For many years, HR has remained a job synonymous with paperwork. Professionals have managed the burden of manually sorting through resumes when sourcing talent, completing forms when onboarding new hires and collecting data in spreadsheets to generate insights about the organisation.
These time-intensive methods make it harder to manage all the demands of modern work. Today, many knowledge workers operate in hybrid workplaces. Even if you work from the office full time, your organisation likely offers flexibility, and you have a few employees dispersed geographically. Today’s employees expect flexibility and good digital communication from their employers. To meet these expectations, your organisation must undergo an HR transformation driven by automation.
Why bother adopting HR automation? Here are five compelling reasons.
Improve hiring in a tough labour market
Australia's labour market has become a competitive landscape for businesses needing talent. While Australia’s unemployment rate remains low, many industries still experience skill gaps, with fewer applicants applying for jobs.
This decrease is not just about quantity. The quality of candidates in the market has also seen a downward trend. To tackle these complexities head-on, organisations must rethink hiring strategies and adopt innovative approaches to recruitment and HR management.
HR automation supports HR teams in addressing these challenges by using AI to scan resumes and identify top candidates, provide insights into the best platforms to advertise certain positions, and help HR teams coordinate interviews. These functions enable HR professionals to take a more proactive approach to hiring and engaging with candidates in meaningful ways, which can improve your company’s reputation in the job market.
Reduce employee attrition
Acquiring the right talent is only half the battle. The real challenge lies in retention. Research from the Society of Human Resources Management found the cost of attrition to be 50-60% of an employee's annual salary. The repercussions of losing an employee extend beyond the financial. Operational disruptions and the time spent on recruitment and onboarding underscore the importance of improving retention.
So, HR departments must focus on building a workplace where people feel valued and see growth opportunities, reducing the urge to seek opportunities elsewhere. Automation enables HR teams to achieve this by offering insights into metrics like employee satisfaction and professional development avenues. These insights facilitate timely interventions, ensuring retention remains at the forefront of HR planning.
Manage increased flexible working arrangements
The nature of work has changed in recent years as more businesses have moved to hybrid operating models. Earlier this year, Fair Work also ruled that employers must consider requests for flexible working arrangements put forward by employees.
While these progressions are great for people to gain better work-life balance, they create some challenges for HR teams. Key among these is the question of maintaining productivity and cohesion. In a dispersed workforce, how do organisations ensure that teams remain connected and the company culture remains intact? Moreover, how can we manage the challenge of tracking productivity across varied locations and schedules?
Automation makes it easier for HR teams to manage flexible work requests and stay on top of different work hours. HR automation tools also facilitate consistent communication and processes, regardless of an employee's location. It's a vital tool for HR professionals navigating the complexities of flexible work arrangements.
Address disengagement in the workforce
Gallup has estimated that disengagement costs workplaces worldwide $7.8 trillion. When an employee becomes disengaged, it's not merely a matter of being unproductive; their lack of motivation and commitment can create ripples that affect the broader team’s output.
Disengagement can arise for multiple reasons. People who do not feel connected to the business goals, lack the tools needed to do their job effectively or feel unseen by leadership will likely have lower engagement.
By leveraging automated tools, HR departments can pinpoint early indicators of disengagement by collecting regular feedback and tracking performance. Once they have identified disengaged employees, they can address the reasons for this and work with those people on resolving any issues. A proactive approach that understands and addresses employee sentiments helps the organisation reduce disengagement and maintain a motivated and productive team.
Shift HR’s focus to human-centric activities
If you asked an HR professional what they enjoy most about their job, they would likely describe their passion for working with people. Very few HR professionals would cite manual tasks and spreadsheets as reasons for choosing the profession.
Yet, many HR tasks – such as data collection and reporting – can consume significant time. HR automation handles such tasks to remove the burden from HR professionals and allow them to focus on more impactful tasks. Instead of spending an hour collecting data and filling out a report, an HR professional can use that time to develop learning and development initiatives, connect with candidates or address why someone feels disengaged with work.
Conclusion
HR transformation is not about replacing the human touch but enhancing it. Automation enables HR professionals to address the challenges of a tough labour market, manage flexible work, lower the cost of attrition and disengagement and focus on the human element of their job.
By addressing challenges with automation, HR departments can ensure they are keeping up with demands and proactively improving and growing the organisation.
Why choose Total Calibration for your HR transformation?
If your HR team manages copious amounts of routine paperwork and a growing volume of documentation, consider adopting HR automation.
Our solutions offer a practical response to common challenges by automating tasks like onboarding, performance assessments and document management. So, your team can maintain consistency and quality when recruiting, meeting compliance requirements and improving employee experiences.
Please visit our HR automation page for more on how we can guide your HR transformation.
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