The numbers don’t lie: HR managers waste 14 hours per week on average performing tasks that could quite easily be automated – and approximately 73% of HR’s time is taken up by repetitive, dull administrative tasks. 🧑💼
Organisations all over the world are leveraging the colossal power that HR automation holds to streamline workflows and get things done so much faster.
But with the term on everyone’s lips, how do you figure out what you can actually do with automation as an HR professional?
We’re here to help! Read on to discover 10 impressive real-world examples of HR automation ⬇️
***All of the screenshots below are depictions of our HR automation software, SubscribeHR. Contact us using the form below if you want to find out more!
What is HR automation?
Simply put, HR automation is the act of using software and digital systems to streamline repetitive and time-consuming HR tasks.
Behind this lies huge potential for the liberation of HR professionals from the shackles of manual labour, so that they can redirect their valuable skills and expertise towards more strategic activities. ✅
Not only does HR automation encourage business growth, but it also significantly enhances efficiency and data security while dramatically reducing the likelihood of human error. What’s not to love?
Why HR process automation can change your organisation’s future
The need for HR automation arose from the traditionally cumbersome, paper-heavy processes that have long characterised HR administration.
Don’t know if you need HR automation? Easy – if your team is spending more time navigating administrative hurdles than leveraging their talents for your company's growth, it's high time to explore a smarter way of working. 🕝
The truth is, HR process automation has the power to redefine an organisation's future by fundamentally transforming the way it manages its most valuable asset — its people.
Streamlined efficient processes, the ability for teams to focus on strategic initiatives, reduced human error and more data accuracy all mean one thing: better overall quality of HR operations.
Additionally, HR automation supports organisations in adapting to the evolving needs of the workforce in an era of remote work and digital communication – by ensuring compliance with labour laws and regulations, mitigating risks, and improving the employee experience through self-service portals.
Ultimately, HR automation sets the stage for an organisation's future by enabling data-driven decision-making, fostering a more engaging work environment, and positioning the HR department as a strategic contributor to the company's overall success. 🫶
10 Clever Examples of HR Automation
There are boundless ways of leveraging automation in HR. But we’ve compiled some of our favourite examples of HR automation below ⬇️
HR automation for onboarding
The process of onboarding a new employee is a pivotal moment in their journey with your organisation. It sets the tone for their experience and their ability to quickly integrate into your company's culture and workflow.
That’s why HR automation for onboarding is a real game-changer that takes this essential step to a whole new level of efficiency and effectiveness. ✅
Guided onboarding workflows
HR automation means you can create guided workflows that lead new hires through every single piece of necessary paperwork, tasks, and training – minimal manual input required!
This not only simplifies the process but also ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. With clear steps and instructions, new employees can quickly acclimate to their role and your company's expectations. 👍
- Automated workflow creation
- Paperwork digitisation
- Training module assignment
- Notifications and reminders
- Centralised access
- Process simplification
Digital forms and e-Signatures
The days of endless paperwork and physical signatures are a thing of the past with HR automation. Digital forms and e-signatures replace their traditional manual counterparts, hugely expediting the entire onboarding process.
New hires can complete and submit required documents with just a few clicks, eliminating the need for printing, scanning, or mailing paperwork. 📮
- Digital forms and e-signatures
- Streamlined documentation
- Paperless processing
- Effortless completion
- Eco-friendly onboarding
Training made easy
HR automation simplifies training management by assigning relevant training tasks to employees, tracking their progress, and sending reminders to ensure timely completion. This efficient approach saves time and resources, while also guaranteeing that employees receive the necessary training, helping them excel in their roles. 👍
- Training made easy
- Streamlined training management
- Efficient progress tracking
- Timely reminders
- Resource-saving approach
- Effective skill development
Automated notifications and reminders
In the whirlwind of onboarding, it's easy for essential tasks to be forgotten or overlooked.
HR automation sends automated notifications and reminders, whether it's reminding HR to process necessary paperwork or gently nudging new hires to complete their required training. An effortless way of keeping everyone on track!
- Automated notifications and reminders
- Task management assistance
- Task tracking and follow-ups
- Streamlined task completion
- On-track reminders
Centralised portals for resources
HR automation simplifies onboarding by providing centralised portals, giving new hires easy access to essential resources.
