Human resources are typically one of the departments that receive the highest volume of email in any business. However, HR’s email overload is only on the increase due to the ongoing pandemic and current business landscape and job market.
Job applications in the UK increased by 34% while job vacancies soared by 79% between the second and third quarters of 2020, according to data from CV-Library. Furthermore, the number of applications received per vacancy during this period was 79% higher than during the same time period in 2019.
There has also been a boom in job applications in specific industries and job roles, with administration seeing a 90% quarterly spike, followed by increases in job applications for recruitment (86%), marketing (79%), sales (78%) and telecoms (75%). And, with the Government’s furlough scheme ending, the number of people on the lookout for jobs is likely to increase further.
HR of course plays a central role in managing this huge increase in job applications. HR teams need to ensure that each application received by email is properly reviewed, then liaise with the relevant departments throughout the entire application process. As a result, email plays a central role in helping HR teams to manage this process effectively.
HR’s need for email management
With an ever-increasing number of emails coming into their inboxes it’s understandable that HR people could lose track of the messages they’ve sent and received. HR teams are typically exchanging sensitive information with people all across the business, including disciplinary processes, pension details and salary information.
Storing these details safely can become difficult, and often ends up with folders being created for every employee on the corporate server. These folders contain key documentation such as their conversation histories, employment contracts, bonus information and performance reviews.
Furthermore, HR teams often share email conversations with individual employees that can go on over some time and are easy to remain unfiled, locked in the HR person’s inbox. By the time that information is required for an employment review, it could easily have been lost, hidden away in their inbox or deleted.
Trying to find specific conversations, job applications and even contracts within the mass of email they receive can be a monumental task. However, it becomes even more difficult as people leave the business, especially when the business doesn’t have the tools in place to simplify data discovery. It’s also important to reduce the chances of inconsistent or incorrect document filing, which could result in sensitive information being hidden within HR teams’ inboxes or getting lost completely.
To avoid this, businesses need to take control of email management by deploying software that helps HR teams to safely store all of their emails and documents in the correct location, every time. This will also make all information easily discoverable by everyone that should have access to it. For example, in the case of an employee review, a manager can quickly pull up all emails and previous review information that the HR team has on the employee, even if the previous HR staff involved have moved on from the organization.
HR’s email overload
HR managers, advisors and assistants are bombarded with a deluge of emails from every department on a daily basis. This mass of email communication includes new job applications, but it also includes employee complaints and feedback, insurance queries, payroll questions, review requests, and more.
The current climate may well be adding to HR’s inbox clutter, given people are no longer working in offices and they can’t simply pop over to HR for a quick catch-up. Email, therefore, takes an even bigger role in arranging catch-ups, setting up meetings, receiving employee feedback, and more.
This reliance on email means that businesses must ensure these busy individuals are able to work effectively without becoming overworked or overwhelmed. They therefore need to have a reliable system in place that enables HR teams to better manage their email and their inboxes.
Why your HR team needs Mail Manager
Mail Manager can help HR teams struggling with email overload to simplify their filing processes and reduce the time they spend searching for correspondence, contracts, and CVs.
The Outlook add-in solution ensures that HR teams and wider employees automatically file conversations and important documentation in the correct folder. It uses an intuitive AI engine to predict where sent and received emails should be filed, which helps to standardise filing process across the business. As a result, HR teams don’t end up with an overloaded, unorganised email inbox and information doesn’t get lost when people leave the organisation.
Mail Manager also provides a clear record of every conversation that HR teams have with employees. This makes it simple to quickly see when job roles changed, as well as appraisal meeting details such as agreements and changes that were promised, discussions that took place, and deadlines that were agreed. It also enables HR teams and individuals like line managers to instantly discover all of the information they need for appraisals, regardless of who it was sent or received by.
HR teams are only going to become more overworked as job applications soar and they need more interaction with remote workforces. By deploying Mail Manager they benefit from having a digital record of contracts, agreements, employee moves, and historical changes, which helps them to be as organised as possible.
To discover how your HR team can take control of email management hit the link below to give Mail Manager a try.
