Most companies under 200 people run HR on a mix of Excel, a biometric machine, WhatsApp and the accountant's payroll sheet. It works until it doesn't — a salary dispute, a leave balance nobody can prove, an inspector asking for registers. This is what to look for when you replace it.
Must-haves
- Attendance from the phone or the existing biometric device, with location where staff work on site.
- Leave with balances, approvals and the company's own holiday calendar.
- Payroll that produces payslips and handles the deductions you actually have — PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS.
- Employee self-service: people should check their own leave, payslips and documents without asking HR.
- Roles and permissions, so a manager approves their team and does not see everyone's salary.
Questions vendors avoid
- Can I export all my data, in a usable format, if I leave?
- What does it cost per employee in year two, after the introductory price?
- Can it follow our salary structure, or do we have to change to fit it?
- Where is the data stored, and who at the vendor can see it?
Off the shelf, or built for you?
Off-the-shelf HR software is right when your policies are standard. When they are not — shift patterns, site-based attendance, unusual pay components — a system configured or built around your rules costs less over three years than forcing your company into someone else's.
Our HRMS
Our own HRMS covers attendance, shifts, leave, payroll, expenses, performance reviews, documents, letters and exits, with self-service for every employee. It can be set up for your company, under your name, in days. Ask us for a demo or a free design of your own HR flow.
Free, within 48 hours
See your own idea as clickable screens before you spend anything.