These portals house everything from handbooks to training materials, creating a convenient one-stop shop for new employees to swiftly integrate into the company. 📈
- Centralised portals for resources
- One-stop access
- Convenient resource hubs
- Handbooks and training materials
- Swift integration
- Simplified onboarding
HR automation for offboarding
HR automation for offboarding offers an efficient way of ensuring a smooth departure for employees while minimising administrative burdens. 👇
Automated checklists and workflows
In the offboarding process, HR automation simplifies tasks with automated checklists and workflows. These digital tools act as structured roadmaps for HR professionals, managers, and departing employees, ensuring systematic and efficient handling of exit-related responsibilities.
Automated checklists divide the process into manageable tasks, preventing omissions, including property return and legal obligations. Workflow assignments ensure tasks reach the appropriate individuals or departments, maintaining organisation. Deadline management keeps everything on track with timely task completion reminders, minimising delays.
- Automated checklists and workflows
- Structured roadmaps
- Streamlined offboarding
- Task division and management
- Omission prevention
- Timely task completion reminders
Exit interviews and surveys
HR automation streamlines the process of collecting feedback from departing employees by automating exit interviews and surveys. This proactive approach not only simplifies the process but also encourages departing employees to provide honest and constructive feedback 👍
Beyond efficient data collection, HR automation underscores the organisation's commitment to continuous improvement and employee engagement, fostering a culture of open communication and positive change!
- Exit interviews and surveys
- Efficient feedback collection
- Honest and constructive feedback
- Continuous improvement focus
- Open communication culture
Transfer of duties and responsibilities
When an employee leaves, it's essential to ensure a smooth transition of their duties and responsibilities to other team members.
HR automation systems can handle this with ease, ensuring that tasks are reallocated to available employees. This helps maintain operational continuity and reduces the risk of critical tasks being neglected.
- Transfer of duties and responsibilities
- Smooth transition management
- Automated reallocation
- Operational continuity
- Risk reduction
- Task handover facilitation
Secure digital document storage
It's no secret that the management of paper-based documentation can be a daunting and cumbersome task while storing hard copies of offboarding documents introduces a myriad of compliance and security risks.
HR automation remedies this by securely storing offboarding documentation in digital archives. This transition to digital storage significantly reduces the risk of data loss, unauthorised access, or compliance breaches, offering a safer and more organised approach to document management.
The benefits extend even beyond efficient archiving though, as it also streamlines retrieval and reference, reducing administrative burdens and fostering a more reliable and compliant offboarding process. 👍
- Secure digital document storage
- Paperless document management
- Compliance and security enhancement
- Data loss prevention
- Efficient archiving and retrieval
- Streamlined document reference
- Reliable and compliant offboarding
Access revocation
Discontinuing access to company systems and accounts is a critical step in the offboarding process. HR automation streamlines this task by allowing HR professionals to remotely disable access, preventing any unauthorised use of company resources.
Not only does this boost security, but it also ensures that sensitive company information stays out of the wrong hands. So, it's not just about security; it's about maintaining privacy and peace of mind. ☮️
- Access revocation
- Remote access control
- Security enhancement
- Prevention of unauthorised access
- Sensitive information protection
- Privacy and peace of mind
- Peace of mind provision
Employee self-service portals
Flexibility and accessibility are so pivotal in today’s work environments – that’s why employee self-service portals have emerged as a valuable tool.
These digital gateways empower staff by providing them with easy access to essential HR functions and resources. They offer a wide range of benefits for both employees and HR professionals – let’s explore!
Personal information management
Employee self-service portals are a one-stop destination for managing personal information. Employees can make changes efficiently and independently, whether it be updating contact details, emergency contacts, or other personal data.
This reduces the administrative burden on HR professionals and ensures that employee records remain accurate and up to date. ✅
- Personal information management
- One-stop destination
- Efficient self-service
- Contact and emergency contact updates
- Reduced administrative burden
- Accurate and up-to-date records
- Employee data maintenance
Leave management made easy
Managing time off is a breeze with self-service portals. Employees can request time off, view their leave balances, and track their time-off history with ease.
