The Top 4 HR workflows you should be automating right now

Manual HR and payroll processes are no longer sustainable. From chasing approvals, managing onboarding and benefits to running reports, tracking time, and maintaining compliance, repetitive tasks can quickly drain valuable time and resources.

Automation changes that. By using technology to streamline and optimize workflows, organizations can eliminate mundane tasks, reduce human error, and increase efficiency, accuracy, and consistency. This allows payroll and HR teams to shift their focus to strategic priorities like talent development and organizational growth.

Automation is most effective when powered by an integrated HR and payroll system. When payroll, time and attendance, and HR functions are integrated on a single platform, you can automate end-to-end processes with ease. Integrated HR and payroll software is helping Canadian organizations — especially mid-sized companies — remain competitive, compliant, and agile in today’s evolving business landscape.

Let’s explore the core HR workflows you should be automating, the power of custom workflows, and what to consider when choosing the right HR software in Canada.

Building custom workflows for your business needs

One size does not fit all. Every organization has unique demands based on industry, workforce size, and company culture. That’s why traditional HR software with rigid processes based on a single approach often falls short.

Modern HR software offers customizable workflows — a powerful solution enabling HR and payroll teams to build processes tailored to their exact needs, streamlining HR and payroll operations while ensuring consistency across the entire employee lifecycle.

From automated onboarding sequences and customized compliance checklists to multi-step promotion approvals and flexible time-off request chains, custom workflows give organizations the control and flexibility to design HR processes that align with business goals and the ability to adapt as the organization evolves — driving efficiency, effectiveness, and a better employee experience.

Core HR workflows you should be automating today

Recruitment, onboarding and offboarding

Everyone knows the challenges associated with employee recruitment, onboarding, and offboarding. An integrated HR and payroll system reduces the time and effort required by automating key steps and providing complete visibility from the initial welcome email and task tracking to the final stages of offboarding.

HR teams can automate everything from document signing and tax/banking information collection to provisioning tools. When an employee leaves, automation ensures nothing is overlooked, from scheduling exit interviews to issuing final pay and revoking system access.

By automating these workflows, organizations can speed up turnaround times, reduce errors, and create a smoother, more consistent experience for new hires and departing employees.

Examples of custom HR workflows you can automate for recruitment, onboarding, and offboarding:

Recruitment & onboarding

• Job posting: Create and publish job postings to various job boards.
• Applicant tracking: Track and manage applicant data throughout the recruitment process.
• Resume parsing: Automatically extract and analyze resume content.
• Interview scheduling: Automate scheduling and communication with candidates.
• Offer letter generation: Quickly generate and send personalized offer letters.
• Onboarding: Streamline onboarding by automating new hire paperwork, training, and equipment provisioning.

Offboarding

• Exit interviews: Automate exit interview scheduling and feedback collection.
• Access revocation: Ensure timely and secure deactivation of system access.
• Final pay processing: Automate final payroll, benefits, and documentation.

Time-off requests and leave management

Manual leave management can lead to miscommunications, overlooked requests, and compliance risks. An integrated human resource management system simplifies time-off processes while giving HR teams complete visibility and control.

Custom workflows that automate time-off and leave management streamline everything from planning vacations to submitting requests, reducing the need for back-and-forth between management and HR. Employees can view their leave balances and submit requests through a self-service portal, while managers receive real-time notifications and can approve or decline requests instantly. This transparency ensures smoother workflows and keeps staffing aligned with company policies.

The result is a more efficient leave management process that reduces administrative overhead, strengthens compliance, and fosters a cohesive, responsive workplace with better work-life balance.

Examples of custom HR workflows you can automate for time and attendance:

• Time tracking: Automate employee time and attendance, including clock-in/clock-out data.
• Leave requests: Enable employees to submit time-off requests with automated approval routing.
• Overtime calculations: Automatically calculate and track overtime hours and pay.

Performance reviews and feedback cycles

Reviewing employee performance and providing ongoing feedback are essential for growth and development, but many organizations struggle to maintain consistency, which leads to delays, missed deadlines, and unclear expectations.

With an integrated HR system, organizations can automate performance management HR workflows to ensure the entire process is timely, structured, and aligned with talent management goals. Automated performance cycles can be customized to fit your organization’s needs, with custom workflows that clearly define timelines, recurring feedback schedules, task assignments, and automated reminders for employees and managers. Customizable templates help standardize feedback, promoting fairness, clarity, and alignment with company values.

Automation also improves HR reporting accuracy by capturing real-time review data that provides valuable insight into employee performance trends and supports data-driven talent development strategies. Ultimately, it helps employees better understand their impact on company success, boosting engagement, performance, and productivity without increasing administrative overhead.

