HR systems are often overlooked and undervalued when it comes to strategy within growing global businesses. This leads many businesses to put their valuable resources toward other projects in the hope that it stimulates growth.
However, this decision is often wrong. Employees are the biggest driver behind any business growth. So, shouldn’t the only system that all of your employees use and interact with be a business priority in order to maintain and support growth?
We certainly think so, that’s why we’ve compiled a list of 3 key things HR systems need to have to support growth within global businesses.
1. The ability to be compliant globally
Growing businesses often seek to expand by merging with and acquiring other businesses around the globe or through organic growth. Each new country they seek to enter has its own local employment laws and regulations which need to be met and adhered to. To meet these requirements organisations will need an HR system that is flexible, compliant, and able to cater to each country’s unique laws and regulations.
For example, in terms of absence, each country has varying holiday entitlement, absence, and sickness rules that need to be followed. Not doing so leaves businesses open to mistakes within payroll, unknown financial liability and even fines from the local authorities. HR systems with global functionality like Edays make following the local absence rules and regulations within any country easy using templates, allowing you to easily manage absence globally.
2. To promote and grow your business culture
Building a positive culture is often referred to as the key to business growth. Company culture drives the behaviors of employees and the behaviors of your employees to drive results. Your HR system makes a big statement about your company culture and whether you are invested in your people. They can build a positive business culture by encouraging an open, honest and trustworthy environment where people feel they can take a time-out when they need to, and never feel they have to be dishonest about time away from work. Or they can just do the basics, sending out the message that you won’t go above and beyond for your employees.
Many of our amazing clients currently go above and beyond for their employees and utilize our absence management system to enhance their business culture and employer branding. They do this by using Edays to offer incentives such as duvet days, paw-rental leave, and charity days to let employees recharge and feel their best.
3. The ability to support employee wellbeing
Finally, a healthy worker is a happy worker, and happy workers drive business growth. Businesses should be invested in HR systems that promote employee wellbeing. This can be done in various ways ranging from offering support to employees in need of help when they require it.
HR systems that utilise absence data effectively will be a great asset to growing businesses. For example, Edays can run reports based on absence reasons that allow HR to identify potentially problematic instances of absence. Triggers and alerts can also be set up to alert HR to instances of sickness as a result of poor mental health, stress, and burnout, providing the opportunity for your business to intervene earlier.
Support business growth with an automated, cloud-based absence management platform that drives productivity and employee engagement.
Katrina is edays' own People Director with significant UK and international experience in delivering people strategy and value-adding HR solutions across a range of organisations and sectors (including Arriva, Boots, Rolls Royce, the utility and charity sectors). Katrina has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources and is CIPD qualified.