This post was written by a guest contributor.
Businesses now have better access to a variety of helpful HR software-as-a-service (SaaS) options that cover wider functions, from recruitment and onboarding to performance reviews and even retention. However, adding just another standard SaaS tool to your technology stack is not always the best solution. Even if the tool helps with parts of your HR processes, teams may still rely on spreadsheets, email chains, and manual processes to manage the rest of their workflows.
For growing businesses, there are custom workflows that let HR teams create processes that match how their business operates and can accommodate unique workplace requirements, which is more efficient than adapting to a prebuilt SaaS tool.
This article explores four key signs that your business may be better off building a custom workflow instead of purchasing another SaaS tool.
1. Your HR team is creating too many workarounds
One way to tell that your existing SaaS tool is not meeting your business’s HR needs is by looking at the number of workarounds that have been created. For example, having an HR platform put in place to manage the onboarding process when new starters join, but they're still required to manually send emails or update spreadsheets.
Email and spreadsheets remain essential business tools. However, relying on them to manage complex or repeatable workflows can create disconnected processes, waste significant amounts of employee time, and increase the risk of duplicate, outdated, or missing information.
These workloads can also make it trickier for HR teams to maintain consistency. If they have to record information across different tools and hunt around for updates on certain processes, it’s inevitably going to lead to human error and delays in tasks.
A custom workflow allows businesses to design HR processes that reduce the need to manually jump between disconnected SaaS tools, emails, and spreadsheets. This not only cuts down on the amount of time spent carrying out admin duties, but also reduces the risk of mistakes being made.
2. Your processes don't fit standard HR tools
SaaS tools are typically designed to serve a wide range of businesses. This means they often provide generic features and workflows that may not work well for complex HR processes or unique business requirements.
Although many tools allow for certain customizations to be made, they’re always going to limit how closely you can align them with your own processes.
For example, a business may have different onboarding processes for permanent employees, temporary employees, and contractors. If they use the same SaaS tool for everyone, the HR team may need to skip certain steps or use fields for purposes they were not designed for.
Having to find different ways to make a tool suit your business needs will make it harder to get the results you need. If everyone in the HR team is inputting information in a different format or notes have to be tagged onto entries, it’s going to add additional layers of complexity.
Building a custom workflow lets businesses create HR processes that fit their own requirements rather than making adjustments to accommodate the limitations of an existing SaaS tool.
For growing businesses, there are AI-powered building platforms like Pave that allow teams to build custom business apps around workflows. This gives you more control over how your information is collected and how HR employees are able to manage their duties, meaning your software is developed around your business requirements so you don’t have to bend backwards to fit the limited functionality of your SaaS tool.
3. You need different teams to follow different processes
Most SaaS tools offer a standard workflow to every user. However, many HR processes vary depending on the employee, department, location, or recruitment type.
Managing these variations within a standardized SaaS tool can be complicated, as HR teams will need to remember which process applies in each situation. This increases the risk of requests getting sent to the wrong person or important steps being missed.
Without clear processes in place, it can create frustrating inconsistencies across the team. This can add extra admin duties if it means someone needs to spend time adjusting HR records to create standardization.
For instance, if an employee needs to request bereavement leave, this may need to go through a different approval process in comparison to a standard annual leave request. With a custom workflow, teams can select the type of request they are submitting, and it automatically determines the appropriate next steps.
This principle can apply to all HR processes that have multiple layers. Adding rules to a custom workflow is bound to make it much easier for the team to align with policies and carry out the exact steps that need to be taken.
4. HR requirements are growing
Even if your chosen SaaS tool worked well when your business was smaller, it may not be able to keep up as you introduce new services, enter new markets, grow your teams, update policies, or change internal HR processes.
As your business changes, your HR requirements are only going to become more complex. Processes that worked for you a few years back are likely to have outgrown the tools that were introduced, meaning it’s time for change.
If each change requires you to purchase another SaaS tool, your technology stack will quickly become expensive and difficult to manage. This leaves the HR team having to switch between multiple platforms to complete a single process, while data become fragmented across disconnected systems.
Growing businesses should be able to adapt their custom workflows as HR requirements and processes change, with greater flexibility that can also support growth. Once a custom workflow is in place, it gets easier to scale HR systems alongside the business as needs change and more processes are added.
Choose HR technology that fits your needs
If your HR team is constantly creating workarounds, your processes are unique, or your business is growing, it may be time to consider building a custom workflow rather than adding another disconnected SaaS tool to your technology stack.
Businesses sometimes assume that a custom workflow requires an expensive software development project or extensive coding knowledge. However, there are low-code and no-code platform builders that have made custom workflows more accessible than ever before. Businesses can create HR workflows using existing tools, integrations, automation, and forms.
But the right solution isn't necessarily to cancel every SaaS tool you currently use. The most efficient approach is to determine how to combine custom workflows with your existing HR tools that already work well for your business.