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Use Data to Create Momentum In Your Business

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

Your company’s human resources department is the touch point for the entire organization, managing and storing a huge percentage of the documents that come through your door: employee records, payroll, evaluations, reports, and more.

If your company is still working using paper-based processes, then you know that locating, storing, and using the important information that crosses your desk is messy and difficult. Scanning all of these important documents with Datamation not only makes storing and accessing your documents easier, but it also gives your company the ability to take that gathered data and form useful reports to foster data-driven decision making.

Just a few of the daily tasks encountered by HR departments are dealing with payroll, employee onboarding and offboarding, training, and hiring. An automated workflow implemented by Datamation makes those processes infinitely easier using E-forms to update documents, the digital cloud to store and access files, and automated routing to get the right information to the right people. One of the best features of Datamation’s system, however, is that it can use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract data from your documents and compile that data into comprehensive reports that can be faxed, printed, and shared.

The data from these reports is invaluable in developing strategies and assessing your company’s performance. With this window into productivity, payroll, onboarding, training, and more, your company gets a comprehensive look into what employee should be promoted, given a raise, or even demoted. It allows you to leverage pinpointed talent, helping the entire company perform better as a whole.

Having a report on recruiting processes can also give you insight into success rates between departments and offices, allowing you to see what is working and what isn’t working. When it comes time to make a decision, your company will always have hard, practical data to back up whatever decision you make.

Because HR processes touch every department, automating HR processes serves to provide momentum that carries over into other departments. With comprehensive reports on all processes, it becomes easy to target a certain area that may need some work, or an area that has been particularly successful that could serve as a model for other departments.

Document-driven processes will never give your company the same visibility into your processes that automatic workflow will. Getting rid of paper processing gives your HR department the time to focus on the people in your company—not the processes.

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Are You Maintaining Compliance?

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

One of the many roles of the Human Resource department in your company is to ensure that compliance is being maintained. Complying with local, state, and federal laws is vital to protecting your organization, especially during lawsuits and investigations. Many of these regulations entail keeping certain employee records on hand for a specified amount of time, even if that employee has retired or has been terminated. As more employees leave the company for one reason or another, in addition to those who stay, the number of paper documents that must be on hand just gets bigger and bigger. How do you know what to throw out, and when?

A good example of one such document is an I-9 form. These forms serve as a record that verifies both the employees identity and their authorization to work in the United States. It is recommended that these forms are kept separate from personnel files, and they must be kept on file for both active and terminated employees. I-9 forms must be kept for three years after the hire date, or one year after the date employment ends—whichever comes later.

When you think of that in terms of paper, think of the number of employees who have at least one sheet of paper dedicated to just that record. You also have to think about the fact that that specific paperwork cant even be stored in the employees personnel file—it needs its very own space.

When these records are maintained in paper form, they may be difficult to find, but the more likely scenario is that they are difficult to keep an eye on when it comes to retention. If certain documents are kept for too long, it may be considered an invasion of privacy for an employee who has long since stopped working in your company. On the other hand, if a document is thrown out too soon, it may leave your company open to lawsuits and unpreparedness in case of an investigation. This makes it extremely important to know how long to keep a certain record.

When you scan and store these records electronically, Datamation can keep track of that retention window for you, automatically alerting you when a document can be disposed of. This makes sure that every record, like an I-9 form, is kept as long as it needs to be kept, and no longer. It also protects your company from lawsuits and makes sure that you are prepared for investigations. Besides this major benefit, scanning your HR records with Datamation will save your company time, money, and space.

Call Datamation today at (630) 321-0601 to get your free quote.

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Eliminate Paper Processing With Electronic Forms

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

The staple of any Human Resources department is paper: paper employee files, medical records, evaluations, reports, payroll, and more. As a company grows, the amount of paperwork grows. It’s incredibly difficult to manage thousands of sheets of paper, much less utilize them to track performance, payroll, and so much more. Electronic forms, or E-forms, are designed to completely eliminate paper as a medium for a record, which also eliminates the need to process the paper altogether.

