HR Digitization: These New Practices Save You Time

HR digitization is everywhere: online pay slips, management of leave and telework requests online, storage and signing of employment contracts online, online recruitment, online training… you have understood these new practices are as vast as the web. Digital has revolutionized how we work, the HR function, and HR processes. 

But what are the challenges around the digitalization of human resources? HR managers, you will also find in this article the essential tools for the company of tomorrow (including the HRIS ). Ready to facilitate your recurring tasks and bring more quality to your high-value-added missions?

What Is The Digitalization Of Human Resources?

HR Digitization: Definition

HR digitization is defined as the set of processes allowing the dematerialization of HR practices using specialized and digital tools.

Context

It emerged in the context of the digital transformation of companies, which did not spare the human resources department. At the same time, the missions of the HR departments have diversified and have found themselves over the years at the heart of the overall strategy of companies:

1. development of the CSR policy and the employer brand,
2. improvement of working conditions,
3. skills and career management,
4. deployment of e-learning programs,
5. HR performance monitoring, etc.

Moreover, according to an APEC study, +7% of them were asked to sit on management committees between 2005 and 2015. 

The Challenges Of HR Digitization

Automation Of HR Processes

”  Automating processes  ” is a bit like the cream pie of digital transformation. And yet, removing time-consuming tasks from your daily life saves a lot of time and frees up bandwidth to deal with substantive issues (improving well-being at work, for example).

Example Of HR Digitization  :

1. The annual interview campaign is approaching: once configured, your tool automatically emails employees and managers to tell them to prepare for the interview and communicates a date.
2. An employee submits a leave request: in one click, his manager validates it, HR is notified, and the leave balance is updated automatically.

New Ways Of Recruiting

E-recruitment makes it possible to carry out faster and better-targeted campaigns, thanks to the multicasting of job offers in a few clicks on a wide variety of platforms, such as job boards and professional social networks. On the other hand, recruitment techniques are constantly being renewed: employees participate in them by noting their future collaborators (we speak of collaborative recruitment ), and job interviews can be done via deferred video applications.

Digital also facilitates data exploitation to build talent pools and operate a CV database using tags and keyword labels. Example of HR digitization: the recruitment manager monitors the status of applications in real-time and sends customizable automatic emails to selected or rejected candidates and invitations to perform online tests.

The Digitization Of Training And Educational Resources

E-learning also goes toward new corporate organizations, with employees working from home or various sites. It can take different forms:

1. a MOOC, online training for a large number of participants,
2. a SPOC, a small group MOOC for more precise and rapid skill development,
3. a COOC ( Corporate Online Open Course ): the company sets up its online training course.

Not to mention the e-learning platforms dedicated to knowledge sharing to encourage collective Intelligence! Example of HR digitization: the training manager accesses the schedule of mandatory online training and sends invitations in a few clicks.

The Development Of The Quality Of Life At Work (QVT)

Well -being at work is at the heart of many topics. For this purpose:

1. the opinion of the collaborators is solicited,
2. the climate is measured through barometers and anonymous online surveys,
3. employees are also openly congratulated when they achieve their goals.
4. The entire employee experience is at the center of attention, aiming to build loyalty and commitment in employees.

Participative management and the decompartmentalization of services also imply horizontal HR communication. Corporate social networks contribute to this.

Artificial Intelligence At The Service Of HR Communication

Chatbots are no longer just for visitors to an e-commerce site or an institutional platform! Human resources sometimes use these digital tools to guide employees on the HR portal, as in 2019, during the transition to withholding tax. The robot handles simple questions, and for those remaining to be resolved, the subject of an appointment is automatically proposed, thanks to a connection with the HR team’s agenda.

The digital transformation within HR is challenging to summarize and evolves quickly. Still, whether it affects administrative personnel management, payroll management, or talent management, it involves professional software. It sometimes requires support from the HR department to adopt and implement new digitalization tools and processes.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of HR Digitization

The latest study by Infopro Digital Études carried out for Sopra HR Software, and L’Usine Digitale (2020) highlighted that companies find in HR digitization:

1. simplified information gathering (65%),
2. optimized HR processes ( 54%),
3. easier control and supervision of information (41%).

