Tips for digitising your HR processes

HR/learning in organisations
15/6/2023

More and more HR departments are using technology to streamline their tasks and processes. It saves time, provides an overview and is good for your employer branding.

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More and more HR departments are using technology to streamline their tasks and processes. It saves time, provides an overview and is good for your employer branding.

How do you make that step towards digitisation as easy and smart as possible? We've got some handy tips for you!

Of course, HR is human work. It is done for and by people. But that does not mean that many administrative tasks can be automated very well. Old-fashioned paperwork, filling out forms and sharing files by email: today, standard administration can be automated.

Digitisation has another advantage. If you organise it smartly, employees can now arrange all kinds of HR matters themselves, attend training courses and take control of their career development themselves. Look, that's what employees say in control and provides coveted space in the full agenda of HR staff.

Automating processes and integrating systems is not only very efficient. A modern HR system also provides both employer branding if employee engagement a big boost. And this means that two checkmarks can immediately be added to the wish list of many modern HR managers.

In short: there are therefore more than enough reasons within HR to make use of IT solutions. Nevertheless, for many organisations, the threshold for HR digitisation is rather high. Where to start? How do you make smart choices? And where do you find the time to put everything down properly? We'll help you get started with our tips.

1. Put the end user on a pedestal

Our golden tip number 1: Do not immediately call the first system provider with your request for help. First, identify for yourself what you really need. How are the HR processes currently running? Who is involved? Where exactly does it pinch? In addition, don't forget to call in the people who understand it. Then we are not only talking about the IT department, but also about the end user.

In other words: talk to the HR employee, payroll administrator, manager and the average employee. After all, they are the ones who have to work with the HR system.

Talk to the experience experts. What could be automated and where does human customisation remain necessary? What are the various stakeholders affected by? What is going well and would you like to keep? And maybe the stakeholders themselves already have ideas for solving the bottlenecks? It may take some time to ask these questions together, but it is well worth the investment.

It'll save you tons of time and money later if you don't have to invent the wheel yourself. In addition, contact with end users will soon significantly increase support for implementing a new system.

2. Inventory what you already have at home

Every entrepreneur and private individual is busy emailing, texting and Googling. And now there is almost no company left where paper personnel files are still hanging in hanging files in the closet. So for the sake of convenience, we assume that some things are already automated in your organisation.

Inventory which systems already exist in your organisation. In doing so, look beyond the HR department alone. Management systems with production information, Finance turnover figures and Marketing market analysis also contain very interesting information for HR.

By linking data to your HR system, you can make useful use of this to estimate staffing, training needs and budget options, for example.

If you have a good idea of the current IT landscape and the information needs, it is time for the next step: identifying the desired system options.

3. Re-cycling or upcycling is sometimes also possible

You don't have to get rid of all your old shoes when you buy new ones. Modernising the HR department does not have to mean that you immediately depreciate all existing automation. Perhaps your current systems can be integrated with new software, or an update is sufficient to meet your current needs.

It may well be that you do not have sufficient automation knowledge for this inventory step. Of course, at this stage, you can already turn to a software provider of your choice.

Keep in mind that a sales employee usually does not really look at your automation question with an independent view. The advice you get will probably always be within your range, with a corresponding price tag. That is why, if your own automation department does not have sufficient knowledge, it is a better idea to come to a specialised independent consultancy firm that has all options from different suppliers at a good overview.

4. Connect to your target group

Choose carefully what to renew, when, and how. Of course, a lot is technically possible, but are you actually going to use it? Or is there such a tsunami of information coming out that you can't see the forest for the trees?

Don't go too far in your modernisation journey. However, it must be functional and fit your organisation.

An important point of attention when switching to a self-service system: do employees understand what is expected of them? Opt for a system that is sufficiently intuitive so that you don't have to think about how it worked every time.

In addition, an accessible menu, clear language and an easy-to-read layout contribute to the fact that an expensive HR system is actually experienced as supportive.

5. Complete the introduction properly

You have chosen a system, read in, exchanged data and linked it to your HR processes. But that's not the end of the story. The real implementation only ends when each user knows how the system works, understands its added value and actually starts using it.

Therefore, pay sufficient time and attention to finalising the introduction of a new system. Make getting acquainted with the new way of working as easy as possible.

Place the manual for the various systems in an online location accessible to each user. Set up a helpdesk where you can go in the first few months if you have any questions. Hold special introductory meetings where users can share their questions, ideas, and comments. And do you notice, based on the feedback, that some improvements indeed still need to be made? That's okay, it's called progressive insight. Embrace it and thank users for their valuable input.

Need more tips to smartly automate your HR department?

Digitisation of HR is a complicated process, on which a lot depends. So it needs to be gone through carefully. But if you do it right, you'll enjoy this efficiency boost. We have already helped many customers get started with digitising their HR processes. We are happy to share our knowledge and experience. So feel free to contact us for tips!

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