Reasons Why You Should Reduce Paper Use in Your HR Department

Your Human Resources department is a crucial part of your company. The department handles numerous tasks, from hiring and training to payroll and budgeting to employee satisfaction and compliance. One thing that your HR department does that’s not so beneficial for business is use a ton of paper. With all of the advances of technology, people are beginning to reduce their reliance on (and consumption of) paper. You may have gotten your employees on board with reducing paper usage, but HR may be lagging behind. Here are seven reasons why you should reduce paper use in your HR department.

Save Money

Paper costs money. As does the supplied required to print documents. All of these costs add up over time. Reducing paper use in your HR department helps to reduce the amount of money you spend on office supplies. Less paper also means that you spend less on maintaining and repairing major office equipment like printers and copiers.

Help the Environment

Paper products have an impact on the environment. In addition to printing documents, papers are typically shredded when they’re no longer needed (particularly if they contain sensitive information).

The more you use, the bigger your impact. Reducing HR’s paper consumption helps to reduce your company’s carbon footprint.

Boost Efficiency

Reliance on paper can actually be hurting the efficiency of your HR department (and the rest of your company as well). The department could be wasting a significant amount of time searching for documents, collecting signatures from employees, or printing and distributing materials like bulletins or policy changes.

Technology has streamlined many of these processes and can help to reduce your HR department’s reliance on paper. Keeping documents stored digitally makes them easier to find. You can collect e-signatures, which significantly cuts down on the time required for processing employee records. Additionally, you can create an online library of policies that employees can access or email important information.

Make Payroll Easier

Payroll can be an arduous task, especially if you have a lot of employees. Your HR department can streamline the process by switching to digital payroll processes and using a paystub generator. Switching to digital processes and direct deposit, HR does more than just reduce paper use. There is also a reduced risk of lost checks and pay is available sooner on payday. Pay stubs can be emailed to employees.

More Accessible for Employees

By going digital, HR can make documents available for employees to access (and sign if needed) at any time from any device. If your employees need to review policies or find other information, they can do so easily. This can be particularly beneficial for employees who work remotely and can’t necessarily make it to the office to look over or sign important documents.  

No More Lost Documents

Having several printed documents means that you have to store them. It’s not uncommon for offices to have several filing cabinets filled with paper. While you might have an organizational system to keep track of them, there’s still a risk that important documents can get lost. Losing a document can be incredibly frustrating. Your HR team can waste a significant amount of time trying to locate it. Switching to digital document storage makes documents much easier to find. Not only that, but you can also free up a lot of office space.

Increase Satisfaction and Engagement

Employee engagement and happiness are important for retention. One way to ensure happiness is to make your employees feel like they’re being heard. This is often accomplished with an employee survey.

Instead of printing and distributing surveys, HR can email them. Your employees can then fill them out on their devices at their convenience and send them back. The results can be added to a database, which makes it easier to find trends. Your HR department can more quickly implement changes that boost employee satisfaction.

Reducing paper use isn’t just good for the environment. It’s also good for business. Working with your HR team to reduce (or even eliminate) paper usage can help to improve your company, boost efficiency, and make it a place your employees want to work.