April 14, 2016

How mobile technology is making for a paperless HR

Imagine a paperless HR department! When we picture this line of work we generally think of contract documents and tax forms stacked above monitors on a work desk. But, In an age so influenced by digital technology, it’s surprising that more HR practices haven’t yet moved to mobile.

Paper based documents are difficult to access, store and edit and there is the risk of sensitive information being viewed from unwanted pair of eyes.  So how can mobile technology drive improvements in HR for businesses?

Helping the HR team

Adobe’s recent research found that 78% of HR managers are left frustrated by managing employee forms. HR managers process thousands of documents each year, with many being delayed when workers lose forms or forget to respond to emails. Mobile technology makes the process of communicating with employees and updating documents much easier for management.

  • Customisation: Creating emails and reports from customisable documents saves time and money.
  • Automating HR: Data is stored in a document management system so that when an employee leaves an organisation or has to be dismissed, all necessary documentation is collected and potential problems avoided.
  • Saving printing costs: HR departments print off thousands of P45, P60 and contract forms yearly. Putting everything on to a digital format saves the cost of ink and paper.
  • More control: HR teams can allow or deny the rights for people to annotate documents.

Delight your HR Managers

  • “Keeping track of deadlines is a critical part of my job. With mobile technology I can set up workflows so that the system can notify me in advance when deadlines are approaching.”
  • “It saves us so much time to have a document management system which automates emails and documents”

Keeping employees in the loop

One of the biggest challenges for any HR department is communicating with all employees in an organisation. Both parties can become frustrated when there is poor communication and being able to access work documents on the move helps to bridge this gap.

How do mobile apps benefit employees?

  • Submitting timesheets: Mobile technology eliminates the need to manually fill out timesheets. It saves employees from carrying around paper documents and management from the printing costs involved.
  • Requesting time off: Mobile technology notifies managers of employee holidays and makes the process of requesting holiday easier. This gives workers the chance to access work documents on the move and saves them from having to contact managers in person or by email.
  • Editing schedules: HR work processes are made easier by mobile. Rather than editing spreadsheets by desktop, mobile apps have easily customisable fields.

Delight your employees

  • “Mobile technology makes the process of filling out timesheets much easier. I can complete them at home or on the train back from work if required”
  • “Mobile technology allows us to access documents easily, rather than having to ask a HR manager for permission.”