Across most industries, HR teams face the challenge of doing more with fewer resources. This means being open to the possibility of leveraging innovation and technology. The purpose is to improve workflows, yet maintain service quality. With this in mind, the primary focus of HR automation isn’t the technology per se, but the people and the immense talent within the organisation.
Hr and The Traditional Approach
One of the most challenging aspects of managing HR is the number of repetitive tasks. Traditionally, these tasks needed manual attention. For example, going over piles of resumes to short-list potential job candidates alone took hours to complete. Other tasks such as preparing reports, filling out and submitting forms all contributed to delayed processes. In the long run, other critical processes were affected by these productivity roadblocks.
According to Tugela People, HR automation is the solution to reduce manual work. The purpose of automation is to put in place a workflow that will ensure the seamless flow of data from one system to another. Also, effective automation maintains output quality, thus increasing confidence and assurance in the process. Ultimately, the company saves time completing these tasks – which will ultimately equate to reduced overhead costs.
What Specific hr Processes will Benefit from Automation?
To have a clearer understanding of why automation is essential for modern HR systems, here are specific areas of HR that automation can transform.
- Managing employee performance. For most businesses, being able to benchmark goals and track employee performance is critical to success. The challenge with medium and small enterprises is that the majority choose a more informal approach. This can be a problem as there’s no standard way to track and objectively assess performance. What automation does is remove the guesswork. An automated platform will have specific capabilities such as a unified dashboard for monitoring progress. There will also be a means to set goals for a particular time frame, where managers can conveniently check if employees are meeting or missing a goal.
- Employee onboarding. Automated employee onboarding ensures a simple, smooth, and efficient implementation. What this entails are processes and tasks that both the employer and employee need to complete. Tasks such as conducting employee background checks, payroll registration, and enrolling in employer benefits completed using the HR system will eliminate errors and reduce backlogs.
- Employee offboarding. Similar to onboarding a new hire, the time when an employee exits the company should be equally problem-free. A positive offboarding experience can help with referrals and future professional partnerships. Automating this process involves a seamless way of filling out documents, scheduling exit interviews, and deactivating employee access and registrations.
These three examples are only an overview of how HR automation can benefit a business. Eliminating manual processes and automating repetitive functions will give the company a competitive edge. In the end, the HR team can focus on vital functions and maximise their time. The final goal of HR automation is to streamline relevant business processes that directly impact HR productivity. This in turn will cut redundant manual work and reduce overall operational expenses.