This not only streamlines the leave management process but also enhances transparency, allowing employees to plan their time off effectively.
- Leave management made easy
- Streamlined time off management
- Request and balance tracking
- Enhanced transparency
- Effective time-off planning
- Self-service portal convenience
- Time-off history access
Access to financial information
Self-service portals provide employees with quick access to digital pay stubs, tax forms, and benefits information.
This convenient access to financial data empowers employees to review their earnings, deductions, and benefits, fostering financial transparency and accountability.
- Access to financial information
- Digital pay stubs and tax forms access
- Benefits information availability
- Financial data empowerment
- Earnings and deductions review
- Financial transparency and accountability
- Convenient self-service portal access
Training and development requests
Employees can take charge of their professional growth through self-service portals. They can initiate training and development requests, track their progress, and access resources to enhance their skills.
This obviously is great for employee engagement, but it also promotes a culture of continuous learning and development within the organisation.
- Training and development requests
- Professional growth empowerment
- Request initiation and tracking
- Skills enhancement resources
- Employee engagement boost
- Continuous learning culture promotion
- Self-service portal benefits
Instant resource access
In addition to HR-related functions, self-service portals offer quick access to company policies, handbooks, and internal resources.
Employees can effortlessly find the information they need, from HR policies to safety guidelines, fostering a well-informed and compliant workforce.
- Instant resource access
- Company policy and handbook availability
- Internal resource accessibility
- Information retrieval ease
- Well-informed workforce
- Compliance support
- Self-service portal convenience
Payroll processing
Payroll processing has come a long way from the days of manual calculations and piles of paperwork. With the advent of HR automation, this essential function has been revolutionised, offering a host of benefits for both employers and employees. ⬇️
Automated payroll calculations
One of the primary advantages of payroll automation is the automated calculation of employee salaries, taxes, and deductions.
This not only eliminates the risk of human error but also ensures that every employee's paycheck is accurate and compliant with tax regulations. It simplifies the often complex task of calculating net pay, making the process more efficient and transparent. 💵
- Automated payroll calculations
- Employee salary, tax, and deduction automation
- Error risk reduction
- Accurate and compliant paychecks
- Tax regulation adherence
- Efficient net pay calculation
- Transparent payroll process
Integration with time and attendance systems
Payroll processing systems are often integrated with time and attendance systems to calculate wages accurately.
This synergy ensures that employee hours, overtime, and attendance are accurately recorded, resulting in precise wage calculations. It minimises discrepancies and simplifies the payroll process for both employers and employees.
- Integration with time and attendance systems
- Wage accuracy optimization
- Employee hours and attendance integration
- Precise wage calculation
- Discrepancy minimization
- Payroll process simplification
- Employer and employee benefits
Seamless direct deposit and electronic pay stubs
Payroll automation enables the setup of direct deposit, providing employees with the convenience of having their salaries deposited directly into their bank accounts.
In addition, electronic pay stubs are generated and distributed automatically, reducing paper waste and allowing employees to access their pay information online, anytime.
- Direct deposit setup convenience
- Electronic pay stub automation
- Paper waste reduction
- Online pay information access
- Employee convenience and sustainability
Hassle-free payroll tax reporting
Generating and submitting payroll tax reports can be a time-consuming and complicated task.
With HR automation though, you can generate payroll tax reports accurately and efficiently, ensuring that organisations meet their tax obligations promptly and accurately. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of tax-related compliance issues. ✅
- Efficient tax report generation
- Prompt and accurate tax obligations
- Time and risk reduction
- Compliance with tax regulations
- Legal compliance support
Compliance checks
Compliance with labour laws and regulations is a non-negotiable aspect of payroll processing.
HR automation reviews payroll data to ensure adherence to labour laws, tax regulations, and other statutory requirements. This proactive approach reduces the risk of costly fines and legal issues related to payroll.
- Labour law and regulation adherence
- Payroll data review
- Risk reduction
- Fine and legal issue prevention
- Proactive compliance management
Benefits administration
Benefits administration is a vital part of human resources, impacting both employee satisfaction and the organisation's competitiveness.
