{"id":13116,"date":"2023-10-27T17:34:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T16:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=13116"},"modified":"2025-05-07T14:54:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:54:39","slug":"choose-hr-system-it-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/choose-hr-system-it-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose an HR system: Everything IT leaders should be looking for"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/technology-innovation\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Technology &amp; Innovation<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to choose an HR system: Everything IT leaders should be looking for\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-10-27T17:34:39+01:00\">27 October, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to choose an HR system: Everything IT leaders should be looking for\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/choose-hr-system-it-leaders\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/charlottepenny\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/03\/charlotte-penny.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Headshot of Charlotte Penny, looking directly at the camera\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Charlotte Penny<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">IT leaders, do you get involved in the HR tech selection process?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">According to research by Sage, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/resources\/research-analyst-reports\/understanding-hr-transformation\/\">63% of HR leaders<\/a> recognise their current systems have limitations and are not fully confident that their HR tech is fit for the future \u2013 yet less than half <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/resources\/research-analyst-reports\/hr-in-the-moment-impact-through-insights\/\">(49%) say &nbsp;IT is heavily involved in the buying of HR software<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While HR leaders will be well versed in what they need from their perspective, you as an IT leader have an essential part to play in finding the right HR system for your organisation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here&#8217;s what we cover in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#enabling\">Enabling business transformation with HR tech<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#reliable\">1. Reliable security and regulatory compliance<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#strong\">2. Strong and ongoing customer support model<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#powerful\">3. Powerful integration and flexibility<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#readily\">4. Readily available and real-time data<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#push\">Push to have your say<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-f05784f5-230d-46ee-830d-a44397ff1c68\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-f05784f5-230d-46ee-830d-a44397ff1c68\"\n\t>Download your free copy of How to choose an HR system: The ultimate guide for IT leaders<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"enabling\">Enabling business transformation with HR tech<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With the world of work having turned on its head since the pandemic, employees now have higher expectations of their employers more than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">From the exponential trend of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hybrid-working-hr-guide\/\">hybrid working<\/a>, to the impact of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-great-resignation-hr-keep-top-talent\/\">the great resignation<\/a>, organisations are having to reimagine the employee experience to retain their people and ensure they\u2019re happy and productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Progressive organisations aren\u2019t holding back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Driven business leaders are focused on reorganising, rearchitecting, and reimagining the way their organisation works to elevate their employee experiences, with digital transformation seen as an enabler for success to future-proof the business and keep it secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">However, true <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/implement-hr-digital-transformation-strategy\/\">digital transformation<\/a> is no mean feat and choosing new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/\">HR software<\/a> might not be a quick or easy win, but certainly a highly worthwhile and revelatory one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Streamlining HR operations \u2013 while making sure that any system you implement has a high level of security \u2013 guaranteed uptime and dedicated support should all be top of the list. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When choosing an HR system for your business, here are four things to consider&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"reliable\">1. Reliable security and regulatory compliance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Organisations today are facing increasing pressure to secure and protect employee data to ever higher standards. In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibm.com\/downloads\/cas\/OJDVQGRY\">26% of records compromised in data breaches<\/a> involve employee\u2019s personally identifiable information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s vital you look for a cloud solution with additional layers of security, such as all connections protected with Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption (version 1.2 or higher) to prevent data being intercepted or hacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A fail-safe disaster recovery plan as standard should also be high on your checklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong\">2. Strong and ongoing customer support model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Pre-pandemic, of $1.3tn that was spent on digital transformation, it\u2019s estimated that <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2019\/03\/digital-transformation-is-not-about-technology\">$900bn of that went to waste<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s no good just implementing a new piece of tech \u2013 you need training, support, and a strong customer service team from your chosen vendor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Online support via a help desk and virtual training is great, but does your vendor of choice have an established customer community? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Look for an online user\u2019s hub where customers can access helpful resources and support each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Find an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/\">HR and People system<\/a> with a dedicated customer success team, who are on hand to provide support and find out what success means for your business, for as long as you are a customer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This will remove a lot of the queries that traditionally might go to your IT team to triage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-f05784f5-230d-46ee-830d-a44397ff1c68\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-f05784f5-230d-46ee-830d-a44397ff1c68\"\n\t>Download your free copy of How to choose an HR system: The ultimate guide for IT leaders<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"powerful\">3. Powerful integration and flexibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Choosing a flexible system than can be tailored through configuration by your HR team is a smart move, as it means less reliance on your IT team\u2019s time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Look for a system that HR can easily configure and personalise through click not code, to create custom fields and rules aligned to your HR, manager, and employee needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A configurable and extensible system will also empower your HR team to continue to be leaders of change as they\u2019ll have flexible tech to help experiment, test, innovate and drive new ways of working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20210331005591\/en\/Companies-Accelerating-Adoption-of-Cloud-Based-HR-Platforms-Amid-Pandemic-ISG-Survey-Finds\">64% of companies<\/a> say they are achieving \u201cmeasurable business value\u201d from their investment in HR platforms, including significant HR cost savings, all made possible through highly flexible and configurable HR systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"readily\">4. Readily available and real-time data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/resources\/research-analyst-reports\/the-changing-face-of-hr-research-report\/\">33% of HR leaders<\/a> say they have a single system of record for their people data and only 38% say their data is instantly accessible in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Make sure your chosen system is hosted in the cloud so your people data is stored and collated in one central always-on hub. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This means your data is always up-to-the-minute, giving the business one single source of truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Also, look for a centralised HR and People system that is always on, so employees can access information at any time, from any device, anywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This is absolutely vital for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hybrid-working-hr-guide\/\">hybrid working<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"push\">Push to have your say<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Now\u2019s the time for IT leaders to help HR find a system that not only meet the needs of the workforce and their HR team, but also yours in IT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">That\u2019s why it\u2019s absolutely vital that you push to have your say in the selection process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Partnering with HR will not only make sure the business gets a sound technical and secure investment but it will enable you to select an HR system that will empower your IT team, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This article was first published in November 2022 and has been updated for relevance.<\/em><\/p>\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">How to choose an HR system: The ultimate guide for IT leaders<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Discover everything you need to consider when choosing the right HR tech, and there&#8217;s even a handy checklist, too.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-f05784f5-230d-46ee-830d-a44397ff1c68\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181223319-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working on managing employees\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181223319-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you know what to look for in an HR and People system? Here\u2019s everything IT leaders need to know when it comes to cloud HR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1660,"featured_media":11452,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[240,159,125],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[69,71],"imagine_tag":[92,217,96],"coauthors":[406],"class_list":["post-13116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology-innovation","tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses","tag-midsized-business","tag-workplace-technology","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Charlotte Penny","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1271694534.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes","96":"Medium businesses"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1660"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/11452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=13116"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}