Keeping pace with technological advances is a lofty goal, and many organizations don’t have the budget for frequent upgrades. Before you decide to automate HR, it’s important to weigh all the factors involved, such as the predicted growth of the company and the level of satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with the current HR processes. Here are seven ways to recognize when the need for HR automation has become critical.

1. Workforce Has Outgrown HR Capabilities

The more HR tasks that can be automated, the more time HR professionals can devote to attracting and sustaining a talented workforce and critical operational functions. If you’ve noticed a lack of recruitment efforts coupled with high turnover rates, an overworked HR department could be the cause.

2. Paper Maintenance Costs Have Become Unsustainable

If operational expenses are eating too much into your HR department’s budget, they will only worsen if you stick with a paper-based system. Switching to an automated system can help HR departments spend fewer resources on operational processes.

3. HR Staffing and/or Budget Has Decreased

Because an automated HR system requires less human involvement than a manual one, HR departments can operate efficiently, even with reduced staff. Additionally, HR professionals can keep track of documents more easily in a digital format, helping them maintain better compliance despite having limited resources.

4. Core Functions Have Become Subpar

Do you or your HR colleagues get blamed for slow onboarding, or distributing tax forms at the last minute? Take a look at the most fundamental responsibilities of your HR department and see if any of them fall short.

5. Compliance Has Become a Nightmare

If HR audits at your organization result in fines, take weeks to conduct or identify problems associated with paper records, it’s probably time to go digital and automate HR.

6. Organization is Expanding Geographically

If your organization has been growing or is planning a major geographical expansion, manual, paper-based processes will do little to support its growing needs. Automation benefits not only the organization that demands insight into its satellite offices, but the HR departments that must provide that insight.

7. Organization is Merging With or Acquiring New Offices

An organization that hasn’t automated HR before a merger or acquisition should consider doing so as part of the restructuring phase. As the newly formed organization assesses its workforce, HR can share valuable information with an automated system, or hinder strategic planning with a manual one.

So, what do you think “ is it time for HR automation at your organization?

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This article was originally published on the Laserfiche Blog. Laserfiche is a leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management and business process automation.