Human Resources Scanning – Why It’s Time to Take Things Digital

Whether you’re a start-up or a large corporation, human resources will always be an essential part of your business – and whether you’re working from home or coming into the office, you’ll need to be able to access key HR documents without too much effort.

But with so many companies now moving to virtual or blended office models, more and more businesses are realizing that the existing methods of document storage aren’t compatible with the realities of a post-pandemic world. Industries that have lagged behind the technology curve for years are now realizing the shift to electronic documents is here to stay – and that the timeline for taking your documents digital has moved from ‘eventually’ to ‘today’.

Businesses know saving scanned copies of your documents is more important than ever – but how else does it help improve your workflow, and where do you begin? Here are a few reasons HR scanning is worth the effort – as well as some things to look for when finding the right service to meet your needs:

1. HR Scanning Makes Documents Accessible

Even if you’re working remotely, you’ll always need to have HR documents on hand. With HR scanning, not only are you able to pull up your documents when you need them, but multiple people can have access to a document at once, no matter whether they’re at home or in the office. Documents can be shared remotely or with co-workers in other departments, and having an HR software solution can help you keep track of who has accessed what, and when – preventing your documents from alteration, unwanted edits, or unintended removal. 

This can also help with privacy: unlike paper storage systems, HR scanning can help you keep track of who has access to your employee’s private information, and when. Confidentiality, privacy, and security restrictions can be managed at the employee or document level (depending on how sensitive the information is) and can be audited – giving you more peace of mind that your documents are safe. 

2. HR Scanning Makes Documents Easier to Store

Even for a relatively small business, you likely have thousands of paper documents regarding employee records – whether they’re sitting in a cabinet, a filing room, or an office, they’re likely taking up plenty of space. Paper files also come with the risk of privacy breaches or damage from fire, theft, or flood. According to Forbes, “organizations that don’t take secure storage and destruction of critical documents seriously are simply tempting fate.”

Paper documents can lead to employee records being lost, damaged, stolen, or destroyed. Even if your paper documents are simply disorganized, you put yourself at risk of not being able to find what you’re looking for in the event of an audit or employee inquiry, which can cost both money and time. 

3. HR Scanning Makes Your Business More Efficient

Converting paper files into an HR scanning system isn’t just safe, it’s also good business: by converting disorganized paper documents into a system that allows you to search for files by text, you can save your HR staff a lot of time – and when it comes to HR issues, having access to a document quickly (whether you’re at home or at the office) can give you peace of mind. HR scanning systems allow your staff to find and pull up the document they’re looking for right away, eliminating the need to manually search for files – as well as any confusion about where the documents might be located.

4. HR Scanning Makes it Easy to Scale Your Business

Keeping paper documents is time-consuming, difficult to organize, and takes up plenty of space, especially as your business grows. With more customers, more years of operations, and more employees joining your organization, your stash of paper documents will continue to grow. Filing cabinets with documents for a few employees can become unmanageable when your payroll expands to a few hundred, and for many businesses looking to scale, HR managers are one of the first employees to hire. 

With a digital system, employee records can be updated with a click of a button, and your HR staff won’t need to sift through thousands of paper files – no matter how large you’ve grown. 

5. HR Scanning is Cost-Effective, Long Term

Even though digital scanning might cost more than a filing cabinet at the outset, it can save you a lot of money long term. Over time, using physical storage for your paper documents can take up a lot of space – and since many businesses are choosing to decrease the size of their offices in the wake of the pandemic, floor space is at a premium. Digitizing your files can not only eliminate the need to physically store your documents (saving you space), but it can also reduce the time it takes to pull each file, reducing operating costs in the future. 

Choosing The Right HR Scanning Service

If you’re new to HR scanning, it’s important to find a service that meets all of your requirements, is secure, and can handle your private documents safely. This should include:

Certifications

Since you’re working with sensitive personal information and original documents, the company doing your HR scanning should be certified by internationally recognized organizations for operational safety and quality management. Choosing DOCUdavit for your HR scanning means your documents are protected by our ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified operation, the industry standard for quality management on an international level. DOCUdavit holds certifications in Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001 and 190011), Quality Information Systems Management (ISO 27001), Compliance Audit and trustworthy digital repositories (ISO 16363), microfilm, electronic images and electronic records as documentary evidence (CAN/CGSB 72.11-93 and 72.34), and the creation and use of PDFs (ISO 19005-1). All of this means that we understand how important it is to keep your documents safe – and have a proven track record for doing it. 

Security

Whenever you’re digitizing sensitive information, it’s important to know the originals remain secure during the process. With the many industry-standard certifications that DOCUdavit has, we ensure your files are encrypted, secure, and private – all while being easy to access by your HR staff. While scanning, your documents will be stored in our secure and heavily monitored facility. Employees in our facilities are subject to a strict hiring process and criminal background checks, which ensures that everyone who touches your documents will keep them safe – the way they should be. 

Comprehensiveness

Using one company to meet all your HR scanning needs keeps your digital files organized and accessible, as well as saving you money and time. At DOCUdavit, we scan everything from employee medical records, contracts, and vacation requests to payroll forms, resumes, training documents, and much more, so you can have all your bases covered. 

No matter how long you’ve been in business – or how many employee files you have filling your shelves – your HR documents will always be some of the most important and private information in your organization. Due to the personal and sensitive nature of these documents, care should be taken to keep them safe. As more and more businesses take things virtually in a post-pandemic world, it’s not just important to digitize your documents – it’s essential!