Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER October 3, 2016 FEATURES 15 METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE Register Today For 140+ learning sessions; 8 inspiring keynotes; 200+ trade show exhibitors; 20 industry panel discussions; 2500+ delegates & peers. Canada's Premier Human Resources Conference Save $275! Register By Oct 16, 2016 hrpa.ca/AC2017 #HRPA2017 TECHNOLOGY 6 ways HR professionals can streamline their workflow Online forms make for versatile tool that can be used for variety of tasks By Miranda Nicholson H uman resources profes- sionals are constantly gathering information and signatures from employ- ees — all while working to keep the data organized, secure and confidential. Most HR depart- ments are juggling multiple administrative projects at once and working hard to keep all the moving parts in place. In addition, the HR team is prob- ably handling more physical pa- perwork and documents than necessary. With many managers saying auto- mating processes would increase their productivity, switching to an online data collection system is crucial for efficient workflow — now, more than ever — and can add up to hours of saved time. Even if HR has been doing things the same way for decades, moving to an electronic system is easy and painless. One way to do it — and to do it well — is using online forms. ese are a versa- tile data-capture tool that can be used for a wide variety of human resources tasks. From automating submission followups to eliminating unnec- essary email to saving money on training, online forms can trans- form the way an HR department does business. Here are six ways HR can streamline its workflow using online forms: Form security Dealing with sensitive employee information is a challenge for most HR departments. When collecting this type of informa- tion, HR professionals must en- sure the information is secure and protected from both internal and external eyes. When searching for an online form solution, HR should find one that protects human re- sources documents with multi- ple levels of security. Most forms make it possible to encrypt the form submission data and use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) email encryption for any data shared over email. In addition, some form builders allow users to add a heightened level of security to the system with password protection and 256-bit SSL (secure sockets layer), the industry standard in browser security. Electronic signatures Sometimes it might feel like the HR team is hunting around the of- fice all day for the right signatures. From disciplinary forms, employ- ee handbook forms, equipment check-out forms and paid time-off approval forms, there is no short- age of forms in the workplace that require signatures. Offer- ing employees the option to sign these documents electronically is a great way to save time and streamline everyone's workflows. A built-in electronic signature feature on an online form builder makes collecting signatures easy. When implemented, HR pro- fessionals can collect employee signatures through any device and then save and access the sig- natures in their form database — meaning no more searching the office for missing documents or running around, interrupting employees and trying to collect dozens of signatures. Workflow approval HR workflows often require mul- tiple data approvals from differ- ent individuals, departments or external resources. When it comes to managing job candi- dates, electronic forms can help simplify the process and smooth out bumps in the workflow. HR recruiting and talent searching TRAINING > pg. 17 Online forms can transform how the HR department does business.

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