The paperless workplace is a big part of the future of work. When it comes to sustainability and CSR, it’s a no brainer…but going paperless has even more positive impacts that range across an organization.
Employee processes have many opportunities to move digital. In this article, we’ll take a look at how you should embrace the shift to paperless, and which paperless employee projects to tackle first.
What is a paperless employee?
Resumes, reference lists, banking information, personal details (like a social security number, phone number or home address)… the traditional onboarding process requires stacks of paper documents, forms, signatures, and manual approvals.
With the digital workforce transformation, we’re starting to see an increasing number of HR teams go paperless. Whether staff is remote, front-line, or in-office, paper is being replaced by all-in-one employee platforms.
With this drive towards everything-digital, workers will harness the power of paperless forms and checklists as well as comprehensive digital employee platforms, and benefit from the efficiency and traceability of digital information solutions.
A paperless employee refers to an employee who has been integrated into a company without the need for paper and has an entirely paperless day-to-day once onboarded. That means they have gone through the hiring process, training, and got comfortable in their role all using digital, paperless systems.
Paperless employee onboarding
For both HR departments and new employees, onboarding starts before day one. After the successful applicant has been selected, digital processes can streamline everything leading up to their first day at work.
From background checks, general information (insurance, payment details, licenses, etc.), and login credentials, everything is digital for a paperless employee. Using an intuitive web-based digital platform or website can make the process as stress-free and easy as possible for both the future employee and the employer.
Once they start at work, all the information they’ve provided can then be securely and quickly transferred to an organization’s ERP, digital employee platform, and other digital human resources tools. Processing new employee information is just faster and safer with paperless, digital solutions.
Paperless employee login
A paperless employee’s login is like their badge. Their username and login credentials give them access to everything related to work. It centralizes their entire life at work to minimize scattered information and keep everything easy to find, update, and access.
A single sign on is the most pragmatic approach for the paperless employee. One account, with one login and one password, can give them access to all their personal employee information as well as what they need to do their job.
Things like their Learning Management System (LMS), internal chat, email – it’s all accessible from one single sign on. For shift-based employees, clock-in and clock-out is done through their paperless employee login making their days that much easier and streamlined.
Paperless payroll systems
It’s becoming increasingly uncommon for an organization to rely on paper checks and pay stubs. But even if your business has gone digital with services like direct deposit and paperless pay, there are other avenues to consider for the paperless employee.
Expense reports, receipts, W2s, and other record keeping can all be centralized within a paperless system, making everything traceable, accessible, and indexed.
Of course, paperless solutions offer flexibility. When it comes to personal information and income data, employees have privacy preferences on how this data is handled. For any reason, like tax purposes or audits, employees can safely request hard copies of any of their documents and financial statements quickly and efficiently through their employee platform.
The paperless workday
Home-based, remote workers are already very familiar with a mostly paperless day at work. The last few years have seen a massive increase in virtual meetings, instant messaging, and employee experience platforms. Many of your organization’s employees probably don’t even have a printer at home.
For front-line and in-office staff, paper legacy processes may still be relied upon. With the shift toward the digital workplace, modern employee platforms can replace nearly every aspect of work that once used paper. Intuitive platforms can be equipped with a convenient mobile app and provide quick and reliable access to files, forms, email, instant messaging, intranet, and internal social media networks.
A philosophy…or the future?
Embracing paperless employees is more than just a philosophy: it’s an essential step on your organization’s path to digitalization.
From a fully paperless hiring process to a completely digital onboarding, payroll, and work environment – entirely paperless employees will continue becoming more widespread.
Organizations that are equipped with the right digital tools right now are best suited to accommodate paperless employees moving forward.
Teri Maltais
Specializing in digital marketing programs for industrial and commercial technology solutions.
