9 HR Automation Examples & How to Automate
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of a human resources department, as HR teams perform critical functions and processes that influence every part of your business operations. Simply put, your HR team makes sure your entire organization runs smoothly, day in and day out. Despite their tremendous impact, too many HR departments are bogged down by paperwork and manual tasks that hinder their productivity and the accuracy of their reporting.
Benefits of automating HR processes
While there’s much to be gained from automating HR processes, some of the top benefits include cost savings, greater efficiency, reduced errors, and an enhanced employee experience.
Cost savings
Human resources departments that are still using paper processes have substantial printing and storage costs due to the large volume of records they have to file and store. Alternatively, automated HR processes minimize your need for physical storage space by taking your documents and processes digital. But the real cost savings go far beyond paper storage costs and into the efficiency of your team. Utilizing process automation tools often means you can accomplish more with fewer employees or minimally, fewer hours for your employees to work.
Greater efficiency
HR teams deal with tons of document-driven processes, and that fact isn’t likely to change anytime soon. However, what can change is whether these processes are completed manually or automatically. When performed manually, HR tasks are repetitive and time-consuming at best. Automated processes, on the other hand, create efficiency and productivity by offloading administrative work onto online systems that operate in real-time.
Tip: Our recent State of Digital Industry Report revealed a mood-boosting finding: one of the benefits of digital process automation is that it not only lines employers pockets, but that it improves employee morale - and happy employees are proven to be more productive. Download our complimentary report here to read more of our findings.
Reduced errors
Although oversights are bound to happen, there are a number of HR errors that can be avoided if you have the right tools and technology in place — which is where digital process automation comes in. Automated workflows increase the accuracy of timesheets, leave requests, and payroll processes by reducing the risk of common human errors. Similarly, automation also reduces errors within regulatory compliance; automated systems keep private information only accessible to certain levels, help you follow designated retention schedules, and more.
Enhanced employee experience
Manual processes tend to involve a lot of back-and-forth, which can really put a damper on workplace productivity. By contrast, workflow automation has the ability to unify communication, foster collaboration, and cut back on generally tedious tasks. So not only do digital operations help employees complete their work faster, but they help your team feel more valued at the same time. In other words, automation lifts morale and provides an enhanced employee experience — especially compared to the slog of completing manual training, reporting, etc.
9 examples of HR tasks and processes you can automate
Anyone who’s been part of an HR team knows the day-to-day manual processes have a habit of being complex, labor-intensive, and error-prone. The antidote to these HR challenges comes in the form of automation, which can improve a variety of operational tasks ranging from employee onboarding and offboarding, to training and time management, and beyond.
1. Recruiting
Recruiting is integral to the success of your whole agency, as it ensures you bring in the right talent and leadership for each available position. With that said, effective recruitment is often hard-won, since it requires a lot of effort to attract great people to your business. Fortunately, many recruiting processes — like posting job ads and screening CVs — can be automated to save your department considerable time and energy throughout the hiring process.
2. Employee onboarding
Once new hires have been contracted to your team, the next step is to get these individuals fully integrated via employee onboarding. While onboarding is a very important process, it’s traditionally a time-consuming and paper-reliant one, as well. But with digital process automation, HR teams can offer a more standardized experience for every hire. That’s because automated onboarding streamlines communication, improves efficiency, and eliminates mistakes that are characteristic of manual data entry.
3. Employee training
In addition to onboarding, employee training is another critical component of the hiring process. Without proper training, team members will have a tough time acclimating to their new role and/or achieving their goals. These days, the best way to approach employee training is with the help of automation technology. Digital process automation allows HR departments to digitize their training documentation and track progress through digital forms and processes.
4. Employee offboarding
Despite your best recruitment efforts, sometimes new hires don’t work out or choose to leave sooner than expected. Whether an employee is separating from your agency due to resignation, termination, or retirement, there will always be a definitive offboarding process to follow. By implementing automation, however, you can simplify saying goodbye thanks to digitized files that’ll help dissolve the employee’s payroll, benefits package, and follow retention schedules required to stay compliant.
5. Leave requests
Leave requests are par for the HR course no matter the size of your agency. But regardless if you work with tens, hundreds, or thousands of employees, you can likely benefit from workflow automation for leave requests. With automation, once a manager has approved the request, the employee’s information syncs with payroll and human resources so there’s no need to enter it again manually. Not only does this save time, but it reduces errors in a big way, too.
6. Benefits management
Benefits management can be a daunting task in light of all the regulatory compliance and shifts with healthcare and insurance information. The good news is, there’s an easy way to tackle benefits management. Using advanced automation software, you can help employees quickly compare their benefit options to determine which one best meets their needs as well as creating an efficient digitized process to get them enrolled. In that way, automation serves both your HR staff and all other team members at your office.
7. Time management
Automated time management is a progressive approach to one of HR’s most essential, yet most trying tasks. In addition to reducing the administrative work related to filing paper timesheets, automated time management can also reveal potentially costly errors related to incorrect manual time tracking.
8. Expense claims
Before automation, HR administrators often found themselves sorting through stacks of spreadsheets and paper records in an attempt to file employee expense claims. On top of wasting time, manual methods are also exposed to an array of mistakes and misinformation. Thankfully, automation now creates mandatory fields and attachments for expense claims, meaning it’s simpler to approve certain sections, revise others, and get approvals from various departments for expenses.
9. Payroll processes
The advantages of automated payroll are wide-reaching, as automation can complete all types of payment functions — salaried and hourly wages, overtime, double-time, commissions, bonuses, raises, and more. That’s a significant amount of responsibility removed from HR, not to mention a reduction in manual miscalculations. Automating payroll makes tax filing much easier, as well, because this method maintains compliance with all relevant tax laws.
How to automate HR workflows with Image API
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that remote, cloud-based collaboration and automation are here to stay. The truth is, it won’t be long before everything that can be automated will be — which is why it’s in your best interest to move away from manual processes as soon as possible. This way, your team can stay ahead of the curve and continue to provide your company with the exceptional support and service it deserves.
By automating your digital HR workflows with the help of Image API’s digital solutions you can fundamentally simplify how this department operates. Caledo’s advanced technologies automate monotonous tasks that would otherwise call for manual effort, thus improving inefficiencies and saving you valuable time, while also leveling up productivity for everyone on your team.
Click here to learn more about how Image API can support and accelerate your HR team or contact us today to discuss your particular use case with sales.
Common FAQs about HR automation
What is HR automation?
Human resources automation refers to offloading manual, document-heavy tasks to capable systems and software. When properly implemented, HR automation helps to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and alleviate frequent errors associated with manual data entry.
What processes can be automated in HR?
There are a wide variety of HR processes that can be automated to save time and boost productivity around your office. A few of the most popular processes to automate include employee onboarding, offboarding, training, leave requests, and benefits management.
What technology can I use to automate HR?
Automating HR tasks requires the help of innovative tools and technology that specialize in digital process automation, as is true of Image API. By partnering with Image API, your agency can automate monotonous, manual tasks for greater efficiency and considerable time saved.
