Human capital management (HCM) is the process that HR professionals go through to manage the employee lifecycle at an organization. For example, you may recognize HCM as how compensation is strategized according to market research or how online benefits administration for new hires can streamline onboarding.
At small businesses, HR teams (often a party of one) handle a mix of high-level human capital management initiatives and time-consuming administrative tasks like payroll processing and compliance tracking. The key HCM objectives include:
While these initiatives drive long-term organizational success, HR professionals often find themselves pulled into daily administrative distractions. So, how can you focus on what truly matters in human capital management?
Imagine this: You’re conducting market research to refine your company’s compensation strategy, but an employee interrupts you to ask for a pay stub from last year. Without an HRIS in place, you might be the only one who can retrieve it—forcing you to pause your critical HCM work.
Every minute spent on administrative tasks limits your ability to focus on strategic human capital management goals. If HR is constantly bogged down by small, reactive tasks, it can’t effectively contribute to the company’s growth and employee experience.
To maximize your impact as an HR professional, follow these steps to reduce distractions and dedicate more time to HCM initiatives:
Identify Blockers. Identify the HR tasks inhibiting you from tackling important HCM projects. Track what you spend time on for one month. If you start payroll at 8 a.m. and it takes until 1 p.m., log that data on a note or spreadsheet. If someone interrupts you with a question about open enrollment that takes 20 minutes to answer to their satisfaction, jot that down as well.
Any time spent doing low-tier HR-related duties, from printing out your Culture Guide or employee handbook for new hires to sending someone their paystub from last year, counts as time spent blocking you from HCM projects. Chores like these are minor administrative tasks that, while necessary, ultimately prevent you from achieving high-level HCM goals.
Identify the Underlying Causes. Some blockers are easier to fix than others. Some may be effectively managed by creating collateral, such as a Culture Guide, to answer your workforce’s questions, whereas others may require a more in-depth understanding of the underlying issue.
First, think about the biggest blockers. For example, say that one of your blockers is that you’re the one having to connect managers to candidates and then run the interview process. Managers constantly ask you for updates, and you’re always on the phone scheduling candidate’s interviews with relevant hiring influencers. One of the underlying causes for this kind of blocker may be that there isn’t a way for you, hiring managers, and candidates to communicate.
So, you’ve identified that communication between various participants in the recruitment process must be streamlined. A good solution will help you and other parties of interest remain informed and active in the recruiting process. So now that you know the variables of each major blocker and the parameters of a good solution, what’s next?
By implementing HR technology, you can reduce time spent on administrative tasks and refocus on strategic human capital management initiatives.
4. Gain Leadership Buy-In: You can gain leadership buy-in more effectively by asking your boss a question that they are certain to say “yes” to. Consider one of your HCM goals and convert it into a question. For example, if you’re concerned about retention rates, say,
“Our retention rates have declined significantly, and it’s costing us twice as much to recruit and train new hires. If we figure out what's causing such high turnover, we can develop a solution to help managers keep talented employees, which would save us money on recruiting costs. Wouldn't that be great?"
By answering “yes”, your boss is agreeing that HCM projects should be your priority.
Begin your HCM project's preliminary work, like collecting turnover data from recent years. However, you still have blockers that inhibit you. In regular meetings with your boss, remind them of your project, and bring up how you wish you had more time to work on it. Then, give an overview of how you’ve been spending your time from the notes you’ve been keeping. Ask your boss how they would like you to prioritize the demands on your time.
Your boss may have no idea how much you do day-to-day, so showing them will be really important. The cost of an HRIS may be more acceptable if your boss sees what you’re spending time on but wants you to prioritize high-level activities.
Your role’s ultimate purpose is to foster a better place to work. In order to fulfill that purpose, you must strategically show your boss what you are positioned to revolutionize in your organization.
But remind them of the restrictions on your time.
Researching, reviewing, and implementing the changes you know will benefit your company takes time you don’t have. An all-in-one HRIS doesn’t only manage blockers for you—it removes their underlying causes entirely.
You can stay informed, educated, and up to date with important HR topics using BerniePortal’s comprehensive resources: