The headache of HRIS interoperability
Digital transformation is redefining performance standards. However, Human Resources and Information Systems Departments (HRISDs) are often faced with a major obstacle: their HRIS applications struggle to communicate with each other, hampering efficiency and innovation. To meet increasingly varied business needs, companies’ HRIS systems have often been transformed into a patchwork of specialized solutions, each excellent in its own field, but rarely designed to interact with the others. The result? Complex projects, hampered innovation and, ultimately, a lacklustre level of satisfaction for users and IT teams alike.
Case in point: A large industrial group uses one HRIS for payroll, another for talent management, and a third for recruitment. Each time a new employee is hired, candidate data has to be manually re-entered into each system, with a high risk of error. Consolidated reports take days to produce, and employees complain about the slowness of the processes. And yet, each tool is efficient… but isolated.
This lack of interoperability leads to data silos, time-consuming manual processes and considerable wasted time. So what can be done about these persistent difficulties?
The limits of traditional solutions
All-in-one suites: a partial answer
Large, all-in-one HRIS systems promise native integration and process standardization. However, their implementation is often an onerous, costly and time-consuming project, which may mean sacrificing certain functional requirements. What’s more, imposing a “master HR Core” presupposes a standardization of practices that is not always realistic, especially in complex organizations or those undergoing external growth.
Generic tools: ETL, datalake, MDM…
Other approaches, such as ETL, datalakes or MDM, provide part of the answer. They enable data to be centralized and transformed, but do not guarantee complete interoperability, especially when they are not specifically designed for HR. Their deployment requires specialized technical skills and significant investment, without always resolving the underlying problems: data remains compartmentalized, repositories diverge, and errors persist.
A recurring problem for DSIRH
Despite technical progress, these difficulties persist and are even becoming a recurring topic on management committees. Why is this? Because the obstacles to interoperability are numerous and often underestimated.
The 6 major obstacles to HR data interoperability
To understand how to solve this problem, we must first identify its root causes. Here are the six main obstacles facing DSIRH :
1 – Siloed APIs
SaaS vendors, in their quest for standardization, are generally content to expose their own APIs, without integrating those of third parties.
2 – Heterogeneous repositories
Each publisher uses its own HR repository, sometimes supplemented by public standards (ROME, ESCO…), which complicates exchanges.
3 – Incorrect or incomplete source data
The information available is not always reliable or exhaustive, which distorts transfers.
4 – Missing data
The target application may require information that the source does not provide.
5 – Unplanned human intervention
Some transfers require manual validation or enrichment, but neither the source nor the target system allows this.
6 – Extreme sensitivity to format deviations
Traditional IT systems tolerate no variations (an accent, a misplaced hyphen…) and block exchanges at the slightest deviation.
These obstacles explain why, despite investments, HR data often remains compartmentalized and not very usable.
Photo credit: © Resource Lab. Image created in Illustrator
A veritable headache made up of pieces of HRIS systems that don’t talk to each other.
The result? A cacophony of data, delayed decisions and paralyzing inefficiency.
The ideal solution: what are the key features?
To enable HRIS applications to interact effectively, a solution must meet several requirements:
- Retrieve information from existing SaaS solutions, without overhauling the whole system.
- Accept and secure the transfer of flat files (Excel, CSV…), still widely used in HR.
- Identify and report missing or incorrect information.
- Automatically fill in missing data where possible.
- Convert data from one repository to another, without loss of meaning.
- Pause transfers when human intervention is required.
- Ensure transactional monitoring of exchanges, with queue management.
- Provide a monitoring interface accessible to non-technical staff, for reporting and error management.
Fortunately, two major technological advances now make this vision realistic:
- Rapid generation of customized screens, adapted to the specific needs of each company.
- Artificial intelligence, used at various stages of the process to automate, enrich and correct data.
Resource Lab: concrete solutions for a fluid HRIS
At Resource Lab, we have made HRIS interoperability our priority. We offer three complementary solutions, designed to adapt to your existing environment and grow with your needs.
RLConnect: the heart of your interoperability
RLConnect is the cornerstone of our offering. This platform provides all the functionalities you need to bring your HRIS applications into dialogue with each other, without jeopardizing your existing systems.
Case in point: A customer in the healthcare sector reduced the time spent consolidating HR data by 80%, by automatically connecting its payroll HRIS, its skills management tool and its planning software. Re-entry errors have been eliminated, and managers now have access to updated dashboards in real time.
SkillArcana: a central, intelligent and scalable HR repository
In addition, SkillArcana helps you create, semantically enrich and evolve a central HR repository. Thanks to AI, this :
- Harmonizes data from various sources.
- Facilitates metadata updating and enrichment.
- Enables fine-tuned management of skills and career paths.
WeParse: extracting information where it’s hidden
Finally, if certain information is only available in unstructured form (PDF documents, contracts, emails, etc.), Weparse takes care of extracting and integrating it into your processes, without manual re-entry.
How does it work?
RLConnect is based on a modular, secure architecture:
- Native connectors for the main HRIS systems on the market (SAP, Workday, Cegid, etc.).
- Transformation engine capable of handling format and repository discrepancies.
- Supervision interface to monitor data flows in real time and intervene if necessary.
- Open APIs for easy integration with your existing tools.
- RGPD-compliant encryption of data in transit and at rest.
- Our “low-code” approach allows rapid implementation, without heavy development.
Conclusion: accessible, progressive and controlled interoperability
You don’t need to replace your existing applications, or wait for a single standard to emerge. Nor do you have to rely on iron discipline from your users, or recruit an army of auditors.
The fluidity of your HRIS can be built in stages, within a reasonable budget and timeframe, as your connectivity needs emerge.
Ready for action?
Find out how our solutions can transform your HRIS into an integrated, high-performance ecosystem. Fill in our information request form to talk to our experts and identify the levers for improvement best suited to your organization.
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