And with the advent of HR automation, the administration of benefits has become more efficient and employee-centric. 🙌
Self-service benefits management
The modern workforce values the ability to manage their benefits independently. HR automation grants this wish by offering employees the opportunity to enrol in, change, or manage their benefit plans online.
This self-service approach gives employees the flexibility to tailor their benefits to their individual needs, making it a win-win for both the employees and the organisation.
- Employee benefits autonomy
- Online benefit plan management
- Tailored benefits
- Employee and organisational benefits
Automated Background checks
Ensuring that employees are eligible for specific benefits is a complex task. HR automation simplifies this process by automating eligibility checks.
The system evaluates employee data to determine their eligibility for particular benefits, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring that benefits are offered consistently and fairly.
- Streamlined eligibility evaluation
- Error risk reduction
- Consistent and fair benefit offering
- Eligibility automation
Benefits calculators for informed choices
Benefits calculators are a valuable tool provided by HR automation to help employees make informed decisions.
These calculators enable employees to estimate the cost and coverage of different benefit options, facilitating a more educated selection process. ✅
- Informed decision-making tools
- Benefit cost and coverage estimation
- Educated selection process
- Employee benefit education
Compliance reports and notifications
Benefits administration is subject to various regulatory requirements, and non-compliance can cost a lot. 💵
HR automation takes the burden out of compliance by generating compliance reports and notifications. This ensures that organisations adhere to legal obligations, preventing potential issues and maintaining a positive reputation.
- Regulatory compliance support
- Compliance report and notification generation
- Legal obligation adherence
- Issue prevention and reputation maintenance
Integration with insurance providers
HR automation integrates with insurance providers and benefits carriers, allowing for easy updates and data sharing.
This integration streamlines the communication between HR professionals and insurance providers, reducing administrative complexities and ensuring that employees receive their benefits promptly. 👍
- Insurance provider collaboration
- Data sharing and updates
- Administrative simplification
- Prompt employee benefits
- HR and provider synergy
Performance management
HR automation has reshaped performance management, introducing efficiency, real-time feedback, and data-driven insights. Let’s explore how automation has revolutionised performance management, from scheduling reviews to fostering continuous feedback and improvement. ⬇️
Automated scheduling and notifications
Performance reviews and goal-setting are critical for employee development. HR automation simplifies this process with automated scheduling and notifications.
With review dates and sending reminders, HR professionals ensure that these crucial discussions happen on time, reducing the risk of delays or oversights. ✅
- Performance review and goal-setting automation
- Timely discussion facilitation
- Delay and oversight risk reduction
- Efficient scheduling and reminders
Real-time feedback and recognition
Traditional performance reviews often fall short in providing timely feedback. Automation bridges this gap with real-time feedback and recognition platforms.
Employees can receive immediate input and accolades for their efforts, fostering a culture of continuous performance improvement.
- Immediate feedback and accolades
- Continuous performance improvement culture
- Employee recognition platforms
- Timely feedback bridging
Data-driven insights
Analytics tools have become a driving force in performance management. HR automation incorporates these tools to identify top performers and areas for improvement.
Data-driven insights allow HR professionals to make informed decisions and provide personalised coaching and support to employees.
- Performance analytics integration
- Top performer identification
- Informed decision-making
- Personalised coaching and support
Integration with learning and development
Learning and development go hand in hand with performance improvement. HR automation seamlessly integrates with learning and development systems to recommend training based on performance data.
This approach ensures that employees receive targeted and relevant training to enhance their skills and contribute more effectively to the organisation. 🙌
- Learning and development synergy
- Performance-based training recommendations
- Skill enhancement focus
- Organisational contribution improvement
Self-assessment and 360-degree feedback
Self-assessment and 360-degree feedback are valuable components of performance management. HR automation streamlines this process by facilitating automated surveys.
Employees can conduct self-assessments and receive feedback from peers, managers, and subordinates, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of their strengths and areas for growth.
