SCHOOL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

XIM UNIVERSITY

HRIS in Talent Management

Submitted to: Prof. Francis Thomas Castelino

Submitted by: Solanki Samanta - UH22098

 HRIS in Talent Management
Introduction
The management of talent is increasingly recognized as critical to organizational performance,
particularly during periods of change. This is evident in large-scale change projects that are
technologically based and where major changes to processes typically require shifts in skills and
capability requirements. Changes in labour demographics, the ‘war for talent’, skills shortages, and
several other factors have compelled organizations to consider new ways by which to manage their
human capital. One response has been to recognize that “our people are our greatest asset” and to
seek to demonstrate a commitment to this claim by putting in place policies and practices that are
specifically designed to enable an organization to manage the identification, recruitment, and
development of individuals who are deemed ‘talent’. The ability of organizations to effectively implement
policies and practices associated with the management of talent can benefit from the use of information
technology. Also, in the aftermath of COVID-19, the 'great resignation' has impacted many companies
globally which saw many employees quit their current organization for better rewards, recognition, work
flexibility, and other added benefits. How can hiring managers retain people in the face of this tidal wave
of resignations? Smarter talent management solutions that are science-based and real-time are the
need of the hour to empower human resource professionals and leaders to make smarter decisions to
create a talented workforce.

What is Talent Management?

Talent management refers to the attraction, selection, and retention of employees, accomplished by a
combination of HR activities that span the employee life cycle. Workforce planning, employee
engagement, learning and development, performance management, recruiting, onboarding,
succession, and retention all fall under the same roof. The definition of talent is an iterative process as
organizations struggle with the tension between existing skills and knowledge that are valued under the
current strategic paradigm, and the new projected requirements to meet future challenges. This is
particularly evident during the implementation of new technologies where the challenge of predicting
what talent might look like is complicated by a wide spectrum of unknowns as the organization struggles
to predict the implications of the technological change on processes and behaviours.

It provides a long-term perspective of the company’s total talent needs – mapping and strategizing
about the gaps which are there or might occur in the future. It also provides a micro perspective of an
individual’s career at an organization, outlining the career paths. Thus, talent management is a concept
that combines the transactional processes of employee recruitment, selection, retention, and
development with the underlying analytics that allow making informed strategic decisions. Thus, without
a proper talent management system in place, a business will not be able to attract and retain employees
which might hinder the success of the company. Hence for a clearer, more cohesive talent management
experience, organizations need an end-to-end talent management strategy to break down silos and
prioritize talent management in all parts of the business.

The five domains of Talent Management include:

1. Talent Acquisition - recruiting, negotiating, and onboarding new employees
2. Performance Management - evaluating staff and subsequent changes in role or salary.
3. Succession Management - Identifying, developing, and managing bench strength for key
positions by lining up employees with the qualifying skills, competencies, and experience to fill
the roles as they become available due to separation, retirement, or termination.
4. Learning Management – Ensuring employees have the knowledge and competencies needed
to meet current and future job requirements by providing access to learning content and
tracking and managing learning activities, such as job-related courses, webinars, and
workshops as professional licenses and certifications.
5. Compensation Management - Planning, allocating, and administering employee
compensation, including salaries, merit rewards, performance-based compensation, long-term
 incentives (e.g., stock options), and bonuses, to make the most efficient use of compensation
budgets.

Together, these talent management domains form an integrated workforce plan that can greatly
increase retention rates and can be used to assist advancement in an organization’s strategic
planning considering the company’s values, mission, and vision goals.

HRIS
A human resource information system (HRIS) is a software application that stores employee information
and supports various human resource functions, such as benefits, payroll, recruiting, training, etc. The
HRIS standardizes human resources duties and processes while promoting accurate record-keeping
as an interactive information management system. In some ways, an HRIS can be considered a smart
database of employee information. The interaction of the data, the processes that can be performed
and the reporting capabilities make the data stored in the system more accessible and usable.
What are the benefits of HRIS?

In addition to improved workforce productivity, employers may find that HRIS helps them:

To Make data-driven decisions: Some systems have predictive analytics, including forecasting and
modelling, which can help HR professionals make more informed decisions.

