By Lin Grensing-Pophal – The pandemic has pointed to one critical opportunity of RPA for HR organizations: the ability to remain productive despite staffing shortages and a dispersed workforce.

“Automation is especially valuable in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic we are still facing today,” Sharma said. “In fact, 70 percent of the HR leaders we surveyed say automation is broadly being used today.”

As we emerge from the pandemic, Sharma said, HR leaders are becoming architects of a “new, blended, human-plus-machine workforce.” This requires HR to “match the best human talent with the technology they need to excel,” he said.

“Future-ready HR executives have learned quickly that automation will be an enabler of unparalleled advances in employee productivity and engagement,” Sharma said.

Fred Hencke, senior vice president at Segal, an HR and employee benefits consulting firm in New York City, said RPA can have a positive impact on cost, quality and scalability when it is focused properly, operates error-free and does not produce a large number of exceptions to be handled manually. To best leverage these potential opportunities, he recommended first piloting RPA use before instituting it broadly.

“Looking ahead, Gartner research reveals 82 percent of organizations will involve heads of HR in return-to-work decisions, so it is crucial that HR leaders are familiar with the technologies that will enable the post-pandemic world of work and lead the organization in planning for the impact they will have on the workforce,” McRae said.

That’s certainly an opportunity. It can also prove to be a threat, though, if other foundational business practices aren’t in place. Read On: