HR: How can an ERP system improve personnel administration?

HR: How to Improve Administrative Management of Personnel Using an ERP System

Reading time: 9 minutes

Human Resources spend 4 to 5 hours a day dealing with administrative tasks. In other words, HR people spend more than half their day dealing with administrative matters.

This observation is paradoxical when one considers that 75% of human resources professionals chose their career because of its human and social aspects.

Personnel administration is a time-consuming task. As a human resources manager or company director, your role is to ensure the application of labor law and its evolution within the company.

But how do you optimize personnel administration, which takes up 4 to 5 hours of the working day?

ERP can be a good investment for the company, firstly because its use is not limited to HR management, and secondly because the functionalities it offers are perfectly suited to the needs of the HR function.

By implementing a workforce management tool, companies can automate HR processes, thereby reducing administrative tasks and improving operational efficiency.

But first things first.

What is personnel administration?

Personnel administration is an important part of running a business. It encompasses all tasks related to personnel and company organization:

  • Personnel files,
  • Payroll,
  • Absences,
  • Employee benefits,
  • Etc.

Depending on the company’s size and organization, either the HR department or the company manager manages this part of the process.

The challenges of personnel administration

Legal issues

HR must ensure that the company complies with labor laws (working conditions, schedules, etc.) and thus avoid penalties from agencies such as URSSAF, occupational health services, etc.

An effective HRIS helps track changes in the law and ensure that HR processes remain compliant.

Economic issues

It’s all about optimizing company costs, and therefore finding the right compromise to meet the company’s needs in terms of headcount.

Using an ERP system helps reduce costs by automating administrative tasks and optimizing human resources management.

Social issues

Ensure that good labor relations are maintained between the company’s stakeholders, particularly in a complex economic context.

Effective administrative management of personnel contributes to a better employee experience and strengthens employee engagement.

The impact of administrative management on HR day-to-day operations

The 2020 HR Barometer from Tissot Editions highlights how the day-to-day work of HR professionals has evolved over the years. Here are the key findings for 2020:

If HR could make 3 wishes, they would like :

  • Ensure legal compliance of decisions and written documents.
  • Have the keys to guaranteeing regulatory changes.
  • Reduce data entry and re-typing tasks.

This was without counting on COVID-19, which generated more requests from employees and company managers to respond to the new processes implemented within the company:

  • Teleworking.
  • Partial activity.

HR departments would benefit from tools to support their day-to-day tasks, in particular to enable them to :

  • Save time and increase efficiency.
  • Simplify their work.
  • Reduce the use of paper.
  • Secure processes and data.


Implementing an ERP or HRIS system can address these needs by centralizing data management and automating HR processes.​

But cost remains a major obstacle for HR departments facing budget constraints.

However, the return on investment for a personnel management tool is often quick, thanks to increased productivity and fewer errors.​

It’s worth noting that HR staff spend 4 to 5 hours a day on administrative tasks, when they’d rather be improving the quality of life at work, managing careers and skills, not to mention HR communications.

By freeing up time through the automation of administrative tasks, HR can focus on tasks that add greater value.

Key points from this barometer

It’s difficult for HR to keep up to date with employment law obligations and compliance. Indeed, regulatory changes evolve very rapidly. The health crisis has not helped the HR department’s business, adding new procedures such as teleworking and short-time working.

However, Human Resources says it lacks the HR tools needed to support them on a day-to-day basis, particularly due to budgetary constraints.

These obstacles are preventing improvements in personnel administration, even though a suitable HR ERP system could resolve many of these issues.

These HR management (HRM) tools are designed to save time and simplify HR processes.

How do you manage personnel administration?

Keep up to date on employment law

Personnel administration is central to a company’s long-term success. It’s all about keeping up to date with labor law and regulatory changes.

