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While we talk a lot about the amazing usefulness of modern document management in the contexts of finance (invoice control), healthcare (as the basis for the electronic patient records that we have been promised for so long) and so on, there's an area that we probably need to talk a lot more about and that is HR (Human Resources).

Why? Because when you think about it, you can quickly see that the HR team in a modern organisation spends a lot of its time these days having to respond both quickly and efficiently to requests for information by all staff levels. That's just about everything from benefits to pensions, expenses, appraisals, recruitment, as well as more sensitive issues such as conflict in the workplace, salary reviews and trade union agreements. Then there's the other stuff you'd expect from an HR department, like on-boarding people properly (through induction processes) and managing data about them as they progress through their employment with you.

That's a lot of information - which can translate into lots of documents. And just as in the other important business processes where document management/ECM has made a contribution, holding vast quantities of paper (and electronic documents, too!) in difficult-to-access filing cabinets (as well as local desktops and shared folders on the corporate network) can make it very hard to find the right information to deliver a truly 360 degree, effective HR service to the business.

EFFECTIVE HR = GOOD TECHNOLOGY?
Meanwhile, the ever-present dangers of misfiling vital employee data, incomplete records, non-existent version control and all the other hazards of poorly-managed paperwork can all conspire against the team, leading to increased risk of staff dissatisfaction, reductions in staff productivity and, in the most extreme instances, increased legal costs and financial penalties.

There are other challenges as well. Paper access can restrict collaboration within the HR department itself, as well as with line managers and other senior management - and sensitive information can be hard to secure. A properly deployed and managed electronic document management system can be far safer than paper-based files - even those kept under lock and key - and an audit trail of who updated what and when will automatically be kept to monitor access rights.

And as with so many aspects of business life these days, there is the aspect of compliance, too - like the provision under the Data Protection Act, for example, of employees' rights to see exactly what you have on file about them.

Under Section 4 of the Data Protection Acts, 1988 and 2003, employees have a right to obtain a copy, clearly explained, of any information relating to them kept on computer or in a structured manual filing system, by any person or organisation, regardless of when the data was created. There is equivalent European legislation with the same impact as well - and this also includes mandatory retention periods of different types of documents. Imagine how messy it could end up if a staffer has already left the company and the demanded material cannot easily be sent by post or email within a reasonable amount of time.

An electronic HR system also makes implementing a records management policy far easier - after all, when determining what records must be kept and for how long, any organisation will need to have a thorough understanding of all the records that it stores across all formats - paper, electronic, records of phone calls, social media and so on - and how can it do that, when it can't easily find them.

So, put all this together, and it soon becomes clear that proper, secure access to data electronically is the best basis for effective HR today.

More info: www.easysoftware.co.uk