- 5 Best HRIS Automation Strategies to Align Talent Goals - February 6, 2025
HR is at the heart of every big change regarding employees in the workplace. Today, HR teams facilitate remote and hybrid working, manage layoffs, deal with issues like employee burnout, and track performance. Hence, the importance of your HRIS automation strategies.
A strong HR department can help any business thrive just by managing the people working within it more effectively.
As businesses grow, however, the demands on HR increase and their capabilities decrease. If you want your HR team to be able to do more across the board, you’ll need to upgrade to an HRIS.
This guide covers what an HRIS is and its benefits. And, most importantly, we look at the top automation strategies you can implement to maximize your HRIS and align it with your talent goals.
Free-to-use image sourced from Unsplash
What Is HRIS?
HRIS stands for human resources information system. It’s a database that can help HR teams work faster, more efficiently, and with greater impact. HRIS systems can also be expanded by integrating them with your other systems.
For example, you can integrate your HRIS with AI chatbots and virtual assistants. By doing so, prospective employees can go to your chatbot or assistant with questions and get relevant answers.
Something as simple as a person who loves your brand being able to get more in-depth information about working for you can turn a prospective talent into your next leading employee.
HRISs also make it a walk in the park to manage current staff as it helps you:
Manage Employee Data
Your HRIS works by centralizing all your employee data in one place. And this, in turn, makes it a breeze to manage information like:
- Time-off requests
- Employee personal details
- Attendance
- Contact information
- Employment history
- Benefits
You can have a single source of truth with all the information in one place. This makes it easy to keep information accurate and preps it for automation.
Free-to-use image sourced from Pexels
Improve the Recruitment and Onboarding Process
An HRIS isn’t only capable of managing employee files. When linked with a text analyzer or applicant tracking system, it’s also an effective way to streamline hiring and onboarding just by keeping track of and optimizing job descriptions, applications, and the onboarding process.
The best part? With an HRIS, you can automate many of those steps, saving your HR team time and improving the final selection of short-listed candidates.
Automate Payroll
HRIS systems are excellent at tracking salaries, calculating deductions, and automatically generating payslips. This gets your staff paid on time every time, but more importantly, it helps properly store your financial records to prove tax and labor compliance.
Improve Security
HRIS encrypts all files to keep data secure. You can also link your HRIS with other IT and security systems to enable access controls, regular backups, endpoint security, and more. These efforts bolster data security, keeping your business and staff safer.
Monitor Performance
Monitoring each employee’s performance is essential for management. It’s how you can reward your hard workers, provide those struggling with a remedial program, and much more. With an HRIS, managers can update and track performance in real time. This can be done by:
- Setting goals
- Holding performance reviews
- Tracking business performance like the number of sales
- Building training programs
- Tracking certification progress
You can easily track reports and make progress notes manually in the system. Alternatively, you can link your HRIS to time-tracking tools, learning management systems, and task management tools.
Top Reasons Your Organization Needs HRIS Automation Strategies
A Gartner survey found that, in 2024, 88% of HR leaders planned to improve processes by extending their use of HR technology, and 53% were interested in leveraging new emerging HR technology.
In essence, as 60% of departments are experiencing a decrease or stagnation of their budgets, HR leaders are pivoting their budgets to get more out of less.
Enter, HRIS.
HRIS boosts HRM efficiency by automating many manual tasks, centralizing data, and automatically updating all changes, allowing all departments to work more seamlessly together. This helps boost operations across the board while prepping your organization for any audit, internal or otherwise.
That’s just the base of what HRIS can do as well. Once you’ve implemented the following HRIS automation strategies, you’ll be able to align talent goals such as:
- Improving the quality of new hires
- Boosting employee engagement and participation
- Encouraging more staff to invest in off-hours training and development
- Creating and implementing a succession planning program
- Increasing HR efficiency
- Decreasing associated costs
Not only can the right HRIS system help you accomplish those goals, but it can also help you automate many of the processes involved. In turn, this saves your HR team time that they can instead spend on workshopping, strategizing, and improving employee management from top to bottom.
Image sourced from Gartner
When Should You Invest in HRIS Automation Strategies?
Like with any system, there’s a time and a place for it. In general, small companies with less than 25 employees can probably manage just fine without an HRIS.
