The human resources department is just one area of business undergoing a rapid digital transformation with the rise of HR automation platforms and other forms of HR tech. By digitizing and automating processes, HR teams can spend less time on repetitive tasks and manual processes and more time on higher-level strategic initiatives.
Plus, HR automation simply makes for a better employee experience: instead of using physical forms and clunky spreadsheets, HR teams can use automation to collect and store employee data in the cloud, streamlining onboarding and employee training.
Let’s take a look at how HR automation software can save your organization time and money, reduce human error, and eliminate data silos in the HR department.
What Is HR Automation?
HR automation is the use of software to perform routine or repetitive tasks that don’t require much manual intervention. HR automation tools can reduce or eliminate the need for data entry, form-filling, and other time-consuming manual tasks.
HR automation is similar to other types of process automation — like business process automation — but is specifically focused on HR functions. You can integrate your HR management software with other tools, such as your talent management software or CRM, to increase efficiency and streamline HR workflows.
Automation isn’t about replacing or eliminating the human touch, but about freeing up your HR staff members to resolve employee relations issues and focus on higher-level business objectives. It also empowers all of your employees to take the initiative and resolve issues in real-time using a self-service online portal.
Which HR Processes Can Be Automated?
HR process automation can supercharge your team, but it’s important to implement HR automation properly. Here are just a few HR automation examples to consider:
Recruiting Process
The talent management process is becoming increasingly automated, especially as HR teams use AI-powered recruiting tools and applicant tracking systems to streamline the talent acquisition and recruiting process. From sorting resumes to matching candidates with open positions, talent management systems can level up your hiring process.
Onboarding Processes
Automating the employee onboarding process gets new employees to work faster and improves employee engagement. Instead of asking new hires to fill out documents by hand, use an onboarding automation system to pre-fill forms and collect signatures digitally. Streamline employee benefits enrollment, account generation, and more.
You can even use an onboarding training program to deliver workplace safety training, manage ADA accommodations, and track certifications, all in one integrated system.
Payroll Processing
Payroll processing can be one of the most time-consuming responsibilities for your HR team. Whether you process it in-house or outsource it to a third-party HR professional, your payroll department needs to verify timesheets, track attendance, calculate taxes and accrued leave balances, and ensure you comply with employment law.
HR automation can do most of the heavy lifting, with automated time tracking, benefits administration, and tax withholding built into many payroll management systems.
Leave Management
When you use a leave management platform like Pulpstream, you can further automate the leave of absence process, ensuring that employees know how much paid time off (PTO) they have and whether or not their leave request is covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other state or federal laws.
Performance Reviews
An effective performance management process involves two key elements: recognizing team members for their performance and addressing employee performance issues. By standardizing performance review templates and performance improvement plans, you can reduce the risk of bias or favoritism and support better decision-making.
Continuous Performance Management
With HR automation, you can practice continuous performance management to foster a positive work environment and show employees that you care about their personal and career development. Encouraging professional growth helps to build a strong company culture and increases employee retention and job satisfaction.
Disciplinary Processes
For cases of employee misconduct, follow a consistent disciplinary process to ensure you treat employees fairly. Allow employees to submit complaints or report workplace incidents to HR staff anonymously using Pulpstream’s desktop or mobile app.
4 Key Benefits of HR Automation
Automated HR systems can save you time and money compared to a legacy human resources information system (HRIS). But that’s not the only reason to consider HR automation. Here’s why HR professionals are using automation to level up human resources management and streamline HR operations.
1. Provide a Better Employee Experience
Employees feel more appreciated when their needs are looked after. Whether it's having a company facilitate benefits efficiently or being able to hand over signed contracts from their laptop instead of snail mail, these seemingly small things can add up to a better employee experience and reduce the friction when accessing HR services.
Even having an automated offboarding process can be beneficial to both the employee and your brand. Use HR automation to facilitate exit interviews, pay out any remaining PTO they’re entitled to, and provide a reference for a prospective employer.
2. Leverage the Power AI
Using AI in HR helps individuals get things done without having to consult with multiple stakeholders or wait for a colleague to perform a routine manual task.
When employees can access information in real-time and update their accounts online, they’ll spend less time waiting for help from your HR team. For complex cases, chatbots can field questions from employees and route support requests to the right member of your HR team, reducing the time it takes to reach a resolution.
RapidBee, Pulpstream’s AI-powered employee service center, assists your HR team even more with automated form recommendations, multi-channel ticket management, instant responses, and customizable employee journeys.
3. Advanced Data Processing
Modern HR automation tools can provide intelligent data analysis that supports business processes and predictions. In addition to reducing human error, simply knowing that the information you're documenting could lead to improved outcomes for the team helps to incentivize data collection and accurate record-keeping.
Pulpstream’s workforce analytics and claims analytics tools help you identify patterns of behavior and spot areas of concern before they become a problem. Whether it’s cutting down on absenteeism or analyzing workers’ comp claims, automating data collection ensures you gather the information you need to make better decisions.
4. More Time to Innovate
When you eliminate the redundant, time-consuming tasks that fill an HR professional’s day, it allows more breathing room to get creative about everyday business problems that can lead to better outcomes. Maybe you’ll have more time to create a workflow chart for maximum efficiency or focus on business process improvement.
HR platforms like Pulpstream are fully customizable, so you can be constantly on the lookout for more ways to support your team. Plus, our no-code interface means you don’t have to be a technical wizard to try out new approaches or workflows.
Experience Powerful Automation at Any Level
HR automation tools use computer software to perform tasks that would otherwise need to be handled by a member of your HR team. HR automation can streamline employee onboarding, payroll processing, performance management, and more.
HR automation tools don’t replace HR staff members, but empower them to get more done, make fewer mistakes, and make better, data-driven decisions.
Pulpstream’s cloud-based automation platform allows you to streamline HR processes without having to learn any code. Simply digitize any paper documents, integrate your existing tools, and use our drag-and-drop editor to create customer workflows. Set up automatic notifications to let you know when a human needs to step in.
Request a demo today to see how Pulpstream can transform your HR team!
