2024 in Review—Sneak Peek at 2025
HR Glossary  /  Human Resource Management System (HRMS)
Human Resource Management System (HRMS)6 min read
Table of Contents:

What is a Human Resource Management System (HRMS)?

With so many specific terms floating around in the HR world, it’s easy to get dizzy and mix them up. What is HRIS? What does attrition rate mean? What does HCM stand for? What’s the difference between PTO and vacations?

In this particular guide, we’ll help you understand the concept of Human Resources Management Systems. We’ll take a closer look into its meaning, how it differentiates from HRIS and HCM, its key features, its benefits and how to choose the ideal one for your business.

An HRMS stands for Human Resources Management System. It is a complete HR management software suite designed to automate and optimize various HR functions. It serves as a centralized hub for managing employee data, automating administrative tasks, and supporting strategic decision-making.

HRMS, HRIS and HCM: What’s the Difference?

While HRMS, HRIS, and HCM are all HR management systems and often used interchangeably, they each have distinct focuses:

  • HRIS (Human Resources Information System): HRIS primarily focuses on employee data management, such as contact information, payroll, and benefits administration. We could say it’s a human resource document system. Some HRIS providers, like TalentHR, also offer additional advanced tools like people analytics and employee performance.
  • HCM (Human Capital Management): HCM builds upon HRIS by offering a more holistic approach to talent management, including recruitment, performance management, and employee development.
  • HRMS (Human Resource Management System): HRMS combines the functionalities of both HRIS and HCM, while emphasizing strategic HR planning, workforce analytics, and complex workforce management processes.

In essence, HRMS provides a wide-ranging solution for organizations whose goal is to optimize their HR operations substantially. With advanced strategic solutions and analytics, it’s possibly the most comprehensive HR management system out there.

A well-rounded HRMS offers a broad range of features designed to speed up HR processes, improve employee experience, and support strategic decision-making. Here are some key features to consider when evaluating human resource management systems options:

Core HR Functions

  • Employee database: Centralized storage of employee information, including personal details, employment history, and performance records.
  • Benefits management: It helps manage employee benefits enrollment, eligibility, and claims.
  • Time and attendance tracking: Accurate recording of employee hours worked, absence management
  • Payroll management: Most tools include payroll summaries. Some tools also include payroll management. HRIS tools, for their part, sometimes offer API integrations with payroll providers.
  • Performance management: Optimized processes for setting goals, conducting performance reviews, and managing employee development.

Talent Acquisition and Management

  • Recruitment: Careers page, simplified job postings, candidate screening, and onboarding processes.
  • Talent acquisition analytics: Insights into recruitment trends like time-to-hire.
  • Onboarding: Onboarding is still one of the most influential HR steps, and these tools come with automated onboarding workflows that connect the job ad with the new-hire profile.
  • Offboarding: Managing exits of employees, including exit interviews and knowledge transfer.

Learning and Development

  • Training management: Centralized tracking of training courses, certifications, and employee development plans, with storage and distribution of training materials, including online courses and webinars.
  • Planning for performance development: Adjusting training initiatives to individual and organizational goals.

Analytics and Reporting

  • Dashboard and reporting: Customizable dashboards and reports to track key HR metrics and identify trends.
  • Data-driven decision-making: Insights into employee satisfaction, turnover rates, and workforce planning.
  • Compliance reporting: Keeping compliance with labor laws and regulations.

Employee Self-Service

  • Employee portal: A centralized platform for employees to access their personal information, request time off, and enroll in benefits.
  • Digital document management: Secure storage and access to employee documents, such as performance reviews and certifications.

Integration and Scalability

  • Third-party integrations: Easy integration with other business systems, such as payroll, accounting, and applicant tracking systems.
  • Scalability: Ability to accommodate the growth of your organization. The pricing is also part of this. These are not “tech features” but features of a good HRMS software, indeed.

