How HR tech can boost employee productivity in these five areas

5 mins, 19 secs read time

We’re far past paper resumes locked in filing cabinets. As the nature of HR teams shifts and grows, processes have become more automated, efficient and data driven. And when the “data” part of HR is automated, HR professionals get more time to focus on what matters – people, team dynamics, diversity equity and inclusion, employee development and more.

Helping applicants, employees and managers connect with the tools and information they need at warp speed is also particularly helpful to increasingly lean HR teams. HR technology is encrypted, organized and secure – and a great way to automate everyday business functions in ways that are easy for everyone to use. Let’s look closer at five areas where HR technology enhances employee productivity.

1. Benefits and payroll

HR technology brings a central resource to employees, letting them save time by efficiently delivering online access to personalized benefits information. This technology is usually intuitive for employees to use and requires little training if any.

Online platforms let employees understand all aspects of their company-provided coverage options, like medical, dental, disability and life insurance. The benefit election process has also moved online, allowing employees to electronically enroll in annual benefits and wellness programs, 401(k) plans, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and more.

This provides anytime, anywhere access to employees who log in to their employer’s network from home or while away on business travel. Technology lets employees get answers fast and spend less time searching for the information they need.

The range of functions can also include access to an array of HR forms, centralizing key information for increased employee productivity. Once your employee count reaches a certain size, keeping track of employee financial data spreadsheet-style quickly becomes an administrative burden for HR staff.

2. Online training

No one really enjoys going through mandatory training, but using a learning management system puts organization courses online for greater efficiency and easy employee access. Common topics include ethics and business conduct training, new leadership training, and inclusion training.

Online technology allows HR training departments to not only deliver on-demand training courses but also to note employee participation and even issue pdf certifications of completion. Online learning management modules are super flexible, allowing employees to study at their own pace.

Learners can stop and restart training modules at will. So, if they’re called into a meeting or need to take a bio break, no worries. They can easily return and pick up right where they left off, or even repeat content areas if desired.

Most importantly, built-in reporting features save valuable time for the talent development staff and further streamline the overall process for required training. The system can be set up to send automated alerts, emailing employees (and their managers) about approaching completion deadlines, for example.

3. Video interviewing

Perfect for companies of all sizes, web-based video interviews have helped organizations reinvent and accelerate the process. Video interviews are generally easier to schedule, as candidates don’t need to allow for drive time, parking fees, etc. Plus, video interviews are easy to conduct after hours, which candidates who are currently employed appreciate.

Your interview team has the convenient ability to patch in from different offices to virtually meet with candidates. And video interviews are particularly convenient when candidates live out of town, or even out of the country – a feature certain to make remote candidates think positively about your organization.

Another perk is that video interviews can also be cheaper for the company, tightening up the time spent and eliminating associated travel. Since video interviews can also be recorded, using this technology will also allow the team to go back and compare different applicants’ answers to pre-determined questions (and allow someone who missed the interview session to catch up).

Feedback can be captured online as well. Settings enable some information – like desired salary – to be kept private from the full interview team, while still allowing team members an opportunity to provide interview evaluation input, ratings and feedback about each candidate.

4. Job applications

Recruitment, or talent acquisition, is moving online for more and more companies, greatly streamlining the hiring process. From easily handling online postings on multiple job boards or LinkedIn to storing applicant data, this technology is modernizing the hiring process. Many HR applications employ applicant tracking systems (ATS) like Greenhouse to automate all aspects of their recruiting processes.

Candidates can readily submit resumes, cover letters and work samples electronically with no need for paper, an envelope or postage. And applicant tracking securely notes your strongest candidates so they don’t get lost in the mix.

HR technology also lets staff and hiring managers easily track the number of candidates and data across multiple locations and automate tasks like emails to applicants. What’s more, hiring managers and recruiters can collaborate online to share feedback and then choose the best candidate more efficiently.

Company-branded email templates are often included so recruiters don’t need to re-key application correspondence, increasing productivity while ensuring quality and reducing overall hiring costs.

5. Onboarding

Making a great first impression is vital to properly welcome new hires to your organization, helping them feel welcome, and ultimately getting them up and running. Online onboarding speeds up a typically slow or cumbersome process, helping your organization look great to new employees during their first weeks and months.

HR technology allows employees to electronically sign a W-4 form and enroll in direct deposit – essential steps for all new hires. Online platforms can be set up to send reminder emails to make sure all necessary steps are completed.

Without having to wade through a massive pile of printed information and forms, online technology significantly cuts down on paper, so it’s a more environmentally friendly approach to essential onboarding steps.

HR platforms let you document the date a new hire packet was sent, gather electronic signatures from the new employee on key documents, deliver the company code of business conduct and orient new employees to your company’s culture.

Without question, the productivity boosts that online HR technology delivers has HR staff wondering how they ever managed without it. From completely streamlining benefit communications and enrollment to helping with interviews and making the entire hiring process easier than ever, it’s safe to say that technology has benefited HR departments, and will only continue to gain strides.

Curious about how you can use tech to enrich your company culture through engaging recognition and rewards? Learn about Bonusly today.

More about Bonusly