To Enhance user experiences- HRIS with user-friendly interfaces and mobile apps may make it easier
to complete job applications, enroll in benefits and perform other HR tasks.

Reduce time-intensive labour- Common HRIS features – such as automation, analytics, and artificial
intelligence – may help cut the labour costs associated with payroll, time and attendance, and other
manual administrative work.

Accommodate business growth- Cloud-based technology is often capable of handling increasing

numbers of employees, transactions, and data volume, as well as expansions to new locations.

Maintain compliance - Some HRIS providers have monitoring capabilities to stay current with changing
regulations and data security measures to help prevent incidents.
The HRIS can run on a company’s own technological infrastructure or, as is more typical these days on
the cloud. HRIS in an organization should be developed in such a manner that the data stored in it can
be used for several outputs. Because of these multiple uses of data, there is a need to develop a
complete system of gathering, processing, and flowing information.

The three major functional components of HRIS are as follows –

HRIS FUNCTIONS
There are different kinds of HRIS systems and software. Because an HRIS encompasses all the
functionalities of HR, all separate functionalities are part of the system. These functionalities include:

1. Applicant Tracking System (ATS) - tracks candidate information and resumes, enables
recruiters to match job openings to suitable candidates from the company’s application pool
and helps in guiding the hiring process.

2. Payroll - Payroll automates the pay process of employees. Contractual data and information
on new hires are often entered into this system – sometimes combined with time & attendance
data – and payment orders are created at the end of the month.

3. Benefits Administration - Employee benefits are an important aspect of compensation and

are also managed in this system. More advanced systems offer an employee self-service model
for employee benefits.

4. Time & Attendance - Nowadays, workers often check into work by fingerprint or a card that is
synced with an HRIS. This gives an exact time for arrival and departure. Any issues with
lateness are easily detected.

5. Training- This module allows HR to track the employees' qualifications, certification, and skills,
as well as an outline of available courses for company employees. This module is often referred
to as an LMS, or Learning Management System when it’s stand-alone. An LMS usually includes
available e-learning and other courses to be followed by employees.

6. Performance management- Performance management is a key part of managing people.

Performance ratings are generated once or multiple times a year by the direct manager or peers
of the employee.

7. Succession planning - Creating a talent pipeline and having replacements available for key
roles in the organization is another key component of an HRIS.
 8. Employee self-service- Organizations are focusing increasingly on having employees and
their direct supervisors manage their own data. Requests like holidays can be asked for by the
employee him/herself. After approval, these are then immediately saved into the system (and
registered to track for payroll and benefits purposes).

9. Reporting & Analytics - A much rarer module in HRIS systems is reporting and analytics.
Modern systems enable the creation of automated HR reports on various topics like employee
turnover, absence, performance, and more.

The key elements of a talent management system are as follows -

1. Plan - Ensure talent strategies align with the needs of the business. Work with leadership teams
to understand business objectives, then ensure the talent strategy supports these outcomes.
2. Recruit candidates - Source talent globally, nurture candidates throughout the recruitment
process, and leverage the efficiencies of a comprehensive applicant management and tracking
system.
3. Onboard employees - Optimize new hire engagement with a dedicated onboarding portal.
Ramp employees quickly with paperless new hire processes. Automate workflows for on-, off-
, and cross-boarding.
4. Manage employee performance - Help employees manage their goals. Use guided action
planning for continuous performance management.
5. Plan and design compensation models - Reward and recognize strong performers.
6. Develop and retain employees - Provide modern and engaging learner experiences.
Schedule and carry out compliance training. Develop proactive succession plans and actively
develop leaders.

Benefits of Integrating Talent Management With HRIS:

For organizations to run successfully, we must have a talent management strategy in place. This can
lead to the company’s organizational goals being met and its success as a corporation. This will assist
a company in expanding and achieving its full potential. The areas where HRIS can be incorporated
are as follows -

1. Hiring Process

Integrating a talent management system into your human resource efforts will make your talent
management process more streamlined and effective. By integrating hiring processes like job
descriptions, applicant tracking, pre-employment assessments, background checks, and even drug
testing, you can ensure that you’re only bringing high-quality talent into your organization.
Also, with an integrated talent management system, all the data you acquire about new hires during the
recruiting, hiring, and onboarding processes can be imported into their employee profile to be used in
other areas of talent management. This will not only reduce time-consuming data entry but also
eliminate the opportunity for clerical errors.

