Alleviate the burdens on HR: Key trends and innovative solutions

HR teams are feeling the pressure. A recent HR Review survey revealed that over 50% of HR leaders are overwhelmed by their growing workload, particularly in compliance and document management. Even more concerning, 53% believe manual processes hinder their ability to drive real business value, with many feeling that outdated technology makes it difficult for HR to prepare for future challenges.

HR’s role in driving business success is more critical than ever with more workplace change than we’ve seen in decades, so it’s essential to adopt innovative solutions that streamline processes, reduce manual tasks and empower leadership teams to invest in strategic initiatives.

In 2025, HR will be focused on improving operational efficiency, driving cost savings and creating a positive, supportive work environment. Let’s explore the challenges and solutions.

The future of HR: Trends, challenges, solutions

Today, HR leaders are expected to be strategic partners, driving business growth and shaping the future of work. With an evolving range of responsibilities—overseeing leadership development, managing organisational culture, and driving digital transformation—HR teams have a lot on their plate.

To put this into perspective, “Gartner surveyed more than 1,400 HR leaders across 60+ countries and all major industries to identify their priorities and challenges for 2025.” “The largest share of respondents put leader and manager development on their list, but many HR leaders will also prioritise organisational culture, strategic workforce planning, change management and HR technology.” “87% of HR leaders agree that shifting business needs requires continuous HR transformation.”

Gartner® Insights, “Top 5 HR Trends and Priorities That Matter Most in 2025”, 10 October 2024. https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/trends/top-priorities-for-hr-leaders.  GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

To provide further context into future HR priorities, AdviserPlus foresee new day-one rights increasing employee relations resource requirements by up to 13%, according to analysis of employee relations case data. This makes strategic HR process transformation crucial to prepare for and mitigate the impact.

Transform employee relations: the key to long-term success

One critical yet often overlooked aspect of HR transformation is employee relations (ER) management. Poorly handled ER issues—such as disciplinary actions, grievances, and absenteeism—can escalate into disengagement, higher turnover, and reduced productivity, as well as an increased risk of successful employment tribunal claims.

Forward-thinking organisations understand that long-term success depends on cultivating a positive workplace culture that focuses on employee loyalty and engagement. Transforming ER processes through a strategic approach to case management, while empowering and trusting line managers to effectively handle these responsibilities, allows HR teams to focus on high-priority issues.

This shift eases the burden on HR, boosts morale, reduces employee turnover, and enhances overall productivity.

Data-driven insights and benchmarking

Data-driven decision-making is crucial for transforming HR and achieving cost savings. By analysing ER case data, HR teams can identify trends and gain valuable insights into potential issues. By benchmarking this data against industry standards and internal metrics, HR leaders can pinpoint areas for improvement and take proactive steps before problems escalate.

For instance, with access to real-time dashboards, HR can quickly identify if a department is experiencing higher-than-average absenteeism. When actionable insights emerge, HR can investigate potential root causes affecting employee experiences, such as a negative workplace culture or ineffective management. By addressing these issues, HR can reduce absenteeism rates and enhance employee engagement.

Data-driven decision-making also streamlines HR’s workload by simplifying data analysis, enabling proactive management that prioritises ER issues and minimises repetitive manual tasks associated with tools like outdated systems and spreadsheets.

Breaking down barriers: Fragmented technology and manual processes

The barriers to HR efficiency and employee relations transformation are evident: inconsistent technology integration, outdated systems and processes, and a lack of real-time data for decision-making. Businesses that continue to work under these circumstances face inefficiencies, increased risks of errors, and potential HR burnout—factors that can harm employee experiences and productivity.

Empowering managers to help relieve the pressure on HR has never been more important, especially as they navigate rising mental health challenges and the complexities of engaging hybrid teams.

Addressing these challenges now can unlock significant benefits for organisations. By freeing up HR capacity, their teams can focus their expertise on providing timely, responsive, and strategic support for the organisation’s people. This not only enhances the employee experience but also drives organisational success by leveraging HR’s specialised skills where they are needed most.

The solution: empower®

The right technology can help tackle HR challenges and accelerate employee relations transformation, streamlining case management processes, automating manager alerts and ensuring consistent and compliant experiences. With empower® technology, you can empower managers to self-serve employee relations matters, creating a ripple effect that drives improvements across the business.

empower®, integrates with your organisation’s values, policies, and procedures, and provides data-driven insights into ER case outcomes -reducing resource inefficiencies. This enables HR leaders to enhance organisational culture and deliver measurable financial benefits, creating long-term value for businesses.

Key benefits of our dedicated ER case management system include:

1. Reduced administrative burdens: empower® streamlines ER case management by offering intuitive workflows and self-service tools for line managers. This reduces the time HR teams spend on administrative tasks, such as case tracking, letter generation, and responding to DSARs, allowing them to focus on high-impact, strategic initiatives that drive business growth.
2. Improved operational efficiency: Real-time data, digitalised workflows, and guided journeys work together to accelerate case management consistency and improve resolutions. empower® helps line managers respond to employee issues more quickly and effectively, minimising delays and inconsistencies. The result? A smoother, faster process that enhances overall efficiency.
3. Enhanced organisational culture: By equipping line managers with the confidence and tools to handle employee relations proactively, empower® enables early intervention of employee relations issues and more effective communication. This not only helps prevent issues from escalating but also cultivates a workplace where employees feel supported, valued and engaged.

empower®: The tech you need to drive cost savings

Implementing the right employee relations technology to achieve HR transformation offers significant financial benefits through proactive and efficient management:

• Improve business outcomes: Through targeted interventions and support for line managers, empower® helps to reduce sickness absence, improve employee performance, and reduce the risk of costly employment tribunal claims. These deliver direct cost savings, along with enhanced productivity, making empower® a powerful tool for improving overall business performance.
• Reduced absenteeism: Proactive sickness absence management can help support employees back in to work more quickly, reducing the cost of absenteeism and helping to ensure employees feel engaged and supported.
• Data-driven decisions: Built-in dashboards provide HR leaders with up-to-the-minute insights into key people metrics, including current caseloads and trends. This real-time data allows organisations to identify potential risks and opportunities, enabling more informed, strategic decisions that drive long-term success.

In summary, empower® drives significant cost savings for your business. By optimising your ER case advisory delivery, you can reduce people costs by up to 65%, cut employment tribunal claim costs by as much as 50%, and lower sickness absence costs by up to 10%. These tangible savings not only improve your bottom line but also enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your employee relations processes.

Strategic success starts with the right ER technology investment

In today’s fast-paced business environment, HR teams need to focus on what truly drives success in employee relations. The right technology should simplify processes, not add complexity. By streamlining employee relations case management and improving management efficiency, HR can focus on areas like effective conflict resolution, supporting managers in handling complex issues, and creating a positive work environment.

This shift allows HR leaders to move beyond reactive tasks and take a more proactive, strategic approach to managing employee relations, aligning with broader business objectives, enhancing employee experiences, and reducing risk.

If your current approach to managing employee relations cases is not simplifying work, then it may be creating more problems than it’s solving. Reach out to discover how we can help you implement the right tech to ease your workload, improve efficiency, and transform your employee relations processes.