HR Workflows That Benefit Your Business

Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. This mantra is well known among athletes looking to develop muscle memory. The idea is that by practicing a movement slowly and carefully at first, it becomes faster and more precise over time.

Unfortunately, most workflows within modern organizations are just slow.

To achieve the “smooth” part, Human Resource professionals need to leverage strategic thinking to improve processes and create documentation. This allows them to master the right workflows that enhance effectiveness across the organization.

HR workflows are designed to boost efficiency for key processes by streamlining and automating certain steps. With better HR workflows, employees become more engaged with their work, and the organization's goals align more easily with employee goals. But what is an HR workflow, and how do you create one? What HR workflows are most necessary for profitability, efficiency, and compliance?

Let’s explore why HR workflows are the future of modern companies and look at some specific examples you can implement to improve your operations today.

What Are HR Workflows?

HR workflows are step-by-step processes created (usually by or for the HR team) to help employees or teams work more efficiently, which benefits the entire organization. The main purpose of a workflow is to improve how things get done. This means identifying parts of important or less critical processes that can be automated, simplified, or made more effective.

So, what makes a workflow different from any other “process?” A workflow is more organized and focused on making the process smoother. Workflows often combine automated steps with human actions to speed up or even eliminate administrative tasks.

For example, consider this hiring workflow:

A manager clicks the "hire" button for a new candidate.
The system automatically sends the candidate an email with a job offer.
The candidate clicks a link within the email to accept the offer and is immediately sent a follow-up email and a packet of paperwork for onboarding.
Once the forms are filled out, the manager is notified to review them.
After approval in the system, the information is logged, and a new employee profile is created.
Additional review steps might follow, all seamlessly integrated.

This workflow demonstrates a much smoother approach to hiring — a process that can be quite cumbersome when done manually.

In short, an HR workflow is meant to make work smoother, with fewer mistakes or manual steps. This precision increases speed, which boosts efficiency and saves money — even across the whole organization.

Challenges Solved by HR Workflows

HR workflows tackle many ongoing problems that modern organizations face. By simplifying processes and automating repetitive tasks, these workflows help reduce inefficiencies, improve data management, and boost overall operational effectiveness. Here are some key issues that HR workflows can solve:

Inefficiency - As companies grow, they often end up with too many similar roles and old processes that require too much manual work. Underused employees are a clear sign of this problem, and layoffs alone won't fix it. To solve for inefficiency, organizations need to tackle the root causes, like outdated or overly complicated processes.
Repetitive Tasks - Sending template emails, processing payroll, and entering data by hand take up valuable company resources. Automating these tasks through HR workflows can save a lot of time. For example, automating payroll processing can cut down on manual work and reduce mistakes, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more important tasks.
Manual Data Entry - Once information is captured electronically, manual data entry is usually not necessary. HR workflows can automatically send this data wherever it’s needed within the organization, making data management smooth and easy. For example, employee info and time tracking data can be automatically updated across different systems, cutting out duplicate work and reducing mistakes.
Disconnected Systems - If you’re using an enterprise resource planning system (ERP), human capital management (HCM), project management tool, or any other important software, what’s stopping them from being connected? Data silos create big problems for organizations, slowing things down and increasing the risk of errors. Connecting these systems through HR workflows allows for easier data transfer and synchronization. A well-connected system also leads to better data management and more accurate analytics, which are key to making informed decisions.
Technical Difficulties - When employees aren’t skilled with technology, it can lead to inefficiencies. They might take too long to finish tasks, cut corners, or even give up on work entirely. Well-defined HR workflows can help by guiding employees through each step of a process. They also offer educational support, reducing frustration and boosting overall productivity.

8 HR Workflows To Improve Operations

Now, let’s look at some specific HR workflows that can improve your operations. These 8 workflows are designed to streamline processes, boost efficiency, and ensure compliance — all while growing a more productive and engaged workforce.

1. Streamline Recruiting, Hiring, Onboarding, and Training

One of the best things you can do for your organization is to streamline the many processes at the beginning of the employee experience. When retaining talent is a priority, first impressions really matter. A seamless transition from recruiting to onboarding to ongoing training can make a big difference. At Criterion, we call this immersive onboarding.

Picture this: A new hire logs in remotely on their first day, reads a welcome email, and then waits. They struggle with the system, interrupt their busy manager to ask what to do next, and muddle through a messy day. At the end of the day, they find out they missed an entire packet of paperwork. A disorganized first day can be frustrating and might even make them question if your company is the right fit.

