HR professionals discuss the pros and cons of dematerialization in the industry

Althea, a consulting firm specializing in HR and HRIS consulting, has recently announced in partnership with Docaposte, PeopleDoc, and Primobox, the results of a survey conducted by OpinionWay among French employees on the subject of the dematerialization of administrative procedures in HR.

"This survey enabled us to draw up an inventory of the knowledge, access and expectations of French employees in terms of digitizing HR administrative procedures in the company. As the pay statement is generally the first step in HR dematerialization strategies, we have also focused on this type of solution. This is an excellent indicator of modernization of the HR function of companies."

David Gordon, Senior Manager at Althea

Main points:

• The electronic payslip still only concerns one in five French employees, but the trend is on the rise. In large companies, 28% of employees now receive their pay slips in electronic format, compared to 15% in 2015, an increase of + 87% in 3 years.
• The dematerialization of HR administrative procedures is  well-known among French employees, who also consider that changes are inevitable. However, only a small percentage of them benefit those today.
• Employees who have access to dematerialization solutions for HR administrative procedures are largely satisfied.
• The development of dematerialization solutions must find its way into an environment that is resistant to change and against the background of cybersecurity. However, they can rely on levels of respect for the environment and remote management.

The dematerialization of HR administrative procedures is known to French employees and promotes, according to them, a brighter future

To the question "Have you ever heard of the dematerialization of HR administrative procedures?" 58% of French employees answered in the affirmative, of which 26% say they know exactly what it is. The results are to be qualified according to the size of the company: this percentage increases to 66% in the big companies and the ETI, but settles below 50% in the VSEs (49%).

Among those who have already heard about it, it is above all in a professional context, within their company (58% of the answers). The press is then the second source of information for French employees, with general media leading the way (23%) and specialized media (17%).

"The generalization of the dematerialization of HR administrative procedures is also perceived as inevitable . Asked about its future, 86% of French employees have indeed declared that, according to them, the movement will develop quickly and to all companies for 39%, or gradually and in certain types of companies for 47%."

David Gordon

French employees know the tools, but don't have the access

In the details of the solutions, the personal digital safe, the electronic signature of the employment contracts and the electronic transmission of documents are the three best-known tools. They arrive all three tied in the survey, with 58% of French employees who say they have already heard about it. Next comes the dematerialization of requests and questions to HR (51%) and the dematerialization of the individual file of the employee (49%).

If only 6 out of 10 employees are aware of the dematerialization solutions of HR administrative procedures, they are far less likely to have access to them. On average, only one in four states that such a solution has been implemented in his company, whether it is the transmission of documents or certificates by dematerialized way, digitization of requests and questions to HR, storage dematerialized pieces of the personal file or personal digital safe. Asked more specifically about the electronic signature of employment contracts, they are only 16% to dispose of it.

Users are largely satisfied

French employees who use this type of solution are largely satisfied. The electronic signature of employment contracts has thus captured 94% of them, making it the most successful dematerialization tool for HR, yet the least deployed in companies. The other solutions are not left behind: employees who have access to the dematerialized storage of documents in the employee's personal file are 90% satisfied, on par with those of the transmission of documents and certificates by dematerialized way. The digitization of requests and questions to HR (87%) and the personal digital safe (87%) also have good scores.

Hitting the gas, but also the brakes

When asked about companies that have implemented dematerialization solutions for HR administrative procedures, French employees believe that they give an image of innovation (81% of responses) and performance (75%). For 66% of them, this also reflects their willingness  to serve the employees.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that the employees surveyed also believe that the deployment of dematerialization solutions for HR administrative procedures can give the image of a company that is dehumanized (56% of them) and spendthrifty (29%). They are also more likely to consider that this is a positive development for the company (73%) than for employees (54%).

To make employees adhere to the dematerialization of HR administrative procedures, companies have several levers. The main advantage of this type of solution, cited by 52% of French employees, is  respect for the environment  (paperless), followed by a more practical consideration: the ability to  manage documents or requests remotely (41).

As for the main challenges to be met, which French employees need to be reassured, they cite the risks related to securing and guaranteeing confidentiality of data and the loss of information (36%), as well as loss of human contact with HR or administrative interlocutors (34%).

" The employees' commitment to the company's digitization projects is not to be taken lightly, especially when they affect human resources. In-house communication is of course essential, its content is even more so. It must make sense and be reassuring for employees, explain to them why  digitization is not synonymous with dehumanisation and that, on the contrary, the implementation of such solutions  will also allow HR to free up time to establish with them deeper and personalized relationships."

David Gordon

Illustration of the issues by the payslip

80% of French employees today receive their payslips in paper format , either at their place of work (49%) or directly at home (31%). Not surprisingly, the smaller the business, the stronger the trend: 89% in small businesses, 84% in SMEs, 72% in medium-sized companies and large companies.

Yet nearly half of employees (49%) know that their business is entitled, since 1^st January 2017 under the provisions of the Labor Law, to dematerialize their payslip. They see the e-payslip in a positive light, as 58% of them say they support its generalization. Among those who already receive it dematerialized, this percentage even climbs to 83%.

Among the main advantages mentioned by the employees favoring the dematerialization of the payslip, we find at the top the limitation of the impressions  and the  actions in favor of the environment (65%), the possibility to access it at a distance (48% ) and protection in the event of a claim  in their home (43%).

" When they engage in the dematerialization HR, companies usually highlight the speed and simplicity of the solutions they deploy to gain the support of their employees. However, these are not their concerns  : here again, the survey tells us that respect for the environment is the main lever to operate. It is on this message that companies must capitalize, especially as it also comes with a reduction in costs - printing, mailing, storage ...  - that we know to be another  point of French employees' attention."

David Gordon

Conversely, the weight of habits (51%), the fear of not being able to recover or access their documents (48%) and that of a lack of data protection are the main obstacles cited by employees who are refractory to dematerialization of the payslip.

" Habits are part of French culture, so support for change is so important in any project to modernize or digitize the company. It is only at this price that one gains the adhesion of the employees. As for the security and confidentiality of the data, they are legitimate fears in the face of current cyber threats. Choosing a trusted provider, offering solutions that are both secure and available, is no longer an option."

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