HR’s Elevated Role In The Disrupted Workplace

With new hybrid work models, HR’s responsibility will become more crucial and complex

Over the past year, the Covid-19 pandemic has completely upturned the employment landscape and how we approach the ins and outs of our work lives. From transformed workplace practices to hiring and logistics, to work-from-home policies, and mental health and wellness initiatives, many aspects of the way human resources professionals have traditionally operated continue to shift. 

Data shows that 82% of employees want to continue working remotely at least once a week, even in a post-pandemic world. This trend has led to many employers – even small businesses – exploring hybrid work models with the flexibility to work remotely more frequently or completely. 
 

On a global scale, human resources teams are now tasked with leading the way in this workplace metamorphosis. As more organizations adapt to the “new age” of hybrid work, HR leaders have three key responsibilities to assist in a smooth transition: aiding employees in re-adjustment, resolving any backflow of paperwork and transforming HR processes to prioritize security and efficiency for hybrid workplaces.

Tips to Streamline the Human Resources Ecosystem

Human resources departments are tasked with a host of responsibilities that now need to be managed from afar in hybrid work settings. Aside from this, HR leaders must comply with and streamline individual state or country employment law documentation and mandates. 

Relying on paper documents to execute HR processes is risky business, as they can be misplaced, misinterpreted, cumbersome and difficult to store securely. In addition, when paired with regulations on employment record keeping, paper records can quickly become a nuisance to organize, track and store. When we consider that as many as 7.5% of paper documents are lost, additional paperwork becomes a headache in more ways than one, especially in the middle of a transition period for a company adapting to a hybrid working mode. Because of this, it’s crucial to prioritize effective ways to streamline the human resources ecosystem. 

Below are seven tips on how to streamline the transition to a paperless organization:
 

• Take an updated inventory on both paper and digital documents to understand which areas need streamlining, digitizing or both
• Have a strong understanding of the state and country laws surrounding human resources record management to determine a process for which documents need to be kept for the required length of time
• Establish a digital system for employee record management to house important paperless documents 
• Include the cloud as part of your record management system to ensure documents can be accessed whenever, wherever
• Outline a process for scanning and uploading existing paper documents into the digital record management system 
• Ensure you’re meeting regulatory requirements with a clear audit trail of your digital files 
• Moving forward, start to create and administer documents digitally 

Documentation should generally be accessible electronically and remotely. Proper filing and indexing of documents to the digital record management system are imperative to ensure it will benefit employees who need access to edit and share files as needed. 

Modifying HR Processes and Introducing Employees to New Policies 

Employees across many different roles needed to adapt to countless changes in the last 18 months, and it’s important than ever for HR to keep that in mind when planning how to implement new policies. Take the time to educate employees on the importance and reasoning behind shifting to a digital record management system, which will help team members understand the change and transition with greater ease. 

Most employees have likely experienced the frustration of searching for paper documents for hours, since 46% say it’s continually challenging for them to locate files. Overtime, this can waste countless hours of productivity. 

Encourage employees to adapt to change by helping them understand how digital processes will ultimately reduce their workload through an easier and more efficient document ecosystem. If the policies are company-wide or will affect a large number of employees, HR should also create a change management plan for a smooth transition process when onboarding a digital document system. Within the plan, HR can address goals, cover existing processes and what’s changing and outline the timeline and training initiatives.

As companies catch up on paper buildup due to the pandemic, it’s important that documents be scanned and organized quickly. This can be a labor-intensive process to perform manually, but automation and data-led tools are available to reduce the time needed, while improving accuracy. Document management systems with artificial intelligence and machine learning built-in can categorize content types and varying data structures, organizing files automatically.

Final Thoughts

HR’s role has shifted in today’s workplace to help companies better manage change and implement digital transformation. With new hybrid work models, this responsibility will become even more crucial and complex. A digital records management system is important to introduce how to make processes for employees easier and help businesses keep up with the evolving workplace.

Brooke Bento is the Chief of Staff & VP of Talent at Ripcord. Visit www.ripcord.com  Connect Brooke Bento