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Takeaway
HR automation is transforming how organizations support their people by shifting the focus from manual tasks to meaningful, strategic work. When implemented thoughtfully, automation empowers employees to manage their own data, builds trust in HR and enhances efficiency across the entire employee life cycle. Learn how Paycom and Graeter’s Ice Cream are using automation to empower employees at every level.
Understanding HR automation isn’t just about finding ways to incorporate impersonal tools into your daily work. It’s about leveraging the strengths of technology to empower HR professionals to do what they do best: support the workforce.
For Graeter’s Ice Cream, automation was the key that freed a small HR team to take on transformative work instead of spending their days mired in time-consuming processes.
This blog post covers the key takeaways from the Paycom x Graeter’s Ice Cream SHRM25 session, featuring insights from Tiffany McGowen, senior executive vice president of HR and talent acquisition at Paycom, and Alexandra Wilson, vice president of HR at Graeter’s Ice Cream. Together, they explored how automation is reshaping the HR landscape by empowering employees, building trust and streamlining operations.
1. Automation doesn’t replace HR
HR has long been defined by essential but manual tasks that make the function feel more reactive than strategic. It’s a perception that can limit HR’s influence. But automation is helping shift that dynamic.
“If we use the technology at our disposal to handle all of these things,” said McGowen, “we can empower ourselves and employees to own their data and really give HR the freedom to do meaningful strategy and employee-supporting work, which is why we all got into HR in the first place.” That freedom opens the door to more impactful work. As Wilson said, “I’m not afraid to free up some of my time so I can focus on what I like to call ‘meaningful work.’”
By automating repetitive tasks, HR can shift from being perceived as a gatekeeper to a productivity consultant — one that supports employees through career planning, personal development and long-term growth. It’s a transformation that reinforces the value of the profession and the people behind it.
2. Automation empowers employees to own their data
Automation isn’t just changing how HR works — it’s changing how employees experience work, too. In fact, 91% of HR professionals say automation helps employees manage their own data, according to a July 2024 survey commissioned by Paycom and conducted by PSB Insights.
That control shows up in simple, everyday moments, like requesting time off, approving timecards, updating benefits or adjusting 401(k) contributions. “Employees love being able to see everything at their fingertips,” said Wilson. “They feel like they have control. All we did was help guide them in managing that information on their own.”
This shift also benefits HR. As McGowen said, “Rather than everyone calling us all the time for random things, we now have fewer, more meaningful communications with leaders and allow the technology to answer the easy, everyday questions.”
And employees are noticing. According to a May 2025 Paycom survey of 1,000 full-time U.S. employees, 57% said having control over their HR data would make them feel more confident. That confidence creates space for HR to focus on building confident, competent and capable leaders who can, in turn, empower their teams.
3. Automation builds trust through data access
When employees are confident in the tools they use, they’re more likely to trust the people behind them. According to a May 2025 Paycom survey of 1,000 full-time U.S. employees, those who are very familiar with their HR tech are five times more likely to describe HR as “trustworthy.”
“Nobody knows more about them, than them,” said McGowen. Giving employees access to their own data — on their terms — helps build trust. And when HR steps back from manual tasks, it creates space for more meaningful, proactive support.
“That trust is fundamental to creating a healthy, productive relationship between HR and the rest of the workforce,” McGowen said. “Today, we can use the internet and even AI to get the answers we need when we need them. That shouldn’t be any different at work, and automation is the way to get there.”
4. Automation adds value across the employee life cycle
Automation isn’t limited to one area of HR. It has the potential to improve every stage of the employee life cycle. From hiring to offboarding, the right tech brings consistency, accuracy and efficiency to processes that are often time-consuming and prone to error.
“Managing change is difficult,” said McGowen, “but automation provides much-needed consistency and empowers HR to make informed decisions about the workforce at large.”
McGowen and Wilson outlined how automation can support HR across the entire employee life cycle in areas such as:
- Position management: Brings consistency to workforce planning and helps HR make informed decisions.
- Background checks: Speeds up hiring while reducing risk and improving the candidate experience.
- Onboarding: Handles repetitive, detail-heavy tasks with precision and efficiency.
- Benefits administration: Streamlines enrollment and ensures benefits data flows seamlessly within a single software for greater accuracy and efficiency.
- Time management: Automates time-off decisions, reducing delays and improving planning for everyone.
- Payroll: Simplifies one of HR’s most complex and costly processes while minimizing errors.
- Performance reviews: Enables consistent, actionable feedback by making it easier to collect and analyze data.
- Compliance management: Helps HR stay on top of certifications, training and reporting with less manual effort.
5. Automation in action: Real results from Graeter’s
The impact of automation isn’t just theoretical. At Graeter’s Ice Cream, the HR team experienced:
- 83% reduction in payroll prep time
- 138 hours saved through self-onboarding
- 96% reduction in audit prep time
- 100% employee usage of HR tech
- $356,578 in employee-usage ROI within just nine months
These results reflect more than just time saved. They also represent a shift in how HR supports the business. “The new hire’s ability to complete their paperwork before the start date, and Paycom’s ability to track that paperwork, has transformed the lives of our managers,” said Wilson. “Automation doesn’t compromise our accuracy, it enhances it. It allows us to finally stop worrying about compliance readiness and embrace it.”
Graeter’s experience shows what’s possible when HR embraces automation not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a way to create a better experience for employees, managers and the organization as a whole.