But when HR processes become too much to handle manually, it’s a good idea to implement an HRIS in your business. The point at which an HRIS becomes a necessity can vary from business to business, but, of course, it’s most effective for medium-to-enterprise-sized organizations. This is because these larger companies are likely to have a large amount of data that can quickly become a hassle to handle.
According to Select Software Reviews’ Ultimate Guide: HR Software Pricing, the cost of HRIS varies depending on the size of the company using it, with the smallest company in the survey having only 20 employees and paying around $25 per employee per year, while companies with 250 employees or more pay $80 per employee per year.
So, it’s important to take the size of your organization and possible cost of HRIS into consideration when setting aside your HR budget.
5 Best HRIS Automation Strategies to Align Talent Goals
An HRIS, on its own, will immediately help improve your HR team’s efficiency simply by centralizing data and allowing employees to update their information in their online portal.
That, however, is just the start. To truly align your talent goals with your HR system, you’ll want to implement these top HRIS automation strategies:
1. Understand What Your Business Needs
First things first, before you start setting up any automation processes, you must first understand precisely what you need to get out of your HRIS.
Thanks to APIs, you can connect your HRIS to systems like AI-powered job description writers and job ad managers. You can also link your HRIS to your finance team or your ERP.
You’ll want input from all the key stakeholders to understand your business needs. This can include your HR team, department managers, IT team, and even your employees.
This will help you create a clear list of what these stakeholders want from their HR department. Then you’ll need to organize those needs and wants into goals and objectives. Sort those objectives into an order of priority and then work on implementing solutions top-down so your HR system gets front-loaded with the richest features first.
Free-to-use image sourced from Pexels
2. Choose the Right Type of HRIS For Your Needs
There are several types of HRIS, and knowing the right one for your business will make a huge difference in automating the tasks that you need to automate.
- Operational HRIS: An operational HRIS is the essential version of an HRIS system. This option will help HR teams better manage employee and financial data by making it more easy to track, update, and store essential data.
- Limited HRIS: If you operate a small business, a limited HRIS that can tackle one task (for example, employee data) might be what you need to manage your staff better.
- Strategic HRIS: A Strategic HRIS helps businesses during expansion periods. It might contain workforce planning features or be linked via an API to a job ad management system. Onboarding, succession planning, and development systems may also be included within a strategic HRIS.
- Tactical HRIS: Tactical HRIS systems help businesses identify and fill organizational gaps. In addition to providing essential HR support and automation, they may help the HR team fill skill gaps within the organization by hiring or linking employees with professional development programs.
- Comprehensive HRIS: This is an all-in-one HRIS that includes features and toolsets that allow you to identify and fill missing gaps, manage growth, improve employee data management, and more.
If you have a limited budget, choosing the right HRIS is imperative to help you get the features that will improve your organization the most. If you’re a large, enterprise-sized business, you’ll want to opt for all the bells and whistles with a complex HRIS or one that can be customized to suit your needs.
3. Start Automating Basic Tasks First
For success, automation must be done intentionally. The best way to do this is to start with low-complexity tasks, such as automatically uploading details from an applicant into your system.
You can then add to the automation process. For example, you could use external or internal job posting templates and AI text generators to create job listings, generate offer or rejection letters, and start the onboarding process automatically.
Free-to-use image sourced from Pexels
4. Link Your HRIS with Other Systems
Your HRIS on its own is already powerful and comes with several built-in automation features, but that’s just the start. You must link it to other systems with APIs to unleash its potential. For example, you could link your HRIS with:
– Text Analyzers
Text analyzer platforms, like Ongig, can integrate with your HRIS or ATS tool to streamline one of the most time-consuming parts of the hiring process — creating job descriptions. Using AI to create your job descriptions and then your HRIS or ATS to automatically update your ads can be a massive help when you’re expanding.
– Financial Systems
Link your HRIS to your financial systems to minimize errors and speed up payroll payments. Your HRIS can share employee data like name, address, bank details, and overtime hours worked. Linking this extra information can increase the accuracy of your payments, ensuring your staff gets paid on time.
– Applicant Tracking Systems
An AI-powered ATS can speed up the hiring process and improve everyone’s experience. Linking one to your HRIS streamlines the entire process, from application to onboarding. You’ll also gain invaluable recruitment analytics to enhance recruitment strategies in the future.
– Learning Management Systems
Track employee development by linking your HRIS with an LMS. You can also measure how practical your training is by centralizing feedback and progress reports into your HRIS system.
