If you’ve started 2025 knowing that this is the year that you go ahead and find a new HR system, then we have some top tips to help you along the way.

 

  • Understand your needs – it’s important to be completely clear on what you want from an HR system before you get into a selection process. Without this it can be overwhelming to look at the wide range of options in the market and to start whittling them down to the strongest contenders.

 

  • Be clear on what is not required – there’s no point buying a system which leads on its great time and attendance functionality (and is perhaps lacking in other areas) if your team are not being asked to clock in and out or record their time for projects. Being clear on what is not needed can help you keep on track.

 

  • Get budget clarity and provisional sign-off – HR systems vary widely (sometimes wildly!) on their costs for both implementation and business-as-usual annual licencing, so it is essential that you are clear on what you have to work with before you start looking. Otherwise, you risk being wowed by a system that is simply not feasible and then struggle when affordable systems cannot match them on functionality or looks.

 

  • Start to engage with stakeholders – an HR system is not just used by HR, and it can be a great tool to drive engagement and cooperation across the organisation, with benefits for all users – employees (as we all are in our own right), managers, function heads, finance, operations, IT, etc. Understanding the requirements for a wide range of stakeholders ensures that the functionality wish list is accurate, and the correct priorities are being focussed on.

 

  • Get your Finance team on board – there are mutual benefits to having accurate data and an improved ability to look at trends and make forecasts around headcount, turnover, recruitment costs, etc., so the Finance team will be closely involved in the implementation and outcomes of the HRIS project. The FD is also central to the sign off for the project so having clarity on the return on investment and timeline for that ROI is essential.

 

  • Get recommendations from colleagues and peers in similar industries – tapping into your existing network will likely get you some great recommendations as well as some cautionary tales, all of which will be really valuable.

 

  • Look online as a first research tool – there is a lot of information out there on HRIS vendor websites and you can start ticking things off on your wish list of needs or identify systems which are not going to be able to provide what you are looking for.

 

  • Arrange introductory demo calls with the most promising options so that you can start to get an understanding of their key strengths and weaknesses as well as the look and feel of the system overall. You should also be able to get indicative pricing at this stage.

 

  • Attend events where you can see the systems you are interested in being demonstrated. The key UK events are HR Technologies (23-24 April 2025) and CIPD Festival of Work (11-12 June 2025).  You can see who will be attending on the vendor pages so you can see a whole range of systems and talk to their teams, all in one place.

 

  • Set a timeline for your project and break it down into stages to make it achievable. We all have a series of competing priorities and the new HRIS, while strategically vital, can be pushed down the list by day-to-day activities. If you can work in smaller stages it can help to keep momentum going and your progressing towards being in the position to make a final decision, get the sign-offs on the business case and start planning for your implementation!

All of this takes time, headspace and energy. Find out more about our System Selection or book a call to discuss your plans.