The shocking reality of HR inefficiencies and how to overcome them

Chapters:

• The most common HR inefficiencies:
  • Time consuming manual processes
  • Lack of integration
  • Employee self-service barriers
  • Compliance challenges
• Overcoming inefficiencies with HR Service Delivery Platforms:
  • Automated data entry and management
  • Integrated systems
  • Enhanced employee self-service
  • Streamlined compliance management
• Conclusion

HR teams are under increasing pressure to modernize how they deliver services—digitizing manual tasks, reducing costs, and meeting rising employee expectations. But without the right infrastructure, even well-intended efforts can lead to fragmented, frustrating journeys.

For some businesses this direction has resulted in positive disruption. The structure of HR departments have been reworked with a renewed employee focus with streamline processes.

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But for the majority of businesses who are battling against ingrained operating models, they’re still dealing with inefficient HR processes that waste valuable time and resources as well as impacting employee satisfaction and organizational performance.

Let’s shine a spotlight on some of the most common contributors:

1. Manual Processes That Waste Time and Break Journeys:
   • Data Entry: HR professionals often spend countless hours entering employee information into various systems manually. Or, entering the same information in multiple places. This repetitive task is not only tedious but also prone to errors.
   • Paper-Based Documentation: Despite the digital age, many organizations still rely on paper-based forms for everything from leave requests to pay roll. Managing and storing these documents is a cumbersome process.
     
     
2. Lack of Integration:
   • Disparate Systems: Disconnected systems force employees and HR teams to hop between tools just to complete a single process—like onboarding, leave requests, or promotions. The result? Broken journeys, data errors, and slow resolution.
   • Duplicate Data: The lack of integration necessitates entering the same data into multiple systems, increasing the likelihood of errors and inconsistencies.
     
     
3. Employee Self-Service Barriers:
   • Limited Access: Employees often lack access to their own HR information, leading to frequent inquiries about leave balances, benefits, and other personal data. This not only frustrates employees but also consumes HR time.
   • Complicated Processes: Even when self-service exists, poor UX and confusing processes turn simple requests—like booking leave or checking benefits—into support tickets. That’s frustrating for employees and time-consuming for HR.
     
     
4. Compliance Challenges:
   • Regulatory Changes: Keeping up with ever-changing labor laws and regulations is a daunting task, especially when done manually. Non-compliance can result in hefty fines and legal issues. Without a centralized view of the employee base and an automated way to flag which employees are due to update their compliance training it becomes a very time consuming and cumbersome process.
   • Document Management: Ensuring that all necessary documents are up-to-date and stored correctly is critical for compliance but is often mismanaged when handled manually.

❓ Did you know ❓
Around 73% of HR's time is taken up by monotonous administrative tasks (source: Frevvo) and HR managers spend 14 hours per week on tasks that could be automated (source: CareerBuilder)

The impact of these inefficiencies is a huge spend on personnel that could be reduced. Or a missed opportunity to redirect experienced HR professionals to more strategic or value-added work.

Overcoming Inefficiencies with HR Service Delivery Platforms

HR service delivery platforms like Applaud address these inefficiencies head-on—simplifying workflows, improving UX, and giving HR the tools to manage services with speed, accuracy, and ease.

Here's how:

1. Automated Data Entry and Management:
   • Onboarding Automation: Automating the onboarding journey means handling everything from sending offer letters to collecting necessary documents, reducing the manual workload and ensuring a smooth process for new hires.
   • Real-Time Updates: Changes to employee information can be automatically updated across all systems, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry and reducing errors.
     
     
     
2. Integrated Systems:
   • Unified HR Ecosystem: HR service delivery platforms orchestrate complex, cross-functional processes—like onboarding, transfers, or parental leave—across multiple systems, ensuring tasks, approvals, and data flow in the right order, without manual follow-up.
   • Centralized Data Repository: With all HR data stored in a centralized location, accessing and managing employee information becomes much more efficient.
     
     
3. Enhanced Employee Self-Service:
   • User-Friendly Portals: Modern platforms provide intuitive, personalized self-service—surfacing relevant actions, offering search that actually works, and reducing the need to contact HR in the first place.
   • Mobile Access: Many platforms offer mobile apps, allowing employees to manage their HR-related tasks on the go, further enhancing convenience and satisfaction.
     
     
4. Streamlined Compliance Management:
   • Automated Compliance Updates: HR platforms can automatically update to comply with the latest regulations, ensuring that the organization remains compliant without manual effort. And can send reminders to employees who need to complete mandatory training or submit compliance documents.
   • Document Automation: Automating document generation, storage, and retrieval ensures that all necessary compliance documents are always up-to-date and easily accessible.

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Conclusion

The inefficiencies inherent in manual HR tasks are not only shocking but also detrimental to the overall performance of an organization.

By adopting HR service delivery platforms, companies can automate tedious processes, integrate their HR systems, and empower employees with self-service capabilities.

These platforms not only enhance efficiency and accuracy but also free up HR professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives, ultimately driving the organization forward.

Investing in an HR service delivery platform is no longer a luxury but a necessity in today's fast-paced business environment.

It’s time for organizations to modernize how HR services are delivered—eliminating inefficiencies, improving employee experience, and freeing up HR to focus on the work that really moves the business forward.

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About the Author

Rachel James is the Chief Marketing Officer at Applaud, responsible for elevating the brand and creating market demand. With international experience spanning Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, she brings a global perspective to our product offering and an acute awareness of widespread market trends.