HR Automation 101: What to Automate First

Everyone talks about HR automation. But when you're running lean and drowning in work, "automate more" feels like another thing on your endless to-do list.

This guide is practical. Here's what to automate first, in what order, and why.

The Automation Priority Framework

Automate tasks that are: Frequent + Repetitive + Low-judgment

High frequency means high ROI. Repetitive means learnable. Low-judgment means you don't need human nuance.

Tier 1: Automate These First

PTO Requests and Approvals

How often: Multiple times daily. Impact: High. Complexity: Low.

Your HRIS should handle this completely. If employees are Slacking you to request PTO or check balances, fix this immediately.

Benefits FAQ

How often: Constant. Impact: High. Complexity: Medium.

"Does dental cover Invisalign?" "What's my deductible?" These questions have answers in your benefits docs. AI can answer them 24/7.

Onboarding Paperwork

How often: Every new hire. Impact: High. Complexity: Medium.

Automated reminders, digital signatures, progress tracking. No more chasing people for I-9 docs.

Tier 2: Automate These Next

Policy Questions

Expense policy, remote work policy, travel policy. Employees ask because they can't find or won't read the handbook. Give them a faster way.

Recurring Reminders

Benefits enrollment deadlines, compliance training, review cycle reminders. Set them once, forget them.

Survey Distribution

Engagement surveys, onboarding feedback, exit interviews. Automated scheduling, automated follow-ups.

Tier 3: Worth Automating Eventually

Interview Scheduling

Calendar coordination is brutal. Tools like Calendly, GoodTime, or built-in ATS scheduling.

Reference Checks

Services like Checkr or built-in ATS features can automate this entirely.

Reporting

Monthly headcount reports, turnover metrics, compliance dashboards. Build once, auto-generate.

Common Automation Mistakes

Automating Before Simplifying

If your process is broken, automating it just makes it broken faster. Fix the process first.

Over-engineering

You don't need a complex system. Start simple. A Slack bot that answers FAQs is better than a massive implementation that never launches.

Ignoring the Human Handoff

Automation should escalate to humans when needed. "I don't know, let me connect you with HR" is a valid automation response.

The Real Goal

Automation isn't about doing less. It's about doing less of the repetitive stuff so you can do more of the human stuff. Strategy. Culture. Employee development. The things you actually got into HR to do.

Ready to start automating? Check out Deb — she's the easiest place to begin.