The Human Resource department is one of the most important in terms of workplace culture. You want the HR team to be productive so that they can help the rest of the workplace do well. Technology is a major boost in improving how your HR team works.
Many HR professionals have to juggle with a lot of different tasks. A big chunk of the day can be spent on paperwork or answering menial questions. This is all time away from connecting with employees and improving how the workplace is operating.
The good news is that technology has the power to change this. Digital tools have five major ways they can make a difference in boosting the HR teams productivity.
#1: Automating tasks
The major benefit of technology is its ability to automate tasks. In fact, a McKinsey Global Institute analysis found how over half HR work could be automated. With the right Human Resource software, you reduce the paper trail and free the HR professional to perform other more complex tasks.
What kind of core functions can technology automate? The complete HR lifecycle has possibilities to automate. The recruitment process can be partly automated with the use of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which can largely take care of selecting the right candidates for interviews and so on.
But automation is also possible in the employee management function. One of the key areas of automation are things like file management and vacation days. With Human Resource software, vacation days can be assigned automatically based on employee requests – with an integrated payroll system, your HR team doesn’t have to part of this rather basic task at all, saving time and money.
#2: Speeding up the process
Digital solutions can cut time in terms of accepting and signing projects, for instance. Different project management tools are already popular in other areas of the business. But these technologies can also influence the HR department and its productivity.
The benefit is not just a boost in productivity but also in costs, as going paperless can save a lot of money. But how can it speed up the process and boost productivity? Using technology means instant access to the information. If you have to print out documents and guidelines, you are already behind in sharing this information. If you use technology to send information and sign documents, you do it instantaneously.
#3: Improving engagement
Employee engagement is the most crucial part of an HR team’s work. They have to communicate with the workforce to ensure everyone is doing well. Employee happiness is crucial because it improves productivity and talent retention. If you don’t engage your workforce, you are setting up for failure in many levels.
Technology has made it much easier to do this. In the old days, HR professionals might have annual meetings where they queried about wellbeing and performance face to face. Nowadays, with digital tools, such as surveys, you can talk to employees at all times. You can get instant feedback and because the data is digital, it will also be analysed and stored for future use. Instead of spending a lot of time trying to create opportunities for engagement, HR teams can use technology to talk to employees and to spend the majority of their time understand what the employees are saying.
#4: Widening co-operation
Technology is also going to improve how HR teams work and improve productivity because they bring a wider community together. You’re not just going to have the HR department but the whole company working together. Now, this is not just about better communication that technology has provided teams with. It’s also about the access and use of data.
Human resource software can align multiple functions and create common datasets that different departments can use. This means that the HR department is getting reports from the finance department and the CEOs and so on – allowing them to get a better picture of the company and its workforce. This will lead to better decision making since you’re not just focusing on limited information.
#5: Directing resource to right processes
The good Human Resource software and technology is AI-powered these days. This means the technology can learn and adjust its behaviour. In terms of what this means for the workplace, it can have the power to direct resources to where they are most useful.
Technology can understand and monitor employee performance and resource use, analysing where different resources and talents should be placed. You will end up creating an HR team where the right person is in charge of talent development, while the best resources are directed to other things. It guarantees you have a team that’s not wasting resources or wasting time. The AI-backed technology will constantly monitor this and adjust as situations change.
Having technology as part of your HR team’s work, you can improve the things they do and how productive they are. Technology has a huge impact on how work is conducted and done and by using it the right way, you can unleash a better workplace.
