5 ways technology is changing the face of the HR function

More than half (55%) of South African business leaders surveyed for Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends 2020 report agree that increasing new capabilities such as digital fluency and analytics is one of the biggest changes HR should make to maximise its impact in the next 12-18 months. In fact, Forty-four percent say that increasing efficiency of HR activities occur through automation should be a priority.

HR departments in South Africa know that they need to sharpen their use of technology and embrace digital if they are to support the business’s needs in this era of change and disruption. The imperative has only grown in importance during the pandemic, reshaping how people work and businesses operate.

Here are five ways that HR technology can help the HR department to drive better performance:

1. Data-driven decision making

With an integrated HR platform in place, businesses have the ability to capture data online and store it in a single employee database. They can use this data, in turn, to drive better decision-making and employee experiences. For example, they can analyse the skills gap in the business, trends in staff retention, COVID-related absenteeism, or the balance of customer demand with employee capacity.

2. Support a distributed workforce

Many of us were thrown headlong into a world of work-from-home during the lockdown, but the reality is that a remote working trend has been gathering momentum for some time already.

The right HR software supports flexible working patterns for childcare​, tracking assets for homeworking​ and other essentials for remote and flexible working arrangements.

3. Streamlined reporting and compliance

An HR platform can help streamline compliance for the business. For example, the HR department will track employment equity goals against performance more easily, then generate the statutory reports required by the Department of Labour. It also helps the HR department store and manages personal information compliance with data privacy laws and standards.

4. Free up time through automation

Today’s cloud-based HR platforms enable businesses to automate their HR processes across the entire employee journey, from recruitment to offboarding. These solutions can be rapidly deployed and accessed from anywhere. In taking care of much of the mundane paperwork and reporting, a cloud-native HR platform enables HR professionals to focus more on adding value for employees and the business and less on administrative tasks like updating records or signing off leave forms.

5. Enhanced employee experience

Modern HR solutions include powerful and easy-to-use digital self-service functionality, streamlining tasks such as leave applications, updating personal information, providing access to payslips, and more. These tools take admin off the HR team’s hands, while empowering employees to manage their own information from a mobile app and improving turnaround times for routine HR queries.

Focusing on what matters most

The true value of HR lies in understanding people and developing their potential, supporting strategic business growth, building the right team and nurturing winning company culture.

Investing in the right technology will enable the HR function to focus on these elements and make decisions based on accurate data and insights. For HR practitioners, this is an exciting time with technology enabling us to take an even more strategic role.