Examples of custom HR workflows you can automate for performance management:

• Goal setting: Streamline the process of setting and tracking individual and team goals.
• Performance reviews: Automate scheduling, reminders, and documentation for appraisals.
• Feedback & coaching: Enable ongoing feedback and coaching between managers and employees.
• Performance improvement plans: Automate the creation, delivery, and tracking of performance improvement plans.

Payroll and benefits administration

Processing payroll and managing benefits are two of the most time-consuming and critical responsibilities for HR and payroll teams.

With an integrated human resource management platform, key employee data—such as hours worked, deductions, and benefit selections—flows seamlessly between systems. This allows companies to automate repetitive tasks like calculating entitlements and withholdings, processing direct deposits, managing benefits, and generating HR reporting. These automated workflows not only save time and reduce compliance risks, but also ensure employees are paid accurately and on time and benefits are managed correctly. The result is increased accuracy, efficiency, and control for HR and payroll teams.

Examples of custom HR workflows you can automate for payroll and benefits:

• Payroll processing: Automate payroll calculations, including deductions, taxes, and bonuses.
• Benefits enrolment: Streamline employee benefits selection and eligibility tracking.
• Direct deposit: Facilitate the electronic payment of salaries and expenses.
• Tax reporting: Generate and file tax-related reports and documents.
• Compliance checks: Automatically generate payroll and HR reporting for audits or regulatory requirements.

Choosing the right HR software in Canada

There are plenty of solutions available to help you scale, integrate, and manage your workforce. However, switching to new Canadian HR software can feel overwhelming. By prioritizing a solution that aligns with your unique business needs and complies with Canadian labour laws, regulations, payroll requirements, and workforce dynamics, you can find the right fit for your organization.

HR and payroll software impacts every part of your business, so it’s essential to choose a partner who will support you at every step to help maximize your investment.

Key features to look for

Whether you're upgrading your existing HR tech stack or starting fresh, here’s what to consider:

Integrated HR and payroll

Modern human resource management systems combine HR and payroll functions into a single platform to streamline operations. Integrated HR and payroll systems have all the tools to manage employees from hire to retire. With integrated HR software, organizations can automate time-consuming tasks, reduce manual work, and gain valuable insights, all while staying compliant with Canadian payroll regulations — ultimately boosting efficiency, improving decision-making, and elevating the overall employee experience.

Employee self-service portals

A user-friendly self-service portal provides employees with a centralized hub to stay informed and manage their own information. By giving employees greater control and instant access to their payroll and HR data, self-service tools help streamline routine payroll and HR tasks without asking for help.

From clocking in and out, swapping or picking up shifts and accessing pay stubs to managing vacation entitlements, reviewing company policies, and updating personal information, employees can do it all with just a few taps — saving time and fostering a more connected and collaborative workplace environment.

Advanced reporting & analytics

Reporting is where you’ll get real value in an integrated HR and payroll solution. Access to key HR reporting and payroll data empowers organizations to make informed decisions, support audits, maintain compliance, and manage their workforce more effectively. A robust human resource management system should offer a comprehensive library of pre-built reports, with flexible tools to easily create custom reports as needed, giving you the insights you need, when you need them.

Scalability & flexibility

To efficiently manage your HR and payroll needs, look for a solution that offers the scalability and flexibility to support your organization’s current operations and future growth. The right platform should adapt to emerging trends, demands, and innovations.

Whether expanding your workforce, integrating new features, or adapting to remote and hybrid models, your HR and payroll system should reduce the risk of operational setbacks and support continuous improvement — helping stay agile, compliant, and aligned with your long-term business goals.

Questions to ask your vendor

Here are key questions to consider when evaluating and choosing the right HR software for your Canadian business:

• Is your HR and payroll software designed to support both current needs and future organizational growth?
• Can your human resource management solution automate compliance workflows specific to Canadian labour laws and payroll regulations?
• Does the platform allow me to create custom HR workflows for processes like onboarding, performance reviews, and leave management?
• How frequently are Canadian tax codes and employment legislation updates applied to the software?
• Does your HR and payroll system integrate with our existing tools (e.g., payroll, talent management, LMS, reporting software)?
• Do you provide dedicated support based in Canada?
• What reporting and analytics capabilities does your HR software offer?

Automation is the future

Automation is shaping the future of HR and payroll—not by replacing HR and payroll professionals, but by enabling them to focus on more strategic, value-driven initiatives.

By streamlining routine HR workflows and eliminating manual processes, automation allows HR and payroll teams to dedicate more time to the activities that drive real value for their organizations. It reduces administrative burden, minimizes errors, and improves the speed and accuracy of critical tasks. Automation empowers organizations to stay flexible and responsive to shifting workforce and industry demands. Ultimately, resulting in increased productivity, better decision-making, improved performance, and an elevated overall employee experience.

By embracing HR workflow automation, you unlock your organization’s full potential and position it to continue succeeding long-term.

Additional Reading Links

1. Managing Productivity with Automation

2. Avanti HCM Integrations

3. How to find your HCM match