Culture Shift. HR professionals play a crucial role in establishing talent pipelines and training employees for value-added positions, enabling companies to stay competitive amidst technological disruptions. However, if IT teams seize the opportunity to oversee HR automation initiatives, there is a risk of HR professionals being automated out of their roles. The Society for Human Resources Management emphasizes that understanding and leveraging automation's power can determine the advancement or marginalization of HR professionals.³ By utilizing automation software to reduce time spent on routine data entry, HR professionals can focus on addressing these significant external shifts.

Takes time to implement. Automating any HR process will require an initial investment of time to configure an automation system, migrate data, analyze processes and redesign them to enhance the automation. An HR team implementing automation will also have to train and familiarize themselves staff with the tool and then conduct testing and troubleshooting to make sure the automation is working optimally before deploying it fully. If all works well, though, teams that undergo automation have laid the groundwork for valuable time savings in the long run.

Currently, HR teams use various software for organization and communication. Common HR automation includes systems for tracking applicants, managing performance, attendance and payroll, as well as employee self-service portals. However, advancements in artificial intelligence hint at the untapped potential in HR automation. Familiar examples of HR process automation include:

Applicant tracking systems. What began as digital file management systems in the 1990s has become much more robust. Today’s applicant tracking systems can touch every part of the recruitment process, from helping employers create and advertise open jobs, collecting resumes, creating a shortlist of candidates, scheduling interviews with shortlisted candidates, managing the interview process, and extending offers to selected candidates. They can also assist with onboarding new hires.

Automated onboarding workflows. Onboarding new hires requires sending and receiving signed documents, granting software access, making device requests, submitting tax documents, setting up the new hire on tools that may be new to them, introducing them to their team and giving them everything they need to confidently embark on their new role. A system for onboarding automation can set up workflows for automatic notification, or for example, push notifications and approval. It can collect e-signed forms and generate official PDF documents. It can deliver devices to employees without waiting for IT support and ensure seamless enrollment into benefits plans.

Employee self-service portals or employee experience platforms. Employee self-service portals are centralized online sites or gateways through which employee stakeholders can access information and conduct transactions. Employee self-service portals let employees access and update personal information, view pay stubs, request time off and access HR policies and resources, reducing administrative time for HR professionals. According to Forbes “self-service portals have become increasingly common in a number of areas, from customer service to health care and more. Self-service portals are one way to meet employee demand for easier access and transparency.⁴

Performance management tools. Performance management tools gather data on productivity for individuals, teams and organizations, and then organize this data and present it in templates in a central location. This data offers HR departments and managers insight into employee workload and allows them to make informed decisions about delegation, training and support for the employees they oversee.

Time and attendance tracking tools. Some HR automation tools track employee time and attendance to help companies operate at their optimum capacity and ensure they have enough human resources to take advantage of growth opportunities. Where HR teams of the past may have manually entered paid time off (PTO) and attendance into spreadsheets, new attendance tracking software lets HR teams review and approve requests for time off, calculate available PTO, notify team members when a teammate will be out of the office and analyze employee time off trends to help avoid burnout.

Benefits administration tools. Managing employee benefits and eligibility, including medical insurance, pension, retirement and PTO can be a huge administrative load for HR teams. Benefits administration tools can centralize employees’ benefits data to a single platform for everyone’s visibility, and letting employees access the information they need when they need it minimizes HR’s administrative effort. Companies can use the data aggregated by these tools to better manage their benefits spending and budgets in the future. Some tools even offer healthcare analytics to help employers make decisions and ensure compliance with regulations like the Affordable Care Act.

Learning management systems. When HR onboards a new employee, deploys a new company policy, or initiates training to keep employees in compliance with regulations, learning management systems can help. Quite simply, these automation software platforms automate the delivery of online courses and the tracking of employee progress.

Compliance management tools. Companies have to make sure they are always operating in line with state, federal and international regulations. That might mean anything from paying taxes on time to ensuring any licenses, permits and certifications remain up to date. When deadlines or expiration dates loom, companies have to take action in a timely manner. And, as companies begin digital transformation processes and become more reliant on ambiguous legal spaces like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, 5G and the Internet of things, new compliance regulations and issues will crop up. Automating compliance where possible alleviates the administrative workload of an HR team and takes human error out of the equation.

