Best way to manage employee information without a dedicated HRIS?

[Banger]

Im interested to know what other small businesses are using to manage their employee data, where they do not have a dedicated HRIS. Things like basic employee details, position changes, reporting lines, training, emergency contact etc. Payroll is currently managed through quickbooks.

Im looking into this for my own purposes as I am assisting a small enterprise to set-up a few things. Ive never worked in a small enterprise, always had complex HR systems in place so Im not really sure how other businesses are doing this. Im thinking along the lines of just setting them up with a spreadsheet which is simple and will not involve any additional fees, and most people know how to use spreadsheets.

What id like to is:

Do you use spreadsheets to manage your employee data?
Or do you rely on accounting software?
Can you suggest a better way to manage employee information that doesn't involve a significant $ investment?

Thanks

[Cottoneyes]

I've been with a company in the past that used excel for another country they had a small footprint in with around 40 employees.

The biggest thing to keep in mind with this is security and audit. Excel doesn't track changes which most other systems do. I'd recommend at a minimum everything is printed out on a regular basis and the overall system is checked unless the owner is the sole one with access - which then leads to issues on business continuity...

[Tiger]

Thinking back to the days before HRIS, good paper records might be the go still for a while here. Remember you have to retain payroll records, in case of an audit, so you need something easy to get to. Many small businesses I deal with these days use Micropay which appears to do the job at least from a pay record perspective. There are many other systems out there for small business, Aussie Pay, Kwickpay, etc.
Having a good pay system which shows hours worked, overtime, casual loading, super & tax and leave records can all be transparently maintained is the key.
For leave balances, I'm afraid the excel spreadsheet is about the only alternative, manual yes, but if maintained every month, it shouldn't be too onerous if you've only got a few employees.
Next, be sure to have a good employment contract template which covers all the important stuff and be sure to issue Variation letters when there are job changes/promotions etc. Annual salary reviews can simply be handled with a one paragraph letter stating new salary and effective date.
Also have a good Application for Employment form/template which all new hires must complete. Include everything in it, that could be relevant.
Performance issues - everyone has them - be sure to keep good records, file notes etc.
Then you need a file for each employee and keep the above in each employee's file.
The Fair Work website has a lot of forms/templates you can access - and you could tailor those to your own requirements.
Tiger

[Banger]

Thinking back to the days before HRIS, good paper records might be the go still for a while here. Remember you have to retain payroll records, in case of an audit, so you need something easy to get to. Many small businesses I deal with these days use Micropay which appears to do the job at least from a pay record perspective. There are many other systems out there for small business, Aussie Pay, Kwickpay, etc.
Having a good pay system which shows hours worked, overtime, casual loading, super & tax and leave records can all be transparently maintained is the key.
For leave balances, I'm afraid the excel spreadsheet is about the only alternative, manual yes, but if maintained every month, it shouldn't be too onerous if you've only got a few employees.
Next, be sure to have a good employment contract template which covers all the important stuff and be sure to issue Variation letters when there are job changes/promotions etc. Annual salary reviews can simply be handled with a one paragraph letter stating new salary and effective date.
Also have a good Application for Employment form/template which all new hires must complete. Include everything in it, that could be relevant.
Performance issues - everyone has them - be sure to keep good records, file notes etc.
Then you need a file for each employee and keep the above in each employee's file.
The Fair Work website has a lot of forms/templates you can access - and you could tailor those to your own requirements.
Tiger

Thanks for the feedback Tiger! You must have read my mind - im actually new to this particular business, brought in to fix up all the HR stuff as they basically haven't been doing anything (not even employment contracts).

The pay system seems ok from what I have seen so far. It is managed through Quickbooks and does maintain leave balances etc. Everything else I think I am going to set up a simple paper file. When im gone (im on 6mth contract) someone else in the business will need to carry it on so it needs to be easy.