Challenges in daily HR: What should you automate first?

Everyday life in an HR team is often filled with well‑intentioned but time‑consuming routines. Approving vacation requests, recording absences, and arranging the practicalities for new employees can easily take up a disproportionate amount of working time – time that would be far better spent on people development, supporting managers, and strategic work.

When an HR solution is used effectively, automation can free up hours per week/month, depending on the size of the organization. But where should you start? Here are three HR processes where the benefits become visible the fastest: absences, vacations and onboarding.

 

Absences: less manual work, more transparency

In many organizations, absence management is surprisingly fragmented. Notifications arrive via email, Teams or phone calls. The information is eventually recorded manually in payroll systems or Excel sheets.

At its simplest, an automated absence process means that:

• The employee reports their absence directly in the HR solution with just a few clicks
• The manager receives an automatic notification and approves it if necessary
• The information is updated in real time in reporting and payroll

HR saves time every day by no longer having to collect and correct absence information afterwards. At the same time, managers and HR always have an up‑to‑date view of the absence situation—without separate inquiries or report requests.

 

Vacations: one process, visible to everyone

Vacation planning and approvals place a heavy burden on HR, especially before the summer holiday season. Long email threads, overlapping vacations, and confusion about remaining vacation balances are familiar challenges.

When vacation management is automated:

• Employees can see their vacation balance in real time
• Vacation requests are submitted in the system with just a few clicks
• Managers can view the team’s vacation situation at a glance
• Approvals and balance updates happen automatically

HR no longer needs to clarify vacation balances or act as a middleman between managers and employees. Errors are also reduced, as calculations and tracking are handled directly within the HR solution.

 

Onboarding: a smooth start without sticky notes

Starting a new employee is one of the most important moments in the entire employment relationship. Yet onboarding is often scattered: access rights are ordered, but onboarding materials or critical forms are forgotten.

Automated onboarding makes it possible to:

• Use a predefined task list for everyone involved: HR, IT, the manager, and the new employee
• Send automatic reminders and follow clear schedules
• Provide a consistent and clear onboarding experience for every new hire

HR no longer starts each onboarding process from scratch but uses a ready‑made workflow. Quality improves at the same time: every new employee gets the same great start, and nothing important is missed due to a busy schedule.

 

Automation doesn’t replace HR – it strengthens it

Automation does not mean cold or impersonal HR. On the contrary: when routine tasks run smoothly in the background, HR has more time to meet people, support managers, and develop the organization.

A good HR solution doesn’t do HR’s job for you—it gives you the time to focus on what matters most. Learn more about the benefits of Solaforce’s HR solution.

Organizations are undergoing a transformation in which technology and especially AI has moved to the center of nearly every area of business. At the same time, employees’ expectations for humanity, value-based leadership and psychological safety are increasing. In this crosscurrent, HR has become a driver of change, capable of bringing together two perspectives often seen as opposites: technological efficiency and an emphasis on soft values. But how can AI support precisely those values? Empathy, listening, transparency and meaningful work that we see as the foundation of a humane working life?

In many organizations, HR teams still spend a significant portion of their time on routine tasks: compiling reports, producing contracts, and coordinating processes. AI can automate up to half of these tasks. In very concrete terms, AI frees up HR’s time for genuine human interaction. When time is released from routine work, HR can focus on areas where humanity and impact truly meet:

• supporting leadership
• managing demanding interaction situations
• building organizational culture
• monitoring and developing employee well‑being

AI does not replace HR. It makes room for authentic HR work built on soft values. AI helps to see people as a whole. Traditionally HR data has been numerical: turnover, costs, training hours. However AI can also analyze qualitative data, such as employee satisfaction survey results and feedback discussions. This type of analytics makes soft values visible and measurable.

Typically AI can identify patterns and highlight, for example early signs of overload or skill gaps that teams themselves may not notice. This enables proactive and people‑centric HR work instead of merely reacting and putting out fires after the fact. Read more about how Solaforce’s HR system brings data into HR’s everyday toolkit.

What should be taken into account during the HR solution selection and procurement phase? When is it time to replace your current system? What factors are important when choosing a new HR system?

