Human resource management is one of the areas where technologies in the form of automation tools have had a significant impact. Today, an HR consultant has less paper, fewer forms, fewer files to deal with, unlike before when everything was bulky.
Whether you aim to meet regulatory requirements or the expectations of highly qualified specialists, automating your HR processes comes with many advantages and disadvantages.
Before we go further into the pros and cons, let us first understand what HR automation entails.
What is HR automation?
HR automation refers to using software solutions to free up the HR staff from tedious manual tasks and enhance efficiency. Usually, automation affects many HR Processes, including onboarding new staff, performance appraisals, timesheet tracking, and annual leave.
Of all these, annual leave is one of the most important processes to automate. This is perhaps because leave requests can be a source of stress, especially around holiday seasons, when they come in thick and fast. Fortunately, automating the process using an annual leave management system like Timetastic can help you track, audit, and eliminate delays to avoid frustrating employees who make leave requests.
Benefits of automating your HR processes
Increased productivity
When employers introduce automation tools, most employees think that they are going to lose their jobs. However, introducing an HR automation tool doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
The reason behind that is simple. Human resource is a business area involving many repetitive, menial tasks, such as verifying timesheets, calculating payrolls, and checking leaves. Freeing the HR staff from these duties will help them focus on areas that can benefit the business, thus increasing productivity.
Reduced errors
Humans are prone to errors. However, automating the HR processes helps eliminate the possibility of errors, making all the data available useful at the drop of a hat without needing HR staff to pull it together.
Data security
Using automation tools allows you to back up your crucial data to cloud storage services. Besides preventing data loss in the eventuality of fire or computer failures, automation reduces the risk of disastrous errors common in manual processes.
New hires can have a smooth experience.
The HR departments are often swamped with many tasks, meaning it is not unusual for HR managers to forget to get back to candidates. This can be a disheartening experience, even if the candidates are eventually hired.
Fortunately, it is easy to automate how you collect documents for verification, give tool access to new hires, raise device requests, and other onboarding processes. Doing this can help you give new hires a positive impression about the company and motivate them to start working and proceed quickly with great enthusiasm.
Disadvantages of HR Processes
Requires training
While automating HR processes delivers lots of benefits, having the proper knowledge is key to maximizing automation. That means organizations will have to invest money and time to ensure their staff gains the required skill level for using the technology effectively. For some companies, upskilling their existing staff might seem time-consuming and costly.
Automation tools are known for dehumanizing processes.
Even though the HR department is innately people-centric, automation reduces human interaction between HR managers and potential candidates. That means HR managers may not be in a position to assess a candidate’s attitude towards the job, their work ethic, or willingness to be a team player, unlike if there was face-to-face interaction.
Wrapping up
Automating the HR department to enhance efficiency is vital in every company, particularly in the current time. While HR Processes automation has its share of drawbacks, the benefits far outweigh the money, energy, and time you will invest in introducing automation tools.
