Bringing new recruits onboard in the organization is a key step in ensuring their rapid and effective integration into the company. However, the onboarding process can sometimes be long and tedious, especially when it comes to administrative documents. Transitioning administrative processes from paper to digital format and using electronic signatures are effective solutions for accelerating the onboarding process for new recruits and simplifying interactions between the employer and the employee.
Using electronic signatures from the recruitment stage
Why is it advantageous to use electronic signatures at this point? Because it has two undeniable advantages:
- The unequivocal identification of the signatory, through a more or less advanced authentication process depending on the level of guarantee associated with the signature (simple, advanced, or qualified) and the need to obtain an electronic certificate in advance.
- The guarantee of the integrity of the signed document, thanks to a mechanism that “seals” the document once signed to prevent any subsequent alteration of the content.
Two reasons why electronic signatures have probative value equivalent to handwritten signatures, in addition to much greater security. This will greatly simplify the integration process for new recruits.
After using electronic signatures to speed up your recruitment process, don’t stop there!
Electronically sign internal company policies and procedures
Internal company policies and procedures are important to help new employees understand the company’s expectations and rules. Electronic signatures can be used to confirm that new employees have read and understood those policies and procedures, thereby reducing the risk of non-compliance.
Throughout the employee’s time in the company, especially if the company is active in HR matters, there will be documents requiring their signed approval. Implementation of remote working, change of mutual insurance company, agreement on bonuses, contractual amendments, etc.
These are all employee actions to be streamlined. That’s what the electronic signature is for.
Promoting the well-being of employees at work
In France, the rate of employee resignations reached 2.7% in the first quarter of 2022, the highest level since 2008.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, employee resignations have been on the rise worldwide. Employees are re-examining their position, changing the direction of their career, searching for “meaning”, e.g. stockbrokers deciding to quit and try their hand at dairy farming. This led to the much-touted principle of “well-being” at work. As if before the pandemic, well-being had been forgotten, somewhere in our heads, only to reappear!
Well-being in the workplace has many benefits for employees and employers.
- Increased productivity: when employees feel good about their work environment, they tend to be more engaged and motivated.
- Reduced absenteeism and staff turnover: employees who feel good about their work are less likely to take sick leave or look for another job.
- ➡️ Reduced costs related to absenteeism and staff turnover.
- Improvement of the company’s brand image : Companies that care about their employees’ well-being may be perceived more positively by the public.
- ➡️Makes it easier to recruit new employees (attracts new talent)
- ➡️Facilitates business (strengthens relationships with existing and prospective customers)
Every action counts in the life of a company. From the break room to the electronic signature, each tool contributes to improving the employee’s daily life.
The employee already has a busy work day and there is no time to be wasted on the handwritten signature process, which involves several steps (printing, signing, scanning, mailing, etc.) and which can take several days or even fail to reach completion (after printing and signing, someone forgets to scan and mail the document…).
What if it all grinds to a halt? Offboarding.
Whatever the reason, an employee leaving a company is not without consequences.
Not to mention the cost of a bad recruitment (new recruitment, training, hard blow to the teams in place…), you need to have an offboarding procedure that will lay the ground for a separation on “amicable terms”.
As a final step in the employee’s time in the company, most cases of termination of employment—whatever their nature—must be subject to a notice period, signature, and approval. When an employee leaves, it may be wise to quickly sign the terms of departure, to reassure everyone involved. A departure is always difficult for many reasons and for all parties. Lightening the burden of administrative formalities is a real plus.
Furthermore, 85% of former employees are willing to speak positively of their former employer if their departure went smoothly.
➡️That is something to really think about if your company has a presence on the Internet. The benefits of a good online reputation are beyond doubt!
The employee lifecycle is fully covered with the electronic signature. A simplification of the administrative process that makes the relationship between the employee and the employer more seamless, and allows HR teams to focus on the real issue: the human being🙂
