Not so, according to one Canadian company, which has automated many management and administrative processes to such an extent that it does not have a human resources department.

Klick, a digital agency of 700 people, achieved this with an internal operating system that tracks things like billable hours, workflow and employee attendance, as well as managing recruitment and training.

It is one of a growing number of companies automating management. Others include B12, a web developer that uses a software program to coordinate its team of human designers, client managers, copywriters and robots, and business services company Konsus, which has automated workflow systems that assign work to its pool of freelancers.

Genome, as Klick’s platform is called, grew out of a system developed to replace internal email. Instead of exchanging endless emails about a piece of work, staff use a central hub to discuss a particular task.

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