Create a culture that means business™
Email address
Human resources professionals are seeing more change than ever before — and leaning into the digital technology transforming work across the world is a key reason why. From automating routine tasks to providing new insights and capabilities, the HR digital transformation offers the possibility of changing the employee experience for the better. But it comes with its share of challenges as well, and a failure to anticipate and overcome these roadblocks can reduce your organization’s competitive advantage — and its bottom line.
This is your complete guide to what an HR digital transformation really looks like and how to seamlessly navigate its challenges while realizing its benefits at your company.
What is HR digital transformation?
The HR digital transformation is the process of improving and automating HR through modern tools and new sources of data. Rather than relying solely on manual processes, organizations are integrating digital solutions to streamline tasks like recruitment, training, and performance management. At its core, the HR digital transformation aims to enhance the employee experience and improve HR operations.
When done right, digitizing HR processes should engage employees and make concrete contributions to the success of your business. It streamlines administrative tasks, like filling out forms and processing paperwork, so HR teams can allocate more time and resources to strategic initiatives like talent development and boosting employee engagement. The HR digital transformation also facilitates data-driven decision-making. New tools for gathering feedback let HR and other people leaders collect and analyze vast amounts of employee data, providing valuable insights into workforce trends and performance metrics.
Why is the HR digital transformation so important?
Adopting new HR tech keeps businesses competitive and agile, helping them meet the expectations of employees accustomed to the convenience of digital platforms. It also enhances efficiency by automating traditional HR tasks involving recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluations, and more. Digital solutions like employee recognition platforms, applicant tracking systems, and online training tools reduce administrative burdens while improving important aspects of organizational culture. They also facilitate communication and collaboration among employees, regardless of their location, while enabling HR teams to gather feedback and insights from employees in real time. Giving team members a real voice in organizational decisions and empowering them with additional control over their daily work lives keeps them engaged and makes it more likely that they’ll stick with your organization over the long haul.
Examples of HR digital transformations
There are many HR processes and aspects of the employee experience that can benefit from digitalization. Here are some examples you can put into practice at your organization.
1. Recognition platforms
Every employee wants to feel valued — but the realities of the modern workplace often reduce or eliminate the opportunities to show thanks in person. Recognition and rewards platforms are here to fill the gap, giving all team members the capability to share messages of appreciation anytime, anywhere. The best solutions even allow employees to boost the impact of each moment of recognition by including gifts of reward points that can be redeemed for items and experiences in the platform’s built-in marketplace. There’s no better way to incentivize and reinforce the employee behaviors that lead to a great organizational culture and lead to business success.
2. Employee engagement and feedback solutions
Employee engagement platforms let employees share feedback across a variety of digital channels, like pulse surveys and AI-powered chatbots. They empower team members to share their real thoughts and perspectives, giving organizations insights into everything from how employees feel about your organization’s current benefits to whether they’re satisfied in their current role. By soliciting and acting on anonymous feedback from team members, your company can address significant organizational issues before they get out of hand while demonstrating a commitment to transparency and building trust.
3. Recruitment and onboarding innovations
There are many ways to improve recruitment and onboarding processes with digital solutions. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) automate resume screening and applicant tracking, saving HR professionals time and speeding up the hiring process. Digital onboarding platforms enable new hires to complete paperwork, access training materials, and connect with their new colleagues. These innovations and others improve the candidate experience, help new employees begin contributing more quickly, and let HR teams dedicate their efforts to the strategic aspects of talent acquisition.
4. Employee self-service portals
Employee self-service portals act as a centralized location where team members can manage their personal information, access HR policies and resources, request time off, and more without HR intervention. These self-service capabilities reduce administrative overhead and give employees more control over HR-related tasks, fostering a more engaged and autonomous workforce.
5. Digital learning platforms
Digital learning platforms act as the backbone of any modern talent development program. By providing access to online courses and other on-demand learning opportunities, employees can take ownership of their professional development and pursue training when and where they prefer. HR teams can use these platforms to track employee progress, identify skills gaps, and tailor learning experiences to meet individual and organizational needs.
The stages of HR digital transformation
Carrying out an HR digital transformation is a long-term process that requires significant planning and the active participation of all parts of your organization. Let’s take a look at the three stages HR digital transformations pass through and how you can navigate them successfully at your company.
1. Assessment and planning
It all begins with assessing current HR processes and identifying areas for improvement. This includes evaluating existing systems, workflows, and technology infrastructure to determine their effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals. Once areas for improvement are identified, your company can determine how to leverage digital tools to make a difference, building a transformation roadmap. This roadmap should outline clear objectives, timelines, and resource requirements for implementing digital solutions and driving organizational change.
2. Implementation and integration
With your digital transformation strategy in place, it’s time to move onto the implementation stage, where your organization can begin to deploy digital solutions. This may involve setting up new software platforms, upgrading existing systems, and integrating various tools to create a cohesive digital ecosystem. Provide training and continuous support to employees to minimize disruption to their work tasks and HR operations. Organizations should also prioritize data security and ensure they’re complying with applicable industry regulations, like HIPAA and FedRAMP, so sensitive employee information remains secure throughout the implementation process.
3. Adoption and optimization
Adopting and optimizing the digital solutions your organization has chosen to implement is an ongoing endeavor. Engage employees with training programs, communication initiatives, and change management efforts to encourage the use of new digital tools and workflows. Your company should also monitor and evaluate the performance of its digital solutions, gathering user feedback and adjusting your strategy accordingly. By iteratively refining processes and addressing employee needs, organizations can ensure that digital tools remain aligned with evolving business objectives and deliver sustainable value over time.
How to carry out a successful HR digital transformation
Pursuing a successful HR digital transformation hinges on several key factors. Support from leadership is perhaps the most important. Leaders provide direction, secure resources, and foster the culture of innovation necessary for digital change to thrive. When leaders champion the digital transformation agenda, it signals the importance of the initiative to employees and encourages them to participate and buy in.
Prioritizing change management and employee training is another key aspect of implementing digital HR processes, as the transition can be daunting for employees accustomed to more traditional methods. Your organization should provide training in advance as well as ongoing support to smooth the adoption process. It should also clearly communicate the benefits of adopting digital HR solutions to help alleviate employee concerns. Involving employees in the process by establishing channels for feedback and giving them a real voice in decision-making builds a sense of ownership as changes roll out.
Your company also needs to select digital tools that align with its goals and meet the needs of its workforce. Invest in user-friendly platforms that don’t unnecessarily disrupt existing processes. And don’t be afraid to course-correct if your employees tell you that certain aspects of the digital transition are doing more harm than good — or if there are certain important aspects of the employee experience, like recognition and feedback, that could use additional attention.
Accelerate the HR digital transformation
The Achievers Employee Experience Platform is the fastest way to jumpstart your organization’s HR digital transformation. It comes with tools covering everything from employee recognition and rewards, to AI-powered feedback channels, to supporting remote connections between team members. And it integrates with the digital solutions your employees already use every day, providing a serious leg up when it comes to platform adoption and participation in your new initiatives.
See how the Achievers Employee Experience Platform can elevate your HR practices and empower your workforce by trying a free demo today.
In this article:
Key insights
- Find out about HR digital transformation and why it's important to your company.
- Discover examples and stages of HR digital transformations.
- See how using an employee experience platform is the fastest way to jumpstart your organization’s HR digital transformation.