Now, imagine a better first day with a clear workflow. The employee logs in, receives a welcome email with detailed instructions, and completes all the necessary paperwork online. Their calendar is already set up with necessary events and reminders, including a Zoom meeting with their manager and an online training session. This setup helps them move smoothly through onboarding and training, guided by automated notifications.

That’s a workflow for a great first day. But it doesn’t stop there. Imagine if all recruiting workflows (from resume reviews to interviews) were managed in one platform, creating a unified hiring process. Training modules can then be scheduled and tracked, guiding the employee through performance reviews and future development plans at 90 days and beyond.

2. Make Training a Regular Occurence

Training is a key part of your job as an HR professional. You want to enable your employees to learn and improve their skills to promote long-term retention. That’s why it’s important to use a strong HCM platform that can help identify training needs through analyzing performance reviews and skill assessments.

Criterion HCM features a built-in learning management system that gives employees access to a wide range of training materials, making resources easy to find on their own. Every field in Criterion is configurable and built on a single unified database. This flexibility allows you to schedule regular, personalized training opportunities (like monthly workshops or quarterly seminars) and automatically enroll employees based on their positions and development needs.

At the same time, you can generate reports for managers to offer targeted support while allowing employees to chart their progress toward specific goals in a career framework. You can also track their progress with automated assessments and set up notifications to give feedback at multiple points in their journey.

3. Automate Time Tracking and Payroll

Time tracking and payroll are essential for improving efficiency. Automation can start with employee self-service features (e.g., clocking in and out from an app or kiosk). But the real efficiency comes from linking this time tracking data directly to the payroll process.

However, many organizations find payroll automation challenging due to complex requirements. For example, construction companies often deal with multiple unions, different wage rates, and projects in various locations. Managing payroll manually in these situations can lead to major errors and inefficiencies.

To solve these problems, your system should automatically turn tracked time into payroll calculations, following all the necessary rules and regulations you configure.

Criterion HCM excels in payroll for union employees. Many of the variable wage rates and tables are already built into the system (and updated regularly). Once you set up your specific configurations and employees track their time, the system takes care of the rest. This way, employers (especially those with complex labor needs) can fully automate payroll in full compliance. This saves a lot of time and reduces human error dramatically. Some organizations have even saved an entire workday in the payroll process — just from using Criterion.

4. Standardize (and Customize) Performance Reviews

Performance reviews are important checkpoints in an employee's career, usually done after the first 90 days and then every following year. Simple calendar reminders aren’t enough to manage these reviews. Your main HR system should automate reminders and include set workflows to guide managers through a standard performance review process.

Standardizing performance reviews makes them easier to analyze and ensures everyone has a similar experience. The process may involve self-assessments, peer reviews, and structured interviews with managers. Whatever you choose, it should be a consistent process for all employees.

At the same time, a strong system with AI features can also help by suggesting personalized questions based on an employee’s role, performance history, and career goals. Automation also reduces paperwork, allowing managers to focus on meaningful, supportive interactions with their employees (not admin tasks).

5. Automate Communication and Admin Tasks

Many productivity problems can be mitigated by automating tasks like sending review requests to managers, choosing recipients for department messages, or forwarding data. Here’s how Criterion HCM automates some of these processes:

Visible Notifications: Send automated alerts for time off, vacation, sick leave, and time changes directly to the manager dashboards, so fewer requests are missed.
Company Feed for Messages: A central feed works like social media for company-wide or group-specific posts, ensuring workplace communication is targeted and accessible.
Position Management and Task Assignment: Quickly delegate tasks when employees are on leave — with controls for predefined roles, tasks, permissions, and working hours.
Customized Performance Review Permissions: Set up performance reviews with due dates and controlled visibility, so managers complete their reviews before seeing feedback for themselves.
Streamlined Recruiting Documentation: Organize hiring with separate interfaces for each applicant. Built-in communication tools ensure well-documented hiring decisions across applicants and make the transition to full-time employee smoother than ever.

By automating these admin tasks, organizations can save time and reduce communication overload, letting employees focus on more important activities.

6. Never Miss a Reward Opportunity

Performance-based rewards are key to encouraging high performance and improving results. However, managers often don’t have time to personally track and reward every top-performing employee — especially in large teams. Ignoring these achievements can cause valuable talent to leave for competitors.

Automating rewards through HR workflows makes sure no achievements are overlooked. For example, when an employee hits certain performance goals or closes a big deal, your HCM system can automatically notify managers of the achievement and suggest a reward or recognition action (send them an email, recognize them publicly, etc.). This automation ensures timely recognition and helps create a culture of appreciation and motivation.

7. Automate Custom Reports and Analytics

Data is one of the most powerful tools for improving operations, but creating and analyzing custom reports takes time.