Not only do these automation streamlines HR workflows, but they also let HR departments track and analyze data for optimization.

More application integration. It can feel cumbersome for HR teams and employees to work across the long list of HR automation software on the market, each of which addresses a single HR task or action. One advancement on the horizon is the integration of these tools into a single platform. In the future, HR automation platforms, like IBM watsonx Orchestrate, will deliver a comprehensive HR solution for automating across HR functions, encompassing recruitment, onboarding, performance management, payroll, benefits and analytics—a one-stop shop for all HR automation. This would enable a seamless flow of data for predictive analytics.

More personalization. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning can let HR teams offload even more offloading of manual tasks, while offering greater personalization from the perspective of the employee. For example, while AI-powered chatbots can already provide employees with round-the-clock HR support, and virtual assistants can already automate routine tasks, new advances in sentiment analysis could allow bots to gauge employee satisfaction throughout all communications. Advanced analytics and predictive modeling could help HR teams better predict attrition and identify high-potential employees. Advances in natural language processing will likely make employee engagement with these tools even more seamless.

Mobile solutions for mobile work. With the rise of remote work, hybrid work and mobile workforces, HR automation will have to cater to the needs of distributed teams. Mobile apps and cloud-based platforms will provide seamless access to HR systems, self-service portals and collaboration tools, ensuring a consistent HR experience regardless of location.

Ethical AI and data privacy. As HR automation becomes more reliant on AI, HR professionals will have to ensure the ethical use of AI and safeguard employee data. HR departments will need to establish robust data governance practices, ensure fairness and transparency in AI algorithms, and comply with data protection regulations.

Employee well-being and mental health support. The global COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the need for companies to address employee well-being and mental health in a meaningful way, and this has become a high priority for employees and candidates. Chatbots and virtual assistants may provide resources, self-help guides and access to mental health support services, promoting employee wellness and work-life balance.

Have you been tasked with delivering HR automation for your team and don’t know where to start? A systematic approach to HR automation would include the following steps.

1. Survey and document manual processes primed for automation
   First, the HR team has to identify manual administrative tasks and other HR processes that can be automated. Look for any cumbersome and repetitive tasks with regard to recruitment, onboarding, performance management, time and attendance tracking, benefits administration, payroll processing and more.
   
   
2. Select HR automation tools
   Next, do your research. Compare HR automation software and decide on a spend. Or, pitch corporate leadership for budgetary approval. The HR automation tools you choose can range from specialized HR software for specific tasks and use cases to integrated human capital management (HCM) systems that encompass multiple HR functions.
   
   
3. Integrate automation tools with existing systems
   After you select a tool, roll out your new software and integrate it into existing HR systems, such as a Human Resources Information System (HRIS), payroll system, benefits enrollment systems, or applicant tracking systems, to ensure seamless data flow and synchronization.
   
   
4. Collect and manage employee data
   No longer does your team need to do manual data entry. Once the new automation tool is in place, the HR team can automatically collect and store relevant employee data, such as personal information, performance metrics, attendance records and training history. To do this well, HR teams have to ensure compliance, ethics and privacy of this data, which will also serve as a foundation for future predictive analytics, reporting and optimization decisions.
   
   
5. Standardize the process
   After an automation is running, review it to ensure that the new tool or process delivers maximum value to employees. An audit of the deployed automation will reveal areas for expansion, streamlining or other improvements.
   
   
6. Analyze data, optimize and report
   When data starts flowing, insights are not far behind. Use automation analytics to make data-driven decisions and recommendations to corporate leadership. Analytics can help HR professionals monitor employee performance, evaluate the effectiveness of HR programs and policies, and identify trends with meaningful business implications, worth the C-suite’s attention and investment.
   
   
7. Maintain and update regularly
   HR automation requires regular maintenance, updates and system checks to ensure data accuracy, security and optimal performance. This may involve monitoring data integrations, applying software patches, and addressing any issues that arise.