Employees now expect HR services to be as quick and self-directed as the banking and retail apps they use daily. At the same time, HR departments are asked to do more with fewer staff, produce reliable workforce data and keep personal information safe. Organisations that rely on manual routines see slow hiring, inconsistent decisions, payroll errors and frustrated managers.

Participants in this programme learn to approach digital HR as an operations improvement discipline. They begin by documenting the employee life cycle as a set of processes and measuring cycle time, errors and handoffs. They then apply lean principles to remove waste and standardise, before deciding what to automate. The technical sessions cover the features of human resource information systems, workflow design, integration with payroll and finance, low-code forms and robotic process automation, and the use of dashboards for headcount, turnover, time to hire and absence. The programme closes with change management, user adoption, data protection and governance of HR technology.

Work is practical and built around process maps, sample workflows and simple automation demonstrations. Each participant prepares a business case for one automation project from their own HR function.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Map HR processes end to end and measure cycle time, error rates and handoffs.
• Apply lean and Six Sigma tools to eliminate waste and standardise HR procedures.
• Specify requirements and evaluate HRIS and employee self-service platforms.
• Design automated workflows for onboarding, leave, approvals and employee requests.
• Recognise suitable uses of chatbots, e-signatures and robotic process automation in HR.
• Build simple people analytics dashboards from HR data.
• Protect employee data and manage change when introducing new systems.

The course is relevant to people who run or support HR operations, including:

• HR managers and HR business partners
• HR officers and generalists
• Payroll and compensation administrators
• Recruitment and talent acquisition specialists
• HR information system administrators
• Shared services and administration managers
• IT and business analysts supporting people systems
• Organisational development and transformation officers

Participants leave with:

• Process maps of key HR workflows with identified improvement points.
• A requirements checklist for selecting or upgrading an HRIS.
• A designed automated workflow for one chosen HR process.
• A starter people analytics dashboard specification.
• An employee data protection and access control checklist.
• A business case and rollout plan for an automation project.

The programme mixes improvement method with tool familiarity, through the following approaches:

• Group process mapping on sticky-note boards or digital whiteboards
• Walk-throughs of HRIS and workflow tools using sandbox examples
• Mini-labs in spreadsheets for analytics and form design
• Case examples of HR digitisation in public and private organisations
• Business case presentations with feedback from facilitators and peers

A CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion, issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy, is awarded to participants who attend the sessions and complete the process and automation exercises.