Typical organizations have anywhere from 20 to 40 documents required for onboarding a new employee. By going the paperless route, HR professionals can find better traction toward tasks and engagements that truly matter to their internal constituents.
Lewis Carroll, in his famous book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” writes “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” It’s a reminder that when you lack a clear goal or direction, any path you take may seem valid or justified... no matter how inefficient or mistake-prone it might be.
Most HR professionals would welcome a path toward faster processes, less repetition, more time spent on strategic initiatives, and peace of mind regarding compliance measures. Too often, they get lost along the paper trail, weeding through slow manual processes and sorting through the old Manilla folders. Onboarding employees can be "Exhibit A" here.
Laserfiche-driven Paperless Onboarding through a Document/Content Management engagement eliminates that winding road of repetitive, mistake-prone processes. Typical organizations have anywhere from 20 to 40 documents required for onboarding a new employee (that number varies based on things like marital status, dependents, etc.). By going the paperless route, HR professionals can find better traction toward tasks and engagements that truly matter to their internal constituents.
Paperless Onboarding: It Eliminates the Following:
- Filling documents in separate Manilla Folders inside a file cabinet
- Manually keeping track of Retention timeframes for multiple document types
- Keeping a spreadsheet for destruction dates.
- Knowing when to perform destruction on documents
- Manually performing destruction of said documents
- Walking to File Cabinets to look at employee documents
- Losing files or forgetting to return the documents
- Wasting time on preparation for Audit of Employee Documentation
Paperless Onboarding: How Does it Work?
Similar to Tax Preparation software, with Paperless HR Onboarding, new employee information only needs to be entered one time. If that information needs to be placed on multiple documents, Laserfiche manages it. Once the forms are completed, the new employee will need to sign the documents. Laserfiche has many different methodologies to use for electronic signatures.
Since this is a new employee, there isn’t an Active Directory account created to validate the user. The simplest method is to type your name and Laserfiche will place a cursive font of the typed text. This can place multiple signatures for any document that you want to place a signature, on or just one on a Signature Page outlining the full scope of the signature.
Laserfiche Forms will then send individual documents to the Laserfiche Repository. Since this is a new employee, there won’t be a folder already created. Laserfiche Workflow will create the new employee folder, and will then create as many subfolders as needed and place the documents into the appropriate subfolders.
Laserfiche Workflow will also look at the document type and automatically update the document name to a known list of document names. Users will typically not have the right to rename documents, as keeping a consistent document naming schema is very important.
Laserfiche Workflow can then notify via email and other methodologies the post activities that need to take place. A list of things typically needs to happen: Create Active Directory User Account, Email Account, OnPrem or VOIP Cloud Phone System Account are just a few. The list of post activities is endless.
Meanwhile, Laserfiche Audit Trail is always running in the background recording every action of every user. It also records actions taken by a user who doesn’t have the right to perform said action.
Paperless Onboarding: 5 Solid Reasons Your HR Department Should Consider it.
1. Enhanced Efficiency and Time Savings
Laserfiche’s paperless onboarding system automates repetitive tasks, such as document routing, approvals, and data entry. This frees up HR staff from administrative tasks, allowing them to focus more on strategic initiatives and employee engagement, rather than paperwork.
2. Improved Compliance and Data Security
HR departments handle sensitive employee data, which must comply with various legal and regulatory requirements (such as GDPR, HIPAA, etc.). Laserfiche’s secure digital system ensures data is stored safely, with controlled access, and maintains an audit trail for all actions taken on a document, simplifying compliance. Data is encrypted "at rest" and in "flight."
3. Streamlined Employee Experience
With Laserfiche’s paperless onboarding, new hires can complete forms and access documents remotely, which is particularly valuable for remote and hybrid work environments. This flexibility enhances the onboarding experience, reducing stress and allowing employees to focus on integrating into their new role. It can even be done before the employee's first day.
4. Reduced Costs and Environmental Impact
Going paperless means fewer costs associated with printing, storing, and managing paper documents. Beyond saving on physical resources, reducing paper use aligns with many companies’ sustainability goals and appeals to environmentally conscious employees and stakeholders.
5. Faster Onboarding Process
The automated workflows in Laserfiche accelerate the onboarding process by ensuring all necessary tasks are completed in a timely and sequential manner. New hires can be onboarded quickly and efficiently, reducing time to productivity and ensuring a smooth start for the employee and the organization.
Paperless Onboarding: We’re Just Getting Started!
Paperless Onboarding is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your HR Department . Imagine never having paper-based forms? Here is a brief list of other HR paper forms that can be reformed via content management:
- Employment Application Form,
- Employee Information Form,
- Interview Questionnaire Form,
- Leave Request Form,
- Employee Performance Evaluation Form,
- Employee Motivation Survey,
- Employee Laptop A Exit Interview Form Agreement Form,
- Physician Release To Return To Work Form,
- Employee COVID 19 Self Screening Form,
- Remote Work Survey
Ready to blaze a new trail for your HR Department? One that doesn't include the arduous paper dependency? Consider Datamax. With our Content/ Document Management engagement, we can provide the consultation and the tools to arm you with workflows that really work for your specific business needs, beginning with a Discovery process to holistically understand your people, your processes, and where improvements can be made.
