The different types of HRIS platforms: which one is right for you?

Over the past decade, HR’s role has evolved significantly. Once seen as primarily administrative, HR teams now lead in shaping workplace culture and building a fulfilling employee experience (EX). In other words, HR initiatives are more critical to business success than ever.

Technology has helped HR professionals meet these new demands. But using too many standalone tools can create data silos, decision fatigue, overwhelm teams, and lead to overspending. In fact, as of 2024, 85% of HR leaders feel pressured to consolidate their tech stack* — and two-thirds believe overall HR effectiveness will decline without a more streamlined approach.**

In response, comprehensive human resource information systems (HRIS) have become increasingly popular. These platforms bring core HR tasks together, making managing information in one place easier, avoiding tool overload, and supporting data-driven decisions.

Curious about how an HRIS could benefit your organization, but unsure what features to search for? Let’s explore the main types of HRIS to help you find the best fit for your team.

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*Leapsome’s Workforce Trends Report, 2024

**Gartner, 2024
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What is an HRIS platform?

An HRIS platform is software designed to centralize key HR functions. While capabilities vary by platform, an HRIS can typically streamline and automate essential tasks like employee data management and time tracking. Some solutions, like Leapsome’s, also extend into more advanced areas like payroll and employee enablement — with solutions for performance management, surveys, learning and development (L&D), and more.

By consolidating these functions into one cohesive platform, a robust HRIS can reduce confusion, prevent data silos, and help you make well-informed, data-guided decisions. It can also save you money by replacing multiple tools with a single, integrated platform.
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The 5 main types of HRIS platforms & their best use cases

HRIS platforms usually offer more functionality than single-purpose HR tools, but their specific features vary by type: comprehensive, operational, strategic, tactical, or specialized.

1. Comprehensive HRIS

A comprehensive HRIS is an integrated platform that centralizes all HR-related data and functions within a single ecosystem. Unlike other systems that focus on specific aspects of HR management, a comprehensive HRIS unifies operational, tactical, and strategic HR functions into one unified solution.

Comprehensive HRIS platforms typically include features for:

• Absence management and time tracking
• Compensation and benefits administration
• Employee data management
• Learning and development
• Payroll
• Performance management
• Reporting and HR analytics

Leading comprehensive HRIS solutions, like Leapsome’s, go beyond basics. Our platform brings together core HR capabilities and employee engagement features to give you a single solution for all things People management. Pair that with granular People analytics, industry-leading AI features, and powerful automation capabilities across our platform.

🤔 Did you know? Employees who use a single HR platform are 21% more likely to feel confident about finding critical HR info than those juggling multiple tools.

Best use case

Comprehensive HRIS platforms can accommodate most HR tasks and are ideal for teams of all sizes seeking a full-service HR software solution.

That said, comprehensive HRIS platforms are especially helpful for small to medium-sized businesses and startups that need a wide range of features without large, specialized HR teams.

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2. Operational HRIS

An operational HRIS focuses on daily tasks that keep your organization running smoothly. These systems are designed to improve existing workflows by making them more efficient and impactful, particularly for basic HR administration tasks and talent management.

Some operational HRIS platforms offer applicant tracking systems (ATS), which help HR teams recruit and hire by automating job posting and candidate screening. Operational HRIS options may include performance management, payroll and benefits administration functions, and employee records management.
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Best use case

An operational HRIS is a good option for organizations looking to simplify core HR functions without advanced features or data analytics.

If your HR team spends too much time on repetitive tasks or rifling through spreadsheets for employee data, an operational HRIS could expedite their ways of working and increase efficiency. It’s a practical and budget-friendly option for businesses that want to improve their core HR processes. However, operational HRIS platforms don’t offer much functionality related to HR analytics, people enablement, and goal-setting, so you’d likely need to adopt additional HR software to compensate in those areas.
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3. Strategic HRIS

Strategic HRIS platforms help organizations make informed, data-guided decisions about workforce planning, professional growth and development, and other people-centered initiatives that fall under the umbrella of human capital management. As the name implies, a strategic HRIS focuses on high-level analysis, planning, and goal-setting tasks.

Think of a strategic HRIS platform as the complement (or opposite) of an operational HRIS solution. The latter focuses on daily, here-and-now HR needs, while the former helps with forward-looking tasks related to people enablement.

For example, some strategic HRIS platforms include a learning management system (LMS). These solutions give HR teams access to ready-to-use learning materials, enable them to build custom courses, and help them track employee development and training. This shows the organization’s investment in team members’ growth and ensures they progress on their desired career path.

