Digitally Transforming the Employee Onboarding Process
How much thought have you put into your employee onboarding process? Is it reflective of who you are as a company and the value you place in your employee relationships? More importantly, is that information retained in a way that protects the organization from compliance concerns while ensuring the guaranteed privacy of your employees?
Most employers welcome a new hire with a tall stack of forms that include compliance-driven documents like the federal I-9, W-4, healthcare records such as insurance enrollment forms, and, a collection of miscellaneous documents that ensure a smooth transition into the company. These documents eventually go into a file that becomes the start of an employee record where additional information like reviews, promotions, disciplinary records, and such are added over time. Much of this information is entered into a Human Resources Management System (HRMS) like ADP, PayChex, or BambooHR but what happens to the original paperwork that’s so critical for ensuring a safe and compliant workplace?
Failure to properly retain employment records can quickly result in penalties and fines
If it’s determined you’ve knowingly engaged in practices that are deemed not to be in “good faith” with Federal requirements, you could face penalties and fines. This includes the Federal I9 Form which is an absolute requirement for all businesses to comply with the U.S. Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Failure to produce a copy of this document with the original signed signature can result in steep fines up to and even above $10,000 per instance.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also has its own set of document retention schedules which must be observed to remain in compliance. And of course, the U.S. Department of Labor has its standards for adhering to the Fair Labor Standards Act that all employers must consider as well. Finally, any information gathered that includes sensitive health information for insurance purposes like documentation on pre-existing conditions must comply with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Make the move to digital records
So how does an organization move away from the “tall stack of forms” process they currently have while ensuring compliance with all the different government agencies? The good news is that Digital Transformation is possible with the right product for Web Forms Management. Products like GlobalForms by Square 9 Softworks provide a means for digitally capturing the essential employee information, populating government-mandated forms, and even applying an original signature via mouse or touchpad. All while never producing a single piece of paper that requires filing.
Instead, the completed record is released to a secure, fully encrypted, and HIPAA compliant cloud content management repository. GlobalSearch manages the official documents and information by providing secure access from any web browser, delivering a complete history of document activity, and even controlling document retention schedule. All in a cloud-based solution that requires absolutely no IT support or back up services. Square 9 handles all of that for you while providing instant access to your information through a powerful and flexible search tool that changes the dynamic of any audit process into a positive outcome.
If you’d like to learn more about digitally transforming the management of your critical employee records into a streamlined highly efficient process, contact Square 9 Softworks today. Or better yet, visit our Forms Gallery to experience how simple and elegant digitally transforming your employee’s federal withholding tax process can be.
