My daughters have an Elf on the Shelf named Peppermint Stick. Every night in December, Peppermint Stick flies to the North Pole and reports to Santa about the girls’ behavior. Each morning, he is back at our house in a new location to gather more important information. Many families have Elves on the Shelf, and they are critical to the success of Santa as he compiles his naughty and nice list.

Using Technology As Your Business Elves

Businesses also have a need for elves to gather knowledge about employees. What is your company doing to gather this data?

As businesses grow, the need to gather and document information on employee behavior and performance is critical. Technology is a huge tool in this endeavor, one being HRIS systems. What is an HRIS System? HRIS stands for Human Resources Information Systems. This techonlogy allows your business to organize employee demographics, evaluations, skills, accomplishments, and salaries. The data that these systems can manage are vital for companies in growth mode. A good HRIS is a worthwhile investment and an easy solution for storing pertinent data in one secure location.

FURTHER READING: Six Ways HRIS Technology Can Help Your Growing Business

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms are also another tool to monitor employee performance. While a CRM is meant to manage the interactions with customers, managers can also monitor the CRM to evaluate employees. Is everyone using the system consistently? Are client issues resolved timely? Is client communication stored in the system? CRMs offer great dashboards and reporting features which should be used in employee performance appraisals.

Of course, don’t forget traditional technology. While emails and texts are used casually, we must be careful because any electronically stored information can be used in litigation or investigations. Review with your staff the company guidelines for what is acceptable in company correspondence. Your business may be liable for emails or other data that your employees may post. How are you monitoring these conversations? Do you know your true exposure?

Do You Have Elves In Your Business?

As the population has increased, Santa has outsourced his naughty and nice list to his elves. Like Santa, it is time that you also consider outsourcing some of your employee management tools.

Questions on how you can use HRIS Technology to scale your business?