Avoid Costly Violations with Human Resources Automation

No matter the size of your company – whether 10 or 100,000 employees – there are dozens of regulations to comply with in your Human Resources department. From the first day a new hire is employed to their last day, the Human Resources department needs to make sure they are keeping up with employee documentation in compliance with HR laws. Failure to comply with these regulations can be costly, time consuming, and even worse, it can give your company a bad rep.

Implementing an enterprise content management (ECM) strategy in your organization can ensure your maintaining compliance by securely storing documents in a single repository, tracking and controlling revisions and access, enforcing proper records management policies, retention schedules, and automating workflows.

Let’s take a look at some of the policies enforced in Human Resources departments:

I-9 Compliance

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offers guidelines for I-9 storage, including the ability to retrieve and reproduce all I-9 associated documents, provide the necessary software to inspect electronic documents, and provide a summary of the document’s history. Failing to comply with these guidelines can lead to a fine ranging from $375 to $16,000 per violation.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

HIPAA pertains to the protection and security of certain health information, including names, addresses, social security numbers, photos, etc. If health information is used for purposes not permitted by HIPAA, fines can range from $100 to $50,000 per violation (or per record), with a maximum penalty of $1.5 million per year for each violation.

And Many More….

• A fine of $1,100 for any violation of the appropriate payment of overtime for non-exempt employees in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Penalties as high as $10,000 each occurrence for failing to post required safety notices or keeping accurate records.
• Fines up to $1,000 per employee for non-compliance with the Federal Immigration Reform Act.

Now, let’s take look at how document management can help Human Resources departments comply with these policies:

With an enterprise content management solution in place, once an employee is hired, all of the onboarding paperwork including, licenses and IDs, passports, applications, and more are easily scanned and stored into a secure document repository. The data from these documents is automatically extracted and populated into the system, reducing the errors and time associated with manual data entry.

These documents can then be accessed in the matter of seconds by searching employee name, ID number or an additional unique search criteria. ECM software gives users the ability to create workflows and schedule reminders that will notify staff via email if any documentation is missing or incomplete. Once any changes are made to the document, they are included in the uneditable audit trail, which catalogs every action made to the document from the moment it enters the system.

Employers must retain original I-9 forms for three years after the date of hire, or one year after the date employment ends, whichever is later. Users can apply automatic retention dates based on the guidelines, so documents are automatically removed from the system.

Document management software eliminates these risks with access control and user-based permissions. Access control gives administrators full control over user authorization into the system while user-based permissions provides the ability to assign user access rights to specific archives and documents. Another feature that is imperative to adhering with compliance guidelines is image annotation. ECM software provides users with the option to redact information on records that contain sensitive patient information, so you can share documents securely and stress-free.

Be prepared for your next Human Resources audit with Square 9’s Hire to Retire solution! This powerful solution streamlines paper intensive processes including employee onboarding, PTO requests, benefits enrollments, and more – all while maintaining compliance. To learn more or to schedule a demo, visit Square 9 Softworks today!