IMPLEMENTING A HRMIS IN A PUBLIC

IMPLEMENTING A HRMIS IN A PUBLIC INSTITUTION

Introduction

The function of Human Resource Management (HRM) in both

private and public institutions has gained increased emphasis in

the recent past. The HRM forms an important strategic component

that can be used in increasing productivity and the overall

performance in institutions. The HRM department in any

institution is vital in realizing the set goals through hiring of

well qualified employees and capitalization of their core

competencies with an aim to increase productivity.

In order to improve the HRM functions in government

institutions, the HRM profession must make use of technologies

that allow reengineering of HRM functions (Akman & Mishra, 2010).

Human resource management information technology (HRMIS) is the

use of technology in HRM functions. The use of HRMIS is largely

driven by high demand for effectiveness and accountability in

public and private sector. Modern practices in the management of

government institutions require managers to make decisions based

on well generated and documented information. The information

provided acts as a guideline in maintaining proper accountability

IMPLEMENTING A HRMIS IN A PUBLIC INSTITUTION 2

to the management. Public institutions are basically a

composition of many departments with many employees designed to

deliver services to citizens. The large number of employees

presents a challenge in maintaining proper information using the

manual system of HRM (Akman & Mishra, 2010). This paper aims to

discuss the most effective strategy to embrace in order to

appropriately implement a HRMIS in a government institution.

An effective HRMIS should be able to capture the whole scope

of HRM. This includes the administrative, statutory and

technological requirements. In order to support the right

partnership with other departments while maintaining information

integrity, the HRM should make use of technology in a specific

way that will be in line with operations in government

institutions. The design plan of the HRMIS is detailed to capture

specific activities which, include: manpower planning,

recruitment, training and development, performance management,

staff relations and management information systems. The design

process of the HRMIS shall include components to deal with all

the specific areas. The HRMIS for this institution will not

necessarily include all the functions as distinct components. The


design will be based on a hierarchical model, which will merge

some of the functions to specific components (Akman & Mishra,

2010).

General features of components in the HRMIS

All the features and functions of the HRMIS will be in line

with the existing effective legislations (Alcami & Caranana,

2012). Government institutions are owned by the general public

and follow specific guidelines on the management of public

institutions. The legislatures outline the procedures to be

followed in hiring new employees, firing the existing employees,

disciplining of employees and job evaluations and the reward and

compensation system. Other procedures on management of public

institutions include employee rating and level of remuneration.

The HRMIS will put into consideration all the legal requirements

and provide a mechanism for measuring the level of compliance to

the requirements (Akman & Mishra, 2010).

The program modules in HMIS will be closely connected to

other information systems in the institution to ensure free flow

of information (Akman & Mishra, 2010). Government institutions

are composed of several departments, which are closely inter-


related. In addition, all the public institutions are managed

under a given ministry. The inter-relation within institutions

and among institutions themselves requires a free flow of

information to enhance their management. The HRMIS will ensure

this institution is well connected with other institutions as

required. The output of some of the departments in this

institution may also be directly dependent on the output of HRM.

For example, the accounting department may require information

from human resources in financial analysis. The system will,

thus; provide channels of information sharing to maintain the

current requirements in the institution.

The software components to be used in the system will be

compatible with the existing software infrastructure in the

institution (Akman & Mishra, 2010). Software compatibility is

important since the operations in the human resource department

will be linked with the operations in other departments. The

major system operations to be considered for compatibility

include document flow, central analytical base and electronic

budget.


The HRMIS will be comprised of modules which are technically

easy to modify. The ease of modification will include additional

of more functions and alterations of the specifications made in

the existing modules. The changes will enable the system to

easily adapt to new changes in HRM. Public institutions are

affected by external legislations making it necessary for the

system to adapt to any new requirements in the future. The system

will also put into consideration the authorization mechanisms in

modification. The modifications will be done by specific

specialist-technicians after the authorization by the system

managers. This will ensure that all components are operating as

needed and without any illegal alterations.

As Akman and Mishra (2010) advices, the system will provide

a mechanism to ensure data integrity. Any newly entered

information will undergo a verification procedure to validate its

fitness as per the set eligibility criterion. The criterion

concentrates on the quality to ensure that the information is of

the required standards. The system will have automated error

detection and reporting mechanisms to prevent entry of incorrect

or incompatible data into the system. The entry and retrieval of


information will be allowed to specific people by the system. Any

changes will be recorded together with the details of the

individual responsible for the alterations. For instance, a

change in information will include such details as the name of

the civil servant who made the changes and the date and time when

the changes occurred (Piers & Thurston, 1998).

