HRIS, Which HR Publication is the Best Source?
Posted on | May 19, 2010 | 4 Comments
In my opinion, the answer is none of the above. If you subscribe to the primary HR publications, HR Magazine, Workforce, and HR Executive, and have done so for information on HR technology, I am sure you would agree. I’m actually sort of glad this is the case. It probably explains the popularity of CompareHRIS.com and HR-SoftwareBlog.com. We are the only ones providing new and helpful HRIS/HRMS content on a regular basis. Given how important HRIS/HRMS systems are for the operations of an HR department, I am truthfully still surprised that these expert publications don’t write more about this very important topic. Below, I have taken a single issue of each of these magazines listed and provided my feedback as to how strong or weak they are with their coverage of HRIS and HRMS systems. My original intent was to review, on a quarterly basis, the three main HR publications to let our visitors know what these expert sources had to say on HRIS systems. But there is simply not enough material to write anything other than a one-time review.
Workforce – Of the top three HR publications, I think workforce has the fewest articles on HRIS systems. Truthfully, I am not sure if I have ever seen one. They have a special advertising section which is usually basically a white paper by one of their advertisers but that’s about it.
I am not the only one who has noticed a lack of content on HRIS systems for Workforce. As I scanned the last magazine issue, I counted only three HRIS vendors advertising in the magazine.
HR Executive – Rarely are any articles written on HR technology at all but even less often do I see any articles on HRIS or HRMS. Once in a while, I do see an HRIS or HRMS system mentioned in the news section but that is about it. If they write about HR technology, it is far more likely to be articles about talent management than anything else.
It’s a little surprising that HR Executive does not do a better job writing about HRIS technology considering that they hold the HR technology conference each year. Most of us in the industry would agree that this is by far the best conference on HR technology. Shouldn’t the magazine present articles reflecting this as well?
As with Workforce, I noticed only a few advertisements from HRIS vendors. So the question is starting to become are HRIS companies not advertising in these magazines because they are not writing about HRIS systems or are the magazines not writing about the topic because HRIS companies are not advertising with them?
HR Magazine – HR Magazine actually writes a few articles a year on HRIS systems but not enough, in my opinion, and when they do most aren’t very helpful. I was actually interviewed for an HR Magazine article about open source systems a little over a year ago and it was an awful experience. The writer misquoted me, misspelled my name, and misstated what I do for a living. The article itself was biased and, in my opinion, wrong with its conclusions and assumptions. Since then, I have seen one article on hiring a digital native to manage your HRIS and, until this month, that was pretty much it except for the news section.
The SHRM national conference is the biggest show in HR but not for technology. I am hearing more and more that advertisers are skipping the SHRM show and advertising at HR tech instead. I did notice a few more ads for HRIS systems in HR Magazine but this may have more to do with them having the most subscribers. This would also mean, for me at least, that they should also be providing the most helpful content on HRIS systems.
Closing
I might be biased, actually I am certain I am, but HRIS systems are used every day by those companies that have a system and those companies that don’t are looking for advice on how to select and purchase one of these products. Why then are the leading expert HR publications not writing about the topic? If you guys need topics, or even a guest writer, let me know. I might be interested.
Tags: hr magazine > HR Publications
Comments
4 Responses to “HRIS, Which HR Publication is the Best Source?”
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May 20th, 2010 @ 10:24 am
I agree in that the above magazines do not touch upon the HRIS landscape nearly enough, or at all in some cases. I tend to rely on IHRIM’s magazines to keep abreast of HR technology.
May 20th, 2010 @ 10:38 am
Shelley,
We provide a large amount of content and articles for IHRIM as well. I am not sure if they use our content for printed material or just their newsletters and website.
Clay C. Scroggin
CompareHRIS.com
May 21st, 2010 @ 4:38 am
“I might be biased”?!? This is the most self-serving blog I’ve read in a long time.
First, what possible distinction do you make between HRIS and HRMS, since everyone in the industry for 10 years knows that the second acronym simply replaced the first?
Second, you run an online service, yet you compare only the print versions of the magazines and not their online components, too. That’s self-serving for me since I write an HR technology column for http://www.HREonline.com once a month and sometimes more. No mention of that.
Third, the HRMS is the Core System for HR. Many companies already have one, though I’m sure inquiries to your service indicate many still don’t. But Talent Management (especially Performance and Recruiting), Workforce Analytics, Workforce Planning and other functional areas are of much greater interest right now to HR. Yet you dismiss coverage of “mostly Talent Management” as somehow being wrong-headed. That’s not negligence, that’s called editorial judgment.
Finally, thank you for all the nice references to the HR Technology(r)Conference, which I co-chair with HRE editor David Shadovitz. I know Clay has attended in the past, and I assume you have or will, as well.
Bottom line: I always recommend your service to smaller companies who can’t afford a vendor selection consultant. Most recently to my shared technology session at the HRevolution unconference.
Don’t use your blog to bash what you consider the competition. Instead use it to further the industry’s knowledge.
Bill
May 21st, 2010 @ 8:55 am
Bill,
Given that HR-SoftwareBlog.com is directly related to and owned by CompareHRIS.com, thus me, I get to be biased; it’s my business but at least I fully admit I am biased. Was the blog post self serving, sure, but wasn’t your reply self serving as well?
LOL, The term HRMS has not replaced HRIS. The terms are still used side by side. I still see a large number of companies using the HRIS term, instead of HRMS, to describe their products and find that more people are searching online for HRIS as opposed to HRMS. If the term HRMS has replaced HRIS, neither the vendors or their customers realize it. In my opinion, HRIS/HRMS is the same thing. It’s all about marketing and keyword usage so we use both.
Yes, I was only comparing printed HR publications. Perhaps I will create a future article discussing online sources and pitch your online HR technology articles.
Many larger companies with over 1,000 employees may, in fact, already have a HRMS/HRIS, and are more interested in other HR software systems but I don’t believe this view is truly reflective of the industry. There are still an awful lot of companies who don’t have or are looking to replace an outdated HRIS/HRMS system and that is their primary interest. Talent Management systems are costly and still outside the budget for many HR departments and are usually of secondary importance to core HRIS/HRMS systems. Sorry, but it seems like you guys and many others are writing about HR technology for the over 1,000 employee companies. What is important and relevant to those companies is completely different than what is important or relevant for the majority of companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. I think this is an important distinction that HR Executive could make that would be beneficial to their readership.
I was happy to provide a reference to the HR Technology Conference. I believe the HR technology is the best show in the industry. I will be skipping SHRM this year and attending HR tech instead. Thanks for the recommendations of our service.
My intent of the article was not to bash anyone and I don’t consider the HR publications competition. I simply don’t believe the printed HR publications do a very good job of addressing their readers’ interest with regards to HRIS/HRMS systems. Do you disagree? Do you think the HR publications print enough helpful articles on the topic? You obviously have influence with HR Executive Magazine. Have them print a few of your HR technology articles. If you guys are interested in printing one of our articles, I am certain that could be arranged as well.
Thanks for commenting.
Clay C. Scroggin
CompareHRIS.com