What to Look for in a Good Human Resource Management Software

Today, most organizations have invested in automation in every sphere and the human resource department is no different. Large organizations with hundreds of employees have realized the necessity of an automated Human Resource Management Software or HR software to track employee performance, seamless recruitment, and effective management of routine tasks.

It can make a huge difference in the efficiency of the human resource department and translates into smooth functioning of the organization as a whole. Also, the various modules available in the modern HRMS, such as Beehive, Digital HRMS, BambooHR, and greytHR allow for a large number of functionalities.

HR Software Features in a Nutshell

Here we shall look at the must-have features of a HR software that are essential to every organization and learn a little about what makes them important. Right from data security to prevent unauthorized access to your data to ease of accessibility and operation to cost-effectiveness, you have them all. So, let’s get into it right away…

Data Security is the most important feature as it improves security of organizational data through controlled access. It allows for setting up of role-based access for the admin, management and employees, along with user level defined permissions to ensure every individual can access only the information that he/she is allowed to. Key Point: Prevents unauthorized access to and use of sensitive data

Ease of accessibility is what you need to resolve the challenges arising from limited accessibility to information, i.e. accessibility only from within the premises of the organization. This feature allows employees uninterrupted access to the important information and functionalities even when on they are travelling or on leave. Key Point: Makes information accessible from any device and from anywhere in the world.

A tool that is easy to operate makes it possible to achieve accurate results faster. Manual processes can be complex when it comes to managing the details of hundreds of employees with utmost accuracy. This complexity increases the occurrence of errors and offers little or no value to an organization. Key Point: Offers solution to the complex or cumbersome manual process

A system that is reliable can be a blessing to any organization as it needs little maintenance to function to its capacity. Such a system offers a high quality platform that is free from bugs and breakdowns, which in turn contributes towards a superlative user experience. Key Point: Prevents loss of productivity due to the system crashing time and again.

Customization and flexibility are essential features of a HRMS tool. Every organization should invest in a HRMS software, or any software for that matter, which is well-equipped to cater to its present as well as future needs. A customized software offers customized modules to cater to the needs of every business, big or small. While customization allows the tool to be designed to cater to the specific needs of the organization, scalability brings in the flexibility to scale up or down as required. Key Point: Makes sure the tool is relevant to the current as well as the future needs of the organization

Cost-effectiveness is one of the most coveted feature in any software and a HR software is no different. A platform that is designed to be cost-effective reduces the operational cost and brings in a faster ROI. Thus, the return it brings quickly outweighs the initial investment. Key Point: Faster and improved ROI

The Conclusion:

With the ideal HR software in place, any organization can experience the many benefits that come with it, including cost reduction, quick insights, streamlined operations, employee satisfaction and more. It also facilitates improved communication within the organization and makes it easy for the organization to achieve its business goals.

Best Test Automation Tools to Look for in 2018

Software testing has come a long way with the introduction of automation and organizations across the globe are switching to automation to increase test coverage and reduce the time to market. As a result, test automation tools have emerged as the new “must haves” for every organization. The advancements in the field of software development have given rise to new challenges in testing and the new age test automation tools have introduced new and advanced features to cater to the changing requirements.

In other words, the devices have become smarter and this demands for the QA tools to be smart too. Here are 6 test automation tools to look for this year. Some of these tools are open source while the others are commercial, but what they all have in common are the features that you need “right now” to make software testing in your organization a success.

1] Test Complete

Type: Commercial

Test Complete is a functional automated testing platform developed by SmartBear Software. The tool is divided into 3 modules – desktop, web and mobile – and each module allows creation of automated tests specific to that module.

Key Features:

Can be used for mobile & desktop apps, Web UI and API
Supports Windows platform
Supports Python, JScript, Delphi, VBScript, C#, and C++ languages
Based on keyword-driven framework
Explore: https://smartbear.com/product/testcomplete/overview/

2] QARA Test

Type: Commercial

QARA Test stands for Quality Assurance with Rapid Automation and is a test automation tool developed by The Digital Group. The tool offers a complete test management solution as well as an add-on that is available on the Atlassian Marketplace.

