What are HR processes? Concrete examples

“Your employees are your most valuable asset. Take care of them and they’ll take care of your business“Richard Branson quote. Human resources are therefore one of a company’s most important levers for prosperity. Given the importance of these activities, HR processes are essential to orchestrate and manage them properly.

In this article, we’ll share everything you need to know about HR processes. In addition, we will detail the method for implementing them, and share opportunities for improvement.

What are the different HR activities?

Before getting to the heart of the human resources process, it’s important to understand all the activities and jobs performed by this function. And there are lots of them!

So, faced with so many activities and in order to reduce low value-added tasks, a company will have to set up HR processes!

But what is an HR process?

Definition of an HR process

An HR process consists of a series of consecutive and sometimes simultaneous steps, covering one or more of the human resources activities described above.

A process begins with an entry event (e.g. the arrival of a new employee or an absence) and ends with an exit event (e.g. the completion of a training course or the validation of an annual appraisal). To go further into the theory, here’s a link to the Wikipedia page

To streamline a process, an HR manager can use software. These will track the progress of the process at every stage, automate certain steps, streamline interactions and interconnect existing software.

Numerous families of solutions exist (e.g. HRIS, vertical HR software, workflow software, work platforms…), which we’ll discuss at the end of the article.

Example: The stages in a recruitment process

The process of welcoming a newcomer involves many consecutive or simultaneous tasks. Listing these steps has a number of advantages, such as :

• Avoid forgetting a step with each new arrival,
• Have a written procedure that can be easily shared,
• Easily identify steps that can be optimized. For example, requesting a PC from the IT department can be easily automated. As another example, the welcome kit presentation can be partially video-recorded and viewed independently by the newcomer.

Main HR processes

We have already drawn up a list of HR activities. An HR process covers one or more of these activities.

For us, the 5 most critical and impacting processes for a company are the following:

• Recruiting candidates: the lifeblood of many industries. Recruiting the best talent is complex. A talent that goes to the competition, it’s a shame…
• Employee skills development: This is a retention task which has an impact on the company’s know-how, employee commitment…
• Payroll and benefits management: Late payments, missed overtime, lack of transparency on raises… problems that don’t improve the employer brand or the corporate climate.
• Absence and leave management: This helps plan operations and reduce the impact on the value chain and on customers.
• Internal communication: To avoid crises and unhealthy climates, the level of information sharing must be consistent throughout the company.

Why are HR processes important?

“A company is not made up of walls, machines or computers, but of people. The quality of their relationships determines the company’s success”, quote by Simon Sinek.

Time savings and performance for greater strategic impact

Processes make life easier for human resources staff (in charge, manager, director…). They enable us to stop wasting time on low value-added tasks (especially when automation is introduced), and spend more time managing problems, building loyalty or driving change.

Strengthening the employer brand through HR processes

When employees see that HR processes are efficient and modern… it’s bound to strike a chord with them. They’ll be happy, and won’t hesitate to publicize it – and may even effortlessly bring new talent into the company.

Between two competing companies offering relatively the same salary to a candidate, the latter will more easily turn to the company with the best employer brand.

Contribute to brand image with customers and prospects

Employer branding is also a guarantee of quality for business activities. Customers and prospects will take note!

Better relations between departments and divisions

It’s not uncommon to hear more or less legitimate complaints about the quality of HR services from the various departments within a company. Processes to factualize misunderstandings will improve relations and communications within the company.

HR processes help safeguard know-how

Processes provide a framework for standardizing certain tasks, which may be mandatory, but are more readily accepted by teams. For example, the formalization of know-how as an objective defined during annual appraisals. Framing an effective bevel when an employee leaves…

How do you set up your HR processes?

To begin with, set up a process framework with the management team

As a reminder, an HR process aims to cover one or more of the activities listed above. Clearly, covering all human resources activities will take time.

We therefore need to prepare a plan for our managers, outlining a method for transformation. It will include :

• The list of processes to be implemented. One process = One project. It’s important to prioritize projects according to their importance and impact on the company.
• For each project, make assumptions, assess the needs to be covered on a macro level, define budgets, and forecast design, construction and deployment times. Be careful not to get into the microphone until the project has been validated.
• Propose a timetable for implementing projects over several months or even years, depending on the complexity of the organization.
• Introduce a team, roles and responsibilities.
• Propose governance bodies.

At this stage, it’s not advisable to look for solutions or software. It’s too early, the needs are still macro. Choosing at this point means closing doors and missing out on the best solution.

Once the scoping file is complete, management will have all the cards in hand to validate or enrich the plan.

The plan is validated! The project linked to the first HR process can be launched

Step 1: Conduct a process audit to list activities and take stock of the current situation

In this first stage, the project manager will list each task within the scope under study and interview a representative number of employees involved in the process.

Even if he already knows them, the project manager will need to collect the following information:

• Specific actions and tasks carried out
• Tools and software used
• Interactions between players
• Figures such as the number of times an action is carried out per week, the number of files to be processed, the number of clicks, the time spent carrying out an action, etc.

This information is gold. They will form the basis for identifying problems, and can easily be shared with managers (who are generally keen on these improvement levers).

Step 2: Formalize current operations

A picture is worth a thousand words. At this stage, a good schematic is all you need. Here are the rules to follow:

• An action or task = A collaborator = A tool = A box
• In each box, subject + verb + complement
• Show simultaneous actions
• This diagram represents a process map, which the project manager can create by hand or using mapping software. For the first versions, doing it by hand on Powerpoint is more than enough.

For example: for the leave process

Step 3: Identify possible optimizations and formalize target operation

A. Identification of optimizations to be translated into requirements

By mapping out the current operation and comparing it with the information gathered during the site survey, the project manager will see what’s working well and where improvements can be made. Frictions such as bottlenecks, repetitive tasks, inefficiencies, convoluted sequences, non-value-added tasks, etc. will be factualized.

Optimizations and automations will then be possible and will be translated into requirements.

Example of possible optimizations :

• Digitization of tool-less steps
• Automate data entry in various tools, notifications and reminders
• Setting up dedicated internal and external communication channels
• Automatic CV analysis and initial sorting
• Interconnection / Integration between different software packages
• Setting up online forms
• Setting up documentation tools
• Progress tracking
• HR process data analysis
• Dashboard construction and reporting

B. Mapping target and ideal functioning

We have yet to find the software solution(s) that will cover these optimizations. The target, ideal and future HR process can be modeled in the form of a process map.

This HR process map will show the stages, the people responsible for the actions and the needs for improvement. Don’t hesitate to show existing software as well.

To find out more about process modeling and mapping, we invite you to read this article: Process modeling – Step-by-step guidance

C. Validation of target operation by management team and relevant collaborators

Without validation, the HR process has no chance of being implemented. In addition, confirming needs will unlock budgets and the search for solutions.

The advantage of this type of mapping is that it can be easily understood by any employee, and is scalable. It will be the main tool for convincing the company’s teams.

Step 4: Set up a process sheet

Automate your HR processes

Now you know all about HR processes. Now it’s your turn! See you soon for more content!