The number of human resources pros using eSignature technology now as compared to earlier this year is astounding. In fact, a new survey of the critical members of every small business team finds that use of eSignature technology has risen … now, get this … an incredible 2,530%!

That figure compares the first and second quarters of 2020.

The increase was brought about by the number of new HR professionals embracing eSignature, tripling during the period. In fact, new users of eSignature increased by a whopping 213% within a span of one quarter between April and June.

SignEasy Survey: eSignatures Use Skyrockets in 2020

E-signature or electronic signature is a legal substitute to the handwritten signature to get consent or approval on electronic documents or forms. According to SignEasy, the increase in the use of eSignatures is fueled by COVID-19 concerns. Professionals opted to use eSignatures to safely exchange and sign documents relating to remote hiring and employee services, and work-from-home agreements.

Lockdowns and partial closures during COVID-19 had prompted professionals to get by with limited access to office printers, scanners, and courier services. As a result, HR professionals have adjusted to this contactless documentation environment by actively using eSignatures. This fueled the uptick of professionals using the cloud to sign documents from their phones, tablets and computers. The result is a growth of self-signing among HR professionals by 3,173% in Q2 while sending for signatures grew by 2,158%.

Besides the health safety concerns, the shift to a paperless was also a factor. Consequently, the HR workflow improved the candidate’s experience. Particularly during the hiring process, streamlining organizational processes, and improving employee productivity.

eSignature Adoption Growing

The growth in adoption has helped HR professionals maneuver through the logistical complexities of remote hiring in the current business climate. SignEasy’s data shows new HR professional customers are using SignEasy for remote hiring 3,000% more than in Q1. The cloud-based eSignature company has some advice for HR professionals to further improve their remote hiring process.

It advises all related documents can be sent and signed from within the existing ATS or HRIS itself. To enable this, SignEasy integrates with Freshworks and Freshteam.

There are scores of everyday documents that employees need to sign-off on, such as payroll, performance reviews, timesheets, claims, and expense reimbursements. Typically, most of it is printed and signed physically. This in return can be a major cause for low employee productivity and engagement – especially when working remotely.

SignEasy’s research indicates heavy online documentation in the current scenario of layoffs and economic uncertainty. It even surpasses the number of documents signed for hiring in Q2 (new users in the quarter) by 17.85%.

Besides Hr, other professionals have also seen a peak in the adoption of eSignature, albeit not in high numbers as HRs. For example, professional services employees have also seen a spike of 654% in eSignature use. Financial services (370%), education (305%) and IT (134%) also experienced appreciable growth.

 

Benefits of Going Paperless

A paperless business is a business that has eliminated or greatly reduced the use of paper in the workplace. Through digitization, you can convert paper files into electronic files. Digital versions of documents can be easily compiled using scanners, mobile capture using a camera on a phone or tablet.

Once you digitize your document you can use document management software to process and save your documents. What’s even better is that many applications such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat, integrate with document management systems.

With a document management software, you can also select access rights to document to scrutinize who has access to sensitive documents. On the other hand, a paper document can get lost, misfiled or destroyed without anyone noticing.

Despite the prevalence of electronic documents and email, sadly most businesses still rely on paper documents. There are many benefits to going paperless, from saving resources to boosting security. Businesses also save money by reducing supplies and lowering their carbon footprint with less paper waste ending up in a landfill.

Moreover, it greatly reduces the amount of physical and mental effort put into filing and retrieving stacks upon stacks of paperwork.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “HR Professionals Using Electronic Signature Technology 2530% More Than in Early 2020” was first published on Small Business Trends


Source: Small Business Trends

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