6 Tips to Get Your HR Tech Budget Approved (from a CFO)

Securing budget for your people initiatives—like employee engagement and performance management—can feel daunting. Especially when you and your finance team aren’t on the same page. The problem isn't that your key stakeholders don’t recognize the value of an engaged, high-performing workforce—they certainly do. But it’s crucial to present HR technology requests in a way that clearly connects with the company’s broader financial and operational goals.

When HR leaders present a compelling case that links their initiatives to business success, it’s much easier to secure the budget needed. Here’s how you make your case for a new solution.

1. Engage your finance team early. 

Lay the groundwork for success by involving your finance leader early—as soon as you identify the need for a new or enhanced solution. As a CFO, I prefer to avoid surprises, especially when it comes to unexpected budget requests. Hearing “We want to spend money we didn’t plan for,” can be difficult to manage.

Your finance leaders value being able to plan and have visibility into what’s coming down the line—whether that’s one month, six months, or even a year from now. With that in mind, here’s how to involve your finance team from the start: 

• Let them know early that you're considering new or upgraded HR tech.
• Outline the pain points you're addressing for the HR team and the organization at large.
• Communicate the potential impact of the investment.
• Share what you're looking for when evaluating your options.

By keeping your finance team and other key stakeholders in the loop, you ensure they have the context they need and can tailor your pitch better later. Rather than being surprised by a final proposal, they’ll be part of the process from the beginning, making the final decision a collaborative effort. 

2. Align your request with key company objectives.

Your organization’s goals help the company focus on what is most important. That’s why leveraging them in your request is the key to budget approval. What is most important to your business right now? 

• Are you trying to acquire more customers and grow market share?
  
• Are you working to grow revenue as quickly as possible?
• Are you trying to cut costs where you can?
• Are you working to grow quarterly profits as a public company?
• Are you trying to improve patient satisfaction scores?
• Are you looking to lower safety incident reports?

No matter what your organization’s goals are, it's essential to link your solution to a key business metric. Clearly communicate your vision and long-term benefits for the company. Show how the technology investment directly addresses the organization’s challenges and enhances overall operations. 

3. Frame up the investment.

When I hear words like initiative or project, I often associate them with costs—expenses that don’t directly contribute to business results and offer no clear return on investment. That’s not want you want to convey with your HR technology request. The word you’re looking for is “investment.”  

Share how this purchase will help the organization invest in your employees. That investment will create a more engaged and high-performing workforce. For most organizations, employees are the most valuable resource. By investing in their engagement and performance, the business will succeed.  

The language you use can significantly shape how your organizational leaders perceive your proposal. Reframe the conversations as an investment in your employees and the company’s growth, rather than focusing on terms that imply cost or expense. Present your proposal as a strategic initiative with measurable returns, emphasizing that this is an investment aligned with broader business strategies—not just a project for your team. 

4. Talk numbers.

Your finance team is deeply focused on financial statements and hard numbers, so when discussing return on investment (ROI) of HR technology, be sure to connect the investment directly to key business metrics.  

For example, you should confidently demonstrate how reducing incident rates could save the organization X dollars. By hypothesizing about the correlation and tracking future outcomes, you’ll be able to prove a return on investment. 

As a CFO, I’d prefer to see that an investment in new or improved technology might take six to 18 months to pay off. This shows that your case is grounded in realistic expectations. Avoid using inflated numbers just to make the calculation look appealing. A pragmatic approach helps demonstrate this is an achievable goal for the organization.  

When you talk about ROI and the payoff period with your finance team: 

• Present a clear ROI analysis that quantifies the benefits of your proposed investment.
  
• Keep your projections realistic and practical to build trust with finance leaders.
• Frame your proposal in a broader context, such as improving safety scores or reducing turnover. 
  
  

5. Elevate value.

Show your stakeholders you’ve done your homework. You've thoroughly reviewed different solutions and weighed the costs and benefits of each option. They’ll appreciate seeing the entire, well-thought-out process. 

As mentioned earlier, your finance team doesn’t like surprises. They want to feel involved, even if they weren’t part of the demo or sales conversations. When you approach them, come prepared with more than just the vendor and the cost—be ready to walk them through the entire investment. 

If the solution you’ve chosen exceeds your original estimate, be prepared to explain why. Point out lower-cost options and the functionality they lack or highlight higher-priced solutions that offer more than what you need from an engagement and performance vendor. 

Demonstrate that you've carefully evaluated all options, considering both cost-benefit and trade-off decisions. Contrary to popular belief, finance teams aren’t focused solely on cutting costs—they’re value-conscious. They want to ensure the company’s resources are being used wisely. Be ready to explain why the solution you’ve selected, even if it’s more expensive, offers greater value and aligns best with the organization’s needs. 

6. Follow up on progress.   

Identifying the ROI is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s equally important to have a clear plan for turning that idea into reality. When crafting your plan, schedule a check-in after launch and update your finance leader on progress. They’ll want to see that the organization is starting to see results or has a strategy to get back on track if needed. 

Why? It fosters trust and shows that you truly believe in your plan and ROI. You’re demonstrating accountability for its success. Even if you don’t hit every target exactly as planned, you build credibility, making it easier to justify renewing the subscription or continuing the investment. 

The work doesn’t stop once the budget is approved. Re-engage your key stakeholders incorporating regular check-ins to track the success of your investment. This not only shows good stewardship but also reinforces your commitment to achieving the end goal. 

Unsure where to start in quantifying the impact of these investments on your business? Use this employee engagement ROI calculator to easily start building your business case.