{"id":18107,"date":"2024-04-05T13:07:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T12:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=18107"},"modified":"2025-05-07T14:54:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:54:18","slug":"the-changing-face-hr-how-tech-can-help-focus-on-hr-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-changing-face-hr-how-tech-can-help-focus-on-hr-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"The changing face of HR: How tech can help to focus on HR strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe changing face of HR: How tech can help to focus on HR strategy\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2024-04-05T13:07:15+01:00\">5 April, 2024<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"The changing face of HR: How tech can help to focus on HR strategy\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-changing-face-hr-how-tech-can-help-focus-on-hr-strategy\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/staceymcintosh\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/11\/Stacey-McIntosh-350-1.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Stacey McIntosh<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paperwork over people. That\u2019s still the reality for most HR leaders, despite 78% of HR leaders wishing their work was less focused on admin, and more on strategy and people-centric activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With many HR leaders telling us a typical week looks like 19 hours of admin, working over 45 hours, and spending almost half the week on processes, admin, or paperwork, the move to being fully strategic is still a work-in-progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, 79% of HR professionals say more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/\">HR processes<\/a> in their company could be automated to improve efficiencies, and 3 in 4 HR leaders believe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/resources\/ebooks\/automation\/\">automation<\/a> and AI would free them up considerably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are just some of the findings from the new Sage annual research, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/resources\/hr-trends\/\">The changing face of HR<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We spoke to more than 1,000 global HR leaders from small and medium organisations to find out if and how they\u2019re using tech like AI, how they feel about the future of HR, and what the big challenges on their plate are right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what we cover in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"#the\"><strong>1.<\/strong> <strong>The changing face of HR \u2013 a summary of the research report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#hr\">HR here and now: HR teams are feeling change more than ever<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#future\">The future of HR:&nbsp;what role does tech play for HR today?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"#your\"><strong>2.<\/strong> <strong>Your next steps: Sage advice for future-focussed HR leaders<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What can we learn from the research?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#state\">The state of change never stops \u2013 but technology can help<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-a07ce540-2dab-414c-934d-0820b31f369c&nbsp;\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-a07ce540-2dab-414c-934d-0820b31f369c&nbsp;\"\n\t>Download your free HR research report now<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the\"><strong>The changing face of HR \u2013 a summary of the research report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hr\"><strong>HR here and now: HR teams are feeling change more than ever <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HR leaders told us the rate of change has never been faster, including during the pandemic, with 96% saying they don\u2019t see changes in HR slowing down any time soon and expect HR\u2019s role to continue to change over the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, most HR leaders feel working in HR is getting harder, with 95% saying their HR responsibilities over the last year were challenging (compared to 91% the previous year) and 83% feeling burnt out (compared to 81%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, HR still love what they do, with 98% of HR leaders telling us that, despite the challenges, they enjoy their job. \u201cHR is a very purpose driven profession, and this is a key driver of intrinsic motivation. I imagine that is why they feel so unstoppable,\u201d comments Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"future\"><strong>The future of HR:&nbsp;what role does tech play for HR today<\/strong>?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Getting ahead with tech &#8211; what\u2019s been tried, tested, and worked?<\/strong> The standout solutions HR leaders told us have already helped them are increased data analytics to improve decision-making and educating themselves on new emerging technologies. This worked for 49% of HR leaders who labelled themselves as \u2018unstoppable\u2019, while 48% of HR teams who feel unstoppable said they\u2019re getting ahead thanks to investment in HR tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is automation still a key focus for HR? <\/strong>Although automation sounds less glamorous than AI, it\u2019s been a feature in HR leaders\u2019 toolkits for a long time. Today, 80% of HR teams in medium companies say over half of their HR processes are automated, with the number slightly lower for smaller businesses at 57%. However, 79% say more HR processes in their organisation <em>could<\/em> be automated to improve efficiencies, so automation is an increasing a focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How are HR feeling about AI?<\/strong> AI is a hot topic in HR right now, with 78% of HR leaders believing that implementing AI in HR tasks will save them a considerable amount of time in their role and 77% feeling AI could revolutionise ways of working in their organisation. Respondents also overwhelmingly told us they expect AI in HR to create more jobs, improve job satisfaction, and positively impact C-suite relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What does AI in HR look like?<\/strong> While HR leaders may be broadly familiar with AI, 75% agreed they need more detailed knowledge about specific AI tools and functionalities and what this looks like in practice. \u201cWith AI in the news constantly and perhaps the biggest buzzword in business today, it\u2019s easy to get confused between what is simply technology-enabled automation, true Artificial Intelligence and the holy grail, Generative AI,\u201d explains Founder and CEO of PILOT, Ben Brooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-a07ce540-2dab-414c-934d-0820b31f369c&nbsp;\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-a07ce540-2dab-414c-934d-0820b31f369c&nbsp;\"\n\t>Download your free HR research report now<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"your\"><strong>Your next steps: Sage advice for future-focussed HR leaders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what\"><strong>What can we learn from the research?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HR teams are facing more change, challenges, and constant pressures than ever. At the same time, many HR professionals told us they got into the sector to make a difference. A central theme we\u2019ve also seen over the last few years remains: how can HR teams spend less time on processes and paperwork and more time on strategy and the things that matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some of our experts\u2019 key takeaways for HR leaders &#8211; to read the rest, download the report in full:<br><br><strong>1) Embrace change<\/strong>: \u201cHR teams who can react to unexpected and unusual circumstances, come up with new policies, take new approaches, and design and implement them quickly will be the high-performance HR teams of the future.\u201d \u2013 Paul Devoy, CEO at Investors in People.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2)<\/strong> <strong>Celebrate the amazing work that\u2019s happening<\/strong>: \u201cUnplug when you can, have realistic expectations of what you can do, and get a community around you to celebrate, not commiserate, on the amazing work that you\u2019re doing.\u201d \u2013 Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research &amp; Advisory and Author of Talent Scarcity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3) Focus on the strategy by using tech to free up time<\/strong>: \u201cNo organisation sets out to pay experts to do transactional paperwork, so purposefully freeing up that capability can help drive change and performance across the board.