HR Operations: Take the opportunity to improve

Dear HR Operations leaders, how are you really doing?

In today’s fast-paced world, HR Operations cannot simply keep the wheels turning. Many chances remain unused that could speed up and improve how HR Operations delivers services. Employees and the business demand more: more quality, more speed, more accuracy, tailored HR service delivery, a more personalised experience and a deeper understanding of the business landscape. They require an HR Operations team that transcends traditional administrative and transactional roles.

It’s time for HR Operations leaders to radically reconsider the perspective from which they view HR Operations. The era of incremental changes has proven ineffective, yielding minimal results for both HR Operations and the organization. So, what should definitely change? Imagine an HR Operations function that creates real value quickly, uses data well, and meets real business needs.

To start this change, HR Operations leaders should honestly answer four important questions. The answer to each could consistently be a resounding “Yes”. And yes, this might feel confrontational, but that’s precisely the point. Stepping out of daily routines and habits and allowing yourself to think outside the box, might help to start embracing more radical innovation, and fundamentally change the perception of HR Operations.

Four important questions for HR Operations to consider when paving the lane for its future

HR Operations plays a key role in delivery of HR services to its organisation. We recognize a few trends in how organisations try to continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of HR Operations. In this article we invite you to consider a set of impactful questions that can help you to make more impact.

1. How can we enable managers, to be the first point of contact for employees and the main stakeholder for HR Operations?
2. How can AI-technology best support employees and managers, while ensuring a robust and automated business controls regime?
3. How can we make sure HR information is trusted, accessible, accurate, and truly informative for decision-making?
4. What are potential changes to the HR structure that would help HR operations to make more impact?

1. Is HR Operations bold enough to make managers the sole customers of HR Operations?
To deliver high-quality, fast, and business-savvy HR support, it’s crucial to understand who the real HR customers of HR Operations are. Clarity on this determines not only how HR Operations services are delivered, but also who is best positioned to deliver them.

While trends around centralization and decentralization will continue to evolve, it is time to rethink HR Operations service delivery through the lens of contextual relevance. In organizations with primarily knowledge workers, for instance, it may be valuable to consider line managers as the primary customers of HR Operations. This means giving managers more HR duties, empowering them to lead their teams more effectively and serve as the first line of support in day-to-day HR Operation’s needs. In these environments, HR Operations should refocus its efforts on enabling and supporting managers in their role, providing the right tools, insights, and guidance to help them navigate people challenges with confidence.

It also means moving from focusing on employees to focusing on managers and how HR helps them lead their teams through important stages. While employee journeys such as 'ready to work', 'develop', 'reward', and 'ready to leave' remain relevant, the focus is on enabling managers to address these stages effectively, so HR services are designed with the manager’s needs front and centre.

In environments where operational work is dominant (such as business environments with a significant number of blue-collar workers), employees also rely more heavily on direct HR Operations support. In these cases, proximity and accessibility are key to maintaining speed and service quality. Supported by vocational AI, an Experience Layer and robust ticketing solutions to deliver the right experience in an efficient way. HR Operations must therefore in these situations be physically or virtually present ‘on the ground’ to meet these specific needs.

To effectively serve all HR Operations customers, it is essential to design HR Operations services and processes around key employee lifecycle stages such as 'ready to work', 'develop', 'reward', and 'ready to leave'. However, in a manager-centric model, these journeys are viewed through the lens of the manager’s role: how managers support and guide their teams through these stages. By tailoring HR Operations services, communication, and content to fit the manager’s needs at each stage - and leveraging advanced HR technology with seamless integration and intuitive access to relevant information - HR Operations can deliver faster, more relevant, and higher-quality support.

2. Is HR Operations ignoring the power of AI?
To truly unlock higher quality and faster HR Operations, simply adopting AI tools is not enough. Look at other business functions, from banking to logistics, where AI is radically automating repetitive tasks, improving accuracy, and enabling real-time decision-making. Why should HR Operations lag behind? The potential impact is substantial: less time spent on service management, reduced need for controls, minimized effort in maintaining knowledge and communication materials, AI embedded in workflows to lighten HR Operations workloads, and augmented agents helping managers answer questions more effectively.