To use an example, let’s say that an employee needs to update a W-4 form. With paper files, this would require filling out a new form however often your financial situation changes. Then that paper would need to be processed and the information entered. Doing this for multiple employees as often as necessary takes time, and is also error-prone, which can be problematic down the line. E-forms make it easy to quickly adapt to ever-changing regulations without going through the entire process of filing and refiling.

Another scenario is the process of HR onboarding, which requires extensive paperwork. Whether you’re rehiring or hiring someone for the first time, it can be a paper nightmare. Gathering all of the employee records, job histories, resumes, evaluations, and work authorizations takes far too much time and effort.

The ideal situation would be that all of these documents have already been scanned, making them immediately accessible and easy to gather, or other documents can be filled out as E-forms, eliminating the processing of paper altogether. If some of your staff is seasonal or they work remotely, E-forms also make it easier to adapt to a wider range of employment types.

E-forms eliminate the middle-man, or in this situation, the paper itself. The information is entered straight into a computer, tablet, or phone, and because the employee themselves is entering the information, there is less error. Information can be entered anywhere, at any time, and involves zero data entry or processing—it goes straight into any workflow. This allows your business to save time that would normally be spent processing, space that would normally be used to store paper, and money that is spent buying paper and paying employees to process and enter information. The biggest benefit is a cohesive, seamless workflow that makes your business more efficient and airtight. With industry regulations in constant flux, E-forms make it easy to keep up effortlessly.

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Create the Perfect Solution with Human Resources Workflow

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

If your company is currently working with paper documents and records, what does your workflow look like? Do you have one? With the increasing amount of paperwork needed to maintain compliance and industry standards, managing all of this paper is getting more and more difficult for HR departments everywhere. Datamation has provided businesses everywhere with the perfect workflow solution by capturing the data on all documents and records and placing it directly into an efficient, airtight workflow.

Automated HR Workflows can automate several processes that would normally take a huge amount of time and effort, including:

● Onboarding

● Performance reviews

● Payroll

● Applicant hiring and screening

● Employee training

● Travel and leave requests

These are just a few of the regular HR processes that can be integrated into a workflow. Using the data captured from paper documents or E-forms, all of the information that would normally have to be manually processed from a paper record can be sent to the right department at the right time, seamlessly.

One of the most important factors in HR processes is that any procedures that are carried out must be uniform. In a disciplinary situation, for example, in order to prevent any kind of dispute over how it was handled, it is vital that each employee involved is treated in the exact same way. If everything is handled in the same way, there is no room for dispute or even litigation. Having a consistent workflow ensures that everything is uniformly carried out.

Disciplinary actions are just one of the many processes that require consistency. The more uniform each and every task is, the better your company’s overall organization. Both document scanning and the use of E-forms can make this a reality for your company, and Datamation can easily provide you with a solution that fits your needs exactly—no need to spend money on things that don’t apply to your specific business.

Datamation provides a wide range of software that uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to capture the data needed to effectively perform within the workflow. Call Datamation today to discuss a plan that works for you.

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Protect Your Human Resources Files

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

Human Resources departments in any industry serve as the touch point for the entire company. As the department that handles sensitive and personal documents every day, it is vital that these documents are kept secure at all times. While most processes are made harder when paper documents are being used, keeping paper records secure is particularly difficult.

How safe can your filing cabinets really be? Even when they’re locked, not very. Not only can they be broken into, or simply left unlocked, but they are also vulnerable to fire and flood damage. Paper documents are just inherently insecure, no matter how they are stored.

Besides being unsafe during storage, paper documents are liable to get lost during processing, or even in the mail. It’s so easy for anyone to accidentally leave a sheet of paper on a desk, where before anyone knows it, it is buried underneath more paper. With the security of your employees on the line, this is unacceptable.

So what do you do to ensure your file security?

