How Online Document Management System Streamlines Onboarding
Published: 06/01/2020
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The topic of today’s article is onboarding. It’s a process often overlooked in digital transformation strategy. We would like to discuss with the founders why it should be one of the highest-prioritised procedures. More specifically, we will talk about how you can optimise it by adopting an online document management system.
When discussing the onboarding of new hires, most envision little more than administrative tasks: sending the contract, collecting essential employee information like bank details, and passing this information on to the accounting department, among other things. In other words, many companies see the employee onboarding process as nothing more than a tedious back and forth. It consumes time yet cannot be avoided.
While the information collection aspect remains central to the procedure, the lack of automation renders it time-consuming. A simple solution, such as designated online document storage, can make a significant difference. It makes the process intuitive, secure, and highly beneficial even after the employee has completed the initial business integration period. In this article, we will discuss why the onboarding procedure matters more than you might credit it for, and how to optimise it.
The key benefit of an online document management system is its advantage in terms of security. Not only are digital documents immune to accidental physical damage such as spills, but they are also much less vulnerable to malicious tampering. The onboarding process involves collecting sensitive legal information about the new hire, making the employer fully responsible for keeping it safe. By maintaining your personnel’s documentation in physical form, you take on numerous risks that could result in significant consequences.
In summary, an online document management system streamlines onboarding in the following ways:
It collects and stores documents in a centralised location
It helps you stay compliant and up-to-date with documentation
It contributes to a hands-off process that requires minimal human involvement
It helps you design unique experiences aimed at bringing new hires up to speed
It improves communication and collaboration
It makes it easy to recover lost documentation.
While we won’t explore each of these points individually, we want to delve into some of the most significant ones in greater depth.
Cloud storage is often praised for its security, but let’s explore additional benefits. Next, we will discuss how it can be used not only to enhance the safety of the staff onboarding process, but also to bring new starters up to speed more quickly.
Depending on your company's size, several departments will need the information provided by the new starter. Instead of sharing it via email, where you might forget to hit send, there are better methods. This also reduces the risk of the recipient accidentally deleting the email or other nuances that can cause delays. Simply use cloud storage, allowing everyone involved to access the document at their convenience.
In the cloud, every file is assigned a unique link that can be shared. Personnel with access can find it within the platform manually. Some platforms even integrate with operating systems, allowing online files to be accessed through the computer’s file navigator. In other words, having the documents in a centralised location saves a lot of footwork and adds a layer of accident management.
Loss or damage of important documentation can lead to severe consequences, spanning from financial issues to legal troubles. In some instances, there are no options to restore the document. In other cases, it can jeopardise not only your business's well-being but also that of others. Even if nothing as severe occurs, it can at best be a source of inconvenience. For instance, it might become another situation in which you waste time redoing something.
When your documents are digital, accidents such as document deletion can be easily reversed. It can also track back to identify who made the changes or removed the files. Both factors make it much easier, less time-consuming, and completely free to recover the correct versions of your documents.
The advantages of centralised storage ensure that onboarding new hires is smooth and secure. However, there’s more to consider. By utilising cloud storage to build the process of welcoming new employees to the company, you are also making a long-term investment. Some benefits may not be immediately apparent, but your efforts will yield results over time.
When the onboarding process is optimised and designed to run smoothly, the new hire will receive information gradually. This information encompasses the company values, operations, structure, and their specific duties in a controlled and thoughtful manner. While this approach ensures that the newest team member gets the essential information, it also aims to prevent them from feeling overwhelmed.
The faster a new hire understands all aspects of the business, the sooner they get up to speed. A smooth onboarding process essentially means setting them up for success by providing the resources they need when they need them. Instead of relying on yourself or other team members to send the new hire relevant documentation and possibly forgetting to share vital information, automate the process. You can upload all relevant business documentation to the storage platform and grant the new hire access as soon as they activate their email account. Alternatively, you can take a more sophisticated approach by setting up an automated email that shares relevant documents and assigns them tasks on a daily or weekly basis. You can find some great onboarding practices in this article.
By opting out of a paper-filled office environment, you won’t just make the place tidier; you will also enhance document security and appear more tech-savvy. Most importantly, you will contribute to preserving the earth. Research has shown that astonishing amounts of office paper end up wasted, often forgotten in printers or discarded over minor mistakes, such as smudges or small errors.
Going paperless makes a single copy of a document accessible to everyone at any time. It can be viewed simultaneously, collaborated on in real-time, and any changes made will not be overwritten. Most importantly, no trees will suffer during the operations related to the document. A good example is contract signing. Most legal documents involve multiple pages outlining the proposed deal as well as the consequences if any of the parties fail to follow through. Although often only the date and signature are required, the entire document needs to be printed. Using cloud storage with e-signing integration, on the other hand, saves you from wasting all that paper. Additionally, once the document is signed, it will be immediately saved and stored in a secure digital environment.
Onboarding is not the only process that benefits from centralised online document storage. In fact, while it acts as a hub helping you tailor the primary experience of the new hire and smoothly integrate them into your business, it doesn’t mean that the platform can’t assist in their future success. The best-of-breed solution will grow alongside your staff, transitioning from a platform for onboarding to one for their employment management.
The main advantage of having an onboarding platform that serves as a control panel is cost, closely followed by convenience. Rather than employing and paying for separate solutions, such as holiday management software, onboarding platforms, and expense claim systems, they could all be integrated into the same program. This approach can significantly reduce costs, minimise app switching, and provide a consistent experience across these processes.
Transitioning smoothly from onboarding to a personal web cabinet gives employees more control. It also signals your trust in them by allowing them to customise their own dashboards moving forward. With their essential employment information readily available, this ensures that your staff is automatically informed if their documentation needs updating, rather than requiring you to chase them.
Although often overlooked in digital transformation strategies, employee onboarding is one of the top processes to innovate. Your company’s success depends on the people who work with you. Therefore, it is in your best interest to bring them up to speed as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the onboarding process is also one of the easiest to optimise, especially if you aim to establish clear, straightforward, and smooth workflows for each new hire. Once these workflows are in place, you will be well-positioned to start customising the process with personalised and unique experiences.
The only tool truly needed to provide an effective digital twist to onboarding is an online document management system. It will yield immediate results in terms of security and access. Additionally, it will deliver long-term benefits, further improving business procedures and offering your staff seamless, ongoing, and consistent support throughout their time with the company.
Are you prepared to welcome new starters? Let us assist you.