If a company were a circus, HR would be the plate spinners. Their responsibilities span recruitment, onboarding, training, payroll, and more. The workload can be heavy, so the ability to multitask is essential, but even for seasoned HR professionals, keeping all the plates in the air can be difficult. That’s before factoring in additional tasks related to business strategy and unexpected firefighting.
As good as you might be at your job, you can’t just pluck hours out of thin air. But you don’t necessarily need to. You might just need to reevaluate how you’re spending the time you do have and how you could use it differently – in other words, practice time management. Doing so saves time and can result in a manageable workload, lower stress levels, and more robust performance.
This article will cover the benefits and challenges of this within HR. We’ll dive deeper into HR time management tips for increasing productivity, some key strategies that can help to understand how to improve work-life balance for HR professionals, and how time management software can support this goal.
Why Time Management Skills in the Workplace Matter
Effective time management delivers real benefits:
- Reduced stress and burnout. Research carried out by Westfield Health has revealed that almost half (46%) of workers in the UK are nearing burnout, citing workload as one of the most impactful factors.
- Improved work-life balance. Being more productive during working hours means less need for overtime and more time for what matters outside work.
- Better communication. A team that manages its collective time efficiently can be more fluid in its approach to workload. They can find schedule gaps to support each other and delegate work.
- Higher quality output. Being rushed can kill productivity and lead to overlooked details and lower quality. The opposite is also true; carving out more time for complex tasks can improve accuracy and allow creativity to flourish.
- Better decision-making. Giving yourself more time to weigh the pros and cons can push you toward more logical, strategic decisions. Again, the increased pressure can impact the quality of decisions.
- Increased productivity and profit. According to TotalJobs, the UK is in a ‘productivity crisis.’ Unproductive employees cost British businesses a massive £143 billion each year. Employees managing their time effectively can positively impact both the individuals and the company’s bottom line. Time is money, after all.
The Challenges of Time Management for HR Professionals
Let’s be honest about what we’re up against. HR professionals face unique time management challenges:
- Interruptions and distractions. It’s no secret that the UK loves a cuppa, but the nation’s caffeine habit is sidetracking staff. A Totaljobs study revealed that tea and coffee breaks are the primary source of distraction for Brits in the workplace (13%). This is closely followed by colleagues chatting (11%), boredom (10%), and excessive meetings and emails (8% each).
- Juggling tasks. The responsibilities of HR teams span from employee management and compliance to recruitment and payroll, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
- Uncertainty. HR is all about people, which can make the day-to-day unpredictable. This ‘firefighting’ can take up a lot of unexpected time, making it hard to plan work schedules.
- Procrastination. Research by Fleximize has shown that a whopping 84% of workers procrastinate for over 30 minutes a day. That’s 9 million hours of work lost to inefficiency, which could result from many things, including disengagement or stress.
- Work-life balance. The boundary between personal and professional isn’t always easy to maintain. Life can quickly get in the way of your work when the boundaries blur, especially now that remote work is the norm.
Time Management Skills and Strategies in HR
Overcoming these challenges is no small feat. You need to invest hours in time and workload management to save time in the long run.
- Goal Setting That Makes Sense
We all have targets to hit, but the trick is working smarter, not harder:
Cull your goals. Avoid ‘goal competition,’ where your biggest obstacle to achieving one goal is all your other goals. Trying to tackle too many at once spreads you thin and leads to goal cannibalisation.
Try habit stacking. Weave goals into your everyday routine. Brainstorm for your strategy meeting while making coffee, or listen to a training podcast while organising your calendar.
Set limits, not just minimums. While teams often set minimum targets, having maximum limits keeps goals realistic and achievable. The sky-is-the-limit approach can feel overwhelming rather than motivating.
- Master the Art of Prioritisation
Workload management and prioritisation go hand in hand. Most people will have a list of outstanding tasks, which can be broken down into categories to understand how to tackle each one most efficiently.
Categorisation. Group tasks into overarching areas like ’employee relations,’ ‘compliance,’ ‘recruitment,’ etc. This makes your list less daunting and more manageable.
Prioritisation. Not all of your tasks will have the same level of importance, so tackling them in a random order doesn’t make sense. You can either:
- Prioritise by urgency. This means focusing on tasks with a closer deadline. Many jobs demand immediacy for HR professionals, whether finishing an offboarding before an employee leaves or dealing with a managerial grievance.
- Rank them on a timeline. This can ensure you stay calm and measured. Assessing the impact of not completing each one on time can help you to do so. Kate Buckley, CEO and founder of Buckley Media, suggests a five-step approach.
