In the recent times, we’ve been hearing that many companies are moving away from excel based performance assessment process to software automation. We’ve figured out the top 10 difficulties/issues that the companies encounter when using excels to store employee information.

1. Designation change

Difficulties in excel:

Say for example an employee was an engineer for 2 years and promoted as a senior engineer from the present year. These types of designation changes cannot be tracked in excel. An employee’s career growth & history is not updated/tracked in excel. Also, when an employee is promoted, his current role can be known only through business card. It is not updated/ difficult to keep track of the updates in every copy of the excel that the managers, HRs, management team has.

Solution:

The employee’s entire career history within and outside the organization is tracked in the system and can be updated on a regular basis. The software is common to all and anyone can see the employee’s profile with limited privileges.

2. File Repository

Difficulties in excel:

All the data is stored in excel and the excel is accessible only within the organization premises. The management team may have laptops but they may not carry it when they go on a vacation or emergency. Data is not available at the right time.

Solution:

People can use the system anywhere and everywhere and data can be accessed even through mobiles, tablet devices. Data is available at any time.

3. Reporting Hierarchy

Difficulties in excel:

If an employee is not happy with his manager and if he wishes to talk to his manager’s manager, then the employee has difficulties to figure out the proper hierarchy.

Solution:

The system will have the updates on the employee’s reporting head, secondary manager and the hierarchy. Hence, it is easy for both the employees and the managers.

4. Team member’s performance

Difficulties in excel:

Managers can only know his team member’s performance results end of the project or before the appraisal process. Managers cannot regularly monitor and assess employee’s performances.

Solution:

The manager can anytime login to the system to know his team member’s performances, where they are, if they are achieving their goals on time, etc. and make a call if needed.

5. Who is my HR?

Difficulties in excel:

There will be many HRs in an organization. Employees will not know their corresponding HR person to communicate.

Solution:

The system will have the entire details of each employee’s reporting structure, HR contact, secondary manager, etc.

6. Manager’s reference info

Difficulties in excel:

Say a manager wants to view an employee’s data, career progress, interview process, employee’s feedback, etc. then the manager has to drop an email to the HR and the HR has to collect all the data and send it back to the manager. This is time consuming and data is not accessible at the right time.

Solution:

The system is vast and open to lot of information collation. People can be independent of each other. Managers & HRs have different privileges and use the system independently.

7. Excel Maintenance

Difficulties in excel:

If the excel is handled by 2 or more number of people, there will not be one updated copy but multiple copies from different people. It is difficult to maintain one updated excel.

Solution:

Data updated in one system replicates in all the other systems. There is no need to manually update in each and every system. The data is authentic and valid.

8. Employee Resignation

Difficulties in excel:

When an employee resigns, and if the HR has not deactivated his name on the excel, then there are chances for the finance team to generate pay slip and credit salary to the resigned employee.

Solution:

The performance system will be integrated with all the other processes such as leave and attendance, payroll, etc. So updates will be sent automatically to each department. There’s no need for manual updation.

9. Knowledge base

Difficulties in excel:

When a manager or HR wants to find out a resource within the organization for an immediate requirement, for example,  with 2+ years of experience in Photoshop, it is not easy to find it using an excel. Also, when an employee has updated his skillset, say from Photoshop to php, this information is not updated in the excel or difficult to update in the excel.

Solution:

The performance management system will be integrated with all the other processes such as leave and attendance, payroll, etc. So updates will be sent automatically to each department. There’s no need for manual updation.

10. Notification

Difficulties in excel:

When an employee on boards, relieves or his designation changes, the HR has to manually send email to the sys admin, finance team, department head, primary manager, secondary manager, etc.

Solution:

In an automated system, notification can be triggered to respective persons automatically. The management will have appropriate time to hire new employees.