When you hear about the digital revolution, the Human Resources domain is not the first thing that comes to mind. However, it is this sector that tends to benefit the most from the most modern services, while the other departments in a company are still trying to adapt.
The impact of HR going paperless
If you’re new in this domain you probably have little idea of how things used to work in the HR and how completely different they are today. Gone are the days when the HR offices were full of metal cabinets, with files and tons of papers everywhere.
Obviously, they still need to keep files, but they do it on a computer. In fact, pretty much everything they do is now paperless. If you’re thinking just about one HR department, the change might not seem significant, but if you consider all the companies in Australia, or all over the world for that matter, you will have a better picture of what the HR going paperless means to the environment. And it all happened in the past 10-20 years.
When you hear about the digital revolution, the Human Resources domain is not the first thing that comes to mind. However, it is this sector that tends to benefit the most from the most modern services, while the other departments in a company are still trying to adapt.
Online background checks
Over the past few years, more and more Australian businesses have made police checks standard practice in their pre-employment screening. That doesn’t mean more papers to file in cabinets, that’s actually less papers, or better said no papers at all.
Nowadays, Australian businesses use online character check agencies like ANCC when they need to do a background check on a job applicant. The employee no longer needs to drive to the local police station, wasting gas and time in the process. You can apply for a criminal history check online, on a computer or a mobile phone. It’s not only quick and easy, but it’s also completely paperless. You only need to fill in a few information, like name and address, and yes, you will also need a photo. Nothing easier. Just grab the phone, take a selfie and upload it.
When the police clearance comes in, it is sent back to the company by email. The HR employee can attach the email to the employee’s file and store it in the company’s database or in a cloud, which is even safer.
Checking educational and work credentials online
As part of their pre-employment background checks, recruiting agents routinely check the educational credentials listed in the candidate’s CV. This can also be done online, as all you have to do is access a college’s website and go through their database. No harm done to the environment and no paper documents to file.
The same goes for checking the candidate’s employment record. You cannot and should not assume that everything they write in a CV is true. You need to check and get references from past employers. No need to write them an official letter and wait for their written answer. Just go online, get the email address of their HR manager, write them a quick message and you’ll have a reply in a few hours.
Again, not a single sheet of paper was used in this necessary part of the pre-employment screening.
Pre-employment screening is mandatory in many job sectors and it only makes sense if it is achieved in a cost effective manner that is also environmentally friendly. Recently, a taxi service in Queanbeyan (Queanbeyan is a small town in NSW, Australia) also announced that all of their cab drivers would be screened using paperless screening methods to help the environment. Whilst they help the environment, the service claims it has also attracted a larger customer base who are environmentally conscious.
It’s good for the environment, and it’s good for all those working in HR as they don’t need to be buried under mountains of files anymore.
