HR is still a stand alone department because many businesses are failing to integrate it with other functions, according to Softworld research conducted on 229 HR and payroll professionals last month.
It found that only 44% of companies questioned have linked their HR systems with other applications, such as finance and payroll systems, However, research conducted at the end of last year revealed that far fewer – only 24% – had linked their systems with other business applications.
It seems that businesses are starting to realise the benefits of integration, as over half of respondents cited integrating HR systems with other departments as the main driver for purchasing new HR and payroll software.
Although only 30% of organisations surveyed currently use employee self-service applications, or other B2E initiatives, 68% stated that their company had plans to e-enable its HR activities to allow employees to access to them via the web – compared to only 15% who planned to do this at the end of last year.
“In the current climate, many successful businesses are realising that departments can no longer operate autonomously”, said Justin Opie, Portfolio Director for the Softworld HR & Payroll event.
“Integration is a buzz-word at the moment, but undoubtedly the benefits are real. By allowing HR to become accessible to other departments, as well as employees, and web enabling the administrative and transactional elements, HR can truly transform into a front line function,” he added.
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