Ulrich Jaenicke is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of aconso
Digital transformation is a key factor in promoting workplace efficiency and innovation, streamlining business processes and improving team collaboration. The HR department is under more pressure as employees become more digitally savvy and scattered.
The management of HR processes, documentation and communication of policy changes has become more complex. This problem is made worse by the fact that, in the rush for digital transformation, many HR teams rely on disparate systems and manage data from different sources. For organisations to stay competitive, they must adopt automation as the next breakthrough technology.
New opportunities for automation
Automating HR management will enhance the experience for HR teams. It will fill in the gaps created by the multitude of tools available today, which can slow down teams and cause silos and inaccurate data. Their teams can reclaim valuable time and focus on what is most important: their people.
Automation has the potential to optimize operations throughout the employee lifecycle. It can make workflows more efficient and reduce errors, while also accelerating the decision-making process. Automation can streamline HR processes, such as recruitment and onboarding, document management and generation, performance management and payroll. Nearly three quarters of HR executives believe that technology is essential to their company’s survival. Automation will take digital transformation to the next step, unlocking opportunities for growth and innovation. How can organizations unlock new opportunities by combining digital transformation with automation?
Moving Away from Office-centric Approaches
The pandemic has accelerated the move towards remote work and forced businesses to adapt rapidly. The majority of UK organizations continue to allow their employees to work remotely, with 63% working at least part-time or all the time. Businesses have adapted more flexible working practices in order to accommodate this new way to work.
The HR department has had to completely rethink their internal policies and procedures in order to continue with flexible working. It is important to ensure that employees working remotely are engaged, productive and supported. They also need to adhere with organisational standards. HR teams must develop new approaches to support employees who work from anywhere, including at home, in the office or on the go.
Give employees 24/7 access their files and data
The geographical location of an organisation and the traditional hours for business are no longer relevant. Employees expect to be able to access their personal files and everyday work without any restrictions. The employees expect that access to their HR systems and personal files will be as easy and convenient as other services they use every day, such as streaming services, social media and e-commerce platforms. This culture of always-on has changed expectations. HR services and document storage systems must be available at all times and on any device.
In certain regions, such as the UK and Ireland, employees have a right to self-service access 24/7 to their documents and personal information under GDPR. Organisations that fail to comply with this may face legal consequences.
Optimising employee lifecycle management
No matter where employees are located, organisations must automate all processes throughout the employee lifecycle – from recruitment to offboarding – to improve efficiency, accuracy, and compliance in document management. Finding the best candidates can take several months in today’s highly competitive job market. This is especially true for regions such as Europe, where there are a limited number of professionals with the necessary training. After identifying a candidate, speed becomes crucial, as any delays in making offers or finalising contract can result in potential employees leaving for faster companies. Automation of recruitment workflows such as integrating digital signatures and issuing contracts can accelerate the hiring process. By streamlining the stages of recruitment, companies can significantly reduce their time to hire and secure top talent.
It is important to consider this when working in sectors such as hospitality and retail, which have high employee turnover. They have a high employee turnover and require efficient onboarding and deboarding processes. Automated document generation and contract generation are also needed. Manually handling these processes would be inefficient, and HR teams could spend days in paperwork. Automation allows HR teams to focus on more important tasks. This improves the employee experience and creates a smoother experience for new employees.
People are the most important thing
The pressure on HR teams continues to increase as 51% of HR leaders receive more requests for assistance and 45% find it harder to manage the competing demands of their teams. HR teams must automate their HR processes, such as payroll, talent management and document management, to keep up with the evolving needs. This will reduce administrative bottlenecks, and increase efficiency. By reducing the time it takes to respond to employees, and automating manual tasks that take up a lot of time, HR teams are able to reclaim time for people-centric activities. It will have a positive effect on HR efficiency, but also give them more time to focus on building an environment that puts people first and increases employee satisfaction.
Digital transformation is not an option. Digital transformation is essential to boost the productivity of HR departments and improve employee experience. HR teams can focus more time on strategic initiatives by automating manual tasks like document creation and management. Self-service tools empower staff while relieving HR’s burden on routine tasks. Seamless integrations eliminate silos and errors, and help maintain compliance.
Digital transformation is not a solution that fits all. Not all technologies are created equal. HR leaders should carefully evaluate whether each solution adds to or addresses current challenges. It is important to choose tools that solve HR problems, are easy to integrate into workflows, and allow HR to focus on what matters most: their employees.
The original version of this article, Automating your HR Team, appeared first on Human Resources News.
