Reducing cost and risk in HR processes
HR departments tend to be very paper intensive and need to manage a wide range of document types on a daily basis. Having to manage information in email and other electronic formats complicates the situation, and departments frequently print these out to ensure completeness of their main record keeping system.
Keeping track of high volumes of human resources documents presents a number of common problems such as high administrative and paper storage costs, difficulties in policing unauthorised access and greater risks of losing tribunal cases or failing audits.
How to leverage document capture technology
HR teams can address these issues by replacing filing cabinets full of paper with digital human resources documents stored electronically.
Using document imaging software, teams can convert a wide range of HR documents into digital format whenever they are received. Document imaging software such as Kofax Capture then allows departments to index the scanned documents with useful metadata such as employee name, ID number, start date, department and a range of other criteria used in organising employee information.
Typical examples of human resources documents which can be scanned and indexed include:
- Signed forms, contracts and appraisals
- Time sheets
- Absence request slips
- Paper CV’s and correspondence
- Permits, visas and passports
- Certificates
- Insurance documents
Storing these documents in an electronic document management system (EDM) then allows rapid retrieval and management by searching on the indexed fields. Examples of such systems include SharePoint and online document management systems such as FileStore.
Human Resources staff can use these EDM programs to manage digitised documents, emails and other electronic files in a single system. The programs can also track document-based records through HR workflows and link them with HR software applications and databases.
Key benefits of digitising human resources documents
By systematically converting HR documents to indexed digital format and storing them in a document management system, HR departments can realise some significant benefits. There are also particular benefits in using an online document management system which allows secure access via a standard web browser from any web enabled location. Potential benefits include:
- Management of all human resources documents in one centralised system.
- Rapid document search and retrieval.
- Reduced paper storage requirements and costs.
- Ability to share documents quickly and securely with authorised colleagues and partners.
- Enhanced disaster recovery through off-site cloud storage.
- Easier tracking of documents electronically through workflows.
- Easier compliance with the Data Protection Act with tight control over user access.
- All document access is recorded with audit trail logging which aids compliance with BS BIP 0008.
- Reduced administrative cost and effort in managing records in systems accredited to the ISO 15489 standard.
Departments with extensive paper archives of human resources documents can convert these relatively rapidly using a document scanning service. For one client in the security sector, UK document scanning service Data Capture Solutions report digitising 9000 employee records (over one and a half million pages) in less than 30 days.
Data Capture Solutions and HR Document Management
For assistance in assessing and finding the right HR document management and scanning solutions that full meet your requirements including industry regulations and legal compliance talk to DCS on +44(0)1753 616720.
DCS are experts in a wide variety of document management and document scanning software, systems and services that will not only improve your productivity and reduce costs, but also keep you on the right side of document compliance requirements - visit Data Capture Solutions at http://www.dcs.co.uk for more information.
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