Datamation has the perfect security solution for any business in any industry. One of the most secure options for your documents is ImageSilo, an entirely cloud-based storage system. ImageSilo provides five layers of encrypted security, only giving those with specific passwords access to sensitive documents. At the same time, documents can be found quickly with a simple keyword search, eliminating the need to spend valuable time finding that one document that you need. Another great feature of ImageSilo is that administration can track who saw a sensitive document, and when, giving your company full visibility if anything ever comes into question.

Scanned and digitally stored documents can also be placed into a comprehensive workflow that makes all of your business’ processes uniform, an especially important factor in an HR department. Having uniform procedures for disciplinary measures, training, onboarding, and more ensures the consistent treatment of employees, leaving little room for dispute. It also saves employees the pain of manually entering data, saving your company time and money in turn. Better still, because paper documents aren’t being mailed and passed around, they are less likely to get lost in the everyday processes of an HR department.

Scanning your documents with Datamation protects your sensitive documents in more than one way. They are protected by five layers of security from unauthorized viewing, and they are protected from getting lost or damaged by fire and flood. And at the same time, as long as you’re an authorized user, accessing those documents has never been easier! Never again will your employees spend hours per week searching through filing cabinets for that one folder or sheet of paper that they need—documents can be found with a few clicks and a keyword search.

Call Datamation today at (630) 321-0601 to make life in the HR department a little bit easier.

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Did You Get That Done? You Can with Automated Workflows

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

As regulations become more stringent and as paperwork per employee increases, it becomes more and more difficult to properly process and manage those documents. As your company grows, your HR department can’t afford to let paperwork intensive tasks slip through the cracks, leaving your company open to fines and litigation. Datamation can provide your company with a comprehensive, automated workflow that fits your company’s specific needs and wishes to ensure that you get every single task done, every time.

Take employee onboarding, for example. Whether the person is a rehire or a brand new employee, there is extensive paperwork involved. A few documents that are necessary with any hire are W-4s, I-9s, direct deposit information, benefits packages, offer letters, job descriptions, emergency contact information, and an employee handbook—and this doesn’t even include everything! Making these documents electronic, including E-forms, allows employees to directly fill out their information electronically, eliminating the need for paper processing and reducing the error that comes with manual processing, and allowing these documents to be placed directly into your workflow. You’ll never have to deal with missing or incomplete paperwork again.

Automated workflows are also perfect for situations like disciplinary actions, training, or any kind of procedure. Having a uniform workflow and system for completing and filing the paperwork ensures that firstly, no steps of the process are missed and secondly, that all situations are treated exactly equally, preventing dispute. Along the same line, having a set process for maintaining compliance and keeping up with regulations can be crucial for your company. Having an automated workflow with E-forms makes it easy for your department to electronically update paperwork based on changing regulations, ensuring that your company is always up to date. Leaving it up to chance, or manually updating and processing regulation documents can subject your company to unnecessary fines.

Automated workflows make your company’s HR processes easier as a whole. All documents can be kept in one secure system that still provides easy and quick access. It ensures that nothing is missed, from employee onboarding to training procedures and compliance, providing uniform, consistent procedures. With everything conveniently in one system, you never have to wonder if that one nagging task got done again. Call Datamation today to make the perfect plan for your company!

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Greater Efficiency in Human Resources Leads to Greater ROI

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

In any industry, time is money. Usually, the longer something takes to do, the more it costs, and that includes any kind of Human Resources process within your business. Paper documents are outdated, inconvenient, cumbersome, and most importantly, they reduce your company’s efficiency. And with less efficiency comes a lower return on investment Datamation can provide your company with the tools it needs to implement a solid workflow that will save time, money, and effort while increasing your ROI!

In HR processes like onboarding, training, or payroll, the amount of information that must be shared between departments (originating with yours) is huge. With each employee having several types of documentation filed away, thousands of papers cross HR department desks each week.

The problem with paper is that it can’t be effectively processed in such large amounts. It takes a huge amount of time to find the paper document, pass it from approver to approver, and to finally refile it. The longer it takes to process information, the more money it costs your company.