Key Features:

Supports multi-browser and multi-platform testing
Generates graphically represented reports for in-depth reporting & analytics
Offers seamless integration with JIRA, SauceLabs & other popular tools
Based on keyword-driven framework.
Explore: http://www.qaratest.com/

3] Katalon Studio

Type: Open source

Katalon Studio is a free automated testing platform developed by Katalon LLC. The software comes with a specialized IDE interface for Web, mobile and API testing.

Key Features:

Supports Windows, Linux & OS X platforms.
Can be used for mobile apps, Web UI and API.
Supports Java Groovy language.
Offers built-in project templates and SDLC integrations.
Explore: https://www.katalon.com/

The Final Word:

Every test automation tool listed above is a testing powerhouse. However, each one is different and is intended to cater to a different requirement. While some of them offer integrations with all the popular tools out there to increase the scope of QA within the same platform, others offer support for multiple languages and/or browsers and platforms. Therefore, it is recommended that you analyze your testing goals before you choose one.

Making Tax Digital: Everything You Need to Know

MTD or Making Tax Digital is an initiative of the British Government to digitalize tax filing and accounting for their people. The idea behind the innovation was to help individuals as well as businesses to streamline tax filing, on a single platform.

When Will It Come into Play?

Making Tax Digital is expected to come into practice on April 1, 2019. However, this deadline is only for businesses that have crossed the VAT threshold. Businesses beyond VAT will be included under MTD by April 2020.

Who Is Included Under MTD?

Making Tax Digital will include a wide group of people, ranging from individual taxpayers, landlords, self-employed individuals and all businesses, except a few. Although, by April 2019, it will only be mandatory for the VAT registered businesses with a turnover greater than £85,000.

Why Was the Change Initiated?

The HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) claims that every year billions of pounds are lost to errors and miscalculations during tax filing. To cap these losses, the HMRC proposed the idea of Making Tax Digital administer taxes in a simpler and effective manner, avoiding the possible errors.

In short, Making Taxes Digital has been employed to make tax filing:

Accurate
Making Tax Digital desires to shape the tax process in such a way that there remains little chance of miscalculations and errors. A tight control of fraudulent activities will also be practiced.

Simpler
The HMRC will introduce tax software that allows small businesses to quickly file their taxes online, with ease and efficiency.

Faster
With efficient software available online, the tax filing for business owners and accountants will be more automated and time efficient.

How is Will Making Tax Digital Benefit People?

Everything At One Place
Users with MTD will create a single financial account that will include every detail of their liabilities and claims, all at one place.

Digital Interaction
MTD has replaced the telephonic conversations with online chats and emails. Users will no longer have to wait on call for several minutes to get their queries answered.

Up-to-date Tax Information At Every Time of The Year
Making Tax Digital by HMRC will require its users to update their tax statements at least four times a year. Although it is not a mandate to do it every three months, the information will need to be available on their digital accounts so it can be viewed by HMRC when required. Thus, a comprehensive tax picture for both the user and the government.

Fewer Efforts, More Time At Hand
One digital account will hold every critical information, tax payments will be done on the same platform, documents and spreadsheets will stay on the same account, using a third party software.

With this, tax filing and record keeping will be less of an effort for the users, saving them more time to be used on more important areas.

Tax Planning Better Than Before
By maintaining records digitally, users will develop a habit of updating their taxes regularly. This gives the taxpayers a clearer picture of their tax situation. Using this information, they can manage their taxes better. Payments this way can be budgeted to make financial management easier and effective.

Are There Any Risks Associated With Making Tax Digital?

The only problem with MTD is that a large number of businesses are used to the traditional method of tax filing. These businesses may be apprehensive to make the transition from the current practice to the digital platform. Although it may be scary to use entirely new software knowing that the HMRC is involved in the process, the benefits out-number the risks.

The best thing to do is to prepare you for the upcoming changes to make the best of what the government has in mind.