HRIS: Tools to Create New Department

Creating a new department within an HRIS (Human Resource Information System) involves using a variety of HR tools and features that allow for organizational structure management, assigning roles, and ensuring that the new department is properly set up for employee management, payroll, and communication.

Key Features:

1. Organizational Structure Management Tool
   • Description: Most HRIS platforms offer tools that enable HR to define and manage the company’s organizational structure, including the creation of new departments, teams, and hierarchies.
   • How It Works: HR or administrators can add new departments, define their reporting structures, assign department heads, and organize teams. The tool will integrate the new department into the existing organizational structure, allowing for proper role assignments and workflow integration.
   • Example: In Workday or SAP SuccessFactors, you can create a new department (e.g., "Customer Success") and then define who reports to whom, assign key roles, and position this department within the organizational hierarchy.
2. Job Classification and Role Definition Tool
   • Description: These tools enable the definition of roles within the new department, including job titles, descriptions, compensation ranges, and required skills or qualifications.
   • How It Works: When setting up a new department, HR can create and define job positions within that department, ensuring each role is appropriately classified and aligned with the organization’s compensation strategy.
   • Example: If a new "Marketing" department is created, HR can define roles such as Marketing Manager, Content Strategist, or Digital Marketing Analyst, with specific duties, expectations, and compensation structures.
3. Employee Assignment Tool
   • Description: This tool helps HR assign existing employees to the newly created department or onboard new employees.
   • How It Works: HR can reassign employees to the new department, update their reporting lines, and ensure all relevant roles are filled. For new hires, HR can initiate recruitment processes specific to that department.
   • Example: HR uses the tool to move employees from other departments into the new "Product Development" department and assigns them to appropriate roles, such as Software Engineer or Product Manager.
4. Payroll and Compensation Management Tool
   • Description: This tool ensures that the payroll structure for the new department aligns with the organization’s compensation policies.
   • How It Works: HR can set up payroll codes, salary ranges, and benefits packages specific to the new department, ensuring that employees in this department are compensated according to the company’s guidelines.
   • Example: After creating a new department, HR uses this tool to set department-specific pay grades and benefits, ensuring all payroll settings reflect the new department’s compensation structure.
5. Department-Specific Policies and Documents Tool
   • Description: Allows HR to upload and manage department-specific policies, memos, and documents.
   • How It Works: HR can create new policy documents specific to the department (e.g., departmental guidelines, standard operating procedures) and ensure that they are easily accessible to employees within the department.
   • Example: If a "Sales" department is created, HR can upload department-specific sales targets, incentive plans, and commission structures into the HRIS for easy access by employees in that department.
6. Workflow and Approval Management Tool
   • Description: Workflow tools in HRIS help HR create and automate approval processes and workflows that involve the new department.
   • How It Works: Once a department is created, HR can set up workflows that automate tasks like expense approvals, leave requests, or performance reviews within the department. These workflows can be customized based on the needs of the department.
   • Example: For the newly created "IT Support" department, HR can configure workflows to manage employee requests for new equipment, software approvals, or ticket resolution.
7. Communication and Collaboration Tools
   • Description: Many HRIS platforms integrate with internal communication tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams) and allow HR to set up channels or groups for new departments to facilitate communication and collaboration.
   • How It Works: HR can configure the HRIS to send notifications, announcements, and welcome messages to employees in the new department, as well as create dedicated communication channels.
   • Example: HR can create a new channel in Microsoft Teams for the "HR Operations" department to facilitate department-wide communication.
8. Onboarding Tool
   • Description: Onboarding tools allow HR to manage the onboarding process for new employees joining the new department.
   • How It Works: Once the department is created, HR can initiate the onboarding process for new hires specific to that department, including setting up department-specific orientation, training, and documentation.
   • Example: A new hire in the "Finance" department will go through a department-specific onboarding process, which includes training on financial systems and introductions to the finance team.
9. Training and Development Tools
   • Description: HRIS platforms often have tools to manage training programs specific to departments.
   • How It Works: HR can create training programs that are tailored to the specific needs of the new department. For instance, the "Sales" department may need training on new sales tools or techniques.
   • Example: HR sets up a training plan for the new "Data Science" department, with courses on data analytics tools, programming languages, and data ethics.
10. Reporting and Analytics Tools
    • Description: Once the new department is created, HR can use reporting and analytics tools to track departmental performance, employee engagement, and other key metrics.
    • How It Works: HR can generate reports that provide insights into how the new department is performing in terms of productivity, employee turnover, compensation, and other KPIs.
    • Example: HR generates a report to track the performance of employees in the newly created "Customer Service" department, monitoring metrics like customer satisfaction scores, response times, and issue resolution.
11. Employee Directory Management Tool
    • Description: This tool allows HR to add the new department to the employee directory and ensure that all relevant contact details, roles, and teams are updated.
    • How It Works: HR can update the employee directory to reflect the new department, ensuring that all employees in that department are listed and accessible.
    • Example: After creating the "Research & Development" department, HR updates the directory to show the new department, allowing employees to easily find contact information for team members in R&D.
12. Job Posting & Recruitment Tool
    • Description: If the new department requires hiring, the recruitment module of the HRIS can be used to post job openings specific to the department and track the hiring process.
    • How It Works: HR can create job postings for positions in the new department, review applicants, and manage the entire recruitment process through the HRIS.
    • Example: If a new "Operations" department is being created, HR can use this tool to post job openings for roles like Operations Manager or Logistics Coordinator and track candidates through the hiring process.

Benefits:

• Streamlined Department Setup: Automates and simplifies the process of adding a new department and aligning it with existing workflows, structures, and policies.
• Improved Organizational Structure: Ensures that the new department is properly integrated into the overall organizational hierarchy.
• Compliance & Tracking: Ensures that payroll, reporting, and employee assignments are compliant with company policies and legal standards.
• Efficiency in Onboarding & Training: Speeds up the process of onboarding new employees and training them according to department-specific needs.

Conclusion:

By utilizing the tools listed above within an HRIS, organizations can efficiently create, manage, and optimize new departments, ensuring that they are integrated into the organizational structure and aligned with business goals.