How to reduce admin with involvement from the line

This document is also available as a pdf for download. 

As HR professionals there are many common misconceptions about our role. Probably the toughest of these is that we must bear the weight of everyone. From enquiries about holiday entitlement through to handing out plasters, it can be tricky to differentiate between what we need to do and what people think we should be doing. It’s really sorting the HR wheat from the HR chaff – deducing which activities are core to our role and which undermine or detract from it. Let’s think back to the beginning. Why did we go into HR and what really motivates us to do a good job? Few of us would state “paper pushing” and “updating records” as the reasons that we became HR professionals. They certainly wouldn’t top many lists as the reason to get up in the morning and go to work. Exactly why we went into HR is a very personal thing and will vary from person to person, but if you were to start by making a note of what your real motivators are, this would be a good starting point. For example, “To help employees feel happy at work” or “To make a difference to the direction of the business”. Against which, jot down the tasks you undertake every day that help you do this. This should be followed by a separate list of anything that prevents you from fulfilling your aims – whether that’s locating information, issuing reminders, or answering queries on holiday entitlement. 

De-buzzing ‘devolve’

If there’s one thing we’re all guilty of, it’s using buzzwords with wanton abandonment. If we were to ask you to start devolving responsibility, the likelihood is you’d roll your eyes and say “Ah yes, that little chestnut” and who could blame you? The idea of devolving responsibility is not a new one and it certainly gets used time and again without much thought as to what it actually means. The uncomfortable fact is that devolving is a just a nice way of saying “You can do that.” And the problem is that the majority of us also know this… So if you were to start devolving all those niggling little tasks to someone else, chances are they would think you’re just passing the buck. Right? Well, probably! If it’s done well, asking someone else to get involved doesn’t have to be about other people doing your job. It’s about redefining what your job actually is and getting people to recognise that. Equally, it requires recognition from the “devolvee” that what you’re asking them to do is their job. In essence, it is reasonable to ask another person to be involved in tasks that may traditionally have been your domain, if your involvement no longer adds value and conversely, theirs does. In the case of line managers, too heavy an involvement from HR can actually have a negative impact. Consider that the line manager, in 9 out of 10 cases, will know their subordinates better than you do, which means that they may prefer constructive criticism about performance etc. from someone they know. Take things to someone else to communicate and they are likely to feel under attack and less likely to respond well.

Also remember that the reason why line managers view certain areas as your responsibility may be down to the same syndrome that you are suffering from. Many line managers quite easily slip into the habit of micro managing i.e. getting involved in every little detail. Maybe that’s checking every bit of work, or simply the inability to relinquish control over everything

A little help from your software

Admittedly there are some tasks that are difficult to pass on to line managers, especially when it comes data. As an example, if you are constantly responding to employee queries about leave, it would be unreasonable to ask line managers to hold this information and keep it up-to-date. If you have a software system in place, ask your supplier about the possibility of using automatic email delivery tools, such as workflow. With a scheduled email once a quarter, employee queries will be answered before they have even been asked. You could even kill two birds with one stone and include information about absence to date. Higher visibility of absence information is a proven means of reducing sickies that are a well-known drain on many businesses. Workflow could even notify you and a line manager regarding repetitive absence, for example ‘Monday Morning’ syndrome. This way you don’t need to go digging for the data and the line manager is also involved in the follow-up process. Take it a step further Yes, you knew we’d suggest it – it’s time to think about taking things online. While implementing some of the above will encourage line managers and employees to get more involved, giving them easy access to their information goes a long way to reducing the administrative burden. Go back to your list and total up the time you spend on low value activities. All the time you spend searching for and communicating personnel information is likely to come to hours or even days per week. And that means weeks of work per year.

As we all know, time equals money and that’s your case for the board.

Justifying expenditure

It’s really as simple that, take a look at what you’re doing currently and the difference you could make by doing something else. If you had a day extra each week, what would you do with your time? Has there been a pressing issue that keeps going on the back burner, simply because you don’t have time? When you’ve identified what you want to do, try and calculate its ultimate financial or ‘real’ worth. For example, if you could be improving the new starter process or developing training plans, how might it impact the rate of employee turnover? How much does recruitment cost your business and how much might you save? The domino effect of cutting admin levels, is that it has far reaching implications for the business. No, it won’t immediately bulk up the bottom line, but any business professional should understand that sometimes reducing spend can be a false economy, even in these hard economic times. Also consider how giving employees access to absence information might impact their perception of how you monitor their sickness. It may not be a specific task, but over time, an awareness of sickness data encourages a more conscientious attitude towards taking sick leave.

So where to now?

Any process of evaluation or change management takes time, especially when it involves other people. With cultural change this can be even harder to implement. Not rushing the process and appreciating the boundaries you’re trying to push will be key to making it work. You may not be able to do everything, but all steps will support a better HR focus that everyone stands to benefit from.

About Sage HR & Payroll

Sage HR & Payroll is a leading provider of HR and Payroll software and outsource services that support larger organisations across the UK. We are the unique combination of Snowdrop (HR) and KCS (Payroll), offering ‘best-of-breed’ solutions that address the entire spectrum of HR and Payroll data management problems. Our solutions suite, SnowdropKCS, encompasses everything from recruitment, personnel, payroll and training administration, through to performance management, employee self-service, employee benefits and time & attendance. All complemented by HR advisory services and full project management and consultancy. We have worked with over 1,500 organisations across the UK to ease administration and promote better HR and Payroll management. Customers include Pret a Manger, Ceva Logistics, First Group, Balfour Beatty and RSPB.