2. Happier Employees

Another benefit of integrating talent management with your human resource information system is it will
help you maintain long-term relationships with employees and can dramatically reduce turnover. With
an integrated talent management system, you’re able to easily update employee information, view pay
stubs, and manage benefits from a single talent management program. This not only gives employees
peace of mind but also helps them stay productive at work, making your organization more money.
Integrated talent management systems also make it easier to manage benefit plans that will not only
attract productive employees but retain them as well.

3. Better Business Decisions

When HR systems are integrated, you’ll have access to accurate data that will help drive smarter
business decisions. With the end-to-end view that integrated talent management solutions provider,
you have a better vantage point to see patterns within the organization data that make it much easier
to determine how decisions will affect other areas of the company. Talent management tools also help
you mitigate roadblocks by eliminating clerical errors that can be difficult to find but easily lead to cash
flow problems.

4. Availability of Information on a wide range of data: Today companies have started integrating
HRIS system into other HR systems, such as payroll, leave, travel and expense, time and attendance,
career planning, and skills inventory to store, retrieve, update, classify, and analyse data easily. The
integration of data with other systems has enabled HRIS to provide detailed information on mostly all
HR systems. With improved access to metrics, faster information processing, and greater information
accuracy fast decision-making and better HR planning are made possible for decision-makers.

5. Quick reports and dashboards: HRIS offers the ability to quickly run reports and view dashboards,
which allows the CEO and management of the company to take important decisions concerning
employees and the areas that affect the company’s business as a whole. For example, HRIS
dashboards and reports can show real-time data and provide quick information on the return of
investments made on human capital and training provided to employees. They help you find out the
cost per hire, the cost of healthcare benefits to each employee, and the pay benefits as a percentage
of operating expenses. This can be further drilled down to locations, business units, functions, and
departments in a variety of ways.

6. Forecasting and Planning: The input of HR analysis can be transformed into predictive feedback
about organizational future needs. HRIS can be used to forecast future workforce demand to
initiate recruitments for vacant positions to maintain a high service, forecast turnover in service delivery
positions, and understand requirements to conduct training to manage succession planning and to build
a skilled workforce, in advance.

Objectives of Talent Management in HRIS

The main objective of talent management in your human resource information system is to attract and
retain happy, engaged, talented employees. By integrating a talent management system into your
organization, you will see:

• More Effective Recruiting

• Better Workforce Planning
• More Strategic Planning & Goal Alignment
• More Effective Coaching
• Better Leadership Development
• Better Recognition Programs
• More Diversity and Inclusion
• Better Engagement
• Better Retention

Adding Talent Management Functionality to the HRIS System:

Step 1: Data Collection

Although each Talent Management field requires different data to drive operations, three basic data
pieces are required across all domains: job codes, job titles, and job grades issued to each employee.

Step 2: Defining Talent Management Processes

Next, we need to think about the processes we want to automate with Talent management software. It
should be implemented in light of the organization’s goals while also taking into account the company’s
mission goals

Step 3: Involving the right people in the implementation of Talent Management

When adding Talent Management to the HR system of record, it’s important to involve the right people
from your organization at each phase of the implementation process. Project kick-off and discovery,
analysis and configuration, validation, and production to help ensure proper alignment of data,
processes, and technology, as well as effective change management, and consistent oversight.

Executive Sponsor – The involvement of an executive sponsor during the project kick-off and
discovery phase is critical for helping to drive the cultural change required for the widespread adoption
of new Talent Management processes and systems.

Project Manager – Internal project manager will help line up resources, troubleshoot issues, manage
schedules, and facilitate communication among all team members to help ensure a smooth
implementation process — from kick-off to live production. Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Internal SME
input will help ensure that your Talent Management processes and systems consider the latest best
practices, corporate culture and values, and organization-specific requirements.