- Prioritise by business impact. HR professionals receive requests from every department within an organisation, and they’ll each be biased about which is most critical – often their own. The safest way is to forecast the results and manage your time based on data. You can then dedicate working hours to each request depending on the level of impact. This can work the other way around, too. Ask yourself, what will the consequences be for me and the business if I don’t finish this? The higher the impact, the more urgent the task.
Identify workload capacity, limitations, and imbalances. Knowing how to balance workload and time management in HR can be a challenge. Identify workload capacity, restrictions, and inequalities. By categorising and prioritising, you can assess whether your workload is too small or too large.
If you’re more of a visual person, the Eisenhower Matrix (or Time Management Matrix) is a valuable project management tool to support you here. It’s essentially a framework that provides structure to your prioritisation. According to Acuity Training, it’s the most successful time management technique, with 100% of people using this grid feeling that their work is under control either 4 or 5 days per week.
3. Time blocking and scheduling
The moment you open your laptop, you’re hit with notifications, emails, and interruptions. Time blocking creates structure in the chaos:
Start with self-awareness. When is your productivity peak? When do you procrastinate most? Schedule your most demanding work for your best hours.
Then, create dedicated blocks of time:
- Deep focus. This is your time to get stuck into one project. Give yourself a 2-3 hour block and set your status as ‘unavailable’ and ‘do not disturb.’
- Power hour. Use a ‘power hour’ once or twice a week to complete a bunch in one go. Lots of your tasks might only take 5-10 minutes to complete but can build up over the week and overshadow your main aims.
- Planning Ahead. Managing your time takes time. Carve out space for future planning. These blocks could be spent categorising your to-do list, brainstorming ways to be more efficient, or planning your schedule.
- Inbox wrestling. Resist the urge to peek at your inbox throughout the day, as this can hamper your productivity when doing other tasks! Set aside a couple of 30-minute blocks each day to respond to emails.
- Microbreaks. This could be a one-minute break for every 40 minutes of work you carry out. Try to mentally and physically switch gears during this block. Look away from your screen, stretch your legs, and get some air!
If time blocking is new to you, try using workload planning and management apps like Sunsama or HourStack to get you started.
4. Schedule flexibility
Time blocking only works if you account for the unpredictable nature of HR work. Build in ‘mop-up’ time on Friday afternoons for anything that got derailed during the week. This way, unexpected issues don’t completely derail your schedule.
5. Task delegation and responsibility sharing
Managerial responsibilities can make involvement in the day-to-day action much harder. Working on overarching strategic projects and overseeing your team can take up most of your bandwidth, leaving little time for tasks. This is where task delegation comes in.
Successful time management within HR requires you to employ effective delegation techniques, such as an ‘input ranking’ system. This is another method of task categorisation that involves splitting them into three groups:
- Tasks only you can do
- Tasks you can collaborate on
- Tasks you can delegate entirely
Setting boundaries is important. Your team is there to support you, and learning to trust their abilities frees up your capacity for strategic work.
6. Managing email and communication
UK workers spend a massive 30 days a year on average sending emails. That’s an entire month per year spent grappling with your inbox! So it wouldn’t be right to talk about time optimisation without outlining how to implement email processes for optimal productivity.
- Create an inbox filing system. Title sub-folders with the key responsibilities relating to your role so that any incoming emails can be labelled accordingly. Tidy inbox, tidy mind!
- Build a response process. Create a ‘pending’ folder where you can send emails requiring an action or response – you can return to this during your ‘inbox wrestling’ time block. You can also create a ‘reference’ folder for anything that doesn’t need a reply but is helpful to save.
- Make use of inbox rules. If your company uses third-party software for specific processes, such as project management or invoicing, you likely receive countless notification emails throughout the day that can clog up your inbox. Set rules so that emails from these platforms are sent to a contained folder.
7. Task automation
It’s quite frankly mad that UK employees waste over 40 working days a year on admin tasks. HR tools can automate many time-consuming processes like document management, payroll processing, and recruitment workflows.
The goal isn’t to replace human judgement but to free up time for the strategic, people-focused work that only you can do.
Strategies for Effective Meeting Management
When managed well, meetings can save time for teams by clarifying project aims and actions and keeping all stakeholders aligned.
Yet, a recent study by CV-Library revealed that 75.9% of Brits think virtual work meetings are a ‘waste of time.’ One in three (34.4%) even admitted to leaving meetings early out of boredom.
Meeting hosts must apply effective time management techniques for HR meetings to boost employee engagement and increase productivity.
1. Set clear objectives and agendas
In the words of entrepreneur Neil Patel, “no purpose, no meeting.” Outline what you’re hoping to achieve; do you want to come away with a list of new ideas, make a finite decision about something, or just update each other on a project’s status? Whichever it is, include it on the meeting invite so everyone can prepare.