Then if an employee gains any certification (or needs it renewed), your system can automatically update. This is particularly useful in industries where regular training is a legal requirement, like in healthcare.
– Chatbots and Virtual Assistants
You can also link your RAG architecture LLM chatbot with your HRIS so that your virtual assistant can provide prospective employees with real-time information, further boosting the candidate experience.
This works because retrieval-augmented generation tools perform a search before answering a query. Suppose a candidate has a question to ask. In that case, the LLM can draw from the accurate information in your HRIS (which is publicly accessible) and even beyond to provide instant, helpful answers.
Free-to-use image sourced from Pexels
5. Test, Test, Test
As with any new system, you need to test it. Starting with one system at a time means being able to run tests (For example, you could check that an employee can use their portal to make a change or request time off and have that change automatically applied across departments).
You should never assume that an automated system will work immediately without a hitch. Testing it each time you add or customize a new tool can improve performance and reduce downtime.
Metrics for Measuring HRIS Automation Strategies Success
When implementing a human resource information system (HRIS), it’s essential to measure how successful your HRIS automation strategies are. As such, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) can help you understand the impact on your HR functions and identify areas for improvement. So, below are some metrics to consider.
Time Saved with HRIS Automation Strategies
One of the biggest advantages of implementing HRIS automation strategies is saving a lot of time on repetitive HR tasks like manual data entry, updating employee records, and managing attendance records. Therefore, by using a good HRIS with self-service capabilities, HR staff can focus on more strategic decisions instead of spending hours on administrative tasks. For example, onboarding new employees through an employee self-service portal reduces the manual work involved. And, it also improves the onboarding experience for both HR and the new hire.
Error Reduction as a Result of HRIS Automation Strategies
Switching to a single platform for HR workflows can significantly reduce human error in critical processes like payroll processing and benefits administration. A robust HRIS software solution ensures accurate handling of sensitive information, including social security numbers, employee personal data, and compliance with labor laws. So, reducing errors not only improves the employee experience. It also helps HR departments maintain trust and meet regulatory requirements.
Employee Satisfaction
A smooth and efficient HR system directly impacts the satisfaction of team members. Features like self-service portals, mobile apps, and easy access to employee information ensure a better overall user experience. For instance, employees can quickly access their employee benefits during open enrollment or track their performance using talent management tools. So, this ease of use empowers employees, supports their career development, and reduces frustration.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Calculating the ROI of your HRIS automation strategies is crucial. So, start by comparing the costs of your current HR systems with the savings from automating processes like payroll management, talent acquisition, and core HR processes. A human resource management system that streamlines operations and integrates different systems into a single platform can lead to greater efficiency and business growth. This is especially beneficial for small businesses and smaller businesses that need cost-effective solutions.
Data-Driven Decisions
Using HRIS platforms with data analytics capabilities gives HR professionals access to valuable insights about their workforce. From tracking employee performance to identifying the best candidates for promotions, these insights enable better strategic decisions. Additionally, machine learning features in advanced HCM systems can predict trends and guide HR workflows more effectively.
How to Get Started With Your HRIS Automation Strategies
To ensure the success of your HR automation strategies, follow these best practices:
- Select an HRIS provider that offers a free trial so you can test the ease of use and self-service features before committing.
- Focus on additional features like customer support, talent management, and attendance tracking to meet your specific use case.
- Involve HR staff in the evaluation process to ensure the system aligns with your company policies and supports business operations.
With the right tools and a clear understanding of these KPIs, you can unlock the full potential of your HRIS automation strategies, improving both the employee experience and the efficiency of HR functions. Whether you’re a large organization or a smaller business, investing in a human resources management system that integrates with your existing payroll systems and enhances customer service will play a crucial role in your success.
Top Takeaways
HRIS is how you can boost the efficiency and capabilities of your HR team as it works to centralize your data and automate several key processes. It will immediately help your team by automatically applying updates, making it easier for employees to keep their contact details up to date and tracking overtime and even time off requests.
However, to really advance your HRIS with automation, you’ll want to start with a strategy. This way, you’ll be able to outline your talent goals clearly and work on setting up your HRIS for success.
Once you know your talent goals, you can then work on finding the right HRIS system for you. Don’t worry about getting all the features from the very beginning. You can build it up by linking it to other systems like an ATS.
With these top HRIS automation strategies, you can align your talent goals, better support your HR team, and work on improving your business as a whole.
