As working from home (WFH) has become the new normal, many tech firms and startups have found it beneficial. Some have reported improved productivity. Others have saved substantial dollars in corporate travel-related expenses and commercial leasing agreements. However, WFH has also brought with it new challenges. Some companies are struggling with decreased productivity as well as heightened levels of employee stress and burnout.
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Further, many firms and startups find themselves having to grapple with new, more potent cybersecurity concerns. Before WFH, a firm’s technology assets were most often accessed from inside an office by employees using firm-owned devices. These devices were secured by IT staff and routinely monitored for traces of an intrusion. Moreover, firms often had strict IT filters prohibiting employees from using work devices to visit sites that might pose a security threat. Pre-pandemic, criminals would most often have to penetrate a firm’s data center or the third-party cloud system they used to steal information.
With employees working from home and accessing their firm’s network remotely, sometimes from personal devices, many firms and startups are left with a patchwork of security vulnerabilities.
Cyberattacks have been increasing since the beginning of the pandemic. Some analysts have projected that this year, one attack will occur every eleven seconds (an increase over the 2019 rate of one every 19 seconds). An attack resulting in a data breach can be devastating to a firm, potentially resulting in a loss of IP, clients, reputation, morale, and revenue. Further, firms that are negligent in their efforts to secure employee or client information may face legal consequences.
You must take immediate and aggressive steps to shore up your startup’s IT infrastructure and cybersecurity protocols in this environment. To protect your employee’s information, you must have the right human resource information system (HRIS) in place. If you’re using a legacy system, and don’t know what you should look for in a new HRIS, here’s where to start.
What to Look for When Choosing the Perfect HRIS
Your system should have an employee-facing component that allows your workforce to carry out routine HR and payroll tasks online quickly and easily. Your employees shouldn’t have to schedule an appointment with your HR or fiscal office to get a duplicate copy of their W-2. They should be able to log in to your HRIS and print one out. Having an HRIS that simplifies and automates routine tasks frees up your HR staff’s time to work on more complex duties like compliance, recruiting, and training. And just because your HRIS is multifunctional doesn’t mean it can’t also be secure as well.
If you’re still feeling some trepidation about moving to a new HRIS, it may help to work with a PEO that has a secure and robust system that meets your needs.
PEO Technology Ups the Game
Partner with a PEO and you get the advantages of an HRIS system that can help you manage your payroll, benefits onboarding and enrollment, and new hire onboarding, among other typical administrative tasks. You’ll also be able to provide your employees with a robust employee portal that allows them to self-service and get the answers they need on their own time. Just as important, your PEO will ensure that your data is secure from external threats, providing your IT security staff more time to focus on other issues.
An all-in-one cloud-based solution provides your employees with plenty of self-service options and your HR staff with all the tools they need. The HRIS incorporates systems like payroll, time and labor, PTO and leave, and applicant tracking, easily allowing you and your employees to handle everyday tasks with a few keystrokes. Using an integrated system like this, an employee can easily enter PTO requests and then look up their current 401k contributions within seconds.
You’ll have full reporting capabilities and be able to segment the data each user has access to according to their user role. Doing so allows you to ensure the security of your data overall, as well as limit access to confidential or sensitive information.
You Don’t Have to Abandon Your Existing Time and Labor System
One of the best things about partnering with a PEO is that most recognize the value of legacy systems and how challenging retiring them may prove to be. With PEO technology, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. If you already have a time and labor program, we can integrate that into the HRIS we provide for you. You’ll have the benefits of all the other available systems and the services of an experienced PEO team working with your HR staff to strengthen your organization.
What Makes Execustaff HR Different?
Not only is our HRIS web-based and intuitive, it’s customizable, allowing you to incorporate your firm’s logo and graphic identity into the employee portal your staff will see. You can do everything from creating customized career pages integrated with your website and applicant tracking to helping new employees undertake the onboarding process from their smartphone. And with Execustaff’s experienced team helping guide you, you can take advantage of all the benefits this HRIS offers.
The rise of cyberattacks stemming from the new WFH reality necessitates firms and organizations invest in new secure HRIS systems. If you’re hesitant to do so as an organization, partner with a PEO to give your startup a boost. The cost savings alone have been estimated to be as high as 27% per year. You’ll also free up staff time to handle more complex matters as you get your business off the ground. And you’ll enjoy peace of mind from knowing that your data is safe and secure.