The acquisition of an HR solution often begins with several needs identified in daily work. In particular, HR teams frequently encounter the following recurring challenges:

• Employee data is scattered across multiple systems and files, making it difficult to form a complete overview and causing unnecessary and repetitive work.
• The existing system is outdated, inflexible, and difficult to use (especially from a key user’s perspective), making changes hard to implement and lacking regular updates, sometimes for long periods.
• Lack of transparency: self-service is difficult and confusing amid various notifications and miscellaneous features.
• Limited or ineffective reporting that does not sufficiently support planning or decision-making.
• Inability to function as a truly strategic tool for human capital management.
• Absence of employee wellbeing tools or their fragmentation across multiple platforms.

 

What should you consider when choosing an HR solution?

When selecting an HRIS solution, it is important to take into account your company’s current needs as well as future outlook. The goal of selecting and acquiring an HR solution is to find the HR solution that best fits your organization’s specific requirements. A versatile and customizable HR solution can meet both present and future needs. Explore Solaforce’s modern functionalities here.

 

 

Choosing and acquiring an HR system benefits the entire organization

A well-chosen HR system automates processes, engages employees, and frees HR’s time to support business operations through strategic decision-making. Improved operational efficiency also leads to significant cost savings.

 

Working life is changing faster than ever and with it, so is the role of HR. HR leadership is no longer just about administration, reporting, or reviewing past events. Today’s HR is forward-looking, strategic leadership where employee wellbeing is not only monitored but actively supported.

Organizations that invest in proactive people management are able to respond to change in time, strengthen the employee experience, and ensure that the right talent is available at the right moment. This is the essence of wellbeing management: not merely reacting to symptoms but understanding root causes and building a sustainable everyday work life.

 

Why Is Planning the Most Important Asset of HR Leadership?

1. Real-time data guides the right actions

Employee wellbeing is no longer based on some annual surveys. Organizations can gain a continuous view of the situation through mood and pulse surveys, trends in sickness absence, and indicators describing workload. When data is visible in real time, quick and effective decisions can be made—before challenges have time to escalate.

 

2. Strategic workforce planning secures future competence

An organization’s success is built on having the right skills. Analyzing age structure, future competence needs, and recruitment trends helps HR anticipate what kind of workforce will be needed and when they are needed. This enables organizations to build career paths, plan training and ensure that critical expertise is secured no matter what.

 

3. Wellbeing and performance go hand in hand

Research shows that employees who feel well are more productive, more engaged and stay with the organization longer. Through anticipation, organizations can prevent absences, reduce turnover, and support teams in working more effectively without excessive strain.

 

How Does Technology Support Proactive HR Leadership?

The Solaforce HR system is much more than a place to store employee data. It offers, for example:

• visual reports and trends on wellbeing, competence, and resourcing
• pulse surveys and analytics that help identify the emotional climate of the workplace
• tools for performance discussions and competence management
• forecasts and scenarios that guide leadership toward better decision-making

 

Anticipation Turns HR into the Organization’s Power Center

The HR of the future is not just reactive. It is participatory, data-driven and above all proactive. Managing employee wellbeing is a continuous process in which even small signals are taken seriously and development is embedded in the organization’s culture.

When wellbeing is actively monitored and actions are planned ahead HR can create a workplace where people thrive and where the organization succeeds. Read more about how Solaforce’s HR solution helps HR professionals build the HR of the future.

Changes in working life are constant, shaped by the era and technological breakthroughs. At the forefront of this transformation is HR leadership, which sets the expectations and goals for how an organization prepares for the future – defining the resources, competencies, and objectives that guide its journey through change.

In recent years, the evolution of working life has taken new turns. Enabled by technological advancements, AI and remote work have introduced significant challenges to daily HR operations. Planning and preparing for change have become more critical than ever. Organizations are now asking: how should we evolve, and how can we inspire people to learn new skills and pursue toward shared goals?

The most essential tool in HR leadership is a modern HR solution – one that genuinely meets organizational needs, supports strategic planning, and enhances potential by focusing on people’s development. Solaforce’s reliable and modern HR system enables seamless data flow between company software, making long-term planning more efficient. Lead with a top-tier HR system that’s driven by data, supports far-reaching strategies, and meets the challenges of HR management—today and in the future.

Change and development are key concepts in working life. In the center of all the development there are people and their skills. Investing in competence and its growth benefits every company, but how can you identify skill gaps and develop competencies in a way that also meets future needs?

Identify development needs by monitoring them through the HR solution. Different competencies, their assigned values/levels, and target levels are easily accessible, and reviewing them, for example by unit, is straightforward. This kind of analysis clearly reveals the renewal needs hidden behind the current skillsets and provides guidance on how to develop them.

