From Paper-Based to Paperless: Introducing Sage HR eSignature

The Coronavirus pandemic has made remote working a necessity and businesses are quick to respond — moving most business processes to remote work where possible. With the right tools, remote working is very advantageous to both the company and its workers.

According to these stats compiled by Hubspot, 77 per cent of remote employees say that they are more productive when working from home. And 74 per cent of them say that remote work option would make them less likely to leave their company.

Remote working works.

On the flip side, remote working also comes with its own set of disadvantages. The same list shows that:

• More than 50 per cent of employees feel disconnected from their colleagues
• 22 per cent find it challenging to unplug after work
• 19 per cent feel lonely
• Only less than 50 per cent of employee receive proper internet security training

There’s no doubt that most businesses are slowly switching to digital in the last decade. But unfortunately, many are still stuck to using processes that have manual and printed components. One of the best examples is getting employee signatures and consent.

In 2021, workplaces are embracing remote work options more than ever before

For ages, document signing has been paper-based. SageHR eSignature will change that today.

The Paperless HR

The human resources department is one of the busiest departments in a company — being responsible for many functions like hiring, onboarding, employee engagement, payroll, benefits, and many more. Working in the HR, one may feel that the paperwork and manual tasks seem to go and on with no end.

Running the HR department on spreadsheets and papers have several pain points including:

• Delays
• Inaccuracy
• Human errors
• High costs
• Storage problems
• Lack of visibility and ownership
• Inefficiency

If you want to save your HR from these headaches, you will need to automate and go paperless.

Doing so will free up valuable time for your HR department to focus on things that will impact your company the most.

The paperless HR is gaining a lot of traction simply because of the amazing benefits it brings. According to a survey conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management, 77 per cent of companies have started implementing paperless systems in their HR departments. As a result, these companies are spending 35 per cent less time doing administrative tasks.

What are the Benefits of Paperless HR?

Digitization of your HR processes can have a big impact on your organisation. Below are some of the benefits of paperless technologies on core HR functions:

➕ On hiring and recruitment…

With digital technology, job adverts can be easily posted on online job networks — reaching thousands of talents in a click of a button. The same networks also enable interested applicants to submit their applications effortlessly and hiring managers can immediately compare CVs and shortlist candidates for interviews.

➕ On onboarding a new team member…

Contracts and welcome documents are automatically sent to the new hire. You can also assign predefined task lists to new employees to speed up the onboarding process and create a good first impression for your company.

➕ On processing payroll…

Payroll is perhaps the most daunting and paper-heavy of all HR processes. You can easily remove this burden by going paperless. You can use digital employee timesheets to keep track of the time an employee has spent on a project within a period. The same timesheet is then used for calculating salaries.

How to Successfully Switch to Paperless HR

Do you know that on average, an employee file contains at least 29 sheets of paper? Multiply this with the number of employees under your roof and you will see the staggering number of pages your HR needs to manage daily. Fortunately, your HR department doesn’t have to go through this anymore. Below are some tips on how you can successfully transition from manually doing administrative tasks to going paperless.

1️⃣ Store all your documents and employee data in the cloud

Employee documents like contracts, benefits records, personal information, etc. can all be stored securely in the cloud instead of actual hard copies. Doing so makes this information readily available and easily accessible by your HR personnel. Cloud HR takes data privacy seriously and most programs allow you to set various levels of permission to limit access.

2️⃣ Take advantage of digital templates and forms

Most modern HR systems like Sage HR come with digital templates and forms that you can customise to suit your business’ needs. Using digital templates ensures that every data you collect is consistent across the board and is stored in the right format for easy access in the future.

3️⃣ Convert your paper documents into digital records

We’re pretty sure that you have a stash of paper documents in a file cabinet somewhere. If you are serious about going paperless, one of the best places to begin is by scanning these paper records and turning them into electronic files.

4️⃣ Use eSignature

One of the main reasons why several companies are still stuck in an old-school paper-based system is the need to get signatures. In the office, there are enormous amounts of documents that need signatures (e.g., timesheets, benefits claim, performance appraisals, and contracts).

Today, you can use eSignatures which are as legally binding as the traditional paper and ink but is more secure and more compliant with regulations. More on this below.

Introducing: Sage HR eSignature

Sage HR eSignature is the best, most secure, and simplest way to collect signatures and consent from your employees.

Fully digital, our eSignature feature integrates seamlessly with your HRIS system.

Below are some of its advantages:

• Reduce printing costs
• Decrease signature turnaround time
• Your documents are sent out to the employees within minutes and you’ll get status alerts when an employee has signed.
• No need to chase your workers in person. You can track the status of your document and send reminders with just a click of a button.
• Perfect for remote workers. Time-sensitive documents are no longer at the mercy of shipping companies. No more waits. No more delays.
• Built into SageHR. Seamless integration.

How to Use the Sage HR eSignature:

eSignature is a ready-to-use toolkit that integrates seamlessly with your HRIS system. To start using this feature you need the following:

• An activated Core HR module. Make sure that Documents is enabled in Permissions.
• Admin level access to your SageHR account or eSignature

Once that’s sorted out, you can now create a signable document in 4 easy steps.

Step 1. Create a signable document

Under Documents, click on Create Signable Document. Here you are presented with two options: (1) upload a new document or (2) choose from the existing documents in your SageHR account.

At the time of writing, eSignature only supports PDF and DOCX files. More file formats will become available in the future.

Step 2. Determine who signs your document and how they will sign it

You can create a single-instance document where all recipients affix their signatures on the same document. This is ideal for contracts or agreements where multiple parties are involved in the signing.

On the other hand, multi-instance documents allow the recipient to sign his copy of the document. This type of signable document is perfect when you need to obtain a signature from an employee or a group of employees where you need a written acknowledgment.

Step 3. Configure your signable document

Using a simple drag and drop function, eSignature allows you to create signable fields using one or a combination of these options:

• Signature – Allow the recipient to draw, upload or type in their signature.
• Initials – Add initials. Also supports drawing, uploading or type-in kinds of input.
• Date – Allow the recipient to select the date using the date picker. Useful to have the recipient specify the date of signing.
• Free text – Multi-purpose field that allows the recipient to explicitly state their consent or validate the document contents.

You can also mark certain fields as required.

Step 4. Send your document

Once everything is set, send your document. Recipients will get a task in their Dashboard, letting them know that a document is waiting for their signature. They will also receive an email notification. Once the document is signed, the signatories and the sender will receive the copy of the signed document via email.

Things to Remember When Using eSignature!

• Supported formats are PDF and DOCX. Signed documents will be available in PDF format.
• eSignature supports up to 25MB file size.
• There is no limit to the number of signatories.
• You can upload and use your signature.
• While setting up your signable document and during the signing process, you CANNOT change the original document structure.
• Signable documents are time-sensitive. If it’s not completed by the expiry date, the signature request will expire and the document will not be signable anymore.
• For now, you can only use eSignature within your SageHR circle. You cannot (yet) send the signable document outside SageHR.

Lenmark.

For companies where people are paramount to success, Sage HR  helps businesses overcome the complexities of managing their people, so they can focus on growing their business.​