The Digital Personnel File in the Modern World of Work

4 years ago

In times of digital change, all corporate divisions must demonstrate their willingness to innovate. The pressure on HR departments to open up to the digital transformation and thus act as pioneers of digitalisation in the company is also increasing. Digitisation in the HR department means banishing paper from the office in the long term. The digital personnel file is a good starting point for this. Digitalisation serves as a tool for more efficient and transparent HR work and transforms complex document management into clever, cross-departmental processes.

Digitalisation is changing work structures and working methods in many companies. It gives the HR department the chance to escape from its role of process executor and free itself from administrative tasks in the long term. This allows HR staff to concentrate more on strategic tasks and no longer be blocked by daily routine work. As process executors, however, the HR department is still mostly busy implementing operational tasks. In this context, document management is one of the biggest time eaters. This must change if the company wants to remain efficient. Starting with the filing of documents, through the tedious search for documents, to document generation, many processes urgently need a digital make-over in order to remain practicable in the future. Document management today must be fast, secure and effective. Time-consuming archiving, the endless search for the right employee file and the costly storage of countless paper files are things that today's HR department no longer needs to bother with. A digital personnel file integrated into the HCM system offers the optimal solution here. Because those who still cling to their paper in day-to-day business will not stand a chance in the race for the most efficient HR management.

Collaboration platforms with integrated digital personnel files

On the way to modern document management, active, cross-departmental communication and collaboration are also important. Collaboration between employees, managers and the HR department links modern document management with the creation, coordination and administration of documents, so that in future HR tasks are processed where they arise. In this way, employees and managers are actively involved in individual steps of HR processes, while the HR department is relieved. The HR department thus acts as a process designer for effective document management and no longer as the sole executing force in day-to-day operations. Collaboration allows for maximum transparency and accelerates HR processes enormously. In this way, innovations can be promoted, the corporate culture improved, costs reduced and employee loyalty increased.

Advantages of an integrated digital personnel file

It offers structured document management from document creation to process management.
Cross-location access to the file ensures that all parties involved have the same level of information.
It can be seamlessly integrated into the prevailing HCM and takes over existing authorisation systems.
Working with resubmissions and existing workflows prevents duplication of work and offers synergy effects.
Due to the case-sensitive usability, the document collection can be adapted to the needs of the respective target groups.
HR staff can use automated workflows, full-text search and automated filing to make their work easier.
Managers have access to the personnel files of all team members.
Employees have direct access to their personal employee files at all times.
Scalability means that the current number of employees can be flexibly adjusted as the company grows.
It offers a high degree of agility.
Operating costs remain calculable.
Data protection is guaranteed, thanks to data security and data protection compliance with German security standards.

With the digital personnel file, all employee information can be bundled, centrally managed and processed throughout the company. It forms an effective platform for the strategic orientation of the entire HR department and enables it to take on an advisory role. It thus creates considerable added value for the entire company. When thinking about modern document management, the HR department must get out of the rigid administrative thinking that has been bred for decades and open up to new technologies.

Seize opportunities

HR departments should seize every opportunity that digitalisation offers them and embrace technological change. This way, not only the image of dusty filing cabinets can finally be put aside. In the long run, the new technologies facilitate the work within the HR department and save time and thus costs. Even if the scope of HR employees' tasks will change as a result. The digital personnel file sets the first course towards a digital HR department. It is the entry model for more efficiency. It has all the necessary skills to free the HR department from the increasingly heavy burden of administrative tasks and at the same time creates new capacities for neglected subject areas such as recruiting and talent management. Thus, the combination of smart document management with long-valued HR processes will revolutionise HR work.