Quick HRIS Implementation Checklist For You To Get Started

For most teams, managing HR documents and data across several spreadsheets works fairly well—until it doesn’t. 

Eventually, the fragmented employee data, disorganized documentation, and manual work will lead to errors, inefficient processes, and frustrated team members. Unless, of course, you find the right HRIS.

Whether you’re a small business or a global enterprise, an HRIS can help you streamline hiring processes, minimize errors and manual work, and allow your team to make informed, data-based decisions.

This guide is for teams who are ready to move away from fragmented HR management and set up their first HRIS with Deel. Already familiar with the basics of HRIS? Read our guide on how to migrate HR data to Deel's HRIS.

What is an HRIS?

An HRIS is an HR software solution that helps you improve core HR functions, optimize HR processes, and simplify day-to-day workforce management. This type of HR application generally includes the following modules:

• Employee management
• Time off requests and approvals
• Employee record storage
• Attendance tracking
• Employee self-service functions

With Deel's built-in HRIS, you can add on localized benefits administration, global payroll systems, equipment provisioning, and more. Deel's global HRIS enables HR professionals to manage their entire international team in one place. This includes your direct employees, EOR (employer of record) employees, and independent contractors, from all over the world.

HRIS vs. HCM vs. HRMS

HRIS, HCM (human capital management), and HRMS (human resources management system) are all types of HR software that offer different levels of services for talent management and performance management.

How to prepare for your first HRIS

The ideal HRIS is one that can support your team for the long term. To find it, you need to identify your business goals, make an implementation plan, and prepare your HR department for the process.

Evaluations and goal-setting

• Make a plan: Establish an implementation timeline, set and approve a budget, and identify stakeholders and team members involved in the process
• Audit your current HR information: Gather your current HR documents in one place. Identify accurate vs. inaccurate information sources and determine access controls for teams/individuals
• Set your HRIS goals: Is your main objective to consolidate HR data and payroll software data into one platform, better understand and anticipate costs, or run more customizable reports?
• Make a system requirements checklist: Identify the features and functions you need in an HRIS, such as creating localized worker profiles or using specific integrations 

Align your team

Implementing an HRIS requires many team members to work in tight alignment. Selecting a project manager to act as a liaison between your vendor and your implementation team will help streamline the process. Identify who on your team will be responsible for tasks such as:

• Gathering department requirements for an HRIS
• Providing system training to team members
• Collecting, migrating, and editing HR data
• Overseeing configuration and testing 
• Building and deploying a communications plan for the company-wide rollout

Select the best HR software for your team

Use a request for proposal template to collect product information from vendors and identify the right HRIS for your team. Determine their pricing model, how they support a scaling team, and their available integrations and add-ons.

Complete a trial of your top HRIS options to experience their products and workflows first-hand.

Key steps to HR software implementation

Once you’ve chosen your ideal HR software solution and prepared your team for the process, it’s time to implement your new system. At Deel, our goal is to make integrating an HRIS into your tech stack as simple as possible. Here’s a look at the process.

1. Collect your data: Gather all of your people data, consolidate it into one document, and export it as a CSV file for easy data migration
2. Upload data to Deel: We verify and confirm the worker information, and our onboarding team helps upload the existing data to Deel's HRIS
3. Review your People List: Once all worker information has been migrated to Deel, review your People List, which provides a full view of all workers in one place, including their role, team, country, and more
4. Edit worker profiles: Edit the worker profile information as required and assign access controls
5. Set managers and direct reports: Set up managers and direct reports to show the reporting structure of your organization—managers can be set during the onboarding process or via individual profiles
6. Create time-off policies: Define types of time off allowances, accrual rules, approvers, etc.—with Deel, you have the option of using our pre-existing, legally configured suggested Time Off Policy Templates to ensure compliance with the country's requirements and save time when constructing the time off policy
7. Add new workers as needed: Onboard new workers at any time through the platform—new worker profiles will be localized to their country of residence. To streamline the process, workers can upload documentation, sign employment agreements, and more through the self-service portal

What comes next? A post-HRIS implementation checklist

Follow these steps to maximize your HRIS results and set your team up for success.

Integrate your HRIS with other systems

Reduce manual tasks, streamline workflows, and avoid human error by integrating Deel with the tools you use for learning management, performance reviews, applicant tracking systems, and more. Deel integrates with tens of popular HR tools and apps for seamless use, or use Deel API to build custom integrations that fit your team’s unique needs. 

Thanks to our in-product setup, integration only takes a few minutes and can be completed directly by your team. No extra support from tech specialists is required.

Alternatively, you can take advantage of Deel complementary solutions, such as the Engage talent management suite, with modules for surveys, performance, learning, and career management.

Test your new HRIS

With your team profiles added and your integrations complete, you can test the platform. Gather feedback from testers during this phase and from end-users after launch. Was all worker data added correctly? Can you run a payroll report without issues? Are the automations functioning as expected?

Share product training and resources

Deel's global HRIS was built to be simple and user-friendly, so human resources managers and new employees alike can easily navigate the product. Deel’s support team will provide helpful video tutorials that walk you through the platform as well as resources to support a smooth implementation.

HRIS rollout and company onboarding

After training is complete, identify a rollout date for your new HR system. Send out company-wide communications to announce your new HRIS, enrollment instructions, and how to request support. This messaging may vary depending on the recipient’s role and status in the company.

When you’re ready to launch Deel company-wide, all workers will receive an invitation to join the platform. Once they log in, they’ll be prompted to complete a checklist of simple tasks, such as uploading their banking details (if required).

Securely retire your old files and documentation

Now that your worker and employee information is consolidated into one cloud-based platform, you can securely discard or store previously used spreadsheets and documents. Consider keeping the files for a few weeks post-HRIS launch in case you need to reference the original data. Clearly mark the documents as “not in use” and change the access controls to “view only” to discourage use. 

Meet Deel: the global HR platform that scales with you

Deel is an HR and payroll solution for hiring, managing, and paying any type of worker in 150 countries. Our platform comes with a built-in HRIS solution that enables you to manage every contractor and employee lifecycle in one place.

Use Deel's HRIS to save time and improve employee experience by automating and combining repetitive tasks:

• Worker directory: Store and secure employee data centrally and ensure consistent, accurate data across contracts, tax forms, and payroll records
• Onboarding: Ensure that new hires complete local compliance forms, such as tax declarations, before their first payroll cycle
• Offboarding: Automatically generate termination documents, calculate final pay based on remaining leave balances, and ensure compliance with local offboarding laws
• Time and attendance management: Track work hours, attendance, and overtime and feed this information directly into payroll and compliance systems
• Customization and workflow automation: Enjoy flexible customization options for workflows, approvals, and notifications to match your organization’s unique HR processes
• Workforce analytics and planning: Leverage robust analytics for strategic workforce planning, diversity tracking, and HR reporting
• AI: Drive efficiency with AI with instant answers on labor laws, generating reports, creating training courses, and more
• Seamless integrations: Improve efficiency with native or easy-to-integrate connections with other enterprise systems (accounting, equity, expense management, issue tracking, SSO, and many more) to create a unified ecosystem

Reach out to our experts to learn more about switching to Deel's global HRIS.