Dive Brief:

• Are things getting tougher for HR leaders? 73% of HR leaders polled in a recent survey say managing HR has become more challenging over time due to rising demands in compliance.
• The Paychex Snapshot, from Paychex, Inc., also found the number of somewhat disgruntled HR professionals jumps to 80% for those serving in an HR director, vice president of HR, or CHRO role.
• Of the main issues making life miserable for HR leaders, benefits management (30%), performance management (27%), and recruitment and retention (24%) ranked at the top among survey respondents. 

Dive Insight:

Andy Childs, Paychex vice president of marketing, explained that the demands associated with managing more traditional HR issues, such as benefits administration, are only made more complex given today’s regulatory landscape. "That’s why it’s become paramount to streamline processes and integrate solutions wherever possible," he said in a press release.

In fact, 25% of those surveyed say increasing employment regulations have become more difficult to manage in their role. And 33% agree that the Affordable Care Act is the regulatory issue of most concern to them. Coming in second (20%) is the recently finalized overtime rule, with workers’ compensation/workplace safety (16%) and minimum wage issues (14%) also represented.

If there is some good news among the stressed-out HR pros in the survey, 99% say they are using some type of technology and for the most part, it's helping them do their jobs better, with increased efficiency, accuracy and convenience mentioned as benefits.