The administrative manager therefore needs to keep abreast of developments on a regular basis. Several factors influence the administrative management of personnel:

  • Employment law: electronic newsletters,…
  • In the news: COVID-19,…
  • Social developments: hiring,…
  • Technical developments: new technologies,…

Use automation tools

To support the HR department in the administrative management of personnel, there are HR tools—such as ERP systems—that automate tasks and thus save time. In fact, the Tissot Editions HR Barometer showed that HR professionals spent more than half of a workday performing administrative tasks.

An automation tool simplifies the management of payroll, expense reports, vacations, time tracking, etc.

As for employees, they have access to their data and can view it at any time and submit requests for vacation, absences, etc.

The reporting available within the tool makes it possible to analyze and make decisions that are beneficial to the company.

Finally, data is centralized, providing a global, cross-functional view.

What’s the point of digitizing personnel administration with an ERP?

As mentioned above, HR departments want HR tools that enable them to :

  • Save time and increase efficiency.
  • Simplify their work.
  • Reduce the use of paper.
  • Secure processes and data.

In practical terms, why should you digitize HR administration using an ERP system? Discover 7 reasons below!

1. Save money

HR has budgetary problems, which is an obstacle to implementing an HR tool. Yet an HR solution can save you money.

Reducing the use of paper and postage to send out pay slips, for example, are just some of the savings that can be made.

The return on investment is easily quantifiable and positive in the short term.

2. Saves time

An HR tool can automate many time-consuming tasks, saving time on manual data entry.

3. Reduce data entry errors

Fewer manual processes mean fewer input errors. The same data does not have to be re-entered several times, with the risk of error.

4. Productivity gains

Human Resources spends less time on tedious, time-consuming tasks that have been automated, resulting in increased productivity within the department; tasks that used to take 4 to 5 hours can now be completed with just a few clicks.

Saving time means more added value for every HR employee.

5. A better quality HR service

Communication between HR and employees is greatly improved; on the one hand, because the company offers a tool that makes employees more autonomous and enables them to consult their data (leave, absences, training, etc.); on the other hand, response times to HR requests by employees are reduced.

6. Simplification of HR processes

HR software helps streamline HR processes and centralize information. As a result, the information is more easily accessible.

7. Almost automatic updating of regulatory documents

The HR solution provider must offer a tool that complies with regulations. With ERP, HR has compliant documents without any effort. A real asset in an already busy day.

To conclude on how to improve personnel management with ERP

Personnel administration takes up a large part of Human Resources time. Implementing an ERP system within your company will save time on time-consuming administrative tasks.

Modern ERP systems are designed to address the current challenges facing HR departments, while improving the employee experience and operational efficiency.

The HR department’s budgetary problems are still an obstacle to investing in an HR tool, yet there are solutions on the market which offer optimized pricing on the one hand, and a rapid return on investment and savings on the other.

Simplify HR administration with VSActivity

Implementing an ERP system tailored to your specific challenges can truly transform your HR administration. Process automation, data centralization, regulatory compliance—these are just some of the benefits that make day-to-day work easier for HR teams.

At Veryswing, we support service companies, HR departments, and consulting firms with our VSActivity solution—a comprehensive ERP and HRIS software package that is easy to implement and designed to meet your business needs.

Our key features for optimizing workforce management:

  • Simplified payroll processing with centralized data.

  • Manage leave requests and absences with just a few clicks.

  • Time and Activity Tracking with an intuitive interface.

  • HR Dashboards to monitor your key performance indicators.

  • Automated compliance with HR legal requirements.

  • Secure SaaS access, anytime and from anywhere.

With VSActivity, boost operational efficiency, enhancethe employee experience, and give your HR teams more time to focus on what matters most: people.

Do you think this might be the right time to modernize your HR processes?

Request your free demo now with one of our experts!

Available Resources: Commercial Software

Interested? Discover our vsa software!

VSActivity (vsa) is the all-in-one SaaS ERP expert for IT services companies and consulting firms. With our comprehensive, ISO 27001-secured management software, everyone in your company can focus on their core business.

Available Resources: Commercial Software

Interested? Discover our vsp software!

VSPortage (vsp) is the #1 ERP software dedicated to umbrella companies.

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