HRMS a Must for Effective Talent Management
Performance appraisal is an important talent management process at both the employee and the organizational ends. Employees can gain insights into their successes and areas of improvement, whereas organizations can assess these parameters in the light of how the organization is progressing in its strategic direction. Often, employees discredit the process as being biased, too time-consuming, or even non-value adding. Technology can be a savior here, by lending appraisals a degree of objectivity.
Come appraisal season, HR professionals and line managers alike are seen poring over appraisal forms, goal sheets, and productivity metrics for hours together. This investment of time and effort is often viewed as a time and energy waster. The question is valid—if business processes can be optimized with technology applications, why can’t performance appraisals? The answer lies in Human Resource Management Systems, or HRMS, as they are popularly known. An HRMS application can be customized to the appraisal process and design that the company follows. It typically takes into account different roles, different work arrangements, and different departmental agendas, creating a one-stop interface for all appraisal-related needs. The best part is that an appraisal HRMS can be highly customized—for process implementation as well as for communication. This offloads the transactional work involved in the appraisal process. An HRMS-led appraisal process is therefore likely to get more buy-in from managers and leaders, as it frees up their bandwidth, allowing them to focus on more value-adding tasks.
Most organizations think that setting up an HRMS is a tedious and expensive process. This reality of yesteryears has changed with the cloud. Cloud-based and web-hosted business applications pertaining to performance management are not only easy to implement, but can be up in a jiffy. An added advantage is that it suits enterprises that are spread out across locations; for example, many offices across geographies. Industry experts generally recommend an appraisal HRMS for enterprises with more than 25 employees. It helps streamline the process and makes it more efficient and user-friendly.
These days, performance appraisal HRMS is tied in to the larger HR ambit, i.e., learning and development, employee engagement, and so on. This helps avoid the siloed treatment of employees and allows for a holistic talent view. HRMS is today not just a need, but a necessity for more effective talent management within the cost constraints of modern businesses.