HRIT Support – An HRIT professional brings to the project an in-depth understanding of how data will
flow from the HR system of record to each Talent Management domain. Even if your Talent
Management solution will reside in the Cloud, IT expertise is needed to ensure seamless, secure
transfer of data among internal and Cloud-based systems, as well as adherence to organization-specific
IT guidelines.

ANALYSIS:

This section is covered in reference to a research paper ‘Transitioning to a new HRIS: the role of a
new HRIS: the reshaping of Human Resource reshaping of Human Resources and information
technology talent’ by Sharna L. Wiblen, David Grant and Kristine Dery

Talent management has prompted a new industry of software including HRIS, HRIS Systems,
Performance Appraisal Software, and Training Software. In other words, technology can help
implement a talent management solution that is ideal for a company’s specific employees. The question,
though, is how talent management can be used. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, employees
will continue to strive for “self-actualization.” By providing resources that support your employees, you
are encouraging them to realize their full potential, to attain “self-actualization.” This helps your business
grow and reach its full potential. Furthermore, organizations with motivated employees typically create
a following among the local workforce pool, pulling in new employees that are just as motivated and
loyal as the existing team. Thus, by focusing resources on individual talent and encouraging employees
to reach their full potential, the current workforce creates economic growth and spurs future success.

Talent management is essential for any business. For example, managing talent can help identify and
then find solutions for “lost” or “misused” talent. By employing HCM, new business opportunities can be
identified as well as business challenges (whether those be challenges of competition, government
regulations, or economic downturns), which can then be immediately addressed.

Additionally, HRIS must be customized to a company’s unique demands in order for the system to stay
adaptable and relevant throughout the company’s or enterprise’s future life cycle.

HRIS solutions enable HRs to:

 Analyse real-time salary data and compare it to data from other industries to determine the
competitiveness
 Review real-time salary information and compare this information across industries
 Access cascading goals and provide for a complete corporate goal view, ensuring total goal
integration
 Review, at a glance, A/B/C members for promotion or other project opportunities
Measure existing talent against future needs

HRIS can assist in the creation of strategic value by assisting in the formulation and implementation of
internal consistent policies and practices that ensure that human resources contribute to the
achievement of company goals. HRIS links employees to employment openings. Thus, HRIS aids in
developing a sensible advancement path to make processes more systematized which in turn can
improve productivity.

The Reshaping of Talent using HRIS in ManuOrg

For instance, ManuOrg’s proprietary HRIS to SAP resulted in the organization reshaping its
understanding of talent and the desired employee skills and capabilities which added value to the
business. The change in mindset regarding the value of long-serving employees coupled with the
changes resulting from the transition to a new HRIS also encouraged ManuOrg to re-evaluate the skills
and capabilities that it desired from the ‘talent’ within the organization. Given the long and established
history of ManuOrg, previous human resource and talent management policies, and practices had been
normalized in the organization. As such, individual employees deemed as ‘talent’ were perceived as
possessing extensive knowledge and understanding of the organization and its operations. Previous to
the HRIS project, the organization adopted human resource management approaches that tended to
promote parity among employees located in different areas of the business. In contrast to the older
approaches to remuneration, ManuOrg saw the implementation of an SAP HRIS as providing them with
the kind of functionality that could be utilized to manage remuneration systems that targeted and
rewarded individuals and/or groups of individuals that possessed the talent required for the organization
to achieve its business objectives. Such a transition in thinking represented a move towards a more
strategic approach to talent management. The transition to the new HRIS technology also led to a major
repositioning of the HRIS team and the HR and IT functions. One consequence of this was the desire
to centralize IT skills and talents. In order to centralize IT talent, the organization sought to reposition
the previous HRIS team from HR to Business Information Systems (BIS), and hence existing employees
with proprietary HRIS technical knowledge were no longer to be considered part of the HR function.

