Using an Employee Management System - Everything you need to know

By DocTech

With an Employee Management System, Human Resources departments can replace paper-based or manual processes with digital workflows that mean there’s more time to assist staff with career progression, training needs or mental health support.

If your Human Resources (HR) team relies on disjointed systems and spreadsheets to manage data retention, or shared drives to house employee records then there is a better way.

In this article, we explain what an Employee Management System can do, why it’s important and how it can free up time to focus on more strategic business objectives.

For a more detailed view on how an Employee Management System will help, read our ultimate guide...

Your Guide to Employee Management Software

What is an Employee Management System?

An Employee Management System is a piece of computer software that houses all work related and personal details of an employee. The software can either he hosted on your company’s server or in the Cloud depending on preference.

All documents are stored into the system either via email, drag and dropped from a desktop or from a scanner connected to a computer. High levels of security mean all employee data is secure from unauthorised access. Administration tasks can be completed quicker and processes actioned more effectively with automation workflows.

What does an Employee Management System do?

An Employee Management System or HR management system removes the high volumes of manual data entry and document administration that comes with managing employees.

Documents are stored digitally and are indexed in a way to make them easily searchable. Each document is stored against an employee name, so a search of their name brings up every document related to them.

Likewise a search can be carried out on ‘contract’ and every contract stored in the system will be presented. The search can be narrowed down further to year and month, and contracts signed in this time frame will appear.

It can help with a variety of HR functions including recruitment, interview processes, performance reviews, holiday requests, legal compliance, document retention and audits.

A digital solution for employee file management means HR teams have more time to get back to supporting staff with their career and training goals.

Why are Employee Management Systems Important?

Employee Management Systems are important as they reduce the manual and labour intensive administration tasks. HR teams have to cope with more challenges than ever before; a dispersed workforce, Covid regulations, the impact of the pandemic on mental health and changing laws to name a few.

With many employees now working from home, keeping engagement high and the lines of communication open are more vital than ever, and an employee management system helps with this.

Employees can access their own information such as holiday entitlement and requests, contracts and performance reviews. This reduces the reliance on HR to provide the information they’re after and offers one single source of truth. Both employees and management are accessing the same documents, no-one needs to store duplicates on their desktop or print hard copies.

Staff management software drastically reduces repetitive form filling. A digital form can be issued when an employee starts, and key information such as name, DOB, address etc. can be populated in subsequent forms. This means there’s never an error and information is consistent, while reducing the time spent on data entry.

These forms are stored by the system and this key information indexed. A search by employee name instantly provides all documents stored against their name.

Integration with digital signature software can also be implemented which provides a quicker turnaround on contact completion and on boarding. It is legally binding and compliant and means there is no need to print.

Are Documents Secure in an Employee Management System?

Documents are extremely secure in an employee management system. It provides secure and centralised access to employee records than cannot be lost or tampered with.

Rules can be put in place to ensure information is only viewed or edited by authorised employees. IT teams can’t see payroll information for example, or an individual can access their contract but they cannot download or edit it. There is full transparency over document versions and edits.

All documents are stored with AES encryption and the entire data traffic takes place via HTTPS with TLS encryption. This prevents critical data such as passwords and financial information from being captured.

With DocuWare Cloud, 99% of viruses are already known by the system, so an effected document can’t even enter the system.

How can an Employee Management System improve how I manage my Workforce?

An employee management system improves how you manage your workforce by efficiently dealing with all employee records and streamlining associated workflows.

Better Data Management

HR departments are faced with the same questions day in day out – rota information, holiday requests, queries on company policies etc. Enabling employees to access all this information themselves in a workforce management system not only empowers staff but removes the need for HR to be involved.

A Smoother On-boarding Process

Have you ever started a new job and your computer wasn’t set up properly? Been bombarded with paperwork or had no clue when and where you can take your lunch break?

Meeting colleagues, having a social lunch and understanding the contribution they’ll make to the business will leave a much better lasting impression.

Making an employee feel welcome and comfortable in those first few days is vital as research shows it can impact how long an employee stays with the company.

According to the Society of Human Resource Management, new employees who went through a structured on boarding process were 58% more likely to be with the organisation after three years.

A new employee can complete a digital web form prior to starting, which will automatically populate further forms with any repetitive information such as name and address.

These are centrally stored in the employee management system, where an automated process can begin. IT can be informed about what hardware is needed for what day, or a welcome kit can be sent to the employee.

Monitor Performance Reviews

Annual performance reviews promote communication and provide a regular check in for both employee and employer on job performance and the contribution made to the company. They are an opportunity for both parties to talk about progression, training needs and salary reviews.

Anything discussed including goals and outcomes need to be recorded, and steps put in place to ensure these are met such as booking training or buying software.

A HR management system supports this work by not only securely storing a review form, but flagging when appraisals are due and notifying those involved. Tasks can also be set of other members of the team where their involvement is needed – such as IT to order hardware or management to sign off training costs.

Choosing DocTech for Employee Record Management

DocTech’s employee record management solutions are designed for busy HR professionals. With simplicity in mind and based on years of experience, we will remove manual and time consuming document processes and replace them with automated digital solutions.

Any document - employee records, policies or contracts are either scanned, sent from outlook or dragged and dropped into the system where the data from them is accurately captured and stored.

Key information such as employee name, start date, department etc. are indexed making future searches easy, bringing back results in seconds. No more searching through endless network folders or in off-site storage.

DocTech solutions will help you support remote employees, automate the recruitment process, improve on boarding and help with legal requirements such as document retention, audits and Subject Access Requests.

Conclusion

With more pressures on HR teams than ever before to support a remote workforce, while managing growing employee legislation and health and safety rules, many business leaders are looking to technology to help.

Organisations can no longer afford to be held back by paper, slow processes and manual data entry. With a HR management system from DocTech you can digitise processes, saving time and money, all while reducing the stress faced by HR teams.

Your employee data will be safe and secure when stored in our software and allows only those with authorised access to view / edit documents. Employee records sit at the heart of the solution and provide the foundation to create workflows. These workflows enable you to automate processes and tasks when you’re ready to do so.

Have a chat with a member of our team and talk through what the biggest challenges are in your HR department. You’ll understand how our employee Document Management System will help and you’ll wish you’d made the change sooner.