The 21st-century workplace is a competitive environment both for employees and employers. HR departments now prioritize employee onboarding and retention, aiming to reach bigger and better numbers every quarter. This is where DevOps comes in to save the day.
Conventional onboarding methods require extensive paperwork, manual approval procedures, and broken processes that invite inefficiency and negatively affect the employee experience.
To overcome these challenges, organizations find themselves relying more on DevOps principles and automation to help streamline their HR practices, especially around onboarding and employee retention.
And the numbers don’t lie. Research shows that companies with a strong onboarding process improve their new hire retention by 82% and productivity by more than 70%
So, what role does DevOps play in helping your HR teams achieve better benchmarks for onboarding and retention? We’ll tell you all about it in this guide. Let’s get started.
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What is DevOps in HR?
DevOps is a software development-oriented operational framework based on automation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Many software development services providers offer HR automation solutions built on DevOps principles, helping businesses optimize employee management processes, including:
- Automating repetitive HR tasks like onboard workflows and benefits enrollment.
- Syncing HR systems for smooth data transactions between divisions.
- Offering immediate analysis and commentary for employee happiness enhancement.
- Improving security and compliance through always-audit records.
Treating HR as something iterative and evolving, organizations can map out their workflows to identify bottlenecks and create a better experience for employees from day zero.
How DevOps Automation is Transforming Employee Onboarding
A seamless onboarding process is vital to employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Yet, a lot of organizations still presume manual time-consuming onboarding processes which eventually cause delays and disengagement.
Onboarding processes stand to improve through the integration of DevOps workflows. Here are 3 ways that show how and why.
1. Automating Employee Onboarding Workflows
Traditional employee onboarding tasks like recruitment, benefits administration, time and absence management, payroll queries, and many more are repetitive and manual. They involve tons of bureaucracy, scattered communication, and different stakeholders, making them prone to errors.
With DevOps HR automation tools, these challenges go right out the window thanks to:
- Automated offer letters and contracts
Pre-configured templates speed up employment contract generation.
- Digitized paperwork
E-signature tools (e.g., DocuSign, Adobe Sign) remove the need for physical paperwork.
- Self-service portals
Employees can access handbooks, benefits details, and tax forms in a centralized system.
- Automated IT setups
Provisioning access to emails, software, and devices before an employee’s first day.
These are proven methods that help save a lot of time. In fact, as of 2024, 56% of companies using AI for HR prioritized automating repetitive tasks. The update is simply worth your organization’s while.
2. Enhancing New Hire Engagement Through AI and Chatbots
Chatbots with AI capabilities are transforming HR onboarding by serving as virtual HR assistants. Without having to wait for HR staff, these bots help your new hires with onboarding tasks, give answers to FAQs, and link them to the appropriate resources.
AI and chatbots have a plethora of benefits, including:
- 24/7 HR support
AI chatbots like Talla and Leena AI offer quick answers to HR-related questions anywhere, anytime.
- Personalized onboarding plans
AI-powered tools can guide employees through detailed task management during their first few weeks on the job.
- Instant access to training materials
AI programs suggest relevant policies and courses depending on the job role of the new hire.
Thanks to all of the advantages we mentioned, HR leaders have been actively adopting conversational AI technology. Back in 2023, Gartner predicted that 75% of HR inquiries would be initiated through conversational AI platforms. And these trends haven’t slowed down.
How DevOps Automation Boosts Employee Retention
Onboarding tasks, when automated, can bring a 16% increase in new hire retention. However, hiring and onboarding new employees is only half the battle. Once that is done, your organization still needs to keep them engaged, productive, and satisfied, which some would say is a bigger challenge.
Retaining employees isn’t just a measure of a good workplace – it is a measure of your company’s reputation. If you want to keep both internal and external stakeholders happy, you can implement DevOps-driven HR automation and foster a seamless experience throughout your employees’ lifecycles.
Here are 2 ways DevOps in HR can help you retain top talent.
1. Continuous Feedback & Performance Management
Frequent performance evaluations and feedback systems are critical to the development and happiness of your employees. This procedure is made more effective, impartial, and actionable by automated HR systems thanks to these features:
- Automating employee check-ins
Feedback requests and surveys are sent automatically by programs like BambooHR, Lattice, and 15Five.
- Monitoring employee sentiment
AI-driven analytics solutions use patterns in internal communications to gauge work satisfaction along with sentiment surveys.
- Offering personalized career pathing
AI-powered insights assist staff members in visualizing their advancement inside the organization.
2. Intelligent Learning & Development Platforms
Employees who work for companies that support their development are more likely to stick around. Learning management systems (LMS) driven by AI can assist HR departments in customizing training and upskilling opportunities for staff members.
Among other things, here are some ways AI helps ease the learning curves for new hires, thereby helping in retaining them.
- Adaptive learning paths
AI can analyze the learning styles of your employees and suggest training plans according to professional objectives like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera for Business.
- Automated certifications and progress tracking
Employees are kept up-to-date on necessary skills through automated tracking of certifications and progress, notifying relevant personnel about opportunities for specific employees.
- AI tutors and gamification
AI-driven chatbots promote learner engagement with tests and in-the-moment assistance. This is especially beneficial for a younger workforce.
Final Thoughts
DevOps is a process that has many known benefits and applying it in HR has significant advantages as well. As a modern employer, you simply must take note.
From giving all your employees an entirely better experience and boosting their productivity to raising your retention rates, the incorporation of the DevOps ideology and automation in HR creates a win-win situation for both your employees and you.
Automating your onboarding, learning, and employee management processes has the power to breathe new life into your workforce. So, consider powering your HR department with custom software, automation, and DevOps workflows.
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