In today’s world, most of us are moving to Document Management Technology that support a paperless system and are often cloud based (where the data is stored on in the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive). So how about your business document management? Let’s focus specifically (since we are a Human Resource business), on the often large proportion of business documentation that relates to the Human Resources (HR) component of your business. These could be Employment Contracts, Position Descriptions, Investigations, Employee letters, Performance Reviews, Diary Notes, Disciplinary Procedures as an example of a few. These are important for your record keeping and management of staff, and you need to keep most of these documents for 7 years as an obligation under the Fair Work Act.
There are many benefits of moving to a paperless system such as; one central location HR documents, monetary savings on paper and printing costs, manual labour efficiency and even increasing your corporate social responsibility.
The right system is the one that suits your business needs. Most systems will be highly customisable but it is important to choose the system that suits your needs and desired outcomes. If you would like further information on what HR Central can offer, call us on 1300 717 721.
And finally, whilst there are immediate benefits, there can be procedural challenges down the track if the management of the system has not been thought out or poorly managed. So, once you choose a system for your business, here are some steps that you can take to ensure your road to a paperless workplace is a success.
Set security levels and permissions
When it comes to HR documentation, security levels and permissions need to be set for each type of document. Can everyone see this document? is the document confidential? Setting the permissions on types of documentation can help you set up your folder structure also.
Create or follow existing naming guidelines
Be consistent with your naming guidelines. This will allow you and colleagues to identify documents quicker. Being consistent can also assist with your folder structure and retention procedure.
Think about a retention procedure
If you were to be audited tomorrow, do you have all the documents that you need and how much of what you have do you even need to keep? Creating a retention procedure can alleviate document clutter allowing you to manage your documents.
Solid Folder Structure
Rethinking your folder structure from Where documents are saved to What is being saved can revolutionise your folder structure making it much easier for you and your colleagues to find and identify gaps in HR documentation.
So if you adhere to the above tips to make your document management a no fuss, beneficial process, you will find that you will save time, increase your productivity and take the stress out of searching thru piles and piles of paper to find your HR documentation. Thank Goodness!
HR Central can provide a solid document management system that is easily customisable and provides one central location for all your HR related documents, policies, resources and introduces automation through a leave management and qualification tracking system. 1300 717 721