HR departments are being asked to deliver more than ever. As they evaluate where they can become more efficient, they’re uncovering barriers preventing them from becoming the leaders they need to be.

The Five Characteristics of an HR Efficiency Leader

The path to becoming more efficient can begin by looking at what HR leaders are doing. Access recently partnered with HR.com and the HR Research Institute to learn about the realities that HR departments face. The survey of 338 HR professionals across North America revealed five characteristics HR efficiency leaders share. How do you compare?

  1. Leaders ensure that HR and organizational goals are aligned.

    Over two-thirds of HR leaders (70%) said their goals are aligned with their organization’s targets. Having this alignment is crucial not just in achieving strategic success, but in improving HR efficiency.

  2. Leaders focus on upskilling the workforce and improving employee experience.

    Over half of leaders (62%) focus on advancing employee learning and development. Employees who are routinely trained and educated can help improve business efficiency. They’re already familiar with established processes, and new insights and best practices may help them uncover new opportunities for improvement.

  3. Leaders believe employee-oriented HR goals are important to the whole organization.

    HR efficiency leaders believe that putting employee success at the forefront of their efforts drives greater levels of departmental and organizational success. Seventy-five percent of leaders identify acquiring and retaining high-performing employees as a top goal, and 69% of leaders want to raise employee engagement so they give their best work.

  4. Leaders are perceived as more than administrators.

    HR efficiency leaders say they’re seen as strategic members of their organization: as culture keepers (67%), business partners (58%) and employee advocates (76%). If your team members are perceived as more than administrators and paper pushers, the department is more likely to drive positive change within the business.

  5. Leaders embrace automation and other key technologies.

    Although all survey respondents said they’re struggling to be more efficient and effective, leaders are more likely to use technology to refine and improve processes. They appear to have better access to automation, and also are more likely to eliminate unnecessary and inefficient processes.

Go Digital to Become an Efficiency Leader

To become an HR leader in efficiency, technology plays a valuable role in reducing or eliminating the repetitive processes that have taken over your daily work. It should support such tasks as efficiently responding to employee needs and compliance issues, easily tracking KPIs, and transforming or automating manual processes.

To learn more about the benefits of adopting automation and innovative technologies within your HR department, download this checklist.

Source: All data from “What’s Hindering HR Success in 2019” survey conducted by HR.com and the HR Research Institute in partnership with Access, 2019.