How to avoid HR burnout

There’s a 50% chance you’re going to quit your job due to HR burnout.

There, I said it. Sorry, not sorry.

But that’s the reality of working in HR. It’s hard. Like, really, really hard. You juggle a lot of s**t. And you keep a smile pasted on your face no matter what. Even when you feel emotionally drained. Actually, especially when you feel emotionally drained.

That’s the gig. That’s what you signed up for.

Guess what, though? It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s true, the HR function oversees a lot. You’ve got a bird’s eye view of the entire business. You just need the right tools to help you manage those gruelling, soul-crushing tasks, so that you can focus on the stuff that makes your heart sing.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to do today by taking a look at technology you can use to fight HR burnout.

Because, guess what?

I don’t want you to quit your job. And trust me. Neither does your team.

The top 5 HR challenges for HR professionals

Let me level set with you. This list is unlikely to raise any eyebrows. That is to say, it’ll look awfully familiar to you. Nonetheless, it bears mentioning, so here goes, the top five HR challenges: HR leaders play a vital role in navigating these challenges, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

1. Recruitment and selection
2. Performance management
3. Learning and development
4. Pay and benefits
5. Employee feedback

I think you’ll agree that this is a pretty exhaustive list. It includes pretty much all facets of HR. That’s because all facets of HR are challenging and in many cases unnecessarily so.

Let’s get into it.

Simplifying recruitment and selection with new technologies

Some HR teams are stuck in the past. And not by their own design. If you’re an HR professional using spreadsheets to recruit new talent, you’re setting yourself up for HR burnout—and fast. If you’re wondering what alternatives there are, then you’re in luck.

As it so happens, at ZayZoon we use a tool called Lever. Ever heard of it? Lever can help you manage the entire talent lifecycle, start to finish. Thankfully, it’s so easy to use that your hiring managers shouldn’t have a problem with it.

If you’ve got in for Lever, then there are plenty of other vendors out there. A couple others we’ve had experience with are: BambooHR and Greenhouse.

I also want to let you in on a little secret. Strapped for time and tired of writing and editing job descriptions? Use ChatGPT. Seriously. If HR burnout is something you want to avoid, and you really should, then enlist software and AI to tackle those mind-numbing tasks for you.

Hacking performance management

Performance reviews have gotten a bad rap. While I definitely do have some thoughts on them, I’m not here to pass judgment. Chances are, you have to conduct them. And they are extremely time-consuming. First, you need to get buy-in on a methodology, ensure senior leaders know it inside out, then socialize it across your team. Finally, you have to make sure team members are actually compliant.

That’s a lot to expect from someone who already has a full plate.

At ZayZoon, we use a tool called Lattice. It helps us track everything from 1:1s to goals to performance reviews. It also automates much of the back and forth and keeps everything documented centrally for posterity’s sake.

Frictionless learning and development (L&D) for well being

You know what sucks? Having to manage hundreds of Confluence pages that are essential to onboarding. I’ve been there. It is gruelling, thankless work, but somebody’s gotta’ do it. Or do they?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, turns out there’s software that can do it for you. New technologies are revolutionizing learning and development, making these processes more efficient and impactful. We use Loom. There’s also Gloww and Seismic Learning, among many, many others.

Streamline your pay and benefits

Wanna keep your team happy? Better have a streamlined platform to help you administer pay and benefits. Prioritizing work life balance is also crucial to prevent burnout and ensure your team remains rejuvenated. There are plenty of tools out there. A veritable cornucopia, dare I say. Here at ZayZoon, we use Rippling. They’ve got a great attention to detail, delightful comms and a sleek UI. If you’re a big business, a tool like Workday might be more your speed. Either way, there are vendors out there for all businesses and price points.

And, hey, since we’re on the topic of benefits, don’t sleep on ZayZoon. It’s this totally awesome tool that lets your employees access their earned wages before payday. It costs you nothing. And we handle most of the implementation and ongoing maintenance for you.

Automate employee feedback for remote workers

There’s no way to improve your workplace if you don’t know what needs fixing. That’s why you need your fingers to the pulse of what’s going on. Prioritizing employee well-being in the feedback process is crucial to fostering a supportive workplace culture. Running surveys can be a drag. Compiling data and making it easy to action on for your SLT can be an even bigger drag. Especially when the feedback isn’t so positive.

At ZayZoon, we use Lattice to conduct engagement surveys. We’ve also had experience with Culture Amp. These tools are your eyes on the ground, and they save you valuable time.   

Last but not least, break down those silos

Recently, we spoke with Otto Berkes, CEO at HireRoad, an end-to-end talent acquisition platform, the Co-Founder of XBOX and former CTO of HBO. He had a lot to say about how HR departments manage the employee experience, and what they can do to make their lives easier.

In short, break down those siloes. Technology plays a crucial role in everyday life, integrating into daily routines and impacting HR processes significantly.

When you think about talent acquisition and employee retention most of us think about separate areas of the employee experience:

• Hiring
• Onboarding
• Management support
• Growth and development opportunities
• Engagement & retention

Some of the areas traditionally feed into one another, such as growth and development and retention. However, areas like hiring, onboarding and retention are most often regarded by employers as separate points in time. For example, people leaders often fill a role and then pass the employee to their hiring manager.

Otto argues that this drives inconsistency in the employee experience. And, is one of the greatest contributing factors to high employee turnover and churn.

Here’s one way you might imagine a more holistic approach (FYI, wanna hear more from Otto Berkes and other people ops leaders like him? Check out this swanky guide we put together just for you).

By taking a high-level view of your employee experience and informing it with data, you can product better outcomes for your business, and ultimately make your job a whole lot easier.

Sound good?

We sure think so.