Consequences of the Reshaping of Talent in ManuOrg

Before transitioning Changes observed After transitioning to

to the new HRIS the new HRIS

ManuOrg  Focus on the past – Direct communication  Move away from

steeped in history and was provided to salience attributed to
tradition. employees that the history and tradition –
organization was greater focus on the
Stable and consistent undergoing change. future needs of the
business.
Relocated head office
premises to a location
  Valued, long-term, considered a corporate Undergoing change.
organization-based centre for business.
careers
 New head office  Value function-
premises located in based careers.
new building with
modern facilities.
Undertook
organizational change
Human Resource Extensive knowledge  New Executive HR  Limited knowledge
Function of proprietary HRIS. and Senior HR and experience of
managers recruited. SAP.
 Access to highly  Responsibility for Loss of some highly
customized maintenance for HRIS customized reporting
information and reports moved to BIS. functionality.
to fulfil and meet
business and  Required to liaise  Required to relearn
functional needs. with new payroll HR and talent
function. management
processes.
Greater ability to
physically liaise with
payroll.
HRIS team  Considered to be  Most senior HRIS  Loss of significant
members of the HR team members retired. organizational
function. knowledge through the
 Previous HRIS team departure of long-
was disbanded. 
 All required Specialised SAP
serving HRIS team
knowledge held members.
Consultants engaged.
internally.  Individuals hired to
maintain new vendor
HRIS are considered to
be members of the IT
team.
 No one individual with
extensive knowledge
of the proprietary and
vendor HRIS.
Information Required to provide  Relocated to new External individuals
Technology Function advice to HR regarding premises hired to fulfill the SAP
capabilities of knowledge gap.
proprietary HRIS. IT hardware upgraded
 New recruits with
 Extensive knowledge  Specialised HRIS limited knowledge of
of the proprietary consultants engaged the organization, its
HRIS. operations, policies,
and processes.

Conclusion:

Organizations have to remember that the implementation of talent management is not easy and
inexpensive. Therefore, a talent management system that has been well designed is often constrained
in the implementation process so the result is far from the expected. The main problem that is often
overlooked by the organization is not trying to establish a talent mindset culture, lack of management
support, and the human resource information system (HRIS) is inadequate. Talent Mindset Culture
Organizations that have a talent mindset culture will prioritize the development of existing employees
in the organization so are expected can improve organizational performance indirectly. This
development focuses on the individual employee that aims to explore the full potential that supports the
achievement of organizational goals, especially in the future. The wrong mindset in most organizations
is talent management is the HR department’s responsibility. They rely entirely on HR departments to
design, implement and monitor the talent management process. In order to build a talent mindset culture
in an organization, it must begin from top-level management and in an organization as a role model to
all levels below them. This should be demonstrated the rough commitment of the leader in promoting
the personal development of employees in the organization. Management Support After talent
management becomes a strong culture in the organization, supervisors, managers, and leaders must
take responsibility for attracting, developing, and retaining talent. Management as one success factor
in the implementation of the talent management process required providing technical and moral support.
Technical support is needed to provide a complete infrastructure which would require high cost at the
beginning. Morale support is shown by management's willingness to provide guidance and motivation
for the development of employees wherever and whenever. Adequate HRIS is one of the infrastructures
that must be provided to support the successful implementation of talent management systems. Criteria
for adequate HRIS consist of being up-to-date, accurate, concise, relevant, and complete. Up-to-date
means that HRIS contains the recent data related to the track record for each employee for example
employee development, the position that ever held, curriculum vitae, employee performance, etc.
Accurate means that HRIS can rely upon. Concise means that HRIS consists of short and clear
information as a guide to make decision-making. Relevant means that HRIS can provide information
that is needed in running the talent management process. Complete means that HRIS provides
comprehensive information that is able to link the information to one another. Today, using the
technology of information systems play important role in helping the organization to operate all process.
Although the use of technology requires large investment but will provide long-term benefits. The use
of information technology will increase of time and cost efficiency and effectiveness of the talent
management process implementation. But of course, if followed by HR specialists who are also experts
in the operation of those technologies. The other benefit of technology is the ability to integrate a wide
range of technology and process to avoid human errors in collecting information associated with past
activity. The important thing is that the emphasis of using HRIS technology should not be only in terms
of technology, but must be prioritized in terms of HR-based. All these factors need special attention in
every organization that is committed to running an integrated talent management system and finally
can create a competitive advantage for the organization. Conclusion and Practical Implication Superior
organization is usually supported by proactive and systematic human resources management.
Therefore, each organization is required to have a systematic step in implementing talent management
activities as a way to optimize the ability to create long-lasting competitive advantage. Thus, contributing
to providing an integrated talent management system design that can be implemented by every
organization in all industries in order to create a competitive advantage specially in adverse economic
conditions, should be done. Many companies feel the need to cut expenses. This should be the ideal
environment to execute a talent management system as a means of optimizing the performance of each
employee and the organization. A talent management system resolves persistent business problems,
such as:

