The future is paperless.
Paper documents and filing cabinets have been the way to organize employee information in human resources departments for decades. But that doesn’t mean they’re the best option. Many HR departments worldwide are transitioning from physical documents to electronic document management systems (DMS).
More and more businesses are realizing that paper is an expensive and inefficient way to manage their information, so employers turn to electronic document management. But going paperless isn’t something that happens overnight. It is a process that takes time and effort, and many HR coordinators are intimidated by the prospect of making the switch. As intimidating as the concept may be, switching to paperless information management systems is a necessity if you want to efficiently and securely organize employee documents and data. After all HR should be about people, not papers. To make it easier, here are seven simple steps you can follow to make the switch.
Step 1: Lead the Way
What do you think is the number one reason companies don’t go paperless? The answer may surprise you.
47% of employees surveyed said that one of the top three reasons for not going paperless was a lack of management initiatives or mandates. Essentially, employees are ready and willing to go paperless, but nobody is leading the way.
If you manage your company’s HR department, then this responsibility falls on you. You need to take initiative, step up, and lead the way to becoming paperless. Set goals for the HR department as a whole that encourage everyone to transition to an electronic document management system. You may even want to set up some kind of reward initiative for when the goal is met to encourage all HR employees to participate in the efforts.
The important thing to note here is that you lead by example. If you have your own filing cabinet of documents, take responsibility for transitioning those to an electronic system. Set goals for yourself, and take ownership for meeting those goals. If your employees see you, the employer, leading the way, they are more likely to follow.
And if you’re not the leader, push those who are to start setting initiatives for going paperless.
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Step 2: Get Everyone on Board
No matter how strong the paperless employee example is that you set, your department won’t make the transition unless you have everyone on board.
Because HR departments handles a lot of sensitive information (employee healthcare information, banking information, etc.), many HR employees worry about keeping that information secure. So how can you get the whole department on board? Here are a couple of tips:
- Show them how it benefits them – Demonstrate to your teams how going paperless will make their jobs easier. If employees see the time and effort they can save, they’re more likely to be on board with the paperless change.
- Show how it benefits the company – Making your HR department paperless can benefit the company as a whole. It will save the business time and money, and gives employees easy, instant access to their personal information. If they can see the changes it’ll make for the greater good, they may hop on the bandwagon.
- Address compliance concerns – Many HR employees may resist the switch to paperless because they’re worried about accidentally sharing others’ personal information or other compliance issues. The truth is, going paperless can actually help you to become more compliant. Paper processes expose your company to potential liability due to lack of security or lost paperwork. On the other hand, electronic document management software possesses security measures and other features that ensure vital information is protected. Demonstrate these features to your team members to show them how going paperless not only doesn’t create compliance issues, but can actually eliminate potential issues in existing paperless processes.
Step 3: Organize the Paper
Now that you’ve set up some paperless initiatives and gotten your team on board, it’s time to start the dirty work. Before you begin scanning your physical documents into an electronic system, you need to organize what you have—and odds are, you have a lot.
To tackle these mounds of papers, you should divide the work and utilize your team members appropriately. Once the paper is all organized, you can prepare to take your department into the paperless era.
Step 4: Get Software and Get Training
While your employees are preparing the files for entry, you need to find the right DMS. There are many document management systems out there for you to choose from, so you need to do your research and compare your options before making a decision.
To help you during your search, you should sit down and make a list of the things you need in your document management software, as well as the things you want that aren’t absolute necessities.
Once you’ve created your list, figure out your budget for the new software. You may need to consult with Finance and your business executives about this. Then, with your list in hand and your budget in mind, you can start comparing software. You should aim to find something that meets all of your needs and at least a few of your wants while still staying in your budget.
Get as many demonstrations and trials as you can so you can see how the software functions. You may want to let other employees test the software too, to ensure that it is usable and easy to learn.
After selecting your software, you need to select the paperless employees who need to be trained on how to use it. Depending on your situation and your business, you may want every HR employee to learn how to use the software, or only a few. The important thing is that all employees who handle, file, and need access to information will be able to do so electronically.
Step 5: Start Scanning and Filing Electronically
With the necessary employees trained in the software, you can start scanning in your documents and filing them electronically. This is also a good time for you to assess how to handle incoming documents while catching up on your backlog of existing documents. From the time you scan your first document, all incoming paperwork should be filed electronically.
After all, you don’t want to be constantly playing “catch-up” when it comes to being paperless; you want to move forward with paperless processes already in place. Start with the documents you get today, and move forward. Once your team is familiar with the software and the paperless process, you can worry about the backlog.
If your team finds it overwhelming to scan the backlogged documents while handling their current incoming documents, you should look into hiring an additional resource, such as an intern or temp. They can work on scanning the backlogged documents while your full-time employees move forward with your new paperless processes. This enables you to get caught up more quickly so that you can become a completely paperless business.
No matter who you delegate this task to, consistency is key when making the switch to paperless, so it is vital that everyone who is organizing and entering information is following the same steps and using all of the same guidelines.
Set a clear goal of when you want all documents to be in the electronic system. Break this goal into benchmarks so employees have a short-term goal to shoot for.
Step 6: Tell the Rest of the Company
Once you have your current documents switched to electronic copies, you can’t stop there. Tell the rest of the company about the switch you’ve made. Make sure to send out an email addressing any concerns regarding security or personal information, and tell your employees about all of the benefits they’ll experience from the switch.
You’ll also want to introduce them to electronic sharing as well. Get all employees—old and new—on board with electronically signing and sharing documents. If all employees keep their HR documents electronic, it’ll save your HR employees time with scanning them, which saves your company money.
Make sure everyone in your company is familiar with whatever version of electronic sharing you choose to use—email, online sharing, etc. Introduce them to electronic signatures as well. Getting everyone on board with as many paper-free processes as you can will help your HR department to keep your paperless systems consistent, efficient, and organized.
Step 7: Enjoy the Benefits
As you continue to make your processes paperless, you’ll see a number of benefits in your office.
With savings in time and cost, as well as increased document security, your employees, and your business as a whole, will benefit from making the switch to a paperless HR department. By following the steps outlined above, you can get your document overload under control and become a better, more efficient, paperless HR department.
About Revver
Revver is a leading provider of electronic document management software for businesses across any industry, as well as for HR departments. With electronic sharing capabilities, automated workflows, and smart document organization, you can turn your burdensome document work into an efficient and powerful source of growth. Let’s talk today so you can experience that immediate impact.
