Common Payroll and HR Needs Our Clients Have Before Getting Started

We have built Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions for hundreds of companies, of all sizes, across nearly all industries. The solutions, built off of our Workforce Lumina platform encompass everything from timetracking, absence and leave management, payroll and tax, benefits enrollment and administration, scheduling, certification and training tracking, talent management and talent acquisition, and more. Every client is unique and so every “build” is unique.

But we do see trends in what clients ask for. I find it helpful sometimes to step back and look at what is being asked for now as it can shed light on what the current problems or challenges are that employers are generally struggling with in their organizations. So, for your general enlightenment, here is what we are getting a lot of requests for from our new clients that are coming onto our system:

1. ACA reporting services and tracking tools. The reason for this is pretty obvious as the first year-end reporting requirements for applicable large employers (over 50 employees) come up the start of 2016. People have finally decided it is actually going to happen this time and are finally getting serious about actually addressing the new requirements.
2. Onboarding. We are doing a lot of work for clients in creating a paperless onboarding process that creates a positive experience for the new hire and shines favorably on the employer. Everyone seems to have a slightly different workflows and forms but everyone is looking for the same end result – less paper, more automation.
3. Recruitment/ Applicant Tracking. Known in the trade as Talent Acquisition, this area has been white hot for a whle now. Most employers we deal with are feeling intense competition for talent right now. They are very interested in tools that can make the application process broadly available across the web and, again, convey a positive image consistent the company’s culture to the applicant. Smoothly moving and managing applicant and the data that follows them through the process from recruitment to hire is job one here.
4. Performance Evaluation. This one is new in terms of heightened interest from our clients. While there is always lots of discussion in the press and HR and business trade publications about the value and impact of performance evaluations, businesses nevertheless remain hungry for a way to manage the steps in this process, notify each party of their duties, manage dates, and move the process along to completion. The big challenge that many employers seem to have is simply getting evals done. Tools that can manage that process, again without paper, seem to be highly valued.

So there you have it. Make of it what you will. These trends of what’s important do go in phases, but this is what we are seeing today. It speaks to businesses continued need to eliminate paper from their HR processes, the need to compete for top talent, the desire to meet the technology, access and convenience expectations of that new generation of workers, and the ongoing battle to stay on top of increased compliance.