It’s 2022. We have self-driving cars, smart homes, robots on Mars, and the Metaverse. Yet in many organisations, HR administrators are still attempting to manage workforce compliance using spreadsheets or even paper.
Eight benefits of switching to a digital platform for managing workforce compliance
From efficiency to scalability, automation to analytics, switching to a digital platform for workforce compliance will generate both immediate and long-term benefits.
1. Efficiency
How much time does your team spend gathering, organising, and analysing workforce compliance data? Cited can reduce multiple processes and manual forms to a single webform, creating a centralised source of data and removing the need to chase people for responses. Other efficiency gains include:
- Automated alerts and renewals
- Automated document collection
- Employee self-service portals
- Fast on-boarding and pre-boarding leading to reduced time-to-start
- Portable credentials between jobs reduces duplication
- Seeing compliance status at a glance.
2. Data quality
One of the problems with spreadsheet-based manual data entry is the increased likelihood of human error. A study found that the probability of human error when manually entering data into simple spreadsheets was between 18% and 40%, rising to 100% with complex spreadsheets. Repetitive data entry makes people susceptible to mistakes, which in turn can cost the business a great deal in rectification.
Shifting to a digital system with automated data collection will reduce errors, improve the quality of data, and (importantly) mean the leadership team can make decisions with confidence that the underlying data is correct.
3. Automation
Without an automated solution, HR administrations can find themselves spending most of their time chasing people for compliance tasks including onboarding and renewals. Automated notifications prompt users to complete these tasks in a self-service portal, meaning the HR admin will only have to intervene manually if the user ignores the automated prompts.
Automation can also greatly reduce the burden on HR in terms of onboarding, online inductions, and document collection.
4. Scalability
While it is possible to manage workforce compliance for a small team using spreadsheets, doing so rapidly becomes difficult and outright impossible as a business grows. Hiring more people to input data is an expensive and unsustainable solution.
Shifting from a spreadsheet approach to a database/platform strategy creates a foundation for growth. Cited can easily scale from a single team to thousands of workers through the power of automation and in-built flexibility, seamlessly managing multiple sites, teams and projects.
5. Transparency
Transparency is crucial in workplace compliance management. Using a digital platform takes data out of silos such as spreadsheets and emails and brings them into a centralised, accessible system. Cited prevents compliance breaches and creates an audit trail that is invaluable when investigating incidents and accidents, showing you every compliance-related move made by staff and workers.
6. Analytics
Digital platforms can generate custom reports for data-driven insights at the touch of a button that would have taken several days of work using spreadsheets. Analytics enables data visualisation that can help users spot trends at a glance, see red flags (areas of risk), and spot data anomalies that may have been hard to see in a lengthy spreadsheet.
Data analytics is essential for making better quality decisions, optimising performance, driving continuous improvement, reducing risk, and discovering new opportunities.
7. Integration
Tech-savvy organisations use a sophisticated technology stack approach to HR management comprising several systems to streamline, optimise and support HR functions across recruitment, engagement, collaboration, and performance. It is essential that data can flow seamlessly between the different components of the tech stack, which is where an API comes in.
The Cited platform has a Checks as a service API ready-built for integration with off the shelf and bespoke HRIS (Human Resources Information System) platforms.
8. Security
Although spreadsheets have some security features such as password protection and cell locking, they simply do not have the security and data protection needed to protect sensitive information including workforce compliance data.
Cited uses world-class security and data protection tools to protect your business and its information. The platform guarantees privacy and security by complying with Australian Privacy legislation and GDPR and is ISO 27001 certified for peace of mind.
So, what are you waiting for? Begin the transition away from spreadsheets to achieve total workforce compliance with Cited’s digital platform. Contact us to get started.