However, the processes become even more time consuming in the face of new data regulations. Thanks to its information management solution, Zalaris is helping businesses streamline their HR processes with the right approach and the SAP-based eFile solution.
Step by step introduction to the eFile
Where there is a will, there is a way – this also applies to the electronic document archive solution from Zalaris. When a company decides to introduce the digital document archive concept, the basic prerequisite has already been met. To achieve this goal, companies must first be clear about their existing processes and create the necessary structures for the digital document archive solution.
Homogeneous structures: The best way to organise digital document archive
It must be checked whether there are already homogeneous storage structures in the company – for example, a hanging register with separating tabs. Thanks to their lean structures, medium-sized companies are predestined for the conversion of electronic document management. Moving the existing system away from paper storage and towards a purely digital way of working is easy in such companies and can be proceeded quickly.
However, in larger companies, you often find distributed HR departments and subsidiaries, different working methods and filing structures. Which documents are already available in paper form? Where are they stored? How can as many companies and as much employees as possible work smoothly in the same way? All these questions need to be answered. To this end, all relevant information must be collected, provided, and finally harmonised.
All data and processes that concern the digital document archive and what it has to map later must be defined before the introduction. A clear objective is indispensable here. It should define how data and documents must be entered in the eFile and which processes should trigger certain information because the digital document archive is more than a collection of documents. For example, HR administrators receive information from a manager by e-mail that the basic salary of an employee should increase by a certain sum from now on, not just this e-mail should be added to the eFile, but the corresponding process of salary adjustment should be initiated immediately and easily. The combination of the revised compensation document along with the request e-mail is then documented completely, verified on the system parallelly using the Zalaris eFile.
Keeping data protected by providing necessary technology
It is becoming a must to clarify how individual workstations are to be equipped in the future. Does every HR manager need their own scanner? Are existing multifunction printers suitable for safely scanning sensitive data? The extent to which the HR department works remotely also plays a role here. If a central scanner at the company location is not sufficient, then, hardware must be provided for the home office.
A decision must also be made on authorisations for employees: Who is allowed to upload data and documents? Who is allowed to process or change information? This must be coordinated between the HR department, IT and the respective employee managers. In general, documents are stored as PDFs to ensure appropriate protection for groups that are only entitled to view.
As far as the implementation of the software is concerned, it is critical for the companies to know about their work environment. The IT infrastructure is already in place in most companies that can be used. A SAP HR system is technically necessary for the Zalaris eFile.
Handling employee information: No eFile without a convinced workforce
Even before going-live, it is essential to take the employees along with you and train them accordingly. It is important not only to explain the system, but also to mention the advantages that result from the eFile for each individual. Employees, for example, have access to their digital personnel file at any time. This increases transparency regarding data storage because every employee can see and check the entries in their document archive at any time. By providing the Zalaris eFile via SAP FIORI or within SAP SuccessFactors, the solution can be accessed via browsers or mobile devices, such as tablets or smartphones. In addition, employees can automatically provide information in the form of documents – for example, university diploma. The HR department can omit these tasks and devote themselves to other tasks and thus work more effectively. If these advantages are clearly identified, the acceptance of the eFile within the workforce is high.
The time duration right from the decision for the digital document archive to the go-live depends on the existing company size and structure. Centrally positioned medium-sized companies often have a short project duration due to existing homogeneous work and filing structures, between 14 days to three months, and the benefits of the introduction of the eFile can already be realised here. Decentralised or global companies should plan between three to six months – depending on how complex the internal coordination processes between all parties involved are. Negotiations with the various employee managers, local and global, often play a time-consuming but important role.