Information access from the HRMIS will be restricted to

authorized personnel and use the current forms of information

access technologies. All the information in the system will

require a form of authentication to every person who requires

seeing any details. Civil servants will use their identification

numbers to view their personal information. The management

personnel will be able to access all the information using a

special form of authentication. Data access from the system will

be in form of web technologies. Civil servants who wish to view

information will access the system through a web based page from

a computer or a mobile gadget (Kavanagh, Thite & Richard, 2011).

The HRMIS will use a standard format to generate files,

analytical reports and archives of information as required. This

standard format will be in line with the legal requirements for


all public information. The information obtained in this format

shall have the legal force to represent the institution. The

system will allow retrieval of information in print and

electronic format as required by users. All the components of

information entry and retrieval will employ user-friendly

procedures and instructions to be used by inexperienced users.

This will ensure that all the existing employees are able to

easily use the system without further training.

Characteristics of Information in the HRMIS

The HRMIS will primarily be used to collect all the

information related to human resource management in this

institution. The information in the system will be used to

generate reports and data which will affect the decisions made by

the human resource manager. It is therefore important for the

information obtained to be of the right value and quality so as

to ensure that the institution’s management makes correct

decisions and that are in line with the institution’s core

objectives. It will also ensure proper accountability by all the

civil servants in this institution. As Alcami and Caranana (2012)


suggests, the characteristics of good information include

relevance, accuracy, completeness, source trustworthy,

communication with the right person and punctuality.

The relevance of the information is a decisive quality

(Akman & Mishra, 2010). Relevant information increases the

knowledge base and reduces the uncertainties (Alcami & Caranana,

2012). Information systems can receive and generate a lot of

information, but the quality of the information stored or

generated is based on its relevance to the intended use. The

HRMIS will ensure that only the data relevant to the management

of this institution is captured in the system.

External information such as employee details which are not

necessary to the institution will not be collected by the system.

The system will ensure that only the relevant information is

collected through the use of entry forms with specific data

fields to be included in each entry. This will ensure that all

the required information is collected while eliminating

possibilities of irrelevant information. The output of the system

will also have a mechanism to ensure users only get relevant

information about their requirements. Data access will be


classified and issued according to various functions of each

user. For example users in the accounting department will be able

to access information relating to the accounting functions only.

Generation of relevant information will reduce the possibility of

erroneous managerial decisions caused by data overload (Piers &

Thurston, 1998).

The accuracy of the information obtained must be sufficient

enough for the purpose of management. Data in the information

systems cannot be completely accurate, however; there are

mechanisms, which ensure that the right quality standards are

achieved. The degree of the accuracy required will be directly

related to the impacts of the decisions, which can be made from

that particular information. The information accuracy will be

refined with the rise in the decision making hierarchy. Primary

information from the users will most likely contain errors, which

are recorded in the system without detection. As the system

generates reports and analytical data, there will be mechanisms

to detect information, which might not be accurate (Alcami &

Caranana, 2012). The completeness of information will be a basic

factor to be considered when making decisions. The generation of


reports and data for analysis will require all the relevant

information to be available. In real world, it is relatively

impossible to obtain complete information. The HRMIS will improve

the completeness of the information collected so as to ensure

that the right decisions are made based on all the required

information. The system will notify the system users during entry

of information in case they omit some data. The system will also

give notifications on analysis and reports about missing

information and the impact on the general output of information

(Alcami & Caranana, 2012).

The source trustworthy of information is important in

government institution where many stakeholders are involved in

decision making. The source trustworthy increases when the track

record of certain information can be easily obtained. Trustworthy

information will enable the decision makers to use records in the

system in making their decisions. The HRMIS will improve the

source trustworthy on information by maintaining a record about

the handling of all the information right from the source. All

the activities by system users will be recorded in a specific

file. The accountability, which will be associated with recording


of user activities, will ensure that high degree of trustworthy

is maintained in the HRMIS (Alcami & Caranana, 2012).

The HRMIS will ensure that communications involving human

resources management are directed to the right person (Akman &

Mishra, 2010). Government institutions consist of various

managers each with specific assigned areas of responsibility.

