HR managers are struggling to focus on the high value activities that attracted them to the profession in the first place, due to spending two days a week, on average, on unnecessary paperwork.
The figures originate from a new guide released today by ServiceNow, the enterprise cloud company.
Current administrative processes are causing a big productivity drain for HR departments, with a third of their time spent answering routine questions[1], most often by email. Inefficiencies are also rife in the onboarding process, a process that is usually standardised and could easily be automated, with typically ten or more interactions and five departments needed to get ready for an employee’s first day at work[2].
Jen Stroud, HR evangelist and transformation consultant, ServiceNow, commented: “HR is primarily about people, but outdated, manual processes are preventing HR professionals from focusing on what attracted them to the job in the first place. HR serves the most important customers an organisation will ever have – its employees – and it’s time to challenge existing ways of working and position HR as a transformational business service.
“To truly unleash the potential of HR, we must get back the 12 hours a week that are lost unnecessarily to endless, mundane tasks. Service management can play a key role in enabling the shift from administration to strategy, giving HR professionals the freedom to focus on people, not processes, and create competitive advantage for the organisation.”
Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.