Filling out documents is a part of the employee journey. While the paperwork varies depending on the country and organization, some of the most common forms for new hires to sign are the employment contract and tax forms. For many HR professionals, the process of managing personal data and records can be overwhelming and painstakingly slow. To help alleviate these challenges, electronic signatures are becoming commonplace for human resource departments.
This term refers to electronic information that a person has used to signor mark a document or record and attach their signature or confirmation to the said item. It can appear in many ways, from a signature created using a finger on a touchscreen to a typed signature bock.
This digital advancement can speed up several HR processes, including sending official documents and receiving them during the recruitment and onboarding stages. The e-signature, as it is often called, exists to solidify the relationship between the employee and the organization. Canada and the US, along with a growing number of other countries, endorse the legal use of e-signatures.
Digital signatures have the potential to ease the workload of HR professionals who often already feel they have too much on their plates. It also can speed up processes to improve the employee’s efficiency. The main benefits include:
Once HR has the legal documents relating to hiring are ready, it’s time to send them to the new employee. Sending them via regular postage can take at least a week and then another week to receive them back in the mail.
E-signatures enable the candidate to sign new employee forms anytime and anywhere. That makes recruitment not only faster but also smoother.
Electronic signatures reduce the amount of physical paper. By using less paper, organizations reduce their carbon footprint. The switch to digital paperwork with e-signatures prevents trees from being cut and eliminates the energy to turn trees into paper.
Furthermore, many Gen Z candidates look for organizations that contribute to a big cause, such as helping the environment. Thus, efforts to help the planet may attract top talent to the organization.
When HR has digital templates of the most important documents related to hiring, they are easy to send to employees for signatures and manage the completed forms. Processing and archiving digital forms can take significantly less time than physical paperwork.
Keeping vital forms like NDA agreements and employment contracts on a network drive, for example, is easy for those who have authorized permission to access them. The signed records are available in a specific place, minimizing the chances of misplacing them, which can happen with manual organization methods.
Adapting an e-signature method also can save an organization money. It cuts down the costs of paper, stamps, toner for printers, and courier services.
When adding these expenses up over time, they can become significant. There also is no longer the need to rent physical space for storing paperwork when it is digitally archived instead.
To keep employee personal information and other critical information secure, choose secure electronic signature software. Talcura’s Onboarding interface features a convenient and security-minded approach to obtaining e-signatures for new hires. In addition to making reaching compliance easier, this software also automatically transfers completed documents to your HRIS/HRMS or network drives.
Streamlining document signing and organizing employee details becomes easier and faster. Over time, e-signatures may become the norm in place of handwritten signatures.
