How Smarter Document Management Drives HR Transformation

The employee document hunt, where the HR team searches for an important contract or document in emails, shared drives, and old folders, is a common scenario in the HR departments of many organizations.

This time-consuming task highlights the fundamental challenge of managing employee records efficiently. Additionally, with global data privacy laws rapidly expanding, HR compliance has evolved from an administrative task to a strategic imperative.

According to OpenText, the path for the HR function to become a strategic partner requires utilizing employee document management (EDM). It is a modern approach that transforms HR from reactive file hunters into proactive strategic partners. Using EDM fosters the practice of securely organizing, storing, and governing all employee-related records throughout the hire-to-retire journey. The goal is to eliminate the administrative burden that keeps HR teams buried in paperwork.

The Need for Transformation

Still, a successful HR digital transformation isn’t only about digitizing existing paper-based processes, but reimagining how HR operates through integrated automation and strategic document management.

SAP SuccessFactors Document Management Core by OpenText provides the foundation for this change. The solution creates a unified HR ecosystem by offering a centralized document repository, acting as a single source of truth where documents flow from various HR processes into one secure, searchable location.

Moreover, a modern document management system such as SAP SuccessFactors Document Management Core by OpenText ensures compliance is built into every process:

• The system ensures that documents are routed and categorized using metadata from SAP SuccessFactors.
• Built-in compliance tools manage regulatory adherence through automated retention schedules, legal holds, and audit trails.
• Document approvals and routing happen automatically based on SAP SuccessFactors events. For example, a new hire event automatically creates the necessary folder structure.

This integration amplifies an organization’s existing SAP SuccessFactors investment, ensuring security permissions are synchronized in real time and documents are available directly within familiar employee profiles.

Centering on Employee Experience

Today, employees expect consumer-like experiences, and EDM delivers this through employee self-service access. By using this feature, employees can securely access their contracts, verification letters, and other documents instantly without needing HR intervention, building engagement and confidence in HR.

Thus, by moving from chaotic, manual processes to intelligent, automated systems, HR teams achieve dramatic time savings, reduce legal risk, and improve service delivery.

OpenText showcased these special features during the HR Success Connect event from October 6-8 where it was also presented with the SAP Global HCM Partner Excellence Award. If you missed this event, here is where you can learn more about how OpenText and SAP SuccessFactors can help HR teams go paperless, strengthen compliance, and focus on driving business success.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

For SAPinsiders seeking to maximize their investment and drive successful digital change, implementing a strategic EDM solution, such as SAP SuccessFactors Document Management Core by OpenText, offers distinct advantages centered on automation, experience, and governance:

1. Operational efficiencies and risk mitigation. A successful HR digital transformation involves reimagining HR processes through integrated automation. Moreover, OpenText’s EDM solution with SAP SuccessFactors enables users to achieve operational efficiency and risk mitigation by synchronizing documents directly with HR processes through workflow automation and built-in compliance and audit readiness. These features help HR teams save time, enforce retention schedules, and instantly activate legal holds to protect files from changes or deletions during investigations. Additionally, the use of metadata from SAP SuccessFactors ensures files are correctly categorized and organized, minimizing human error.
2. Integrating document management changes the overall employee experience. Integration with SAP SuccessFactors is crucial for delivering a customer-like experience for employees. When the EDM system is integrated with SAP SuccessFactors, documents are available directly within the SAP SuccessFactors employee profiles, eliminating the need to jump between disparate systems. Moreover, employees gain secure, instant access to their own records, such as contracts or employment verification letters, without needing to contact the HR department. This capability significantly reduces the routine HR workload and builds employee engagement, loyalty, and confidence in HR as a strategic partner. Employees can also view and sign documents digitally, eliminating the error-prone, time-consuming process of printing, signing, and scanning.