Spreadsheets, emails, PDF forms, paper forms, file shares, post-it notes, and passing conversations in the hallway…each of these things make up the process of communication and documentation used by many businesses, in an attempt to meet local, state, and federal compliance requirements. The undertaking for maintaining compliance is pressure point number one for HR professionals today, as non-compliance leads to costly fines and potential lawsuits.
But as many hours are poured into the ever-changing regulations of compliance, there remains tremendous risk to businesses with gaps in the processes. These processes touch on the most important resources in any business: time, money, and people. Major responsibilities for today’s HR professional include onboarding, training, and culture development, and each one of those areas require…COMPLIANCE!
Record-based systems rely on human power for upkeep, and an exorbitant amount of communication between people who must prevent compliance mistakes from happening. The details for each and every employee must be input correctly, and documented…without human error, in order to be compliant. Additionally, all of the steps in the process must be scheduled (i.e. shared calendars) in order to maintain deadlines. With this compliance process, HR spends more time and money trying to assure that no one, or no thing, falls through the proverbial cracks.
But the present-future is upon us, as we are now in the world of artificial intelligence (AI), automated forms, chatbots, intelligent automation, and more! And today’s technology helps protect time, money, and people.
By leveraging technology, you can take the risk out of your compliance issues by creating the following hallmarks of a great compliance process:
- Consistency– The hallmark of every onboarding and compliance process is consistency, being able to execute the same process over and over again. By integrating intelligent automation, your process can be driven by customized “laws”, created specifically for your business. The intelligent bots that run the process assure that every step of the process is followed, and in a timely manner. From background checks to I-9 verification, to ACA compliance to FLMA tracking, and even to sexual harassment training and acknowledgement, automation can assure the process leads to completion and compliance.
- Efficiency– There’s an old saying that says the way to really get rich is to figure out how to make money while you sleep. Well…what if you could do your work while you sleep? Intelligent bots and automation make this a possibility, driving content through the process to prompt the required next steps to both employees and employer, without the required prompting of a human. Finding one system that handles all the HR processes required keeps you from having to login to multiple systems. The ability to integrate all of your processes into one system saves time…and believe it or not…money!
I hope you get the picture here. By leveraging technology, your onboarding program and compliance issues can be consistent, efficient, and most importantly, compliant. It may sound like another world when we’re talking about intelligent bots, chatbots, automation and more, but the reality is that this is the world in which we now live. The bottom line is that these technological advancements will save you time, money, and protect the future of your people and business.
