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5 HR processes that should be automated

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By Simone Timen

Automation is an inevitable reality for HR teams and companies. With so many possibilities, it can be difficult to know where to start. A great first step is identifying the most common tasks and processes first.

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5 HR processes that should be automated

HR teams and companies have traditionally been overrun by heaps of paperwork and manual processes that are both time consuming and resource intensive. With an abundance of automation solutions on the market, it’s inevitable that HR teams and companies are going to evolve. In fact, the majority of HR executives recognize the need for transformation in their current processes. There are a plethora of benefits you can reap from investing in automated solutions including:

  • Lower operational costs associated with administrative tasks
  • Collect accurate and complete employee data
  • Reduce errors in data entry
  • Increase employee productivity and engagement

Every aspect of the employee lifecycle is handled by HR, so there are many possibilities for automation. Where does one start? Identifying the most common tasks and processes is a great first step.

Common HR processes you can automate

1. Onboarding documents

Onboarding can be a highly manual process. Documents need to be shared for verification, new hires need to be given access to forms, and their responses need to be collected, usually within a tight time frame. With this being the first encounter employees have with a company, creating a personalized experience that is both quick and accurate is crucial. Aside from guarding against potential legal issues, having accurate and complete information helps your employees hit the ground running on day one.

This is especially true when you have a high hiring volume. In 2021, Seso provided more than 1,000 agricultural workers with H-2A visas, making them one of the largest H-2A agents in the country. And they were able to accomplish this by implementing Anvil Workflows in place of their manual record keeping system. With Anvil, they were able to quickly customize Workflows for all of their onboarding documents, saving hundreds of hours in employee record management for farms.

2. Background checks

Background checks are a tedious, yet inescapable part of the hiring process. For some companies, especially those hiring gig workers, a person is unable to actually begin working until their background check is complete. Hence, the importance of quick and error-free employee screenings. Some employers opt to perform their own background checks, but that can often take days or weeks. To solve for this, you can link your HR software with a background check solution that automates all parts of the process - like criminal record and reference screenings. Checkr, for example, is an AI-powered background check solution that delivers quick and comprehensive results in minutes. In addition to a faster turnaround time, it can help deliver a better hiring experience for candidates.

3. Notifications and reminders

HR teams are responsible for every aspect of the employee experience and often find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities at once. By implementing HR automation software, key reminders such as new hire start dates, performance reviews, and any other due dates can be automated to relieve pressure. With automated notifications and reminders, the appropriate parties can be notified in real-time, allowing HR teams to focus on more important tasks and ensure that no task or due date is ever missed. If you’re looking for a more customizable solution, Zapier can be a great addition to your existing applications. It integrates with over 4,000 apps and allows you to create zaps (custom notifications and triggers) easily.

4. Payroll

Payroll records are crucial in maintaining compliance with IRS and USDOL regulations. The IRS requires that employers hold onto employee tax records for at least four years, while the USDOL requires at least three years. Having a digital trail of all records can save a lot of time and effort in the case of an audit. In addition to compliance reasons, an automated payroll system increases employee satisfaction and saves time spent on admin tasks. Employees spend less time worrying about how and when they’re going to get paid when their paychecks are automatically processed and sent to them.

5. Offboarding

Offboarding can be an awkward experience for both employers and employees. But that’s not always the case. Some companies hire seasonal workers and have to deal with the impacts of a high turnover rate. It can be time consuming to collect and process termination documents as well as remove employees from payroll and benefits (especially when onboarding others simultaneously). With the addition of an HR automation solution, you can automate each one of these tasks to be quick and reliable, making the offboarding process significantly more manageable.

Just as you can use Anvil to onboard new hires, you can also implement it to offboard existing ones. By creating custom Workflows, you can transform confusing PDF and paper-based processes into simple and intuitive webforms that employees can fill from any device. With our Zapier integration, you can connect your Workflows to your other systems and automatically share data with them.



With the accessibility of automation solutions today, automated processes are becoming an integral part of how HR teams and companies function. By identifying the most common tasks and processes first, HR can build a better comprehensive employee experience, spend less time on manual tasks, and lower operational costs.

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