How to Increase Efficiency in HR by Going Paperless

The human resources team of an organization is a busy department. Since HR is responsible for so many procedures, from recruitment to payroll, and more, it can feel as though the piles of paperwork are never-ending, and the manual administrative tasks go on and on. Are there any ways to improve this situation to enhance the efficiency of your HR function?

Why does your organization need paperless HR?

Trying to run a busy HR department with information based on paper, spreadsheets, or manual databases just doesn’t cut it in today’s modern business environment. Naturally, this can cause a great deal of frustration for all concerned in the HR processes.

Listed below are some of the pain points of manual HR management:

• High operational costs
• Lack of ownership and visibility
• Unnecessary delays
• Data silos
• Human errors
• Inaccuracy
• Employee turnover
• Overall inefficiency

Implementing paperless systems within your HR function helps fix these problems, modernizing your process by using technology and automation to eliminate the issues that paper-based procedures bring.

Key benefits of paperless HR

Paperless HR can benefit your organization in a number of ways. First, it frees HR teams from the burden of filling in forms, updating spreadsheets, and filing paper documents. It replaces these tasks with automated processes and soft-copy files, giving them back the valuable time they can use to carry out activities that contribute towards business success.

Also, the HR function is likely to suffer from fewer errors and benefit from a higher degree of accuracy. Furthermore, documents are stored digitally, making them easy to find and well-organized, and automated hr processes are less prone to mistakes.

Top HR processes that can benefit from going digital

Paperless HR can improve most of the key HR processes in your organization. Let’s take a look at the impact that it can have on some of the biggest areas:

1. Recruitment process:

Job specifications can be quickly and easily posted online, allowing candidates to submit their CVs automatically. Line managers can compare applications and shortlist candidates more efficiently using a digital system, and interview results can be quickly compiled and reviewed.

2. Onboarding:

Paperless HR means that offer documents and contracts can be automatically generated and sent to new hires. Induction programs can be organized online, creating a great first impression for new recruits.

3. Performance evaluation:

The documents relating to employees’ annual performance appraisal meeting can be completed by both the line manager and employee electronically. Feedback can be easily requested and compiled via email or an online system, and results from performance evaluations can be compared across teams and the organization.

4. Payroll:

Paperless HR can have a big impact on time-consuming and paper-heavy payroll processes by allowing employee timesheets to be completed electronically rather than manually. It also incorporates automatic feeds relating to salary changes and one-time payments straight into the payroll system.

5. Offboarding:

Typically, off-boarding involves a whirlwind of important activities like filling IRS forms, sorting payroll and benefit complications, and more. An automated offboarding process streamlines all offboarding-related activities, sends all necessary documents automatically, and enforces policy compliance improving accuracy and lowering any chance for compliance issues.

6. Training management:

Paperless HR can ensure that your employees stay engaged and motivated with a dynamic employee training program which offers them the professional development they need to move forward in their career.

How can my HR team go paperless?

There are a few specific ways you can achieve streamlined paperless processes in your HR function:

1. Embracing cloud-based technology:

Data relating to employee personnel and job information and employee documents such as contracts can be stored in the cloud rather than via paper hard copy. Not only does this make the data quicker and easier to access by HR teams, it’s also a great way to improve the confidentiality and data protection of the information, as permissions can be set to allow different levels of access by individual and job role.

2. E-signatures and PDFs:

Utilizing e-signatures and PDF copies mean that documents can be sent electronically to employees for them to view, save, and even sign and return. This is ideal as such documents can then be automatically filled and kept in their employee file. It is also much easier to track completion this way.

3. Digital HR forms and templates:

The best digital HR systems have templates of common forms and documents that can be customized to suit the requirements of your organization. This means that employee data captured is consistent, compiled in the right format, and is quick and easy to amend the templates to reflect future changes.

Take HR to the next level using HR automation

Automation takes paperless HR one step further–a one-stop HR system that takes all of your existing processes and automates them so that they can be carried out with minimum manual input from the team. HR automation can offer your organization many benefits, contributing positively towards the efficiency of the HR function.

Kissflow HR Cloud is an all-in-one HR tool that is powerful yet flexible. It is designed to meet the current and future HR management needs. Its customizable nature sets Kissflow HR Cloud apart from other solutions in the market.

Our flexible HR software not only caters to hierarchical structures of an enterprise but also facilitates clear communication across traditional silo boundaries easily. Best of all, it comes with multiple levels of control and a diverse range of functionalities including social tools for performance management, collaboration, and recruitment.

Bid goodbye to paperwork and say hello to automation by signing up for a free trial of Kissflow HR Cloud.