- Comprehensive feedback approach
- Automated survey facilitation
- Peer, manager, and subordinate input
- Strengths and growth areas understanding
Learning and development
In the contemporary work environment, the implementation of HR automation has revolutionised learning and development processes, introducing efficient tools for course management, personalised recommendations, compliance, remote learning, and skills gap identification. ⬇️
Streamlined course management
Learning management systems (LMS) play a pivotal role in learning and development, and automation simplifies course registration, tracking, and completion.
Employees can easily register for courses, monitor their progress, and receive completion certificates, making it an intuitive process for both learners and administrators.
- Learning management system automation
- Course registration, tracking, and completion ease
- Intuitive process for learners and administrators
- Learning progress monitoring
Personalised training recommendations
One size doesn't fit all when it comes to training. HR automation incorporates recommendation engines that suggest relevant training based on individual employee roles and goals.
This personalisation optimises the training experience, ensuring that employees receive the knowledge and skills they need to excel in their specific positions. ✅
- Role and goal-based training suggestions
- Individualised training experience
- Knowledge and skills optimisation
- Role-specific excellence focus
Training compliance reports
Regulatory compliance is a non-negotiable aspect of many industries. HR automation ensures that organisations meet their training compliance requirements by generating reports and notifications.
This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of non-compliance, preventing potential issues and penalties.
- Regulatory compliance support
- Compliance report and notification generation
- Time-saving compliance management
- Non-compliance risk reduction
- Issue prevention and penalty avoidance
Remote learning solutions
In an era of remote work, learning and development can't be confined to a physical classroom. Automation introduces virtual classrooms and webinars, facilitating remote learning.
Employees can access training from anywhere, fostering continuous development and adaptability, even when working remotely. 💻
- Virtual classroom and webinar adoption
- Remote learning facilitation
- Access from anywhere
- Continuous development and adaptability
- Remote work learning support
Skills gap identification
Identifying skills gaps and training needs is vital for employee growth and organisational success. HR automation leverages integration with HR data to pinpoint these gaps.
This data-driven approach allows organisations to offer targeted training and development to address specific skill deficiencies.
- Skills gap and training need identification
- Data-driven approach
- Targeted training and development
- Skill deficiency addressing
- Employee and organisational growth focus
Time and attendance tracking
Thanks to the introduction of HR automation, time and attendance tracking have evolved into streamlined, precise, and employee-friendly processes.
Let’s explore how automation is transforming the way organisations record work hours, manage attendance, and ensure compliance. ⬇️
Automated timekeeping
Automation lies at the heart of modern time and attendance tracking. Automated systems meticulously record employee work hours, attendance, and overtime.
This not only eliminates the need for manual entry but also significantly reduces the risk of errors, resulting in more accurate and transparent records. 📁
- Learning management system automation
- Course registration, tracking, and completion ease
- Intuitive process for learners and administrators
- Learning progress monitoring
Integration with biometric and RFID systems
The integration of HR automation with biometric or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems further enhances the accuracy of time tracking.
These technologies ensure that employees' clock-ins and clock-outs are not only recorded but also verified, preventing time fraud and promoting fair and reliable attendance records. 👍
- Role and goal-based training suggestions
- Individualised training experience
- Knowledge and skills optimisation
- Role-specific excellence focus
Employees self-service for time off
Through self-service portals, employees can request and manage time off conveniently.
This shift to self-service not only reduces administrative work for HR professionals but also provides employees with autonomy over their schedules.
- Regulatory compliance support
- Compliance report and notification generation
- Time-saving compliance management
- Non-compliance risk reduction
- Issue prevention and penalty avoidance
Automated manager approvals
Efficiency is the hallmark of HR automation, and this is evident in the automated alerts for managers to approve time-off requests and timesheets.
The system sends alerts and notifications, making the approval process prompt and transparent. This ensures that managers stay in the loop, contributing to a more streamlined workflow.
- Virtual classroom and webinar adoption
- Remote learning facilitation
- Access from anywhere
- Continuous development and adaptability
- Remote work learning support
Centralised time data
HR automation centralises time data, making it easily accessible for payroll and attendance reporting.
This eliminates the need to sift through multiple sources of information, simplifying the process and ensuring accuracy in payroll calculations and attendance tracking.
