The ZenHR Blog

5 Ways to Automate Your HR Processes

Written by Amanee Hasan | 283/October/2024

Automation is changing the game at work—helping boost productivity, efficiency, and bottom lines. Surprisingly, only 37% of HR tasks are automated, and executives often point to HR as the most in need of a tech upgrade. Many HR teams are small or even run solo, so it makes sense they haven’t had the time to automate as much as other departments, like IT.

So, What Exactly is HR Automation?

Before we dive in, let’s make sure we’re all clear on what HR automation is. Simply put, HR automation uses tech to handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This means automating stuff like payroll, hiring processes, and performance tracking. By doing this, HR pros can spend more time focusing on bigger things like building a better workplace culture. While AI plays a big role, there are plenty of other automation tools out there that HR teams can use.

Why Should You Care About HR Automation?

Automating routine tasks helps HR save a ton of time and lowers the chances of mistakes. It also makes sure everything’s consistent and compliant with legal requirements, keeping detailed records and audit trails. Plus, self-service tools make life easier for employees by giving them direct access to their info and HR services. The best part? Automation cuts costs, improves data management, and can grow with your company.

In other words, automation lets HR focus on people, not paperwork.

5 HR Processes You Can and Should Automate

Now, let’s get into the good stuff. Here are seven HR processes that are perfect for automation:

1. Applicant Tracking

Only 20% of small and mid-sized businesses use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). That’s a huge opportunity to catch up with bigger companies in the race for top talent! An ATS is a software tool that makes managing job applications and candidate info way easier. It’s a real lifesaver for busy recruiters.

What should your ATS include?

  • Job posting: Automatically post job listings on multiple platforms (job boards, social media, your website).  
  • CV screening: Quickly filter candidates based on keywords, skills, and qualifications.
  • Candidate tracking: Easily view current and past candidates for open positions.
  • Communication: Keep everyone on the same page with streamlined communication.
  • Reporting: Track key metrics like time-to-hire and candidate sources.
  • Integrations: Make sure it works with your onboarding system for a smooth transition.

2. Onboarding

Did you know 20% of employee turnover happens within the first 45 days? That stat shows how important onboarding is. Automating your onboarding process—whether in-person or remote—helps new hires spend less time on paperwork and more time getting settled into their roles.

An automated onboarding process should include:

  • Document management: Handle signatures and store important docs like contracts and tax forms.
  • Task management: Automate checklists for tasks, deadlines, and stakeholders.
  • Training materials: Easily distribute and track employee training and certifications.
  • Integrations: Link your onboarding solution with payroll and benefits systems for a seamless experience.
  • Reporting: Track progress with reports and data.

By automating onboarding, you’ll free up time to focus on the fun stuff, like team-building and training.

3. Employee Milestones

Do you have a system for celebrating employee birthdays, work anniversaries, or new hires? If so, have you thought about automating it? As companies grow, these celebrations can get hard to manage. Instead of dealing with birthday cards and gift cards, automate these milestones!

Here’s what to automate:

  • Work anniversaries
  • Birthdays
  • New hire announcements

4.  Time Off Tracking

Tired of answering questions like “How many vacation days do I have left?” Automating your time-off tracking system gives employees access to their paid time off (PTO) info and frees up HR and managers' time.

Here’s what to look for:

  • Integration with payroll: For hourly employees, make sure the system syncs with payroll so PTO shows up on pay stubs.
  • Flexibility: It should fit your company’s PTO policies, like custom holidays.
  • Request workflows: Allow employees to request PTO and send it directly to managers for approval.
  • Analytics: Track trends in PTO usage.


5. Announcements

We’ve all heard that it takes multiple reminders to get people to act. And when it comes to HR, the number of reminders is even higher! Automating announcements saves time, ensures compliance, and keeps everyone informed.

Popular announcements to automate include:

  • New hires
  • Policy updates
  • Company news
  • Training opportunities
  • Employee events
  • Holiday and PTO reminders

Automate with ZenHR

We hope this guide helps you on your journey to automating those time-consuming tasks, making your role as an HR professional more enjoyable, efficient, and, yes—exciting! If you’re looking to cut down on time spent managing rewards, recognition, milestones, and more, ZenHR has you covered.