What is HRM and Why Your Business Needs It
HRM (Human Resource Management) is a system that automates all HR processes: from hiring to offboarding. Modern HRM replaces dozens of Excel spreadsheets, simplifies communication between HR and employees, and provides transparency across the organization.
Who Needs an HRM System
HRM is essential for companies with 15+ employees where manual management becomes inefficient (according to Gartner HR):
- Growing companies: startups and SMBs with active hiring – when HR handles 20+ open positions, you need a system, not a spreadsheet
- Distributed teams: companies with remote employees across multiple cities and time zones
- Manufacturing enterprises: shift scheduling, time tracking, and complex payroll calculations. For such companies, HRM works effectively alongside a CRM system for customer base management
- IT companies: performance reviews, grade systems, 1-on-1s, and career development plans
- Chains & franchises: dozens of locations, each with its own structure and staffing
Core HRM Modules
Employee Records
Complete employee database: contacts, documents, position, department, tenure, salary history, transfer history. Visual org chart – reporting lines, departmental headcount.
Recruiting Pipeline
Job postings, candidate funnel, job board integrations (LinkedIn, Indeed), automated email sequences, scorecard-based evaluation, interview scheduling.
Leave & Absence Management
Mobile leave requests, automatic balance calculation, team absence calendar, approval chains (manager → HR → director), payroll export.
KPI & Performance Reviews
Customizable metrics per role, 360-degree feedback, regular review cycles (quarterly, annual). OKR or KPI goal tracking, progress monitoring, development plan creation.
Onboarding & Adaptation
New hire checklists, automatic task assignment (get equipment, complete training, meet the team), probation period tracking.
Learning & Development
Course catalog, mandatory training assignments, certificate tracking, per-employee learning budget management.
HRM Integrations
An HRM system works better when connected to your other tools:
- Accounting & ERP system: automatic payroll calculation, accruals, tax deductions
- Corporate messengers: Slack, Teams – notifications about leaves, new hires, deadlines
- Job boards: automatic job posting and candidate application import
- Electronic signatures: signing contracts, NDAs, orders without paper
- SSO & Active Directory: single sign-on for all corporate systems
How Much Does an HRM System Cost on the European market
The cost of an HRM system depends on the number of modules, organization size, integrations, and security requirements. We prepare an exact estimate after reviewing your HR processes.
- Basic HRM platform – employee records, leave management, and organizational structure
- Comprehensive HR system – recruiting, KPI, onboarding, document management, and a self-service portal
- Enterprise HRM – an extended set of modules, real-time capabilities, and complex security. Our case study shows the approach to such a system
Cloud SaaS HRM services are suitable for standard processes but limit customization. We design a custom HRM platform around your processes and hand over the system code.
Custom vs Off-the-Shelf HRM Systems
How to choose between a ready-made HR platform and custom development:
- Off-the-shelf cloud HRM services – a quick start and standard processes. Suitable for companies with typical HR needs
- Enterprise HRM platforms – complex implementation and broad functionality. Suitable for large organizations
- Custom HRM from Artbrain – full customization around your processes, integration with any systems, and data control. Suitable for companies with non-standard processes or high security requirements
HRM Implementation Steps
- HR process audit – analyzing current workflows, identifying manual work and bottlenecks
- System architecture – defining modules, roles, access levels, and approval chains
- Development & configuration – building the system with custom fields, workflows, and automations
- Data migration – importing employee records, leave balances, and organizational structure
- Integrations – connecting payroll, job boards, messengers, electronic signature services
- Team training – onboarding HR team, managers, and employees on self-service portal
- Launch & optimization – go-live, monitoring adoption, refining processes based on feedback