Managing competencies based on a clear plan enables a focused approach to developing the areas that matter most to your business. What are the current needs, and what competencies will we require in the future to tackle upcoming changes? In the analysis you can see if the answer is to recruit new recruits with skills wanted or is it possible to growth current employees’ skills through training. Sometimes both these actions are needed to answer fast-changing needs. The HR solution offers an excellent tool for skills growth and managing competence. Additionally, it provides a clear and user-friendly tool for employees themselves to track their own skills and plan their personal development.

 

Employee experience (EX) plays an increasingly important role in the growth and success of companies. Investing strongly in employee experience and maintaining it with the right tools helps strengthen internal culture while also creating a strong competitive advantage.

Employee experience is shaped by many different factors. Only in recent years has it become widely recognized that employee experience is actually just as important as already well-known customer experience. From the perspectives of culture, meaningfulness, and engagement, effective tools play a key role in employee experience. These tools bring together functions especially designed for employee engagement, well-being, and performance.

A modern HR solution integrates everything needed into a user-friendly EXP (Employee Experience Platform) solution. When the employee experience that begins with recruitment continues seamlessly through onboarding and into development, training, and performance management, it supports the creation of a positive employee experience throughout the entire employment journey. Additionally, tools for monitoring well-being and strengthening company culture in the same HR solution meet the demands of modern HR in building and maintain employee experience.

Solaforce HCM is a modern HR solution that ensures your EXP solution offers tailored views and functions for different user groups. With these, you can support employee experience at the highest possible level.

Data-driven knowledge management enables better forecasting, more efficient resource utilization, and improves employee well-being. Solaforce HCM solution provides solid support when planning the cornerstones of people management and utilizing real data in decision-making.

Knowledge management helps HR in many ways, enhancing both strategic decision-making and operational efficiency. In Solaforce HCM solution, data can be used to lead in the following situations:

Improving Employee Productivity: Data from the HR solution helps to identify employees’ strengths and areas for development. By analyzing performance data, training and resources can be targeted more effectively.

Monitoring Employee Well-being: Employee well-being can be monitored in real-time by collecting data on, for example, sick leave and employee satisfaction through various SolaSurvey employee surveys and quick pulse surveys. These allow quick reactions to issues and start the planning of preventive measures.

Strategic Workforce Planning: With Solaforce, data-driven HR management supports long-term workforce planning. For example, analyzing age structure and future need of skills helps to predict future recruitment needs and plan career paths.

Supporting Decision-Making: Utilizing HR data in decision-making improves the quality and justification of decisions. This can apply to reward systems, work arrangements, employee engagement, and many other important aspects of HR.

With Solaforce HCM, you can follow employee satisfaction and quickly respond to changes in the atmosphere and well-being. A survey tool that has been integrated directly into the HR system offers various benefits to HR.

Surveys are a popular tool for measuring employee well-being because they allow the collection of extensive and comprehensive information about employees’ well-being. Surveys show even the smallest changes in job satisfaction, work engagement, stress factors, and the workplace atmosphere. Quick mood indicators and pulse surveys are effective ways to evaluate well-being, as they provide valuable insights into people’s experiences and perspectives.

Regular surveys help identify strengths and areas for improvement, enabling actions to improve the work environment and culture. These actions may include actions like improving workplace ergonomics, enhancing the work atmosphere, and involving employees in the planning and implementation of well-being initiatives.

Measuring employee well-being with SolaSurvey offers many benefits to our clients. It helps improve employee satisfaction and engagement, which in turn increases productivity and reduces absences. Measuring well-being through surveys is an effective way to obtain comprehensive information about employees’ well-being. Regular measurement and utilization of results are key to ensuring organizational success and employee satisfaction.

How do you plan people strategies ahead before something has already happened? With HR data that is actually accurate and gives you meaningful insights you can plan to be ahead.

With the new and AI enhanced HCM solution you can collect and create even better HR data insights that help you navigate in changing world. Solaforce HCM solution helps HR professionals to plan and execute strategic people management actions. The next big steps to be the leader of your organization’s are in the data and it’s utilizing properly.

Centralized data management and consistent people processes make sure you have the right data when you need it. Analyzing data and connecting it with various ways creates insights you can use in planning and presenting future action plans. This raises HR to be part of management teams with righteous knowledge and skills to thrive.