A human resource and management system offers a multitude of benefits for organizations of all sizes. But each type of business can take advantage in a particular way from implementing an HRMS software. Let’s see how:

Startups

  • HRMS can lay a firm starting point for growth by establishing a well-rounded HR program from the outset. Employee #2 will already have a platform to check how many PTO they have banked.
  • HRMS can simplify onboarding and offboarding processes, reducing administrative burden, so you can save your energy for what really matters: recovering your investment and scaling up.
  • HRMS can help startups stay in compliance with labor regulations and avoid legal problems and penalties.

Small Businesses

  • HRMS can help small businesses work much more efficiently by automating tasks like keeping track of time and attendance, processing paychecks, and managing benefits.
  • HRMS can help improve employee engagement by providing employees with self-service tools they can leverage to take decisions on their own, like requesting some days off.
  • HRMS can reduce costs and improve a hire's return-on-investment by helping with strategic decision-making, thanks to reporting analytics.

6 Best HR Software for Small Business →

Medium-Sized Companies

  • HRMS can centralize HR data and processes that, for a medium-sized company’s HR department, could require too much coordination efforts.
  • HRMS can help with talent acquisition and retention by making use of features to attract top talent and speed up the hiring process.
  • HRMS can help stay in compliance with complicated regulations, including those related to data privacy—which might be a new challenge for a medium-sized company.

In summary, HRMS can help organizations to optimize HR operations so they can focus on driving business growth. By using HRMS, businesses can work faster, spend less money on talent and potentially make employees happier so they can go out and win their market.

The large number of options available can make it difficult for HR professionals to select the ideal HRMS. To make sure your choice matches what your organization needs, you need to start with a big pool and gradually narrow down the best options. To get there, think about these steps:

  1. Start by looking into vendors and their solutions. Look into the market to identify vendors that offer HRMS solutions aligned with your requirements. Consider factors such as reputation, experience, customer support, and pricing.
  2. Shortlist vendors with a free demo. Request demos from shortlisted vendors to test the user interface, functionality, and ease of use. A single HR user will get the job done. The demo should be very easy to access—just a click away, ideally, without filling in any forms that salespeople will contact you with.
  3. Consider cost and licensing, even if the trial was free. Check the pricing models, hidden costs, and licensing terms to make sure the HRMS fits within your budget. You'll narrow down your shortlist even more with this.
  4. Make sure it can scale (and that's affordable to scale). Check if the HRMS can grow with your organization without crashing—SaaS solutions are ideal for this. Also, make sure that, if it scales up, it is at a reasonable cost without hidden fees.
  5. Seek references and reviews. Try to shortlist once again a tool from organizations that have a positive history with HR tools.
  6. Start using it permanently. You probably have arrived at a tool that's already working well as a demo. Transition into the full version and start organizing your workforce.

With these variables in your consideration, you can choose a good HRMS that will help your company work better and reach its goals. But keep in mind, as well, that you don't need to start with a full-fledged HRMS software. You can instead try to start with a core HRIS solution that can handle plenty of the necessary tasks that an organization, big or small, needs to draw in the best talent out there.

7 Steps to Choose the Best HR Software for Your Business →

What's the difference between HRMS and HRIS?

HRMS is like a big toolbox for all things HR, while HRIS is just one part of that toolbox. HRIS helps with core services like keeping track of employee info, their payroll information, and their benefits. HRMS does all that and more, like helping with hiring, training, and managing performance.

How customizable are HRMS solutions?

Most HRMS systems can be customized, but some only offer some changes to the look and feel or language, while others offer a public API as well. In the end, some are more flexible than others, so it's important to find one that can grow with your business so you're not locked in right away.

Can HRMS integrate with other business software?

Yes, indeed. HRMS systems can usually work well with other software you use, like payroll or accounting systems. Some HR platforms have over 7,000 integrations.

Cut the clutter in HR tasks, and grow
your business faster