Why Your HR Software Needs to be Calendar Connected

By Adam Bird, CEO and Founder, Cronofy

Adam Bird, CEO and Founder, Cronofy

In the last few years, technology has transformed HR processes. From arranging interviews to managing paid time off and organizing training sessions, staff can achieve more without having to work more.

In a highly competitive market, HR providers are always looking for ways to differentiate themselves. One of the ways they can achieve this is by allowing employees to connect their calendars to HR software.

Most employees use their online calendars daily, so it makes sense for them to be able to use a technology they’re already familiar with to further improve their working life.

Here are just some of the ways in which calendar connected software can benefit employees and organizations of all sizes.

Spend Less Time on Admin Tasks

According to a recent study, employees spend a third of the working year on repetitive or administrative tasks. Not only can this be mind-numbing, but it means that they have less time to spend on working toward their objectives.

When employees’ calendars are connected to HR software, repetitive, time-consuming tasks—such as organizing staff training sessions—can be automated. Instead of attendees needing to alter their schedules so that they can attend, training sessions can be booked based on attendees’ real-time availability. This gives staff more time to prepare for training sessions, important meetings, or interviews. There’s also no risk of double-bookings.

"Businesses that help employees automate simple tasks reap the rewards"

Businesses that help employees automate simple tasks reap the rewards. Employees have more time to focus on their long-term goals and therefore feel more positive about their roles. This helps companies to create a stronger employer brand, which can lead to better reviews on Glassdoor, and therefore, help attract the best talent for the job.

Organize Multiple Interviews at the Same Time

Hiring a new employee takes an average of 52 days. If a company hires on a regular basis, they can lose as much as 20 hours a month just on scheduling interviews.

When the calendars of an organization are synced with its applicant tracking system, the hiring manager can access the availability of the interview panel’s members.

This information can be shared securely with the candidates to find the best time to hold interviews. It doesn’t matter how many panelists are needed eitherBecause the availability information updates in real-time, it is always accurate and prevents any risk of double-booking.

Automate Meeting Room Bookings

Trying to find a suitable meeting room for an all-hands or a client meeting can be a nightmare, especially if you need specialist equipment like a screen or projector, too.

Creating calendars for bookable resources then connecting them to a booking software means that administrators no longer need to spend hours coordinating people, places, and resources. Software can connect to the calendars of employees’ and resources to find their real-time availability, then suggest the most suitable time.

Create A Better Onboarding Experience

First impressions matter. When new hires go through a great onboarding process, they’re 69 percent more likely to still be with a company three years later. It’s therefore important to make onboarding new employees as fast and efficient as possible.

Connecting to the calendars of everyone within an organization is a cumbersome—if not impossible—process when done manually, and any software updates can mean that these connections break.

When a company’s calendar service is connected to the HR platform that it uses, all new starters get the benefits of calendar sync straight away. Businesses also have more control over their corporate calendars.

Build Better Relationships

Every minute HR teams save by automating repetitive tasks is another minute they can spend meeting with employees to discuss their goals, organizing training sessions, finding more technology to save even more time, or organizing team bonding activities.

Building a strong relationship between the company and its employees is a crucial part of HR. Discovering what matters to them and how to create a more enjoyable employee experience that benefits everyone will result in a lower staff turnover and higher productivity.

Hiring a replacement can cost as much as 20 percent of an employee’s annual salary, so retaining employees for as long as possible saves businesses time and money.

Building relationships with candidates, meanwhile, helps create a better candidate experience, and therefore boost a company’s employer brand. The better a company’s employer brand, the more likely they are to attract the best talent—75 percent of jobseekers say that this is a deciding factor when they apply for a role.

When candidates feel valued, they’re more likely to accept a job. When they feel unwelcomed or unappreciated, they may reject a job offer even after a successful interview. How a candidate is treated during the hiring process is therefore crucial.

Even unsuccessful candidates can become brand advocates if they’re made to feel welcome and appreciated. When it was revealed that Virgin Media lost £4.4million in revenue because of a poor hiring process, they knew something needed to change. Creating a more candidate-focused hiring process helped to prevent customers from leaving for a competitor and increased the likelihood that unsuccessful candidates would reapply for roles in the future.

Save Time with Calendar Connectivity

Ultimately, connecting an organization’s calendars to its HR platform creates a win-win situation. Employees spend less time on mundane and repetitive tasks, which increases their overall job satisfaction and positively affects the company’s growth.

It can also allow candidates to book their own interviews, meetings can be scheduled automatically, and businesses can create a better onboarding process for new starters.

The more a company puts its current and future employees first, the greater the rewards. This is first and foremost an organizational mindset, but HR technologies are here to help ensure that it will pay off in the long run.

Making employees lives easier and giving them more time to spend on developing their skills and achieving their goals results in happier, more engaged, and more productive employees— the perfect combination for any growing business.

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