An ideal HCM system should connect with other business platforms to gather data and generate custom reports on HR, payroll, talent engagement, labor costs, and more. Automating these reports, like labor cost allocation, saves time and reduces errors.

Criterion HCM offers several pre-configured reports for complex labor cost allocation, detailed analysis, and more. With the system's open API and integration features, you can create and automate even more custom reports by pulling data from different sources. This helps provide key insights easily and supports data-driven decisions without manual compilation and analysis.

8. Create an Offboarding Process

Creating an efficient offboarding process is key to understanding why employees leave and ensuring a smooth transition. Here's how an offboarding workflow might work:

When an employee departs, the HCM platform starts the offboarding process, notifying HR, the manager, IT, and other departments, so everyone can prepare for their tasks.
The system schedules an exit interview, coordinating a convenient time for both the departing employee and HR, with automated reminders. Customizable templates for exit interviews help gather insights on the employee’s experience and reasons for leaving.
Next, the HCM platform creates a checklist for returning company property and revoking system access, assigning these tasks to the right departments. The departing employee's tasks are automatically reassigned to others with similar skills (based on HR Data), ensuring ongoing projects continue smoothly.
Data from exit interviews is shared with HR and management to help reduce future turnover. The departure also triggers a notification to the hiring team, alerting them that a position has opened up and identifying potential candidates.

This connected workflow helps the organization run smoothly and efficiently completes the employee lifecycle.

How to Create and Implement New HR Workflows

Creating an HR workflow is a careful process of identifying your goals and developing systems and processes to help you achieve them. Here’s our recommended strategy:

Write Out Current Processes: Start by documenting your existing workflows in detail. Even if there isn’t a formal process, there is likely a “way” your organization completes tasks. For instance, you may not have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for sending invoices to clients, but employees must handle this task somehow. Writing this down will help identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement.
Identify Inefficiencies and Set Goals: Clearly state the goals of the new workflow. What do you hope to achieve? Look for inefficiencies in the current process and determine what can be automated to streamline the process. For example, when sending invoices, are there certain review steps or requirements for manual data that are time-consuming? What do you hope to achieve by improving this workflow (better productivity, 5% more sales, 10% saved time, etc.)?
Automate Where Possible: Identify tasks that don’t require human effort and can be automated. However, remember that not everything should be automated. Tasks that benefit from a human touch (like responding to complex employee requests) should remain manual. For example, let’s say your current process requires invoices to be manually created and sent. You can set up an automation sequence in your system to pull project cost and client data, then fill in the fields in an invoice template with that data. You can then automatically send invoices to the right email based on client contact information. However, if a customer sends a specific request to change an invoice, this should usually be handled by a human who understands the context of the issue.
Document the New Process: Create an SOP for the new workflow, detailing each step and responsibility for everyone involved. Write out the automated steps as well, to support troubleshooting down the line.
Test, Gather Feedback, Revise, and Implement: Test the new workflow with a small group of users, relying on the documented process. Gather their feedback and make necessary adjustments. Track the effectiveness of the new process to ensure it meets the goals from step 2.
Track Effectiveness: Monitor the new workflow’s impact and whether it achieves the desired goals. Gather data to justify the process and illustrate its ROI. From there, simply iterate and improve upon the process to achieve more efficiency. The more people use the workflow (and provide feedback), the more opportunities you'll have to identify inefficiencies and make improvements.

TIP: With Criterion HCM, testing new workflows and automations is easier than ever. You can develop and configure new sequences with our built-in DataGrid tool — even without much technical expertise. You can also create sandbox environments that mimic your current setup to test new workflows without disrupting any existing processes.

Final Thoughts

Modern organizations that want to succeed in a fast-moving, competitive market need to focus on efficiency. There’s no room for outdated processes, extraneous steps, or repetitive manual tasks. HR workflows are designed to make your workforce more efficient, helping everyone contribute to the organization’s goals. These workflows can improve engagement, retention, and overall performance, while also cutting costs.

But activating these workflows is impossible without the right technology. Modern HR teams need an HCM platform that can:

Handle large amounts of data and integrate with key systems
Provide the tools to create efficient workflows and automations
Generate reports to show how HR workflows impact important company metrics

Criterion HCM is made for HR leaders, offering a complete solution that brings together HR, payroll, and talent engagement in one system. With an open API, Criterion HCM can also integrate with any third-party software, ensuring your core platforms work together smoothly, and avoiding synchronization issues and data silos.

Book a demo to discover how Criterion HCM can make your organization more efficient and effective in nearly every way.