Can the HR Department Go Paperless?

Now that the world revolves around digitalisation, the reliance on paper should be minimal. However in the HR department, the reliance on paper is far from minimal. All the forms, handbooks, onboarding materials and memos can make the printer explode.

The solution? Go paperless, of course. Not only you’re saving the environment, you will also save your organisation time and money. Paper usage can swallow a budget whole, because the cost is more than just the papers. It’s in the filing cabinets, printers, inks, and maintenance fees.

Nowadays, online payslips are a thing, as well as attendance system. Going paperless is easier than ever before.
 

Turning the HR department fully paperless

 

Fully commit on e-signatures

Today, asking for physical signatures can be risky and inconvenient, especially for the person who’s being asked to print something, sign it, and send it back. This is why e-signatures are the way of the future, they save time and money and are actually more secure!

To make things even easier, there are software tools that have built-in e-signature capabilities such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to make onboarding and open enrollment easier for employees and managers alike.

 

Educate other employees about going green

This should be the first step for any department that is looking to go paperless. As experts in influencing policies, HR departments can lead the way in creating a paperless workplace.

Save yourself from the paper trouble and go green.

At a minimum, consider sending a company-wide memo. But through games, employees will be more motivated to participate. For example, a competition where teams with the lowest per-capita print rate will win a prize.

 

Replace paper forms with digital ones

A study by Device Magic reveals that US companies spend more than USD120 billion (RM500 billion) a year printing paper forms alone. Such unnecessary amount of money can be saved by using online forms instead.

Online form-building tools like Jotform and SurveyMonkey allows anyone to customise their own online forms. You can digitise documents such as:

• Evaluation forms

• Feedback forms

• Application forms

• Time-off and reimbursement request forms

• Agreement forms

With online forms, you will also see faster response times, with the submission data stored safe and secure in the cloud.

 

Change to PDFs for documentation

Believe it or not, PDFs are still relevant in today’s world. Why? Because they are mobile-friendly. In a world where employees, colleagues, and applicants read materials on their smartphones and tablets, creating documentation in PDF format allows you to stay digital no matter the device.

Nowadays, it’s also easier to edit PDFs, protect them with passwords, or decrease their digital imprint with the right tools.
 

Ditch the filing cabinet and embrace cloud storage

Cloud storage softwares such as DropBox and Google Drive are making the need for physical file-keeping obsolete. Any modern cloud storage software is compatible with almost any type of file, which makes the transition easier.

They are also highly secure and don’t run the risk of an unauthorised employee breach through files when no one else is around.
 

Going paperless is simple and almost effortless. It does not need a learning curve or training. What you need is to take the first step, which will definitely save your HR department and company hours of time, thousands of ringgit, and a few thankful trees.

 

Digitize your Hiring by using AJobThing.com online recruitment and marketing solutions today!

 

This article is adapted from Chad Reid’s How to Create a Paperless HR Department