Half of HR professionals today say that workflow automation is one of their biggest challenges. While technology promises to simplify repetitive tasks and free up time for more human-centered work, many organizations are still struggling to integrate it effectively into their processes.
Why Automation Feels Like a Struggle
Despite the benefits of automation, HR teams continue to face roadblocks:
Cumbersome manual processes: Tasks like onboarding forms, background verification, and data collection remain time-consuming, making automation feel incomplete or difficult to adopt.
Candidate information concerns: A large majority - 71% of HR professionals report finding fabricated or misleading details in resumes, particularly in education, credentials, or employment history. Yet, only 20% feel highly confident in detecting these issues consistently. This highlights the importance of automated background checks that can ensure accuracy and strengthen hiring decisions.
Slow hiring and weak onboarding: Less than 12% of organizations say they hire quickly, which can cause them to lose strong candidates. Onboarding is also a pain point, with 83% of HR leaders admitting their processes need significant improvement.
The Positive Side: AI Adoption in HR
Despite the obstacles, there’s optimism. Around 76% of HR teams already use AI tools to improve efficiency in areas such as candidate sourcing, resume screening, and task management during onboarding. However, most professionals believe they are still only at the beginning of what AI can truly deliver for HR.
This signals a pressing need for technology vendors to create solutions that don’t just add complexity but solve real HR challenges - from automating repetitive tasks to ensuring better candidate experiences.
Why It Matters for HR Leaders
The survey findings show that HR’s struggles with automation go beyond technology. They also reflect issues with change management, culture, and integration across systems. Resume fraud, hiring delays, and poor onboarding all impact business competitiveness.
The ultimate goal for HR is human-first work - building better workplace experiences and engagement. Automation should be a support system that removes inefficiencies, allowing HR teams to focus on strategy, people, and long-term growth.
How HR Leaders Can Move Forward
Evaluate your current automation level: Identify which areas—technology, workflows, or team adoption—are holding you back.
Strengthen candidate verification: Use layered, automated background checks to validate resumes, credentials, and past employment.
Redesign hiring and onboarding: Treat candidates as customers. Simplify touchpoints, reduce delays, and personalize the onboarding journey.
Choose the right HR tech partner: Work with vendors that offer integrated, practical solutions tailored to HR needs.
Balance tech and people: Let automation handle repetitive tasks while HR professionals bring empathy, decision-making, and human connection.
Final Thoughts
Technology and automation are shaping the future of HR, but adoption isn’t without hurdles. To stay competitive, HR leaders need to embrace automation in ways that strengthen accuracy, improve efficiency, and enhance the human side of work.
Those who can balance AI-driven automation with people-first practices will be the ones to transform HR into a true driver of organizational success.
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