HR challenges in SMEs

HR can be challenging for small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMEs) for a number of reasons, ranging from a lack of resources to professionals juggling the responsibilities alongside their day-to-day.

But to keep your business running smoothly, you must be able to handle the inevitable HR hurdles as they arise.

The difficulties you’ll face can differ every day, so to help you prepare, we’ve compiled four of the most prominent challenges you’re likely to face.

1) Limited data visibility

We live in a digital world, and data ultimately plays an enormous role in everything we do.

Data enables businesses to not only keep track of aspects internally but also supports strategic decision making.

For those who have their data siloed across their business in various systems and paper documents – it’s far more difficult to reap the potential benefits and insights.

Additionally, keeping track of key HR responsibilities, such as who has completed health & safety training is incredibly tough with limited data visibility, potentially putting your business at risk if there was a workplace accident.

2) Absence management

Absences and sicknesses are often managed casually within small-to-medium-sized businesses, with employees typically exchanging emails and texts with their line managers.

While this may be convenient in the short term, as employees are now dispersed across the country, it’s increasingly difficult to informally maintain the accuracy and transparency of absences, especially during busy periods.

Valuable time and resources are lost manually managing these absences, and the accuracy of absence records is often poor.

3) Time-consuming HR admin

The bane of every professionals’ existence: admin.

HR is renowned for the amount of time-consuming admin required to manage people processes.

Not only is keeping up with the ever-changing legislation and requirements a massive time sink.

But if you’re still doing everything on paper, then you’ll be plagued by a whole range of inefficiencies.

4) Worries about keeping employee data safe

Is your employee data stored in a secure location? Do you know who has access to it? How much data can people see and change?

Typically in SMEs, employee data is often held in a filing cabinet which poses a tremendous amount of concern regarding its security.

Handling your data this way can severely hinder GDPR compliance, placing your business at risk when you consider that the fine for non-compliance can be up to 20 million euros or up to 4% of your global turnover.

How can IRIS HR Pro help?

What if I told you there was a cost-effective HR software that could help you tackle all of these challenges with ease?

Well, that’s exactly IRIS HR Pro.

Watch the video below to see how the software can provide you with a smarter way to manage HR.

For more information on IRIS HR Pro and to request a demo, click here.