Human Resources is making a big shift towards electronic personnel files to increase efficiency and cut costs. Will your team reap the rewards in 2017?

Electronic personnel files have become more and more popular in recent years. The benefits are real - increased efficiency, cost savings and less stress on your staff. So what is holding organizations back from making the switch? With today's electronic filing solutions, there's no excuse not to join the paperless HR revolution! Your office can go paperless in 2017! Here's how it's done.

Back File Conversion

The initial back file conversion process can seem like a nightmare and can seem intimidating, but it is much easier than you think! Paperless HR solutions can include scanning automation tools to help you go from paper to electronic personnel files fast. Reusable barcode sheets can be inserted into an employee's folder before scanning to break it down into its different sections. You can then scan the entire folder at once and it will be filed away in the correct location. The important part here is the flexibility in the process. You can be as specific or as general in your folder breakdown as you like because you have the ability to cut out individual documents at any time in the future should you need to.

Paperless Onboarding

Now that you've converted all of your existing paper files, let's make sure you're not creating more paper! Much of the paperwork included in an employee's folder is generated through the onboarding process. Electronic personnel file solutions can integrate with popular onboarding software like DocuSign and iCIMS. This allows new hires to review, fill out and sign all of their onboarding forms totally electronically. Through an integration, all completed onboarding forms can automatically create the new hire's folder in your electronic filing system and file all signed documents in the correct location inside. There's no longer a reason to print and scan!

Adding To Staff Folders

Once you've taken your back files paperless and transitioned to an electronic onboarding process, much of your HR department should be enjoying quite a boost in efficiency and organization. However, it is inevitable that you will still receive some documentation on paper that needs to be added to an employee's digital folder. Or, you may be faced with a need to add in a document like a performance review from another system or an electronic document from elsewhere. With an electronic employee filing system, this could not be any easier. Simply drag-and-drop or "virtually print" electronic documents into an employee's folder in a matter of seconds. No need to print and scan! If you have a stack of paper for different employees, you can use "batch processing" to file them into correct location on screen with just a few clicks.

The Benefits of Paperless HR

The basic benefits of switching to electronic personnel files are obvious. Your team gets a huge boost in organization and efficiency, which in turn reduces stress on staff and cuts costs. What you may not realize, is that there are many more benefits of electronic personnel files that may not jump out at you right away. For example, paperless HR solutions can allow you to share files securely with staff and external users like auditors completely digitally. Or, how about being able to run automatic file audits? A custom report checks each employee folder for required and time-sensitive documents to ensure all folders are up-to-date with required documents. These are just a few of the incredible benefits your HR team can see by going paperless.

Learn more - Trending: Paperless HR - Moving To Electronic Personnel Files In 2017.