Data protection problems? Not with a digital personnel file

The digital personnel file ensures all data is available online at any time. A click of a mouse instead of a filing cabinet. Access on the go instead of traveling to the office. All that, and still with top security and ease of use – everything you would expect of a system today

The electronic file forms the basis for state-of-the-art HR management and companies that are in an excellent position digitally. It contains the details and documents of each staff member in digital form – safe and secure in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). From the first letter of application to the latest target agreement, the digital personnel file maps every employee’s professional life. It saves vacation requests, absences, warnings, payslips, annual statements and training certificates. The only space it takes up is digital storage.

It goes without saying that there are other key benefits on top of the space savings. Keeping an electronic file makes the administrative side of HR easier. Where before it was necessary to hunt through a filing cabinet for a file, every authorized member of staff can now access the information in seconds – in their office or, if their permissions allow, while sitting at home. As a cutting-edge document management system, it takes care of routine jobs reliably and with precision, for example by automatically generating payslips, sending reports or creating statistics. To prevent any media disruptions, the digital personnel file is compatible with the company’s accounting and administration software.

Keeping digital files also changes the application process. Applicants set up a basic version of the digital personnel file themselves when they make their first contact. All invitation letters, status reports and decisions can then be generated automatically. Everyone involved in the selection process can view and work on the file digitally. As a result, the entire application procedure is faster, simpler and more transparent.

Employees can access their own personnel files using the self-service function and update certain fields, such as absences, vacation requests and training certificates. This takes some administrative work out of the hands of HR, especially when staff members are not all available in one place, but working at various sites. As before, other parts of the file can only be changed by supervisors.

In addition, the electronic personnel file enables efficient, systematic HR management, as KPIs and statistics can be called up with just a few clicks. Are there any areas where we need more specialists? How future-proof are we? What capabilities are we lacking? Where should training measures be targeted? Are our staff able to meet the current needs of the market? What are the age demographics of the company? Do we have sufficient diversity? These numbers are worth their weight in gold when it comes to strategic HR management.

Another important thing to bear in mind is that in the sensitive area of data security, digital personnel files offer the highest possible level of protection. The experts at the software providers ensure that the electronic file always keeps up with the legislation, in terms of both data protection conformity and legal and audit compliance. To ensure a similarly high level of expertise, companies would have to pay for lots of training for their HR staff.

Moreover, strictly limited digital access rights for a defined circle of authorized people protects the sensitive data from misuse. On top of that, every activity related to the digital file is recorded, ensuring a transparent map of who viewed the file, when, where, and how.

All the advantages and safeguards of digital personnel files can be found in SAP SuccessFactors. Instead of standard solutions off the shelf, there are suitable applications that match the conditions on site and find the perfect solution for your company. Are you interested in a comprehensive consultation?