HRIS, HCM, and HXM: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?

HRIS, HCM, HXM… What the heck do all of these human resources acronyms mean!? And why do they matter? Don’t worry, our team at Culture Works is here to simplify things for you.

Let’s get down to the explanations, starting with HRIS.

Table of Contents

What is HRIS?

HRIS stands for human resource information system. Gone are the days of filing cabinets and paper forms!

Moreover, an HRIS is a software solution that “maintains, manages, and processes detailed employee information and human resources-related policies and procedures,” according to Oracle. Sounds awesome, right?

“The HRIS standardizes human resources (HR) tasks and processes while facilitating accurate record-keeping and reporting.”

What Are the Benefits of HRIS?

Potential benefits of implementing an HRIS include:

Increased productivity
The ability to make data-driven decisions
Improved operational efficiency
Increased employee satisfaction
Enhance user experiences
Accommodate business growth
Maintain compliance

HRIS Examples

Here are some HRIS software examples, courtesy of Adam Enfroy.

ADP
Namely HR
Paycor HR
Bamboo HR
Workday
Zenefits
UKG Pro
Sapling

What is HCM?

HCM stands for human capital management.

Similar to HRIS, HCM is a great tool for overworked HR teams and line managers, as it frees up time from various HR tasks. To clarify, human capital management is not only software but also a more general HR strategy.

According to ADP, human capital management is “the process of hiring the right people, managing workforces effectively and optimizing productivity… [This strategy is] made up of a series of administrative and strategic applications that include:

Recruitment
Onboarding
Payroll
Time and attendance
Benefits and retirement services
Talent management
Training
Reporting and analytics
Compliance”

So, has your company spent time developing a quality HCM strategy? Look below for its primary benefit.

The Primary Benefit of HCM

Most importantly, an effective HCM strategy helps increase workforce productivity while helping HR managers hire, engage, and retain employees.

What is HXM?

Let’s address our final acronym: HXM. HXM stands for human experience management. Human experience management continues to build upon human capital management (HCM).

The Future of Customer Engagement, Experience, and Engagement describes HXM best. Unlike HCM—which focuses “on facilitating transactions and pushing top-down HR processes”—HXM is “all about focusing on the people who power a business to success; providing them with the tools and technology to enable meaningful, productive, and personal employee experiences that drive business results.” Awesome, right?

After all, we all know that when your employees have positive work experiences, their productivity, creativity, and ability to serve all increase. On the contrary, a negative employee experience can result in decreased productivity, poor performance, and therefore, negative customer or client experiences.

The newly emerging idea of HXM manages the role that employee experience plays in developing high-performing companies. Don’t believe in the importance of HXM? Check out this article by Forbes, “5 Reasons Why Human Experience Management Is The Future Of HR.”

A Final Word

The fact of the matter is that your business doesn’t want to be focusing on HRIS, HCM, and HXM solely to protect itself, or because it’s what you “should be doing.”

HRIS, HCM, and HXM help foster amazing company culture—and are why it’s important to build a team that is focused on building this standup culture. Interested in learning more? Read on for ten unique ways to support your company culture through human connection.