The only way to drastically reduce processing time is to scan your documents into an automated workflow, eliminating the need to pass along each record or file by hand. This keeps documents from getting misplaced, and also gets them through layers of approval quickly and efficiently.

On average, an employee spends 19.8% of business time trying to find a certain paper document, adding up to about one full day a week. Think about how much more would get done if it took just a few seconds to find a document, and how much of that time could be directed towards targeting problem areas of your company. When you scan your files and store them electronically, any document can be found within just a few seconds with a simple keyword search. The ability to find documents quicker leads to quicker processes in general, which in turn vastly improves customer service. Your company’s time is valuable—make sure it is used wisely.

With the amount of information that crosses your desk on a daily basis, you don’t have time to search for documents that have gone missing or that are stored among thousands of other documents in a filing cabinet. The more time it takes to complete one of your many tasks, the more money your company is spending to keep those processes going. Integrating your documents into an electronic workflow with Datamation will make your company’s processes more efficient, more timely, and less cumbersome.

Call (630) 321-0601 today to discuss the perfect plan for your business.

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Use an Automated Workflow to Leverage Your Financial Data

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

Having total visibility into your company’s financial data is vital to future decision making and effective allocation of resources. Working with paper records that contain this information makes it incredibly difficult to gather and analyze the data that you need to make better choices. Scanning your financial documents and creating a workflow gives your company full visibility into every aspect of your finances, giving you the tools you need to make the best decisions for your business.

The process can be broken down into two steps.

Step One: Quantity Your Data

The first step to leveraging financial data is to quantify it. Having the right data on the number of employees, salaries, recent raises, turnover rates and comparisons, employee performance, and resource allocation can be extremely helpful in making important financial decisions. The difficult part of this is working with paper copies of all of these data sets is that gathering, compiling, and forming reports from hundreds of different paper sources takes time and often wasted effort.

With Datamation, those numbers and that original data can be quickly and accurately compiled into a clear report that can be faxed, printed, and distributed widely. There is no longer any need to spend hours or days searching through piles of documents to gather data, read it all, and make it into a comprehensive report—everything can be generated automatically and can be used immediately.

Step Two: Put Your Data to Use

After that data is gathered, its time to put it to use. Salary and performance data can be used to track talent within the company, or financial data can be mapped out to see where valuable resources are going, and much of this data combined can be used to assess your business’ general well-being and performance. From this data, your company can make well-informed decisions that are backed up by hard numbers.

It is becoming increasingly important for both employees and employers to have visibility into many of the company processes to measure both personal and company-wide progress. The generated data is helpful in looking at the company’s performance as a whole, its performance in specific departments, or both.

Wrapping It Up

Having accurate, comprehensive data for your company’s performance allows more confident decision making that is based on hard data. It also allows you to target areas that visibly need more work, or employees who may be performing well without being noticed.

Using paper documents, compiling all of the this data for your company would be difficult and time consuming. Datamation allows you to access all of your documents in just a few seconds, and can automatically generate the reports you need for your company to perform its very best.

Call Datamation today for a quote!

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Tap Into the Talent In Your Company

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Human Resources Records.

Your employees are the main moving parts within the company. Their performance as individual contributors forms the performance of the entire company, so having a uniform, organized system to measure individual performance is vital to track talent within your company. Without an organized system, keeping track of employee performance effectively is next to impossible.

Datamation can give your company the comprehensive system that it needs to compile data on performance and integrate them into effective reports automatically.

Consistently keeping track of employee performance not only benefits the employee, but the company, as well. If there is an employee that is a consistent high performer, that employee deserves recognition, and perhaps a pay raise. Having that data also allows your company to track that high-performing employee and utilize their value and their skills to the full extent.

On the other hand, a comprehensive evaluation may lead to the discovery that another employee is underperforming. In either situation, having complete visibility into employee performance is vital in making sure that your company is performing at the very best rate that it can while rewarding and encouraging high performance.

