also be saved to the database for future use.
Hence you can see the advanced data flow between these different stages of an employee’s journey.
You can leverage your data instead of chasing it
With an advanced data flow system in place, HR never has to worry about chasing down information when they need it. Instead, all the information HR could need is right there where they need it most.
For example, within our platform, we have created an advanced data flow that is intuitive to your needs. So, when you are conducting HR tasks, the system will automatically pre-populate and push your employee’s information through to your forms, contracts and org chart as you need. You will also be able to update data in one location and push that through to your database. Thus creating a single source of information, administration and records that you can rely on.
As seen in this animation of our Change of Staff Conditions module.
Accessibility is more important than ever
I’m sure you’re sick of hearing this, but it has to be said – the pandemic drastically changed the way we work. 67% of employed Australians were still working from home to some capacity as of June 2021, which was up 25% when compared with pre-covid figures. With many workers continuing to opt for working from home options, it is likely working from home is here to stay.
For businesses, this means now more than ever, data must be readily and easily available to employees whenever and wherever they need it. Before you suggest it, let me just say a shared spreadsheet that you need to copy and paste from, is not a solution – it is an accident waiting to happen.
An HR platform with advanced data flow is a single source of truth for HR professionals, that can easily be accessed wherever you might be working from. What’s more, you don’t have to search for the information because it is readily available
Final Thoughts
Advanced data flow isn’t just a luxury when it comes to HR software – it is a necessity. When you are dealing with data as important and sensitive as HR data, there is no room for error. That is why having a system that prioritises the importance of that data and its connection with HR processes is essential.
Copying and pasting data from an outdated spreadsheet is just asking for trouble. HR should prioritise using tools that allow data to flow between all stages of the employee journey that act as a reliable single source of truth for your various types of HR data.
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