For the longest of time, spreadsheets have been a fundamental part of organizing and managing a business. It’s been a valent servant for many HR department workers to help keep track of employee details, payroll, and timesheets. However, it may look like the time of the spreadsheet is ending and that the once omnipotent digital service is losing its shine.
This is because there are plenty of useful and innovative alternatives that are now rising in providence that are now making the humble spreadsheet obsolete.
Drawbacks of a Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets can perform a wide array of tasks and functions, and that is why it’s been the go-to for making tables, working out formulas, and managing money. However, the fact that it’s not specially designed for any of these purposes means that on occasion, there are issues when using a spreadsheet. It’s a jack of trades, yet a master of none, and for big businesses and large HR departments, that just won’t cut it anymore. Furthermore, performing some of these tasks takes specialist skill and understanding of the software, which alienates many users from getting the most out of the program.
One of the main negatives of spreadsheets is that it’s extremely prone to human error. This is because there are usually many people doing data entry on one spreadsheet, which increases the likelihood of errors. Additionally, the fact that things have to be manually entered also increases the risks of mistakes and errors popping up when feeding, modifying, replacing, or deleting HR data.
It’s also a platform that can hinder decision making as the data within the spreadsheet needs to go through many phases until it’s in a suitable state to be interpreted. Extracting the data, processing the information from that data, and then preparing reports can be a time-consuming ordeal that can halt quick decision making.
It’s also not great for businesses that deal with multiple changes, as it’s not a reactive piece of software and needs to be constantly monitored to ensure it’s up to date. There’s a lot of dynamic data within HR and business, meaning that individuals need to interrupt their own tasks to ensure that the spreadsheet is correct and accurate. This can really affect productivity in a negative way.
Alternatives
Sophisticated HR systems such as XCD can eliminate the need for spreadsheets as this software is able to perform all the common tasks spreadsheets were used for — but in a more effective manner. Using cloud technology, it can effortlessly aid HR departments in timetables, payroll management, and even training and development, making it a great piece of software that can enhance almost every aspect of HR. This type of technological enhancement can cut admin time by 70%, making workers far more productive and effective and making your company a better employer.
As well as this, there are also plenty of other pieces of specialized software that is far easier to use than spreadsheets, which are equally or even more effective. Another benefit of these types of software is that due to their cloud capabilities, they’re also far more secure, meaning that security breaches and infringements are far less likely to occur, which is something that spreadsheets are particularly prone to.
