sWhat we know for sure is that this digital workplace transformation has rapidly accelerated digitalization across every business department, affecting every industry. Employers and employees have had to quickly adjust to a completely digital experience through remote working.
With this shift to digital, employers more than ever need systems in place to support their employees and provide the tools required to effectively perform their duties. Given this changing situation, there are certainly opportunities to boost employee productivity and employee morale simultaneously. One aspect is the reduction of time dedicated to paperwork through the use of employee form apps.
Shifting from traditional paper-based forms to a mobile forms app is a great first step towards a digital workplace transformation.
The Problem with Paper Based Forms
Front-line workers know the pains and pitfalls of paper based forms. When you’re focused on your job, especially on your feet or in the field all day, paperwork is often the last thing on your mind. Furthermore, businesses often lack the structure to make it easy for employees to complete those required forms. Nevertheless, documentation is an essential aspect to many positions.
Every workplace has a different process when it comes to forms. They’re business critical, that’s for sure, so why are we still using paper based forms? They’re cumbersome, unreliable, and take up a pile of space. Not to mention the toll on the environment. On the other hand, digital forms software provides more efficient logging, record keeping, updating, and filing.
Businesses have still been relying on paper, however, because it’s easy to implement and – of course – it’s hard to change workplace traditions.
But with the rapid shift to remote working, there’s no more excuse to maintain these outdated traditions.
Mobile apps provide a complete solution for forms in the new digital workplace, and will hold up even in traditional office-based work structures. Shifting to paperless forms will actually save money, proving to be economically beneficial as well as practical. Not only that, companies will see major gains in productivity going paperless.
Paperless Boosts Productivity
A form app compiles and streamlines daily to-do lists and repetitive tasks. Instead of relying on your calendar and a series of software or paper forms, a form app and an all-in-one digital workplace software make filling in required documentation efficient. Productivity increases, which frees up more time for real work.
Making the shift to digital forms is a high impact change for a business. You might be wondering: “Why not just create forms in Excel or Word and fill them in on the computer?” This might be a positive first step, but has many pitfalls just like paper-based forms. For instance, data could get lost in folders on the server or employees may use different versions of a form.
Using an app, digital forms are compiled into a central service. Each form is easy to update, dispatch, and view. Managers and employees with permissions are instantly able to make changes, add new, or delete forms in seconds. Plus, when accessing forms through a mobile app, you know you’re using the correct and current version at any time.
Instantly Flag Issues and Escalate Urgencies
A consolidated locale for digital forms also lets management and team leaders quickly flag issues that need escalation.
A drawing that needs signed off before sending to manufacturing? The lead on the project can get a push notification sent instantly. A regulatory compliance document fails approval? Dive in to assess and troubleshoot the problem in seconds.
Working with digital forms not only speeds up the process, but keeps everything in one place. This eliminates the often frantic search for specific forms and information, should a problem arise.
Employees can also benefit from flagging urgent forms such as sick-leave forms, vacation requests, or other urgent matters – whether business critical or critical in their personal lives.
Continuous Employee Feedback
Many employers are shifting toward continuous employee reviews. Providing regular performance feedback can help an organization stay on top of potential issues and motivate employees through continuous engagement.
Using digital forms to administer employee reviews is a streamlined and straightforward method. Employees can quickly fill in the feedback questionnaire, submitting it instantly and directly to their supervisor for review through a secure and confidential platform.
Whether these reviews are weekly, monthly, or quarterly, gathering employee feedback through a form app keeps all of the data in one easy to locate space.
Streamline Compliance
By making compliance forms available through a mobile app, employees can access them when needed anywhere, anytime. Staff can easily locate necessary forms in their mobile app, complete the checks, and submit for approval.
Since all forms are automatically and securely backed up, it’s easy to verify whether all SOPs were followed, should ever an issue arise.
Simplified Human Resources For Everyone
With a mobile app, employee HR management becomes consolidated to one location. No more searching for forms on various platforms. From insurance, to payroll, to vacation request forms, everything is easy to find on a form app.
Instead of hunting for login information for rarely used services, an all-encompassing employee app will save time and produce more consistent and timely forms for HR personnel to process. It’s a win-win for workers, HR, and management.
Enabled and Engaged Employees
Not only do form apps simplify documentation, they also streamline so many facets of the workplace. Removing an extra burden of paperwork from staff allows them to focus on their job without worrying about inefficient and outdated workplace rituals.
Digital forms, through an end-to-end app accessible to employees, keep businesses on track, connected, and efficient. No matter what the future of the workplace has in store, adapting to digital forms through a mobile form app will prepare any company to be adaptable and agile.
Specializing in digital marketing programs for industrial and commercial technology solutions.
