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This is a guest post written by Anthony Tobelaim, co-founder of Siit software that reinvents employee support to improve the employee experience.
At Siit, we don't just think of HR automation as a series of mechanical processes. For us, it is the tool that positively shapes the experience of each employee. Whether you are an employee or a member of the HR team, this transformation goes beyond productivity.
Before we look at the benefits of HR automation for you and your organization, let's take a look at the cost of not automating.
Leaving HR processes in the manual era can trigger a series of consequences. According to a study by Harris Poll & CareerBuilder, non-automated HR managers report a myriad of issues, including lower productivity, more errors, higher costs, and mixed experiences for candidates, employees, and hiring managers.
What are the problems encountered?
As with any type of automation, time and cost savings are among the most immediate benefits of HR automation.
In addition to the 35% cost savings from the study mentioned above, just look at how much time you and your team are currently spending on administrative tasks.
A study of Kienbaum revealed that 39% of HR time is spent on administrative tasks. Thus, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks by only 50 to 70% would already significantly free up your schedule. And that's time you could invest in optimizing inefficient processes, saving your organization even more money. It's a virtuous circle!
The less automation you have in place today, the more impressive the savings in time and money will be. But even if you're not starting from scratch, further promoting HR automation will almost certainly pay off.
Without automation, employees are inevitably treated inconsistently. You may have robust guidelines, but it's easy to skip a step here and make an exception there.
Let's say an employee wants to take a sabbatical and gets immediate approval after sending a quick informal email. Three months later, another employee with the same request must fill out a long form and ask for the approval of two senior colleagues. The result: the second employee feels that they are being treated unfairly or even discriminatory. Automating the sabbatical request process would ensure that every employee follows the same process.
Automating key HR processes also helps you stay compliant with labor laws and other local regulations. A process that runs automatically is by nature clearly defined and trackable, so you don't have to worry about missing a step that your team or individual employees might be responsible for.
There's a misconception that employees want direct, in-person communication whenever they need something from HR.
The reality is much more nuanced.
Of course, personal contact is unparalleled for some complex or emotional topics. But for the vast majority of tasks, all employees want is speed and convenience.
Imagine having to talk to a person every time you order an item online or want to track your package. All major e-commerce platforms facilitate interaction without the need for direct contact. On the other hand, if you are about to make a major purchase, you might seek out the personal advice you get at a local store.
Personal contact is about having the right conversations, not about getting employees to talk to you for every little question or request.
In these cases, automating HR processes therefore becomes a tool to improve the employee experience.
The great thing about improving your HR automation game is that you'll see results really quickly.
With each task or touchpoint that you automate, the experience for you and your employees becomes a bit more efficient, consistent, and enjoyable.
Take the case of Jean, an employee who realized that there was a problem with his vacation days. In a world without automation, Jean would have first sent an email to his manager, Catherine, explaining his problem. Catherine, in turn, would have sought the opinion of the HRBP, Rachel, to obtain an answer to Jean's question.
The manual process starts, and Jean finds himself waiting. Three days go by. Three days of questions swirling through Jean's mind. Did I take more days than I was allowed to? Is this going to affect my personal projects? Frustration and stress are on the rise.
Now, let's imagine a world where Siit, our intelligent HR assistant, is in action. Jean simply asks his question in Slack, the team's communication environment. Siit answers instantly, providing Jean with a clear explanation about his leave balance. No need to disturb Catherine or Rachel, no waiting for three days.
The effectiveness is obvious. Jean gets the answer he needs instantly, avoiding unnecessary frustration. Meanwhile, Catherine and Rachel can focus on more complex tasks, leaving Siit to handle common questions quickly and effectively. It's a win for everyone: the employee, the HR team, and even the manager. HR automation is much more than optimizing processes, it is a tangible improvement in everyone's experience.
Why not start by offering employees automated support via a smart virtual assistant in Slack or Microsoft Teams? You can do that and much more with our HR automation platform, Siit.
