4 Ways Content Services Platforms Can Improve HR Compliance and Security

HR handles a lot of sensitive information every day. If it is not appropriately managed (or just inconsistently), it can lead to serious adverse consequences.

For over a year, I had been working remotely from home, managing a remote HR team. At first, I was hesitant about a home office, especially when the kids were out of school. But I quickly realized that I could focus on my work more than I could in the office with the right software system. Tools like instant messaging and video chat allow me to keep in touch with people in the office while going at my own pace. And the commute takes an hour off!

You might think nothing has changed for my team and me when many companies move to a completely remote model, but it’s a fundamental change. Even though remote workers often need to attend face-to-face meetings overnight, we’re all on video calls individually, and many processes have to be redefined- things like Bootcamp suddenly become very different. Many people are getting their first taste of remote work.

Remote work is here to stay: 98% of employees say they would prefer to work remotely for part of their career because a flexible schedule is desirable.

98% of employees prefer to work remotely at least some of the time

But this “connect-first” approach means there’s one area of HR that companies may be overlooking: risk and compliance.

With the massive increase in available human resources — expected to triple in the next two years — continued reliance on manual, paper-based processes in remote work environments is not only unfeasible but also leaves confidential information vulnerable to attack.

The good news is that you can solve HR risk and compliance challenges with the right technology: powerful ECM.

How Content Services and HRIS Work Together

Human resource information systems (HRIS) are systems of record: they store critical data about every employee in a company. According to HR.com, an incredible 74% of HR departments use four or more systems in addition to HRIS.

While HRIS can manage some processes, a robust ECM can handle all employees’ unstructured content — everything from resumes to tax forms and employment contracts. It also automates employee onboarding and offboarding, document retention and records management, policy and procedure management, and employee status changes.

Because the number of resignations has hit an all-time high in recent years, the job market is booming at the same time. Automating manual processes allows you to streamline your efforts and hire them faster in the race to find the best candidates for your company.

Paper-based hiring, onboarding, and offboarding processes are inefficient and risk non-compliance with document retention policies and privacy regulations, which vary by industry and company.

4 Ways ECM Solves HR Problems

1. Protect sensitive employee information

Leaking confidential employee information can be catastrophic. But the proper ECM ensures that all of your employee documents are safe and secure, ensuring that they never fall into the wrong hands.

Each document comes with an entire audit trail, letting you know who accessed it, what they did with it, and the date and time they accessed it. Information is encrypted and protected while the data is unused, in transit, and used.

2. Minimize risk through records management and policies and procedures

Amid complex HR regulations, the amount of time you retain documentation is essential. Audit pressure is high, and associated fines can be increased.

HR departments must maintain complex time- and event-based retention policies for different employee documents and need a better-than-average solution to manage them.ECM can ease the records management burden on HR staff by minimizing compliance risk and giving HR professionals time to create a valuable employee experience and effective hiring processes.

As documents enter the system, the solution automatically identifies and assigns record types, applies appropriate retention policies, and purges documents as needed.

3. Expedite the review process

Audits can be painful, especially if you don’t have complete visibility into where employee documents are located. And since the cost of an audit can depend on the amount of time it takes for the auditor to perform the audit, a disorganized system of records often means higher audit costs. If it takes you longer to find documents, it will take your auditor three times as long.

Imagine auditing with confidence in a central digital repository where all documents are complete, organized, and secure. Imagine that auditing compliance is as simple as granting auditors limited access to the system so they can perform their work without distracting your staff with requests. For content services, this is no pipe dream.

You can limit auditors’ access to only the documents they request. This helps auditors focus on the audit scope rather than looking for potential vulnerabilities in the system. Even remote audits can be a seamless process — provide auditors with limited, time-limited remote access.

4. Case management features ensure sensitive information security

HR does handle a lot of paperwork, but some processes are more complex than creating documents and transmitting them. For example, onboarding and separating employees, handling harassment claims, or investigating security incidents involve multiple stakeholders who need specific actions. You may need information from different people, and you may also need to track that information for reporting or compliance purposes.

The amount of sensitive information that HR must manage from one incident — from the initial report to all the content and data surrounding it — is overwhelming. And with each step, along with each other party involved, comes the added risk of mismanagement and inconsistency. It may lead to financial loss and irreparable reputational damage to your company.

Content Services: The Natural Choice for HR

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