As a small business bearing witness to the digitisation of HR, you may feel left behind if you’re still tapping away on a traditional, HR platform which resides offline, limited the self-serving aspect for both employees and the HR team. As technological standards in the HR industry improve, core software can now be accessed from anywhere in the world, including work documents and personal files through cloud storage.
As employee expectations rise and digital HR becomes the norm, this works as a gentle reminder to introduce or accelerate plans to digitise your HR process and migrate to the cloud, switching to a more innovative way of working.
On the fence about cloud security?
When it comes to storing sensitive HR data on the cloud, you may feel apprehensive due to the sensitive nature of the information, such as bank details, addresses and phone numbers. By using an external method of storage, you are sharing responsibility with the provider to ensure that employee data is held securely. Many cloud storage providers use top-level security to protect information held in the cloud which businesses can also benefit from.
Using cloud storage arrives with a host of questions relating to who has access to the information, whether this can be accessed securely and the likelihood of any security breaches. You can essentially determine if you would like to self-govern the data through self-encryption or put trust in the cloud storage provider to encrypt the information, with both routes differing in complexity.
Cloud providers adhere to implementing industry-standard security when storing your HR data, making this a more secure option in comparison to hosting the information locally or on a hard drive. Using cloud storage means that your HR data can be backed up securely, so in the case of any accidents or disaster, you are always protected. The security advantage of storing your information on the cloud allows you to ensure that all HR information remains private and the interests of the company and employees are protected.
Improving employee experience with the cloud
If you’re on the fence about switching to cloud storage and you’re wondering why many neighbouring businesses are jumping on the bandwagon, improving employee experience is at the forefront of this choice, alongside enhanced security. It’s no myth that by establishing a seamless employee experience, this could contribute to reducing employee retention rates and increasing user satisfaction.
The immediacy offered with cloud storage allows you to instantly save, amend and share information directly with selected individuals through the click of a button. For example, Google Drive is a system used by both individuals and businesses as added integrations allow you to collaborate with others through Microsoft platforms, such as Word and Excel, instantly saving files to the cloud. The instantaneous nature of cloud storage means that files can be made accessible instantly, allowing employees to view information remotely and from the comfort of their home.
Cloud systems allow for the integration of additional features, making the breakdown of financial data, processing calculations and generating records easier and on an automatic basis. As a small to medium business, systems as such can simplify the tasks undertaken by your HR representative, making the management of HR affairs more efficient and inducing employee engagement.
Digitising the HR process
The 2019 Global Human Capital Trends survey and analysis conducted by accountancy and professional services giant, Deloitte, found that 84 per cent of respondents said they need to rethink their workforce experience to improve productivity, taking into consideration the digitisation of the HR process. By centralising HR through one platform, proving ‘one interface to deal with’, this contributes to efficiency and cost improvement. This provides access to employees to change personal details, request annual leave and self-manage personal information on file.
The survey analysed the latest trends to switch HR services to the cloud, to ‘provide a more integrated suite of tools, improve data management…user experience, and deliver faster innovation’, concluding that the HR industry is well on its way to reach industry standards.
The Bright Side of HR Cloud Storage
By storing information on the cloud, it is simultaneously accessible, enabling employees to collaborate efficiently. This is a slick way of operating as employees can share documents without laboriously switching to a secondary platform, increasing the amount of time spent on the task and reducing costs for any additional storage platforms hosted by the business. Cloud storage systems are engineered to generate back-ups on an automated basis, protecting you in the event of an emergency.
In addition to streamlining the process for both employees and HR workers, it encourages engagement and helps build an internal community as messages can be dispersed faster and easily. The self-service aspect generates a more efficient style of working as support staff can spend less time on the phone answering queries as data is easier to locate. Due to the remote and external manner in which data is hosted, you can save money on mounting maintenance costs to your IT provider.
If you’re a beginner, it could prove worthwhile to sign up to a free trial and practise working on this individually before finding the most appropriate system to roll out into your workplace. The innovation, speed and ease of use as a result of cloud storage paves the road to a new way of working.
Keith Tully is a partner at Real Business Rescue, UK’s largest business recovery firm with over 70 offices across the country. He specialises in providing support to business in financial distress, looking to facilitate a recovery or close the business in an efficient manner.
