While many industries focus on technology solutions to improve production cycles, manage inventory or streamline billing or the sales process, a growing number of organizations are realizing the value of using Cloud-based Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technology to support the backbone of their companies: the HR department.
Proper management of your employees and hiring processes is the key to achieving a happy workforce and strong culture, which are proven to improve productivity and profits. Achieving these results is even more important in today’s tight labor market, and the right technology can help you get there.
There are many reasons your HR department needs Enterprise Content Management. Here, we’ll focus on the top four to help you understand its main benefits.
1. Improved Employee Morale
So often, technology providers focus on how a system will improve processes and streamline workflows. While that’s certainly beneficial, the most important benefits of any technology, especially for the Human Resources department, is the human.
With ECM, HR departments can greatly improve employee retention and the hiring process, which translates to happier employees. Employees also benefit by having the ability to access the files and records they need. Various forms, documents, images, web resources, email correspondence, performance reviews and even relevant videos can be linked to individual employee records.
Rather than knocking on HR’s door for every little request, such as the amount of vacation time someone has left, employees can easily search and find the answers themselves. This helps empower employees, build trust and improve efficiencies, and gives employees a sense of accomplishment and more time for meaningful projects and interactions.
2. Automated Policy and Employee Processes
HR policies and procedures have traditionally required extensive paperwork and tracking. Even with the digitization of documents, many files end up stored on individual computers or in shared folders that make finding information nearly impossible. This can lead to inevitable redundancies, lost documentation and potential compliance violations.
An ECM system can capture data and automate processes so your content is filed where it should be. Based on applied rules, it can even automatically archive or delete outdated or noncompliant materials. This significantly minimizes time-consuming manual file management and routing.
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Additionally, employees can be automatically notified about information that needs to be acted upon, such as open enrollment or renewals of certifications or training. The system can notify employees and HR when the tasks are complete or alert HR to follow up when an employee is delinquent.
3. Improved HR Compliance
An audit or inspection from the Department of Labor or OSHA can instilled anxiety in the heart of the most seasoned HR professional. Upon notification, there’s often a frantic search for the requested documentation with the hopes that everything’s in order. Not only is it time consuming and stressful, but the manual process of retrieving information is prone to human error and oversight.
When HR records are managed within ECM, documents can be easily retrieved and compiled in one place with a simple search. Reports can also be run periodically to identify compliance issues so they can be addressed proactively and avoid problems and potential fines down the road.
4. Enhanced Security
Protecting sensitive employee information is among the top priorities of HR departments. There are the inherent risks and costs of storing physical documents in file cabinets or on individual computers. This can open the door to a potential internal security breach where an employee — whether intentionally or unintentionally — sees confidential information they shouldn’t. And, in an ever-increasing age of cyberattacks, he risk of external players gaining access also needs to be considered.
An ECM system can protect against both threats with an extra layer of security. Grant permission to select employees in your HR department who are allowed to create or update employee files. Meanwhile, others may only be granted viewing privileges without the ability to edit them. You decide who and how people can access the information.
Cloud-based ECM software also features enterprise-level security features, and regular backups are performed to secure your data in the event of a cyberattack or natural disaster so you can quickly restore your systems and mitigate potential data loss. All the information you need will still be there to continue conducting business with minimal disruption.
Leveraging the capabilities of today’s ECM software can help HR departments address an increasingly tight labor market, boost employee engagement, create efficiencies and improve compliance. To learn more about ECM technology, check out our eBook below, and contact the experts at the Gordon Flesch Company today for a free consultation.
