How Workflow Automations Will Save You Time From These 10 HR Tasks

Human Resources in companies of all sizes has evolved massively beyond merely being a department that enforces policy and conducts administration. It does, however, still have to consistently manage requests that come through via email, forms and phone calls on a day-to-day basis.

The average employee will think nothing of sending a quick email request to HR, but in reality that one quick request has to be multiplied by the number of employees in the company to get an idea of the workload of HR staff. Add to that the fact that those HR staff are already snowed under with countless projects, and it’s easy to see how work for them can become overwhelming quite rapidly.

In the digital workplace, HR managers are always proactively searching for tools to automate some of the workflows for their department. They want intranet software that ensures employees get the things they need quickly and accurately, with a personal approach to enhance their experience. They also want to keep communication channels open, being as transparent as possible, and ultimately enable HR staff to be more productive. With this in mind, here are 10 processes that can be run with automation software that optimises workflow management.

1. Performance reviews

You can replace lengthy Word documents and paper-based processes with an effective online performance review process that is completely automated. Key approval and review touch points will be included, and you can ensure a consistency of format throughout your entire organisation. Employees can gain new insights into where they stand in the process and get an idea of what’s next for them.

2. Employee onboarding

Use automated intranet software tools to walk newcomers through a consistent and accurate onboarding experience. Online forms can be used to quickly collect data about an employee, and relevant departments can be notified when their services are required. Key information can be sent as and when it is needed, and specific onboarding steps can be easily implemented into the workflow.

3. Employee offboarding

If an inconsistent manual process is used for employee offboarding, a number of issues can arise. With automated processes, the separating of an employee from an organisation can be handled coherently and through all the proper channels.

4. Applicant hiring and screening

As well as streamlining the hiring process, automation can ensure applicants are screened, interviewed and approved properly during recruitment. Workflow management software can capture key information, trigger the relevant external processes, elicit responses and keep track of the process from start to finish.

5. Leave requests

Workflow management software can ensure accurate capture of dates and approvals relating to requests for leave, along with complete, easily-traced documentation to meet compliance requirements.

6. Travel requests

Rather than going through a series of emailing back-and-forth between employees, their supervisors, HR and finance departments, you can provide the employee with a simple form that gathers approvals and sends information where it needs to be.

7. Timesheet approvals

One-off emails are not sufficient for the documentation of approvals, and it is a slow, inefficient, error-prone method. It can also be difficult to track accurately. With automation software, employees and contractors can submit time sheets and track their progress through the approval procedure.

8. Employee status changes

With automation, you can make it easy for managers to enter changes to the statuses of their employees. Changes can be easily routed to the required approvers and payroll department for processing. ‘Surprise promotion’ will be eliminated, and all stakeholders can be easily kept up to date. Access privileges need only be granted to those that need to be aware of the process.

9. Documentation requests

With a central portal in place, any managers and supervisors who require copies of personnel files for their staff can easily request the documents they need. No manual approvals will be required, so no time will be wasted. Furthermore, there will be a paper trail to track what was requested, when, and by whom.

10. Employee training and development

Whether part of an onboarding programme or for continuing professional development, having automated workflows for training initiatives via intranet software provides a systematic and trackable way of monitoring an employee’s progress through module-based training sessions.

An HR department that embraces automated workflow systems is one that embraces concepts like superior employee experience, improved HR productivity and optimal standardisation at every level of the organisation. Manual systems are time-consuming, inconsistent, laborious and difficult to track should evidence need to be provided.

There can be issues with compliance as human error fits in, and work can start to pile up in the HR department that compromises the efficient delivery of important processes that need to be completed. HR employees can become overworked and demoralised as their work piles up, and other employees can become frustrated with delays and inconsistencies that take place.

With all this in mind, consider how workflow management software in your digital workplace could be a game changer for Human Resources.