Digitize HR Processes: When designing human resource management in future, HR managers increasingly ask themselves the digitization question, which so far has only been adequately answered in a few medium-sized companies. Investing in a fully automated IT structure can get lame processes going and take the pressure off those responsible.
In many HR departments, everyday life still looks like this: An assortment of Excel tables, confusing personnel distribution lists and a largely manual design of HR processes. These confusing structures result from a large amount of personal data accumulated in companies with hundreds or even thousands of employees.
Digitize HR Processes: Link HR Processes And IT
For the most part, they were managing this sensitive information. The subsequent creation of IT user accounts is carried out manually using various forms or by e-mail using Help Desk tickets. The HR staff compiled data such as name, date of entry, position, and department affiliation for every onboarding or offboarding. IT managers then translate these into authorizations – for example, in Active Directory, SAP, Office365 or similar – and enter them into the systems as users. There are enough interfaces between the HR department and IT – the processes described prove to be neither up-to-date nor efficient nor resource-saving.
HR Work Rethought
A look at some already digitally operating companies shows another way: In many cases, medium-sized companies are now able to establish an automated identity management system in their HR departments. For example, a company from the manufacturing industry with around 1,000 employees was recently able to implement such a project successfully. To establish clean structures and information flows in all departments, the project focused on the standardization and automation of the on- and offboarding processes, as they make up a large part of the workload.
In addition, those responsible set up an approval workflow in which the manager can approve the assignment of authorizations without the need for IT. This also eliminates delays in accessing the required IT systems for new employees. To enable personnel management to work more independently, a so-called self-service function was set up in a final step, which, among other things, simplifies password resets and authorization applications for every employee and thus avoids long journeys in internal processes.
The Future Model With Perspective
Such possibilities, included in the project approach mentioned, paint an interesting picture of future work structures for medium-sized companies. For the processing or solving small formalities, including forgetting an important password or applying for certain time-limited project authorization, those involved needed a lot of patience before the standardization of the processes.
But when an employee starts a new job, the implemented identity management system triggers automation consisting of user creation, maintenance of personal data and the creation of the IT releases required for the employees. The resulting improvement in HR processes and better data quality, which results from the comparison with all existing systems of the operating company, will play an increasingly important role in the world of work in the future.
ALSO READ: Hybrid Working Models: These Trends Will Determine IT Security In 2022