Information on human resources management may be required by

these managers, but the requirements vary with their

responsibilities. In many cases, the information in a government

fails to reach the right level of management. For example, junior

managers may withhold information from reaching high level of

management if they feel it will negatively affect them. To deal

with this problem, the HRMIS will ensure that information is

availed to all the relevant managerial level and departments

according to their responsibilities. Sensitive information, which

requires the attention of high level managers, will only be

availed to those managers. Normal reports, which require the

input of low level managers, will be availed to the required

personnel only. The system will implement the mechanism of


communication with the right person through user privileges in

information access (Alcami & Caranana, 2012).

The HRMIS will improve on information punctuality. Useful

information is that which is delivered at the right time for use

(Akman & Mishra, 2010). The current requirements in public

institutions are regular reports to be generated to enhance right

decision making and accountability. Almost all the decisions made

in public institutions have to rely on evidence from generated

reports. The need to obtain information quickly may jeopardize on

the accuracy of the information. The use of manual system

increases the chances of making erroneous reports due to human

errors. The HRMIS will provide a mechanism through which reports

and data analysis can be done at specified time lines. The system

will eliminate errors and deliver the required information at the

right time. The system will incorporate a notification system,

which will alert managers and other users about the system

outputs. Timely delivery of information will ensure that correct

decisions are made at the right time and are based on accurate

information.


Other information features in the HRMIS will include

attention to details and comprehension of information. The right

information should contain the minimum details needed in decision

making. Comprehension is the process of deriving meaning from

data (Akman & Mishra, 2010). There are various factors, which

impact on comprehension of information including user

preferences, previous knowledge, environmental factors and

language. Some people prefer viewing information in a certain

form like charts and graphs. Previous knowledge may also affect

the comprehension of information if the format of presentation is

suddenly changed. Environmental factors such as noise may prevent

proper comprehension of audio information. Bright computer

screens may reduce readability and hence comprehension. The HRMIS

will put into considerations all the factors, which may prevent

capture of all the necessary details and also proper

comprehension by system users. The system will realize this by

presenting information in various formats as requested by users

(Alcami & Caranana, 2012).

Components of the HRMIS


The HRMIS needs to capture all the necessary requirements of

a HRM. The program components will be able to sufficiently deal

with all the requirements while at the same time offering a room

for implementing necessary changes in the future. The components

identified in this program are designed to avoid destabilization

of the human resources management in case of changes. The three

main components to be included are Administrative module,

Attendance module and payroll module. Each component in the HRMIS

will have sub-modules. The sub-modules will make the system to be

diversified. Changes in policies and practices in Human Resources

management in future will require the system to adapt to the

changes. The changes may include the requirements of additional

modules or sub-modules to the system. A diversified module will

be easy in making future changes in line with changes in the

institutions and the departments involved (Civil Service Bureau,

2011).

Administrative Module

The administrative module will capture all the basic

information about the institution. Information about each of the

departments in the institution will be captured in this module.


This component will act as the primary component from which the

other modules will operate. The administrative module will

further be structured to include three sub-modules namely:

general information about the institution, the organizational

structure of the institution and the electronic files of

employees. The information in these sub-modules will be

thematically arranged and serve as the basis of information to

modules in the other two main components. The information will be

hieratical starting with the general information and then end

with the electronic files of employees. The hieratical

arrangement will enable easy retrieval and analysis of

information. As Civil Service Bureau (2011) proposes, addition of

new records and deletion of the existing records will also be

based on the hieratical arrangement.

The sub-module on general information about the institution will

hold information about the departments in the institution. This

will include the identification of the departments and their mode

of contact. Information about additional departments in the

future will be directly entered in this sub-module. This will

help eliminate unnecessary interference with the operation of the


whole system. Other changes in the institution such as closure of

a certain department will be effected in this sub-module (Civil

Service Bureau, 2011). The sub-module on the organizational

structure of the institution will hold information about specific

departments in the institution. The information will include the

organizational unit, the staff list and job descriptions. This

information on departments will outline its management, its

functions and the staff qualification requirements. This sub-

module will be important in the institution in analyzing the

operation or requirement of each department in the institution.

It also brings diversification in that changes made in a specific

department will not end up affecting other departments. Hiring of

new members of staff will also be easy based on the requirements

of each department (Civil Service Bureau, 2011; Kavanagh, Thite &

Richard, 2011).