The other necessary function of employee evaluation is to revisit job descriptions to map out goals and expectations. Evaluations don’t only monitor performance, but they also serve to check in with management to discuss the guidelines for future performance and expectations. It’s also possible that the employees role has changed within the company, requiring the expectations and goals to be shifted. When expectations and goals are laid out and explained right away, you avoid awkward surprises and further miscommunication down the line.

You can make this part of the process easier as well by allowing standards and guidelines to be updated as the company grows and changes. E-forms, or electric forms, eliminate the need for paper forms altogether, making document changes happen with just a few clicks.

Are your employees performing to their best abilities? Have you been able to notice and monitor who is working diligently, and who isn’t? It can be difficult to keep an eye on every employee without accurate and thorough reports in addition to a consistent, uniform process of evaluation.

With automated workflows, digital document storage and access, and a system that moves and grows with your company, Datamation provides the best solution customized especially to your needs and wants. Recognize, reward, and leverage the talent within your company to boost your company’s performance as a whole by focusing on the parts.

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2018-04-20 00:00:00

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Human Resources Directors: Go Paperless

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This post is part of The Datamation Guide to Managing School District Records.

As your school district’s human resources director, you have an immense amount of paperwork that passes through your office, much of it vital to the district’s critical functions and all of it sensitive in nature.

Whether its employee files that include results of criminal background checks or drug tests, information about the districts pension fund or 401(k), or disciplinary matters these important documents must be handled with care. Furthermore, you never know when you will need to access the information you’ve received.

With full access to the best programs on the market, Datamation’s education specialists will work with your HR office specifically to design a software system that meets these diverse and important needs.

Here’s what you can expect from all of our solutions:

Going paperless saves time and space

If your district is still relying primarily or entirely on paper record keeping, Datamation can revolutionize your HR workflow and create a paperless archive of everything you have on file. From there, we can work with you to design a software system that automates much of this workflow, saving your employees time.

That means the file room teeming with records can be cleaned out, and there will be no more tedious half-hour trips to hunt down a piece of paper from 10 years ago. Instead, you’ll have fast and reliable access to all your HR records.

Privacy and security

Datamation understands one of the most critical responsibilities of any human resources department is securing the private information of your district’s employees. From health records to a personnel file, these files need to be safe and secure.

Datamation works with districts who prefer cloud storage and those who maintain their own on-site database to help ensure these files are protected. We will design a system that ensures only the appropriate employees in your district have access to the files you keep.

Compliance with state and federal regulations

School districts are required to keep more paperwork on file than your average private sector business. That includes things like required teacher evaluations, paperwork related to public sector unions, and pension and retirement fund contributions to name but a few.

Failure to maintain these records can turn up in periodic state audits and cause public concerns if regulators find your office is not in compliance.

Datamation will work with you to create a human resources records processing system that meets all state and federal regulations for record retention. Our education specialists understand those rules and the best way to navigate them. That way, when auditors come knocking, you’ll be able to wow them with the ease and organization of a well-kept HR database.

Document retention and disaster recovery

There are two parts to maintaining a top-flight HR database: making sure the information you need is safe and purging the documents you no longer have to keep on hand. An electronic database of HR records can help with both.

There are any number of ways important information can be left inaccessible. Poor filing habits are an obvious culprit, but even the most studious clerks can’t prevent documents from being damaged in the event of a flood, fire or another natural disaster. Your district doesn’t have to be in the path of a major hurricane for important information to be put at risk.

And then there’s the other problem: keeping too much information you don’t need. Failure to purge old records takes up space and improper disposal of those documents can expose your district and its employees to identity theft and other forms of fraud.

An automated HR database solves all these problems. Cloud storage or off-site database backups are the most secure way to prevent records from being lost, damaged, or destroyed. And that very same database will tell you when records are able to safely be deleted.

Ready to learn more? Contact Datamation today!

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2018-03-19 00:00:00

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