Our HRIS tool is comprehensive, but our software solution also comes with a Learning module that’s designed to help companies upskill and empower their people. It gives users access to a learning marketplace filled with top-quality training courses for everything from compliance to soft skills. It also enables People teams to create their own development materials with the power of AI.

Best use case

A strategic HRIS is best for large, well-established organizations or smaller companies that are scaling quickly and considering sustainable growth. Strategic HRIS platforms focus on longer-term initiatives like career pathing, succession planning, and team development. 

These solutions are particularly beneficial if you’ve identified data-driven decision-making as an area of opportunity in your HR function. However, strategic HRIS platforms lack core HR features, so their adoption may contribute to tech sprawl if you don’t need them.
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4. Tactical HRIS

In summary, tactical HRIS platforms help allocate resources strategically. By combining internal and external data (like industry compensation benchmarks), they guide decisions on recruiting, onboarding, compensation, and benefits.

Tactical HRIS systems typically help with the following:

• Recruitment and applicant tracking
• Performance management
• Compensation and benefits analysis
• Compliance and external data management

Benchmarking is another important tactical HRIS platform capability. By understanding how competitors compensate their team members or recruit new hires, tactical HRIS solutions can help uplevel your internal processes to ensure you’re attracting top talent and building high-performing teams over time.

Although Leapsome’s HRIS is comprehensive, our platform also has a compensation benchmarking feature. It’s powered by industry leader Mercer and provides real-time data about salary and benefits benchmarks, helping HR leaders make informed decisions about compensating their people above and beyond the industry standard. This data is critical to making good decisions for your people and business.
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Best use case

A tactical HRIS is best suited for organizations looking to maximize efficiency and make strategic decisions about workforce management. If big-picture decisions about growth are a recurring issue for your team, a tactical HRIS may be a good fit. Just remember that these systems won’t help with important day-to-day HR processes like payroll and time tracking.
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5. Specialized or limited-function HRIS

A specialized or limited-function HRIS focuses on one or two core HR tools, like payroll or time off management. Consider this a starter solution if you’re not ready for a complete ecosystem.
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Best use case

These platforms are budget-friendly for small businesses that need only a narrow set of HR features. The trade-off is that they do not offer the integrated benefits of an all-in-one solution.
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Questions to ask when choosing the best type of HRIS for your organization

Choosing the right HRIS is simpler if you know your main challenges and business objectives. Consider these questions:

• What are your primary HR challenges? Are you struggling with day-to-day administrative tasks, like payroll and employee data management, or do you need help with bigger-picture initiatives like strategic planning, talent development, and long-term objectives?
  
  
• What’s the size of your organization? Do you need a simple, operational system for basic HR tasks, or are you a larger organization that requires more comprehensive features across all HR functions (operational, tactical, strategic, or all of the above)?
  
  
• What’s your budget? Can you afford a comprehensive, all-in-one HRIS, or do you need to start with a more basic solution?
  
  
• Are you interested in automating operational tasks? Do you spend too much time on routine work like payroll, time tracking, or benefits management that could be streamlined and automated?
  
  
• What’s your plan for growth and expansion? Are you planning to scale the business, enter new markets, or make strategic hires soon?
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Discover the value of an HRIS that fits your organization

Whether you want to streamline operations, nurture talent, or plan for the future, the right HRIS can help you make better, data-guided decisions. The key is choosing a solution that meets your HR team’s needs.

When in doubt, consider trialing a software solution with strong HR and employee enablement capabilities that prioritize the customer and employee experience. Doing so will ensure that your HRIS of choice meets all your requirements. It may also clarify which features are mission-critical for your organization and which may be unnecessary for now.

For personalized guidance, reach out to Leapsome’s team. We’re committed to helping you find the best fit for your business — even if it’s not ours.

🤸‍♀️ Take the leap with our comprehensive HRIS

Leapsome’s suite of employee-first solutions just got stronger — thanks to our comprehensive HRIS platform! 

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Frequently asked questions about types of HRIS

What’s the difference between an HCM, an HRIS, and an HRMS?

The biggest difference between an HRIS, an HCM, and an HRMS relates to the scope and complexity of the features they offer:

• HRIS platforms focus on core HR tasks and are ideal for businesses that want to centralize and automate HR functions to increase efficiency.
  
  
• Human resources management systems (HRMS) expand on the features of an HRIS by adding talent management tools like recruitment, onboarding, and performance management.
   
• Human capital management software solutions (HCM) combine HRIS and HRMS functionalities while adding tools like succession planning and business system integrations. HCM platforms are designed for large, complex organizations that require holistic workforce and strategic management.