The Ten Advantages

1. time savings for HR managers and departments in their recurring tasks thanks to the automation of HR processes  ;
2. taking advantage of the time saved for more strategic missions such as talent or skills management ( GPEC );
3. document management facilitated by paper reduction and more intuitive digital archiving;
4. better overall follow-up of each employee thanks to:
5. the centralization of information,
6. the visibility gained on HR indicators recorded in a clear and easily usable dashboard;
7. HR communication and enhancement of the employer brand, allowing the attraction but also retention of talent;
8. compliance with regulations thanks to:
9. the integration of collective agreements and up-to-date legal obligations,
10. the electronic transmission of declarations for flawless management and without the risk of penalties;
11. securing confidential HR data stored in encrypted digital spaces;
12. Support for employees, their productivity, and well-being by facilitating requests for leave, teleworking, reimbursement of professional expenses, etc.
13. Adapting to new working methods, which are more nomadic, dematerialized, and collaborative;
14. The analysis of HR data, thanks to personalized reports, for better functioning of the HR department and constantly improving the employee experience.

The Risks Of HR Digitization

1. According to Parlons RH, many people are concerned about HR data protection and security (59% and 44%).
2. For some, it also dehumanizes the HR function. Tools should support, not replace, dialogue and emotional Intelligence. 
3. It requires an investment, particularly in training, to:
4. not to create a divide between the different generations in office (concern for 47% of respondents)  ;
5. Promote the adoption of new tools;
6. Establish new HR processes.

Tools To Digitize The HR Function

Good supervision and the right tools mitigate the risks associated with HR digitization. For example, thanks to Kizeo Forms, do away with paper and centralize your documents by dematerializing your HR processes, such as leave requests, absence management, expense reports, or time tracking. The 100% customizable tool adapts to save you precious time and transforms your smartphones into fundamental work tools.

Or Dokmee, an electronic document management software (EDM) for SMEs/ETIs. The solution allows you to keep full control over your document database in complete security. Its intuitive and ergonomic interface is ideal for employees who wish to familiarize themselves with digitizing all their HR documents (fast and advanced search, electronic signature, automated emails, etc.).  Were you looking for something else? High-performance online software is dedicated to each part of the HR function, among others:

1. Online payroll software to edit payslips, pay salaries, manage benefits and bonuses, and take absences and expense reports into account;
2. Leave and absence management software, taking care of the leave balance, absence requests, their validation circuit, etc. ;
3. Time management software to forget about Excel when tracking employee time and thus facilitate payroll or billing to a service provider;
4. talent management software or GPEC software, for the implementation of a strategy aimed at recruiting, but also at developing the skills of profiles with high potential internally, in particular through training, management of bonuses and careers ;
5. Software for better employee management, such as Lumio, which automates labor law procedures and relieves HR through workflows and automatic document generation (contracts, agreements, endorsements, etc.);
6. The Recruitment and Applicant Tracking Tool ( ATS ), like Softy, to manage applications, and multicast offers, administer recruitment tests and video interviews and create a personalized career site;
7. the e-learning platform to set up and follow online training, create training plans, track expenses, etc. ;

The employee recognition platform encourages feedback through surveys or polls, manager coaching, cross-functional collaboration, and human resources development. HRIS software also groups all or some of these modules, available as a package or à la carte.

For example :

1. Lucca’s Essential HRIS Suite includes the management of personnel, leave, and absences ( Figgo ), but also interviews and objectives;
2. Isiah covers all the needs of a company that wants to dematerialize its processes, from personnel administration to HR marketing, including payroll and training, among a hundred features.

More Digital, More Productivity, More Human

Telework, coworking, flex office, time, and place of work are no longer the same as before and are managed differently. For more comfort, transparency, responsiveness, and flexibility, whether on the side of the human resources department or the side of the employees, HR digitization is essential.

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