2. Encourage active participation and employee engagement
One way to do this is by sharing materials beforehand so attendees can formulate ideas, opinions, and questions. You could also delegate roles ahead of the meeting. Giving people responsibilities means they’re less likely to switch off, as their input is directly related to the meeting’s success!
3. Create a schedule and stick to it
Form an agenda for time optimisation and give each segment a time slot. Check this regularly throughout to avoid squeezing the last few points on the schedule. Give enough time for discussion and debate, but not too much – you want to prevent people from taking tangents and losing focus.
4. Evaluate outcomes and follow up
Detail the action points and email them to attendees afterward. If you use a shared platform, record them here. Set reminders to follow up on these or book a short follow-up meeting. You can also ask for feedback on your meeting management. Constructive criticism could make them even more productive in the future!
5. Meet outside the office
It can be tough to stay engaged when you’ve been staring at a computer all day. A dose of nature and some fresh air can wake people up and inspire new ideas.
Matt Jarvis, CEO of the advertising/creative agency 72andSunny, is a big advocate for this, as he believes productivity depends on creativity. He says, “Creativity and innovation benefit from surprising leaps or lateral thoughts. One of the things that happens when you go outside and walk around, you start to collide with your environment a little bit, and it’s a great source of inspiration. I think you’re much more creative and expansive out and about than you are staring at a screen.”
6. Cull your attendees
Be ruthless with your invite list. If you’re unsure about someone, mark them as ‘optional’ so they can decide whether they’d bring value. Removing just two people from a meeting that will last an hour frees up two hours for them to spend on other tasks. It feeds into the time management ecosystem of the entire company. Take a leaf from Jeff Bezos’ book and use the ‘Two Pizza Rule.’ Essentially, the number of people at a meeting should always be able to be fed by two pizzas.
7. Don’t multitask, and encourage others not to either
A Microsoft study found that 30% of employees sent emails during meetings and that people multitask ‘more frequently in larger and longer meetings.’ When attendees do other tasks in the background, you’re competing for their attention and won’t get the most out of the time.
Time Management Training for HR Professionals
As an HR professional, you’re not just managing your own time; you’re often helping others improve theirs. Here are ways to support better staff time management across your organisation:
Provide training. Time management skills aren’t innate. Offering workshops or resources helps everyone improve.
Model good practices. Your own time management habits set an example for others.
Create supportive policies. Flexible working arrangements and clear boundaries around out-of-hours contact help everyone manage their time better.
Address workload issues. When someone consistently struggles with time management, investigate whether it’s a skills issue or a workload problem.
Encourage breaks. Counterintuitively, taking proper breaks improves overall productivity and wellbeing.
Using HR Software for Time Management
Time attendance management software can be a lifesaver for HR teams. A digital solution offers a way to manage and track employee attendance, scheduling, and time-off requests from one place. The most common features include the following:
Time tracking and visibility. Understanding where time goes helps identify improvement opportunities.
Leave management. Automated systems reduce the back-and-forth of holiday requests and approvals.
Shift scheduling. For organisations with shift workers, software can eliminate scheduling conflicts and reduce administrative burden.
Compliance tracking. Automated reminders ensure important deadlines aren’t missed.
Reporting and analytics. Data-driven insights help optimise processes and identify patterns.
When evaluating HR time management software, look for solutions that integrate with your existing systems and actually solve your specific challenges rather than adding more complexity.
Time Management and HR
Effective time management at work is about making conscious choices about how you spend your time and energy. For HR professionals, this is particularly important because your wellbeing directly impacts your ability to support others.
The strategies that work best will depend on your specific role, organisation, and personal preferences. The key is experimenting with different approaches and adapting them to fit your reality.
Start with one small change today. Maybe it’s blocking out an hour for focused work or setting specific times to check emails. Small improvements compound over time, leading to significant changes in how manageable your workload feels.
Remember, good time management isn’t selfish; it’s essential. When you’re in control of your schedule and stress levels, you’re better equipped to support your team and contribute to your organisation’s success.
Ready to take control of your time and transform your working day?
The techniques outlined here work, but they require commitment and practice. Start where you are, use what resonates, and be patient with yourself as you develop these crucial skills.
If you’re looking for HR time management software to support your journey, Factorial offers comprehensive solutions that can automate many of the time-consuming tasks that bog down HR teams. From time tracking to leave management, the right tools can free up hours in your week for more strategic work.
For broader HR support and guidance on building efficient processes that work for your team, we’re here to help. Whether it’s developing better policies and procedures, streamlining workflows, or creating systems that support both productivity and wellbeing, we understand the challenges HR professionals face.
After all, time management at work isn’t just about being more productive – it’s about creating space for the work that truly matters and the life you want to live outside the office.