Why paperless onboarding?
The world is no longer one of papers and filing cabinets. Technology has allowed for much of our lives to be digital, fitting within the confines of a phone screen. The numerous HR processes are not immune from this trend either. In 2015, 77% of HR professionals said their department was either half, all, or mostly digital. That leaves only 23% to solely paper-based processes. The most common concerns of those not buying a ticket for the paperless onboarding train are compliance and legal safety. While valid, the fear that going paperless will compromise these important pieces of your company is misguided. Let us ease your mind and bring you to the paperless onboarding side.
Compliance in review
Over the past few years (the pandemic notwithstanding), there have been quite a few changes to the world at work. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced new laws and forms that left many small to medium-sized businesses in a whole new set of regulations. Because the number of employees and hours worked were the factors used to determine how the ACA would affect a business, proper documentation of employees and their employment classification was, and is still, pivotal.
Of course, filing cabinets can house all of that information, but it takes time to sift through paperwork. As you know, time is a luxury some teams – especially smaller ones – just don’t have. Now, imagine a world where information was gathered on day one of employment. What happens if all of that information was only a few clicks away from you and your HR team? In 2014, it was reported banks who moved to paperless treasury systems reduced audits and validation efforts by 80%. So think of that the next time you open your new hire filing cabinet.
Compliance that’s always current
How confident are you that all your hiring and onboarding practices are up to date with the latest regulations?
Not to bring about nightmares of a compliance audit, but if you can’t confidently say you have the right forms from the right employees and deadlines for each are being met, then you may one day be speaking with an auditor. Don’t sweat it. Paperless systems make staying current on onboarding processes not only easy, but less worrisome. Digital onboarding software allows you to build workflows with automated reminders that reach out to employees when deadlines are nearing.
Speaking of onboarding best practices, because the paperwork pieces will be easier to master and submit, you and the HR team will have more time to focus on some of the other important best practices. This includes designing a great onboarding program that develops productive and engaged employees. Onboarding programs aren’t all about paperwork and meeting tax form deadlines. If you think so, you might be one of companies experiencing high turnover of new hires (33% of new hires seek new employment within the first 6 months).
Experts are backing you
Wouldn’t it be a comfort if, within your office, there was a person who knew the ins and outs of hiring and onboarding regulations? Someone who dedicated their days to knowing every piece, no matter how intricate or obvious, of employment law?
A great employee onboarding process not only keeps your files updated, it’s also backed by experts who understand and perform due diligence so you don’t have to. With these experts, compliance is constantly in review. Click Boarding, for example, partners with an international law firm specializing in human resource consulting to ensure no client ever finds themselves in an employment predicament.
In addition to a team of legal experts, our digital onboarding tool comes with specialists to assist in planning and implementing effective employee onboarding programs. With this service, new hires will experience digital onboarding that’s compliant and beneficial, since companies with standard onboarding processes create 54% greater new hire productivity. This may not be a feature all programs will have, so be sure you explore before committing to a tool.
The more paperwork there is, the more you need human hands in the process. While humans are great as employees, they do tend to make errors. When it comes to compliance, mistakes can lead to huge consequences. The value of paperless onboarding is exponential, and the fear of compliance and legal safety should no longer stop you from making the switch.
If a compliant and expert-supported paperless onboarding software is something your company needs, we’d love to show you what Click Boarding can do for your team.
