3 reasons you need to invest in human resources technology

Investing in human resources technology is an important first step in modernising your workplace. Making that technology work in real time on employees’ mobile devices will not only boost engagement, but also productivity and retention. Here’s how to do it.

In a recent poll, 65 per cent of HR executives said they wanted to play a more strategic role in their organisation. So what’s standing in the way? Work! The reality is that human resources spends 70 to 80 per cent of its time on low-value, administrative tasks. This is why the first step in transforming HR is getting rid of tedious and time consuming processes.

Of course, technology can offer companies a way out of this age-old conundrum by automating administrative tasks so that you eliminate paperwork. Using the right human resources technology can also make employees feel more engaged. This is a big plus when you consider that employee engagement is a top goal of global HR executives. After all, engaged employees feel more connected and are 37 per cent more likely to stick around. Companies with high employee engagement also have nearly three times the average operating margin.

Is HCM enough?

Whether the process is paper-based or automated with human capital management (HCM) software, human nature can too often dictate that tasks pile up and left to be addressed at a ‘more convenient time’. The best way to address this is to make tasks easy and quick. Adding mobile devices to the equation can be the answer, and if done right, can take advantage of the many moments throughout the day where work could be done quickly.

Last year alone, consumers purchased roughly a billion smartphones. Why not take advantage of that? Imagine putting simple tasks like vacation requests or expense reports onto a person’s mobile device to be quickly handled the same way people handle their personal calendars or online banking?

What does mobile HR look like?

Today’s mobile human resources technology lets you push time sensitive information and tasks to people in the moment when it’s relevant to the person’s job, regardless of whether the person has a company issued computer or not. Here are some other use cases that mobile human resources technology solves:

1. Corporate communication

Send critical information (such as a new company policy) or alerts as they happen. You can also implement two-way communications as part of the mobile experience. Take engagement further with polling and real-time Q&A capabilities to find and leverage expertise quickly across the organisation.

2. Employee self-services

Checking one’s pay stub, time tracking (which can be automatic using the phone’s location services), submitting a leave request,and completing required training are ways that mobile devices enable employees to complete routine HR functions.

3. Manager self-services

Managers can use mobile to handle approval of personnel changes, expense reports, time-off requests and other workflows. Managers can also be given actionable insights, such as personnel coverage issues and real-time KPI measurements.

What’s standing in the way of adoption?

Despite the fact that human resources technology can help drive efficiency, build culture and retain top talent, many in HR still perceive technology adoption as an IT responsibility.

It’s not.

“The missed opportunity is that people see this as a ‘systems project’ versus an organisational development and culture change initiative.”

Don’t go it alone

Keep in mind that there are other back office systems your people need to work with, such as ERP accounting systems or supply chain management (SCM). This means your approach to modernisation should also work for mobilising those tools as well. An experienced mobility vendor can help you to build the business case for mobile, secure budgets internally, and work with your IT department to implement the right mobile solution.

What’s in it for HR and your business at large?

When you move to a mobile-centric human resources approach, your organisation will immediately begin to experience a domino effect of benefits. These include:

1. Greater focus on strategic objectives

The right mobile solution will give your team time to pursue solutions that facilitate information sharing, collaboration and innovation. Human resources will be free to spend more time pursuing strategic priorities such as recruiting, developing leaders, identifying potential and communicating company objectives.

2. Time and money savings

CedarCrestone research shows that companies can expect process savings from 20 per cent to more than 80 per cent, with automated benefits enrolment providing the highest savings.

An end-to-end, employee app solution like Sitrion can help you accelerate human resources processes and enable mobile self-services, working in conjunction with SAP, Microsoft, Oracle and other HCM systems. They offer mobile access for all of your HR-related activities and can integrate the same user-friendly technology with your corporate intranet or human resources portal.

Going mobile without all the headaches

Mobilising human resources processes by letting employees use their personal devices (your IT department will call this “bring your own device” or BYOD) should happen in a secure way, so that all your HR data is safe. A simple employee app solution allows employees to download a single native app on either their personal or corporate device of choice, log in with their company credentials, and gain the appropriate access to human resources processes that matter to them.

This same employee app approach can connect people to other systems as well, including a company-wide social portal that keeps them more engaged with people and developments across your organisation.