\u201d \u2013 David D\u2019Souza, Membership Director at the CIPD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4)<\/strong> <strong>Remember why you got into HR in the first place:<\/strong> \u201cThere is something unique about HR professionals\u2019 dedication to their work, exemplified by their passion to make a difference. Sometimes, this can create an overwhelmed feeling. Deploying the best that digitisation offers is a way to channel that drive and desire to make a difference into efficiencies.\u201d \u2013 Perry Timms, Founder and Chief Energy Officer at PTHR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"state\"><strong>The state of change never stops \u2013 but technology can help<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HR teams are taking on more work than ever and are still bogged down by too much process, but the desire to radically change this is clear with almost 80% of HR leaders wishing their work was less admin-heavy and more people-focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, while HR recognises the role technology can play, only 44% of HR teams feel they have the tech in their company to operate effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The answer lies in using tech such as automation, analytics and AI to liberate HR from processes and paperwork so they can focus on people \u2014 the real reason they got into HR in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take a deeper dive into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/resources\/hr-trends\/\">our research<\/a> and share it with your colleagues and wider business leaders.<\/p>\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">The changing face of HR in 2024<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">From process to people, take a peek at the paradoxes facing HR leaders today by downloading this research report.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-9b785e67-28a4-4d3f-bd26-898968a630a5\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download the report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"647\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/11\/changing-face-of-HR-cover.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"HR jigsaw\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/11\/changing-face-of-HR-cover.jpg 647w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/ai\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAI\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-processes-medium-businesses\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR processes for medium businesses\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-payroll-benefits\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR, payroll and benefits\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-32157 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership category-trends-insights tag-employee-benefits tag-employee-engagement tag-employee-retention tag-recruit tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-looking-after-your-employees business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/HPF_Static_Danielle_Option1-Final-1440x720.jpeg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/HPF_Static_Danielle_Option1-Final-684x384.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/HPF_Static_Danielle_Option1-Final-768x384.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/HPF_Static_Danielle_Option1-Final-1440x720.jpeg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-04T12:45:26+01:00\">4 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-employee-experience\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWhat is employee experience and why is HR struggling to deliver it?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tDiscover the biggest barriers to improving employee experience and practical steps to create more time for people-focused work.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-31997 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-ai tag-business-performance tag-circular-economy tag-construction tag-enterprise-management tag-international-trading tag-manufacturing tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-reporting tag-supply-chain tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-chemical industry-construction industry-distribution industry-food-beverage industry-healthcare industry-manufacturing industry-non-profit industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/real-cost-of-manual-accounts-payable\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1143476224-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1143476224-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1143476224-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1143476224-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-14T09:00:00+01:00\">14 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tThe real cost of manual accounts payable\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-32004 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-ai tag-business-performance tag-circular-economy tag-construction tag-enterprise-management tag-international-trading tag-manufacturing tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-reporting tag-supply-chain tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-chemical industry-construction industry-distribution industry-food-beverage industry-healthcare industry-manufacturing industry-non-profit industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/why-uk-finance-teams-cant-close-faster\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Preparing the team for new business requirements\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-14T09:00:00+01:00\">14 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhy UK finance teams can&#8217;t close faster\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-32003 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-ai tag-business-performance tag-circular-economy tag-construction tag-enterprise-management tag-international-trading tag-manufacturing tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-reporting tag-supply-chain tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-chemical industry-construction industry-distribution industry-food-beverage industry-healthcare industry-manufacturing industry-non-profit industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/ar-automation-reduce-days-sales-outstanding\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1163568066-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Working on payroll tasks\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1163568066-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1163568066-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1163568066-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-14T09:00:00+01:00\">14 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAR Automation: How to reduce DSO\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-32002 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-ai tag-business-performance tag-circular-economy tag-construction tag-enterprise-management tag-international-trading tag-manufacturing tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-reporting tag-supply-chain tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-chemical industry-construction industry-distribution industry-food-beverage industry-healthcare industry-manufacturing industry-non-profit industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/financial-close-checklist\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1473163791-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Looking at business data\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1473163791-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1473163791-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1473163791.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-14T09:00:00+01:00\">14 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is a financial close checklist?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The latest research report from Sage shows that HR teams are feeling the change more than ever, how they are progressing with tech such as AI and how they think about the future of HR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":346,"featured_media":16278,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"[]","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"[\"\"]","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"10","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,11],"tags":[50,240,234],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[92,217],"coauthors":[353],"class_list":["post-18107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","category-technology-innovation","tag-ai","tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses","tag-hr-payroll-benefits","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Stacey McIntosh","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1459190037.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/16278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=18107"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=18107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}