For any small business, human resources can be one of the trickiest things to get right. But it’s one of the most important aspects too! Human resources involves almost every aspect of managing your staff and their abilities – from onboarding to training, continuing professional development, payment and bonuses.
This can all add-up to a time-consuming task, especially if you don’t have a dedicated HR department. It’s for this reason that many business owners rely on HR automation to streamline processes and improve efficiency.
Whilst there are many tools and HR tips for small businesses out there – how can you know which HR automation software is right for you?
In this ultimate guide, discover exactly what HR automation software is and the benefits it can bring to your business. We also provide five top picks for the best small business HR software currently on the market.
What is automation software?
Human resources automation (HR automation) uses the latest technology and software to fully digitise and automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks. In business, time is money – and this is no different in HR.
Small business HR software can automate tasks such as:
• Staff recruitment
• Onboarding administration
• Payroll management
• Timekeeping
• Training and CPD logging
• Approving holiday requests
• Performance management
• Benefits and bonuses
• Secure data sharing
These necessary tasks are important for legal purposes as well as good business practice. Consequently, installing reliable, trustworthy software is crucial.
What are the benefits of using HR automation?
Switching from manual processes to automated software will always require a certain level of financial investment and training. If you’re investing both time and money in technology – being able to explain the key benefits to staff and stakeholders is key.
Here are some of the main benefits of small business HR software…
Time savings
What is automation software? Well, at its essence – it’s something that saves your business time.
Did you know that the average HR manager loses 14 hours a week completing manual tasks that could be automated? HR automation tools take administrative tasks off the desk of your employees – giving them more free time to focus on data-driven decision making and strategic business goals.
Increased efficiency
This goes hand in hand with saving time, but any HR tips for small business will focus on improving efficiency. Physical paperwork can get stuck on someone’s desk, invite errors or often get lost entirely.
When processes are automated, there’s less chance for things to go wrong. Less printing also reduces costs and the need for storage space, as well as being better for the environment.
Reporting and analysis
By fully automating HR processes, you can easily track, collect and analyse data relating to your staff and business performance. This allows for the simple creation of reports, further enabling processes to be improved and problems to be identified.
Employee morale and performance
If HR managers or business owners have more free time, this can be spent on improving the working culture, productivity and wellbeing of your company.
If employees have a positive onboarding experience, training they value and everyday admin such as leave requests approved promptly – this all results in a better working environment.
The 5 best small business HR software UK
When searching for an HR automation tool for your business, first consider the problems you are trying to solve.
Create a list of the key tasks you’d like to automate and check that any software solutions are able to integrate seamlessly with your existing technology. Further consider ease-of-use, budget, as well as rollout timelines and scalability.
To help make your decision, here are five of the best small business HR software UK available today.
Built for Teams
Built for teams is a great software solution for streamlining time and attendance management. Utilising fully shareable calendars, businesses can track and report on time-off requests, sick-leaves and many other factors impacting employee pay and performance. This provides transparency and automation across the entire business, meaning that lengthy waits for approvals and payslips are a thing of the past.
WorkBright
Post Covid-19, remote working has become essential for small and large businesses alike. WorkBright provides fully remote onboarding and recruitment tools. This includes managing hiring paperwork and employee files from anywhere, sending automatic reminders at key stages of the onboarding process and mobile app features. WorkBright is famously user friendly, cutting down on staff training and time spent getting to grips with new programs.
Fuse Workforce Management
Fuse Workforce Management brings together many aspects of modern HR. As a complete software solution, it has capabilities for time and attendance management, payroll and performance reviews.
Fuse Workforce Management centralises employee management from “hire to retire”, as well as improving decision-making and efficiency across the organisation. With consolidated reporting and powerful dashboards, it’s a fantastic tool for anyone wanting a clear, real-time overview of their company.
Rippling
For small business HR software UK, it really doesn’t get much better than this. Rippling is currently the number one rated HR and IT software according to GetApp – and for good reason.
Rippling provides 100% online people management and onboarding. Its intuitive interface facilitates tasks such as setting up payroll, taxes and new work computers at the click of a button. What’s more, integrations with popular third-party apps such as Slack, Zoom and Office 365 further allow for a seamless employee experience.
Sage HR
Sage HR offer a free fourteen day trial so that small business owners can make sure the software is right for them. With easy setup, Sage HR boasts “amazing work-life experiences for your people” as well as increased productivity for anyone dealing with HR tasks.
Capabilities include onboarding and employee databases, automating time-off requests as well as shift changes, and the ability to create custom reports with meaningful HR insights. With further opportunities for managing expenses and integrations with popular apps – it’s another complete solution for small businesses.
HR automation is the future for small businesses – so make sure your organisation doesn’t get left behind. The effective implementation of small business HR software will revolutionise your workflows and save massive amounts of time.
For more HR tips for small businesses, explore Bromley Business Hub. We provide advice and support to local start-ups and SMEs in the Bromley, London area.
