Human Resources (HR) is an integral part of running any successful business. But, the responsibility of managing potential hires plus new and existing employees’ needs can be complex and high-maintenance. HR pros are often depleted and overwhelmed by mountains of tedious paperwork.
While we still need real people working in HR departments, automated systems help reduce the amount of paperwork and streamline management responsibilities.
In this post, we’ll take you through what HR automation is, why it’s beneficial, and how it can be implemented in the workplace.
Let’s dive in!
What Is HR Automation?
Automation refers to any digital system designed to intuitively and efficiently organize, store, track, and manage quantities of data. HR automation is the automation of tasks or processes typically assigned to those working in the Human Resources department.
HR automation is not one particular thing. It’s a broad term that encompasses a variety of different tools and mechanisms. Using automation helps HR pros save time, be more productive, and take a more innovative approach to their jobs.
What are the Advantages of HR Automation?
There are many advantages to using HR automation. Not only does it mean you gain access to a faster, more optimized system, but it also means HR can deliver higher-quality feedback and support to employees. Some other practical advantages include:
- Reduced paper-based processing costs
- Significantly decreased errors
- More positive experience for employees
- Access to actionable insights
These advantages make life for HR pros and the people they look after much easier. So, how do you implement them into your business? Let’s take a look.
7 Ways Automation Can Be Implemented In HR Systems
Understanding the relevance and importance of automation in HR systems is the first step. Weaving them into your business can take some extra consideration.
So, where does automation fit into HR? Here’s our list of 7 ways your business can implement automation and AI into its HR system — from onboarding to expenses.
Onboarding and offboarding
Onboarding and offboarding are 2 of the biggest tasks assigned to most HR professionals.
New employees need a lot of support when joining the team. This often entails quantities of paperwork and processing.
Automated onboarding processes can provide new hires with their handbook, company guide, and any other important documents they need.
Automation can be equally useful for employees who are retiring or otherwise leaving the company. Employee feedback forms and offboarding checklists can be automated to streamline and simplify the process of an employee’s departure.
Performance reviews
HR departments are often responsible for conducting performance reviews. This helps management keep track of employee behavior and apply the necessary recognition or discipline when needed.
Automatic systems can be incorporated to create a more effective performance review process. For example, setting up a system to intuitively monitor and record employee evaluations so that all HR needs to do is assess the results.
Recruitment
Recruitment is another large part of HR. Finding new talent is important for any growing company, but the admin associated with it is taxing.
Documents like recruitment requisition forms and employee application forms need to be drawn up and ready to go at a moment’s notice. That’s exactly where automated HR tools can help. AI can also be used to perform market research, helping you to attract better talent.
Systemized recruiting is an essential business component, regardless of size or industry. And with an automated HR tool, it becomes a lot easier. Also, using automated tools for job descriptions and your interview process helps remove bias, making the process more fair and inclusive.
Training records
Once the onboarding part of a new employee’s entrance is over, they typically enter a training mode phase, much of which is managed by an HR representative. Creating and monitoring new employees’ training progress and growth is useful for supporting them as they acclimate.
HR pros can use automation tools to design comprehensive employee training checklists and ensure their progress is tracked closely the whole way through.
Timesheets and time management
Time management forms are another big part of a successful HR department.
Tracking employee hours provides key insight into employee productivity and monthly payroll incentives, helping inform your company of important details.
Using an automated time-tracking tool removes the need for manual time tracking, which can be tedious and often inaccurate. Plus, it makes it easier for HR to manage multiple employees’ hours.
If your company bases payroll on the hours worked per employee, an automatic tool like this can positively transform HR productivity and accuracy.
Attendance tracking
HR can also benefit from using automation to track employee attendance. When employees get sick, take leave, or go on vacation, that information needs to be tracked, and that’s exactly what an automatic system can do on your behalf.
Expense tracking
If you need a reliable, accurate, and automatic expense tracking system, you’re in luck. There are plenty of company expense-tracking tools, all of which can play a key role in helping both HR and general management gain a clearer idea of expense data.
These tools have math calculations built into their system, preventing human error from corrupting records and reducing the risk of fraud. They can track important metrics and deliver accurate reports in minutes without relying on human intervention.
Conclusion
We are in an age of automation. Finding ways to implement AI into business management has many benefits, especially for a department like HR, which often involves a high volume of paperwork to complete. From recruitment to timesheets, automation can be advantageous in many ways for HR pros who want to streamline their productivity.
If you are an HR management pro, learning about the benefits and advantages of automation can play a key role in helping your business rise to success.
Why I Wrote This:
Ongig’s mission is to create inclusive and effective job descriptions, both of which are essential HR processes. Book a demo today to learn how our software can help your business automate its hiring workflow.
