What is Position Control Software?

Position Control is a method of organizing the workforce by position rather than by employee for better budgeting, reporting, compliance, and more. Position Control software refers to HR and Payroll systems that use Position Control as the basis of their platform as opposed to more traditional employee-based systems.

In most cases, when looking at different HR and Payroll systems, you’ll see employee-based HR and Payroll systems. Employee-based systems are still commonly seen and used today, especially by large corporations that have a traditional workforce structure and are focused primarily on profit margins. While these systems may be an improvement over manual workforce management processes, they are still often inadequate for the typical nonprofit, where the priority is on budget allocation, program efficiency, and compliance rather than making a profit.

When it comes to these priorities, Position Control software really stands out as a better option. There are numerous use cases, especially for health and human services organizations, that make it a more suitable solution than employee-based software.

Benefits of Position Control Software

There are plenty of advantages to using Position Control software rather than an employee-based system. Standard HR and Payroll systems are built for traditional for-profit companies, and are often ill-equipped to handle the specific needs of the human services industry. In particular, Position Control gives organizations a unique advantage when it comes to budgeting, workforce visibility, and compliance concerns.

Budgeting

With a position-based HR system, you can view a complete picture of your organization and the positions that make it up – whether or not those positions are filled. Why is this important? It allows for better, more accurate budgeting. You’re able to compare budgeted versus actual staffing costs, determine daily lost revenue for open positions, and maintain an accurate headcount. Budget allocations are also made easier as you can see exactly where each dollar from each funding source is going, and adjust course as necessary. Position Control also ensures that open positions are approved to fill before posting, preventing over-hiring and ensuring you’re always able to stay within budget.

Visibility

When an employee leaves the organization, gets promoted, or transfers to another department, most HR systems leave you with lots of paperwork. The employee needs to be re-coded based on the change, adding all of the new position details to the employee profile. With Position Control, job attributes are tied to the position itself. An employee entering the position will simply inherit those same attributes, providing better visibility into the workforce at any given time. Position Control also enables employees to easily split their time between different positions, which can help human services organizations better manage and allocate labor costs. With a position-based system, the structural integrity of your workforce remains constant and consistent, even as employees move through the organization.

Compliance

With a position-based system, compliance also becomes much easier. Positions can be tied to specific funding sources, making it easy to create reports and provide them back to your funders. Credential management is also simplified with Position Control. The minimum credentials required of a position can also be assigned to the position as a specific attribute, requiring anyone who fills that position to meet the credential requirements before they’re able to start. At the same time, an employee’s individual credentials are tied to their employee file, enabling the system to automate reminders when any credentials are up for renewal. Position Control allows the organization to maintain compliance with credentials, reporting, and all federal, state, and local regulations that human services organizations are subject to.

Position Management: What’s the Difference?

So far we’ve talked exclusively about Position Control software, and what it can do for your organization. But maybe you’ve come across another term: position management. You may be wondering if that’s just another word for the same thing. While the terms may sound similar, position management is an entirely different system that attempts to offer the same benefits as Position Control but falls short of fulfilling the needs of human services organizations. 

The key difference is that position management is a separate feature that’s added to an employee-based HR and Payroll system. And that’s where position management becomes problematic. While it attempts to provide a position-based view of the organization separately, it’s drawn from an employee-based system and therefore subject to the constant changes in headcount and movements in staffing. A separate position management module is still limited to the constraints and problems of the employee-based software that it draws its information from.

Position Control as the Basis of the Software

Only Position Control provides a stable and accurate picture of your organization, as this position-based system allows for employees to move into, through, and out of your organization while still retaining the same reliable framework. Position Control is the basis of the system itself, rather than an add-on feature that attempts (but fails) to do the same thing.

Position Control Software from DATIS

DATIS offers a completely unified HR and Payroll software solution for health and human services organizations. Powered by Position Control, our platform provides organizations with an end-to-end solution that encompasses the entire employee lifecycle, from recruiting and onboarding to professional development and retention. Our HR and Payroll software includes Recruiting, HR Management, Benefits Administration, Time and Attendance, Payroll Processing, Talent Management, and Analytics, all based on Position Control to enable human services organizations to better achieve their mission.

Our solution empowers employees, engages teams, and evolves organizations by offering the features and functionality they need to focus on their strategic mission. As the only true Position Control system available, our HR and Payroll software has been tailored to meet the specific needs of human services organizations. If you’d like to learn more about Position Control and why it’s especially important for health and human services organizations, contact us today to see our solution in action.