- Skills gap and training need identification
- Data-driven approach
- Targeted training and development
- Skill deficiency addressing
- Employee and organisational growth focus
Employee engagement surveys
HR automation has become a game-changer in understanding and improving workplace satisfaction. Employee engagement surveys, facilitated by automation, provide a structured approach to gathering and analysing anonymous feedback. ⬇️
Automated survey scheduling
Consistent feedback is essential for evaluating and improving employee engagement. Automation streamlines the process by automatically scheduling and distributing surveys at regular intervals.
This ensures that organisations have access to ongoing feedback, enabling HR professionals to identify trends and take timely action.
- Consistent feedback facilitation
- Survey scheduling and distribution automation
- Ongoing feedback access
- Trend identification and timely action
Anonymous feedback collection
Automation allows for the collection of anonymous feedback on workplace satisfaction and engagement. This anonymity encourages employees to provide candid insights without fear of repercussions, fostering transparency and trust. 👏
- Workplace satisfaction and engagement feedback collection
- Anonymous feedback encouragement
- Candid insights provision
- Transparency and trust fostering
- Fearless feedback
Data analysis tools
Automation doesn't just stop at survey distribution; it extends to data analysis.
HR automation incorporates data analysis tools that help identify trends and areas for improvement – that way organisations can gain valuable insights into what is driving or hindering employee engagement.
- Data analysis integration
- Trend identification and improvement areas determination
- Valuable insights generation
- Employee engagement understanding
Customised reporting and dashboards
One-size-fits-all reports will most likely not serve the specific needs of your organisation. That’s why automation offers the flexibility to generate customised reporting and dashboards.
HR and management can access reports tailored to their specific requirements, enabling them to focus on the data that matters most. 👍
- Tailored reporting and dashboard creation
- Specific requirements focus
- Data that matters access
- Flexible reporting and dashboard generation
- HR and management data access
Benchmarking for improvement
Employee engagement isn't an isolated metric. Automation allows organisations to benchmark their engagement levels against industry or internal standards.
This comparison offers context for understanding how the organisation is performing in relation to others and what areas require attention.
- Engagement level comparison
- Industry or internal standards benchmarking
- Organisational performance context
- Areas requiring attention identification
- Performance improvement support
HR compliance
HR automation has revolutionised compliance management, offering a comprehensive solution to ensure that HR policies and practices align with legal requirements. ⬇️
Automated policy adherence
HR policies and practices need to align with a web of legal and regulatory requirements. Automation plays a key role in ensuring compliance by systematically reviewing and validating HR policies. This process does wonders to minimise the risk of non-compliance, keeping organisations in line with the law. 👍
- Compliance automation
- HR policy review and validation
- Non-compliance risk reduction
- Legal alignment support
Compliance alerts and notifications
The regulatory landscape is dynamic, with deadlines and requirements that can change over time. ⌛
Automation introduces compliance alerts and notifications to keep HR professionals informed about upcoming deadlines and requirements. This proactive approach ensures that organisations stay ahead of compliance obligations.
- Dynamic regulatory landscape adaptation
- Deadline and requirement change awareness
- Proactive compliance support
- Deadline and requirement tracking
Automated recordkeeping and reporting
Recordkeeping is a fundamental aspect of compliance. Automation simplifies this task by automating recordkeeping and reporting for auditing purposes.
This ensures that organisations maintain clear and accurate records, simplifying the audit process and reducing compliance-related stress.
- Recordkeeping automation
- Clear and accurate records maintenance
- Audit process simplification
- Compliance-related stress reduction
- Compliance record management
Integration with Background Checking services
HR compliance often involves background checks and verification services. Automation integrates with these services, streamlining the verification process.
This not only ensures that organisations hire qualified candidates but also simplifies compliance with employment laws and regulations. ✅
- Background checks and verification service integration
- Verification process streamlining
- Qualified candidate hiring assurance
- Employment law and regulation compliance support
Employee training tracking
Employee training and acknowledgment tracking are critical for meeting compliance needs. Automation simplifies this by managing employee training programs, tracking course completion, and ensuring that employees acknowledge their understanding of compliance policies and procedures.
- Compliance training management
- Course completion tracking
- Understanding acknowledgment tracking
- Compliance policy and procedure adherence
- Compliance needs support