The sub-module on the electronic files of employees will

hold information about each individual member of staff in the

institution. The information includes the identification

information, contact information, education and experience,

entrusted assets and orders and notifications. The


identification information will give the basic details of an

employees and this will include their department. This field will

link each employee to a certain department in the institution.

The contact information will include the employee address and

other necessary details that will enable easy access to

individuals in the institution. Information about education and

level of experience will enable the Human resource management to

have adequate information about the qualifications of each

employee and their suitability to serve in various capacities.

This information will be important for mining information on

career development on each employee. Information on orders and

notifications will give a clear view of the duties assigned to

each employee and the information availed to them. In public

institution, the employees have the responsibility of

safeguarding all the assets in that institution. The information

on entrusted assets will provide details about each employee’s

responsibility in the management of public assets (Akman &

Mishra, 2010).

The hieratical organization of the administrative module

ensures that each department in the institution is treated as an


independent entity. Also, each employee is represented as an

independent entity from the other employees. Each employee is

associated with a specific department and the department is well

outlined in the general information.

Attendance Module

This module will provide information about the time spent by

employees at their work stations (Civil Service Bureau, 2011). It

will account for all the time spent at the institution by an

employee. This information will be important in determining the

remuneration and other benefits such as leave for every employee.

The Attendance module will act as the primary source of

information for the payroll module. Attendance information for

each individual will be generated from the administrative

component. The sub-modules in administrative modules will enable

the capture of information about the attendance of each employee.

The attendance module will be liked with the calendar, which

indicates the employees schedule depending on the working and

non-working days. The calendar will also take note of the working

days and non working days according to legislatures governing the

operations of public entities. The module will present


statistical data for analysis according to the desired format.

This information will be for specific employees, specific

departments and (or) the whole institution. The information

obtained will be supplied to the payroll module: it will also be

used in the analysis of the performance by staff members (Civil

Service Bureau, 2011).

Payroll Module

This module will enable the institution to automatically

compute salaries and other benefits to all the employees. The

module shall get all the information necessary for computation

from the administrative and attendance modules. Information on

each employee will be obtained from the records and computation

based on various themes outlined in the administrative module

(Civil Service Bureau, 2011). Other functions of this module will

be to generate statistical information on the amounts received by

each employee and each department in the institution. The

statistical data will be presented in the format specified by

users. The module shall also generate notifications on the

achievements made relative to the desired targets for each

employee and department (Civil Service Bureau, 2011).


Conclusion

The HRM department has become one of the most strategic

functions in public institutions. Until recently, much of the

attention in management was directed to other departments such as

finance, but equal attention is now paid to HRM. An effective HRM

is associated with many benefits to an institution. This paper

has discussed on a strategy to implement a Human Resource

Management Information System in the Kenya School of Government.

As per the discussion, the key benefits of using HRMIS in the

institution include effective workforce planning, proper

maintenance of workforce data, improved workforce retention and

maintenance of a good working environment. All public

institutions should emulate the strategy in order to attain

efficiency in service delivery. Apparently, the current

developments in the management of public institutions have set

high goals to be achieved by all institutions. The level of

accountability has also increased with managers being responsible

for all the decisions made. These developments require an

effective and efficient HRM that will ensure proper management of

workforce and institution’s resources under the care of members


of staff. The deployment of HRMIS in this institution will be a

way forward in realizing the current demands as well as laying a

foundation for future requirements in HRM.

References

Akman, I. & Mishra, A. (2010). Information Technology in Human

Resource Management: An Empirical Assessment. Public Personnel

Management, 39(3), 243-262.

Alcami, R. & Caranana, C. (2012). Introduction to management Information

Systems. Retrieved on 14th November, 2013 from

http://www.uji.es/bin/publ/edicions/s63.pdf

Civil Service Bureau. (2011). Human Resources Management Information

System Standard for public Services. Retrieved on 14th November, 2013

from

http://www.csb.gov.ge/uploads/HR_Standard_in_English.pdf

Kavanagh, J., M., Thite, M., & Richard, D., J. (2011). Human

Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions:


Basics, Applications, and Future Directions. New York: SAGE

Publications.

Piers, C., & Thurston, A. (1998). Personnel Records: A Strategic Resource

for Public Sector Management: (with Case Studies from Uganda, Ghana and

Zimbabwe). London: Commonwealth Secretariat Press.

IMPLEMENTING A HRMIS IN A PUBLIC

Documents

Transcript of IMPLEMENTING A HRMIS IN A PUBLIC