 Manual, time-consuming workflows for recruiting, onboarding, performance, learning,

compensation, and succession activities
 Lack of continuity across systems with siloed data stores
 Sub-optimal manager engagement
 High employee turnover rates
 Few qualified candidates for open positions
 Consistent oversight for compliance with corporate and regulatory employment laws

A talent management solution also provides operational efficiencies, using a centralized model for
planning, data sharing, and other interactions. Digital workflows replace manual and offline processes
for greater efficiencies in the backend, allowing HR personnel to focus on higher-value work. HRIS is
an integrated system used to collect, store and analyze information related to an organization’s human
resources comprising of databases, computer applications, hardware, and software needs to collect,
record, store, handle, deliver, present, and manipulate data for human resources function. In
conclusion, it is important to select the right HRIS. A company that takes the time to invest in an HRIS
that fits its success, objectives, mission, and values, is a company that is investing in its future and in
its goals. It will be necessary to customize any HRIS to the matchless needs of a company so the
system will remain flexible and relevant all over the future life of the company or enterprise. The activities
associated with a TMS generate personal and confidential data, which the system stores in a secure
database. Powerful analytics and reporting capabilities help inform strategic planning to ensure that the
business achieves its immediate and longer-term talent goals.
With a talent management system, the company can easily plan, measure, and communicate talent
results and overall value to the business. Hence,

1. Organizations through HR practitioners must integrate attracting, and developing their employees
2. Organizations also need to pay serious attention to factors that support the success of talent
management system implementation by creating a talent mindset culture, providing management
support, and providing adequate HRIS.
3. Also, they need to monitor the effectiveness of the processes that have been implemented.
Measurement of talent management effectiveness should be done continuously so that the organization
will get a result as expected.
As organizations increasingly compete through talent and continue to realize that the management of
their talent is critical to their operations and survival, the use and application of HRIS, through access
to encompassing information, may allow organizations to more effectively and strategically manage
their talent and allocate resources. A growing awareness of the changing nature of business through
globalization combined with changing demographics such as an aging population and talent shortage
compels businesses to focus more of their attention and energy on not only retaining their talent but
also keeping them actively engaged in their work. In this environment, it will be critical for organizations
to manage their talent in a more strategic manner than they have been accustomed to. Furthermore, it
is believed that technological factors, such as HRIS, which are also constantly evolving will bring with
them talent management opportunities and solutions.

References
In addition to the research paper quoted earlier i.e., ‘Transitioning to a new HRIS: the role of a new
HRIS: the reshaping of Human Resource reshaping of Human Resources and information technology
talent’ by Sharna L. Wiblen, David Grant, Kristine Derry University of Sydney, this assignment includes
references from the following articles -

1. https://www.techfunnel.com/hr-tech/benefits-of-integrating-talent-management-with-hris/
2. https://www.sap.com/insights/what-is-a-talent-management-system-tms.html
3. https://www.techfunnel.com/hr-tech/benefits-of-integrating-talent-management-with-hris/
4. https://www.peoplematters.in/research/talent-management/the-rise-of-startups-unicorns-
and-smes-research-36543
5. ‘Study on Human Resource Information System (HRIS)’ by Ketan Dhande, Dashrath Mane,
V.E.S. Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India
6. ‘A Guide to Adding Talent Management Solutions to Your HR System of Record’ by ADP
Research Institute
7. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-
guides/pages/howtoselectanhrissystem.aspx