As HR professionals face growing pressure in the workplace, automation can help lighten the load. By harnessing the power of technology, organisations can unlock efficiency and improve employee wellbeing
The last few years have been tough for HR professionals.
On one hand, you’ve had to navigate multiple changes to your role, taking on more strategic responsibilities while responding to heightened employee demands for a competitive workplace culture.
On the other hand, processes are becoming more complex and the stakes are higher for those who are not compliant. The fear of dropping the ball, on top of already heightened responsibilities, adds another layer of pressure to an already highly-burdened profession.
HR leaders now face mounting pressure from the boardroom and are being asked to do more, with less. The result? A significant mental load is weighing down on you. Technology is often overlooked as the answer to mental wellbeing challenges, but there is a real opportunity here for businesses to harness technology to provide tangible solutions.
“The role of HR has changed dramatically over recent years,” says Kristjan Kristjansson, CEO of people process automation platform provider, 50skills.
“In the past, HR had fewer responsibilities, with focus mainly on recruitment and personnel,” he explains. “Now, HR is expected to be a strategic partner as well as master technology, ensuring the right processes and tools are in place to empower employees to do their jobs effectively. It’s a significant challenge.”
Automating for positive change
To meet these new demands, the profession has evolved to become more tech-savvy. But modernising HR is about more than just becoming proficient in how to use workplace software. There’s a wider need to understand how technology can help the business and workforce move forward productively, as a whole.
“Change is taking place, and the reality is HR can’t tackle today’s challenges without technology – it’s too costly,” Kristjansson says. “So, within people processes, it’s become the norm to automate certain activities.”
On some occasions, such change may involve simply tweaking existing processes. But on others, it could necessitate revamping or even reworking them to streamline tasks or introduce smarter ways of working.
As Kristjansson points out: “I believe the true future of technology is mixing vertical solutions that were built for a certain industry and integrating them with AI.”
The ideal in this instance is to automate repetitive or redundant processes. Doing so helps save HR professionals’ time so they can focus on more enjoyable work where they add the most value, in turn reducing stress.
These value-add zones such as people strategy or employee wellbeing tend to consist of interactions with employees that typically require high levels of human understanding.
It is in this context that process mapping comes into its own, when organisations visually map out their workflows to define responsibilities and identify areas of improvement, considering how best to implement artificial intelligence (AI) to get the most ROI.
The benefits of process mapping
Once process mapping has taken place, it becomes much clearer where things are working, where the pain points are or where the organisation is underperforming. This, in turn, makes it easier to establish what the cost benefits of changing processes might be.
“The cost of automation can be significant if you don’t plan carefully,” Kristjansson points out. “So, it’s important to understand where waste is happening in your processes before getting tech involved.”
These considerations are particularly important in an AI context due to widespread confusion over how best to use the technology to enhance productivity and boost operational efficiency.
There are a few reasons for this confusion, believes Kristjansson. “It’s relatively new technology, particularly generative AI, and most people have little experience of using it,” he says. “We’re also largely missing practical examples and use cases.”
One potential use case is onboarding new employees. This is because it includes a mix of repetitive tasks and personal interactions that support people in building relationships.
“AI can’t solve everything, but it can help improve the employee experience by automating emails, meeting invites, text messages and video links,” Kristjansson explains. “It’s impossible to replicate personal interactions, but the best solutions streamline technical aspects while leaving room for developing relationships.”
A step-by-step approach
50skills’ platform helps HR professionals get started by offering a step-by-step approach. Rather than jumping in at the deep end, they can map and automate a simple process by going to the company’s website and taking out a month’s subscription to its starter pack.
This subscription offers access to video tutorials and a variety of customisable HR process templates, such as sending employees a birthday reminder to line managers. These templates are designed to help users implement best practices quickly or adapt them to suit their specific needs.
Additionally, the Marketplace App directory showcases a range of third-party applications that integrate seamlessly with the 50skills system, with options for integrating other applications not yet listed in the directory.
A second option is to employ ‘Journey Builder’, a GPT Agent in the ChatGPT store. This Agent enables anyone with a ChatGPT plus subscription to create bespoke processes with or without the help of building blocks, such as emails or integrations, within the 50skills platform.
“Our technology is built for people with no technical background,” Kristjansson says. “So, they can use our platform to map and run processes and optimise how they perform.”
A key advantage of this approach, he adds, is that HR professionals can learn as they go. They can also find the right rhythm by automating one minor task or process at a time until their business reaches maximum efficiency.
Ultimately, platforms like 50skills can help increase productivity and efficiency without huge cost, offering an affordable solution that also contributes to a healthier, more productive workplace.
“The reduction in mental load for HR professionals is huge,” Kristjansson says. Introducing the right technology for your HR team frees up their time and energy to focus on what really matters – their people.
For more information please visit www.50skills.com