There are already fitting examples of HR Operations teams leveraging possibilities to become significantly more AI-assisted, AI-augmented, and AI-powered. A significant shift is possible in how work is shared with HR, especially in HR Operations. A majority of time is systematically spent on process execution and programmatic work. When utilizing AI capabilities, a shift is possible enabling HR Operations to free up time and to become more focused on bringing forward data-based insights, workforce solutions, etc.

In discussions on the use of AI many HR Operations teams are stuck in old ways, struggling with complex, exception-filled processes and mixed labour rules, causing them to slow down service delivery and increase errors. AI’s potential in handling this remains untapped.

So, as you rethink who your customers are and how HR Operations services are delivered (like we discussed in question 1), consider how AI can help you to transform your HR Operations team from reactive to proactive, from costly to more value-creating.

3. Are decisions in HR Operations still stuck in the past and not data-driven enough?
In an era where data is the new gold, HR Operations often remains stuck in simply reporting what has happened, such as deviations from SLA’s and reporting on static HR data. But the future demands much more: HR Analytics must be an integral part of all decisions and daily processes within HR Operations. Not as an occasional activity, but as an indispensable core capability that delivers real-time, relevant insights to enable immediate action.
Ask yourself: are you truly letting HR Operations make decisions based on data and AI? Or are your insights mainly reactive? Organizations that combine AI with powerful analytics can predict patterns and risks, for example forecasting turnover, absenteeism, or capacity needs before they materialize. This allows HR Operations to proactively support the business rather than just respond. Only this way you can create a future-proof HR Operations function that not only delivers data, but also turns it into impactful action.
It is time to see HR Analytics as the engine that drives speed, quality, and business insights within HR Operations. This capability perfectly aligns with AI untapped potential discussed in question 2, and the focus on managers as customers from question 1.

4. Is your HR structure holding you back or are you able for more agile and continuous innovation?
Traditional HR Operating Models often remain stuck in functional silos, resulting in fragmented processes, slow responses and limited collaboration between HR Operations, Communities of Expertise, and HR Business Partners. In many organizations, the legacy Ulrich-model still defines the structure, while business dynamics demand something far more flexible and responsive.

Imagine HR Operations no longer structured by function, but instead around a product-customer combination. Teams take end-to-end responsibility for a defined service product, for example onboarding, talent mobility, or employee well-being, and fully own the experience journey for the customer segment they serve. These product teams would combine HR Operations capabilities with specialist knowledge from Communities of Expertise, helped by AI tools that manage requests and give real-time information.

This way, HR Business Partners can be fully embedded in the business, while product teams proactively improve, innovate, and adapt their services to shifting business needs. By moving away from functional silos to customer-focused, product-oriented teams, HR Operations becomes an important engine for speed, innovation, and value. Therewith solving a few of the most familiar challenges for HR Operations nowadays.

It’s time for HR Operations to step up

We hope you found yourself answering “Yes” to some of these thought-provoking questions, but for many HR Operations teams, significant gaps still exist. The focus on business alignment, innovation, AI integration, data-driven decision-making, and agile methodologies has often been overshadowed by cost pressures and a lack of recognition of HR Operations' immense potential. This must and can change!

Now is the time for HR Operations to step up and assert its role as a critical driver of business value. Technology is vital, but it is only part of the equation. HR Operations teams must hold themselves to higher standards of business acumen, adaptability, and responsiveness. Your organization’s priorities, whether boosting revenue, enhancing employee experience, or providing consistent service quality, must be your guiding compass.

Incremental changes are no longer sufficient. We challenge you to make bolder moves and adopt a holistic approach to designing and delivering HR Operations services for the future. Take your place at the table. Step out of your comfort zone, shatter outdated patterns, and reimagine what HR Operations can achieve. If you will not lead the change, who will?