Human resources departments have long been a core component of general business operations, and several trends in the workforce have put the onus on these professionals to get the job done more quickly and efficiently. Skills shortages are spreading like wildfire across industries, increasing competition among companies to find the right employees who have adequate skills, while the face of the workforce is also changing rapidly due to younger individuals entering and global markets expanding. 

At the same time, companies are now digitally driven, meaning they are becoming more comfortable with advanced technologies that streamline processes and boost productivity. Mobility has been at the center of many trends, as it can quickly boost the flexibility of operations, increase employee engagement, reduce inefficiencies and push a firm closer to the 24/7 availability that so many customers and clients demand in the current market. 

However, while sales professionals have certainly been among the first to be targeted with mobile initiatives, bringing these solutions into the human resources department can have a vastly positive impact before long. The smartphone is one of the most powerful and ubiquitous tools in business today, and leveraging mobile solutions that boost human resources performance might help companies overcome the vast challenges facing the department in the coming years. 

Happier, more productive
ITWeb recently reported that HR technologies can actually help professionals in the department maintain a cleaner, more consistent work-life balance, which will positively benefit the businesses they work for. Keep in mind here that there are several factors involved when looking at the importance of the work-life balance among all employees, but specifically those who are tasked with managing and supporting staff across the business. 

For one, studies indicate that millennials – who are quickly becoming the most common individuals in the private sector – are far more focused on achieving an adequate work-life balance than their predecessors. On top of this, churn in the HR department can end up having a snowball effect on the company at large, making it more difficult to get the right talent and skills into the business in a seamless and speedy fashion. 

According to ITWeb, self-service solutions available through mobile devices, as well as other software that can help HR departments such as performance management tools, are powerful in the modern corporate landscape. 

"By automating routine paperwork, HR departments will be able to focus more on issues such as training and development, performance management, employee retention, developing a positive business culture and alignment of HR and business strategies," James McKerrell, CEO of a solution provider based in South Africa, told the source. "This translates into a business advantage."

So, by not only implementing solutions that will automate processes and reduce the amount of inefficiency in the physical HR department, but also making them available to mobile users, these operations can be significantly improved. 

The right solution
Business leaders looking for an HR solution should consider finding one that can automate review and approval processes for core requirements, safeguard sensitive documents, enable fee reductions and decrease labor spending during both onboarding and termination situations. Automating some of the more mundane and repetitive tasks for HR employees will inherently increase productivity and efficiency in the department, all the while boosting engagement among the employees therein to reduce the chances of high turnover. 

What's more, these solutions can be implemented to be available through smartphones and tablets, which will work to further improve the experience of HR and make it more resilient to disruptions as time goes on, boosting consistency every step of the way.