Paperless HR
Łukasz Kuczkowski, Legal Advisor, Managing Partner at Raczkowski Law Firm
The pandemic changed the way we manage employee documentation in Poland. Due to the forced situation, companies began to switch to electronic documents. This led to digitalization in HR, including the introduction of electronic personal files. At Raczkowski Law Firm, we have a 'Paperless HR' project that helps employers transition to digital solutions.
The Paperless HR project includes a comprehensive implementation of IT and legal solutions that allow companies to safely and legally manage electronic employee documentation.
It is based on several milestones:
Know-how
The first one includes a detailed analysis of the employer's level of digitalization. It is necessary to understand:
- the document flow,
- IT systems used by the client,
- technological solutions, and
- practices of creating and signing documents.
Based on this information, we can determine the extent of necessary digitalization, the possibility of using tools already employed in the organization and key processes that require digitization.
Importantly, the level of knowledge within the organization, especially key stakeholders in such a project, greatly influences the implementation of the electronic file. This is not just about software, which is usually not selected at this stage, but understanding the legal conditions of the e-files, and the rights and duties of both employers and employees.
Our experience shows that imparting this knowledge to project stakeholders positively affects the time and comfort of e-file implementation.
Choosing the Tool
The second milestone is selecting an appropriate tool - software that allows for managing employee documentation electronically and signing it electronically.
Such a tool must meet the requirements of Polish law, including specific functionalities. If the chosen solution does not comply, a claim may be raised that the employer does not manage employee documentation in a legally compliant manner. Not every IT solution meets these requirements, such are tools not present in the Polish market which are solutions adopted by parent companies in their home country and then ‘exported’ to other companies in the group. Therefore, assessing the chosen tool in terms of meeting Polish legal requirements is particularly important for such foreign solutions.
Procedure and Risk Assessment
Choosing the tool leads to the next implementation stage: preparing the procedure for managing the e-folder and conducting risk assessment. Both elements are mandatory.
The procedure describes the rules for managing electronic employee documentation and the rights and obligations of both the employer and employees. The risk assessment helps to determine the threats to the organization from using such software in the employer's IT environment. This is the basis for taking remedial measures to eliminate or limit identified risks. The risk assessment should be repeated periodically, as IT threats are constantly changing, and the employer should consider them in this kind of project.
Post-Implementation Support
Introducing new solutions, which can be revolutionary for HR and employees, often involves fears and misunderstandings. In the Paperless HR project, we address them by offering the post-implementation support. It includes a variety of solutions: from Q&A through training to an implementation hotline available for several months after the project launch. Our experience shows that employers highly value such solutions, as they allow HR and employees to adapt to and embrace new solutions more easily and quickly. This puts the emphasis on the employee’s comfort being of high importance to the organization.
Process Digitalization
Launching the e-file and abandoning paper personal files is just the first step in fully digitalizing HR areas. The second step is to digitize individual HR processes within the organization. These processes can include recruitment, onboarding, employment contracts, their changes or termination, offboarding, as well as using the social fund or fulfilling occupational health and safety obligations. The vast majority of these processes can be completely digitized without the need for employees to use qualified electronic signatures.
This stage of the project involves applying selected tools for signing documents and their circulation, describing the given process, and training HR in its application. Each process requires individual actions. Of course, the employer does not have to digitize all processes. However, the more processes that are digitized, the higher the level of organizational digitalization and the greater the benefits.