UPDATED 11/1/2023 – HR automation lets overworked dental, optometry and other medical office managers scale their healthcare businesses while saving time and improving workflow efficiency. Still, 60% of employers don’t automate HR management activities such as benefits, onboarding, and payroll. What gives?
If you haven’t incorporated automation into your dental practice, now’s a good time to do it. If you automate the six HR tasks below, you can reduce time spent on busy work and save labor costs. Read on to learn more.
1) Filing Taxes Without the Stress
As an office manager, you have a legal responsibility to withhold taxes from employees and some contractors. Practically any task connected to taxes can create anxiety. Did you withhold the correct amount for Social Security? Does that number seem accurate for a part-time employee? No matter how often you check the math, doing your taxes manually can make you feel one step away from an IRS audit.
Using the latest HR software lets you automate taxes, which improves accountability and flexibility.
HR automation programs can do all the important tax calculations for you. You can reduce errors, increase confidence, and ensure that everyone gets paid on time. You can also improve compliance and avoid expensive IRS penalties for failing to withhold or pay taxes. HR for Health’s one-click payroll feature, for example, eliminates manual labor by automating direct deposit tax filings.
Yes, you probably felt your anxiety spike simply by reading the phrase “IRS penalties”. You won’t find a clearer sign that you need to streamline as many of your processes as possible.
2) Time-Tracking That Minimizes Human Error
Your employees will need time off for various reasons, from illness to emergencies. You should track time off and attendance with precision.
Paper timesheets are a thing of the past. Successful, data-driven dental practices use HR software to record hours worked and absences. Top time-tracking tools like HR for Health create electronic, timestamped documentation that you can store safely, access as needed, and ensure accuracy. Plus, you generate less paperwork. Your cluttered desk and the environment will thank you.
You can also:
- Create an electronic time clock that automatically records overtime by your state’s regulations.
- Calculate work hours with improved accuracy.
- Ensure employees receive the correct pay (e.g. nurses who work overtime).
- Arrange cover for absent staff.
For more accurate time-keeping:
- Create a list of allowed IP addresses so employees can only clock-in from certain locations.
- Allow employees to revise timesheets (with manager approval) instead of doing it yourself.
Recommended Resource: 9 common HR mistakes & How To Easily Fix Them. Download our whitepaper here!
3) Payroll That Meets the Needs of Erratic Schedules
Electronic timesheets support your payroll processes and make it easier to distribute the correct payments to employees. Many dental employees, such as doctors and nurses, work irregular hours and end up filling overtime hours. You need an automated system that accurately facilitates payroll functions quickly and efficiently.
Failing to pay employees on time (or paying incorrect amounts) can lead to lawsuits and penalties. A reliable, accurate payroll management system makes it virtually impossible for these mistakes to harm your dental business or employees.
HR automation software also lets you stay organized and helps keep you on top of new government regulations and guidelines. HR for Health’s one-click payroll automates wage payments and garnishments for improved compliance and peace of mind.
4) Accurate Time Off Management for Every Team Member
Time off management and tracking is one of the most complicated aspects of HR management because they change regularly. Some employees receive time off based on their hours worked, time with the company, and other factors. If you try to track time off manually, you have to consider the details of each employee’s benefits when you calculate:
- Sick leave
- Vacation pay
- PTO
- Paid Holidays
There’s a solution. HR automation software like HR for Health streamlines time-off tracking and calculations so the right employees receive the right perks and privileges.
- Some advantages of automating benefits administration include:
- Improving the time off eligibility process for all new hires and existing employees.
- Automating and tracking time off eligibility changes (e.g. Associate Doctors who are entitled to additional PTO).
- Keeping time off information in one place instead of hunting for each person’s paper documents or tracking manually in a spreadsheet.
- 5) Performance Evaluations That Improve Patient Outcomes
Performance evaluations improve patient outcomes, so it’s important to track employees’ progress at regular intervals. The best HR automation software lets employees carry out a self-review, followed by a manager review. As an OM, you can keep an accurate record of evaluations and provide employees with invaluable performance insights.
HR for Health, for example, comes with performance review templates that make life easier for busy HR teams everywhere. You can also receive email notifications about dental employees tardiness, absences, overtime, and other critical information that will influence performance reviews
Many employers have questions about workplace management. Read our Essential Guide to Performance Reviews here
6) Onboarding New Employees Quickly
With staff shortages across the healthcare sector — the U.S. will need to hire 2.3 million healthcare workers by the year 2025 — you’ve likely recruited new hires at some point in the past. If you’ve found the onboarding process overwhelming, you’re not alone. Welcoming new employees involves vast amounts of administration and record-keeping.
Automating these processes using a tool like HR for Health lets you find the right employees for your dental organization without the hassle of lots of paperwork. You can automate various onboarding tasks, such as:
- Sending federal and state-specific electronic new hire documents to employees like opticians and hygienists automatically upon registration. (Did you know there are an average of 12-18 required new hire forms in each state?)
- Collecting e-signatures from new hires.
- Providing industry-specific job descriptions that outline your expectations.
- Staying compliant with both state and federal regulations.
Automate Your Processes With HR for Health
These are just some of the HR automation processes to consider as an Office Manager. When you choose the right options, you can cut repetitive administrative tasks, save labor costs, and focus on other tasks in your organization.
HR for Health has a suite of tools for office managers that want to streamline HR tasks in their organization, such as cloud-based document vaults, integrated one-click payroll, and time and attendance tracking. Grab a demo today to discover how HR for Health will help take your organization to the next level.
