TRENDICATORS SPECIAL REPORT

Ending the Back Office Paper Chase

Processes to Streamline the New World of Work
DocuSign | HR DIVE
Processes to Streamline the New World of Work

When we left our offices in mid-March 2020, most assumed it was just a small blip and anticipated a quick return to normalcy. Little did we know how vastly everything would change, Today, organizations are faced with contemplating how to continue in this remote setup - potentially indefinitely - or navigate a safe return to the workplace.

Data from McKinsey Digital contends that during the first eight weeks of the pandemic, the world accelerated five years forward in digital adoption, resulting in companies having to swiftly adopt new processes.1 Those who had already started a digital transformation found themselves light-years ahead while others scrambled to keep up. According to Gartner, more than half of HR leaders said poor technology or infrastructure was their biggest barrier in pivoting to a remote work model.

Yet there were challenges even for those who were well-positioned; in one survey, more than 70% of HR professionals cited this as the most stressful year of their career.3 Many companies have realized that aligning with third-party partners offers access to powerful enterprise technology solutions across the entire back office. And along the way, IT teams have discovered these new digital processes not only allowed them to maintain a high level of function and compliance in a remote environment, but made their work more effective.

Technologies and processes are becoming increasingly sophisticated as companies explore digital business opportunities, says David Kaercher, executive vice president and CIO for CareFirst Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a leading insurance company serving more than 3.4 million customers. But some companies may be left behind: A recent survey from Accenture and HfS found that half of organizations surveyed say their back office is not currently keeping pace as needed to sufficiently support evolving customer expectations.

Key Takeaways

About This Report

From Reams of Paperwork to Easy Remote Signing and Management "I love paperwork," said no HR professional, ever. In fact, its ubiquity threatens to drown many; an HR Daily Advisor survey found more than one-quarter of HR leaders reported spending an astonishing 25 to 50 percent of their time on document process management.

From Repetitive Email Processes to "Customized" Mass Mailing Is your team spending its time on the high-value activities that move the needle? Possibly not, considering that a DocuSign survey finds nearly 30% of HR professionals say repetitive document generation is the top hurdle deterring them from other priorities. And certainly that function is not dissipating now that HR is faced with the challenge of updating and distributing frequent company-wide changes in real-time to employees, such as remote employee work forms or return-to-work forms that need to be signed or acknowledged by employees and shared with other departments, such as legal.

From In-Person to Remote Onboarding There's no question that the candidate experience is different today; in fact, according to Gartner, 85% of HR teams across the country have conducted virtual onboardings since the pandemic began. This has created a massive shift for HR, since the hiring and onboarding process has historically been reliant on in-person processes.

About the Publisher

Published by DocuSign

Publish Date

November 2021