In a professional context where digitalization is transforming working methods, the optimization of HR processes is becoming an essential performance driver. Between document management, Ticketing From requests and training follow-up, HR teams juggle multiple tasks on a daily basis that can quickly become time-consuming if they are not properly structured.
Stop chasing a RIB in an email or a contract in SharePoint. How to create a real source of documentary truth for your HR? Here is our practical guide in 5 steps to transform your HR document management into an effective machine.
HR process: What exactly are we talking about?
Definition and scope
HR processes refer to all the structured workflows that organize the management of employees within a company. These procedures cover all documentary and administrative aspects of professional life.
Concretely, they include:
- La document management employment contracts and amendments
- Handling HR requests via a ticketing system
- Archiving and searching for HR documents (contracts, certificates, training courses)
- La electronic signature official documents
- Training follow-up and certificate management
- The dematerialization of personnel files
- Versioning and the history of documentary changes
Why are these processes so important?
Beyond their regulatory aspect, HR processes structure the relationship between the company and its employees.
They guarantee:
✅ A source of documentary truth
All your centralized, structured and accessible HR documents according to your security rules. No more shared drives where information is lost.
⏳ A measurable time saver
Standardized procedures and automatic filing eliminate manual document searches.
🚀 Native RGPD traceability
Each action on a document is traced, guaranteeing regulatory compliance and legal security.
😀 An improvement in the employee experience
Seamless procedures via an online portal increase team satisfaction.
The essential HR processes in the company
Contract document management: The heart of HR administration
The management of employment contracts and their amendments represents a major challenge for HR. This documentary process includes:
- Creating and customizing contract templates
- The secure electronic signature of documents
- The automatic archiving with smart ranking
- The rapid multi-criteria search in the documentary database
- Managing reminders and deadlines (end of fixed-term contracts, trial periods)
Customer case: The École Nationale Supérieure Maritime (ENSM) has structured all of its employee files with a dedicated EDM, allowing instant access to contracts and administrative documents for its teams spread over several campuses.
HR ticketing system: Centralize requests
An effective ticketing system structures the processing of employee requests:
- Centralization of all HR requests in a single point
- Automatic allocation according to the type of request (RIB, leave, equipment, payroll errors...)
- Real-time progress monitoring with automatic notifications
- Full history of exchanges and decisions
- Performance indicators and compliance with SLA deadlines
Management of training courses and certificates
The documentary follow-up of training courses and certifications requires a rigorous organization:
- Archiving of training certificates and diplomas
- Monitoring of expiration dates and mandatory renewals
- Management of business authorizations and certifications
- Full history of the training path
- Automatic generation of reminders for deadlines
Other HR document processes
Other document workflows impact operational efficiency:
- Complete dematerialization of personnel files
- Management of identity documents and supporting documents
- Secure archiving with controlled access
- Multi-criteria search in documentation
- Data backup and recovery
5 steps to optimize your HR processes
Step 1: Map the existing
Before you can improve, you have to understand. This diagnostic phase consists of:
Identifying documentary bottlenecks
Where do your HR documents get lost? How long does it take to find a contract or a certificate? These friction points reveal your optimization priorities.
Analyzing request flows
Your ticketing system reveals the most frequent types of requests. Use this data to identify which processes need to be automated first.
Collecting field feedback
Employees who experience these processes on a daily basis often have the best ideas for improvement. HR tickets are a mine of information on recurring dysfunctions.
Step 2: Measure current performance
You can't improve what you don't measure. Define relevant indicators:
Effectiveness indicators
- Average processing time by type of request
- Number of round trips before resolution
- Rate of requests processed on time
Quality indicators
- Error rate by process
- Employee satisfaction (internal surveys)
- Number of claims or disputes
Financial indicators
- Processing cost per request
- Time spent by HR teams on administrative tasks
- Impact of errors (corrections, penalties)
Step 3: Redefine and standardize
With this diagnosis, you can now rethink your processes:
Simplifying the steps
Eliminate redundant validations and unnecessary back and forth. Question each step: does it really provide value?
Clarifying roles
Who decides? Who validates? Who informs? An effective process clearly assigns each responsibility.
Create standardized procedures
Document new workflows with visual guides and concrete examples. Think of newcomers who will discover these procedures.
Step 4: Automate Repetitive Tasks
Technology can transform your HR processes:
Creating a source of documentary truth
Replace your shared drives with a structured EDM with automatic filing. Each document has its place, and each place has its document.
Implement standardized HR processes
Don't start with a blank sheet of paper. Use proven HR processes (onboarding, training, mobility) that you customize according to your needs.
Control accesses with surgical precision
Manage authorizations finely: multi-companies, services, hierarchical levels. HR confidentiality is not negotiable.
Step 5: Continuously manage and improve
Optimization is never over:
Regular monitoring of KPIs
Organize monthly or quarterly reviews to analyze performance and detect drifts.
Feedback
Ask users regularly about their satisfaction and suggestions for improvement.
Regulatory watch
Legal obligations are changing. Your processes need to adapt quickly to maintain compliance.
✅ Expert tip: The “3 clicks” rule
Our field recommendation: Any HR document that requires more than 3 clicks to be found or more than 3 days to be signed must be redesigned. This is our “rule of 3” that we apply with our 2,900+ client organizations: 3 clicks to access, 3 days maximum to sign and archive automatically. Beyond that, you lose efficiency and create unnecessary frustration.
The concrete benefits of optimization
Increased efficiency and productivity
The numbers speak for themselves: companies that optimize their HR processes note:
- 30-50% reduction in processing time for current requests
- Significant reduction in administrative tasks to focus on advice
- Accelerating recruitment and integration processes
Reduced operational costs
Automation generates substantial savings:
- Fewer errors, so fewer costly corrections
- Optimizing the allocation of human resources
- Reduced non-compliance costs
Concrete example: Mauffrey, a transport company with 150 employees, has reduced the time spent on research and document processing by 15 hours per week by implementing a centralized HR EDM. The electronic signature has eliminated postal reminders, automatic filing makes it possible to find any document in less than 10 seconds, and RGPD traceability is guaranteed natively. That is a gain of 750 hours per year to focus on supporting teams.
Improving the employee experience
Seamless processes have a direct impact on satisfaction:
- Reduced response times to requests
- Increased transparency on the progress of cases
- Self-service that empowers employees
Compliance and risk management
Optimization naturally reinforces legal security:
- Full traceability of decisions and validations
- Automatic compliance with legal deadlines
- Secure archiving of documents
Best practices for a successful transformation
Involve all stakeholders
HR transformation concerns the whole company. Combine:
- HR teams (design and management)
- Managers (validation and use)
- Employees (feedback)
- Management (support and investment)
Adapt to the specificities of the organization
Each company has its own particularities:
- Size and organizational structure
- Sector of activity and business constraints
- Corporate culture and appetite for change
- Technological maturity level
Supporting change
The best process fails without membership:
- Communicate on the objectives and expected benefits
- Train users on new tools
- Create ambassadors in each department
- Stay tuned to the difficulties encountered
Measuring to progress
Define a dashboard with:
- Operational performance indicators
- User satisfaction measures
- Financial monitoring of the gains made
- Monitoring opportunities for improvement
Conclusion
Optimizing documentary HR processes is no longer an option but a necessity for companies that want to gain efficiency while complying with their legal obligations. Beyond productivity gains, the entire employee experience is improved thanks to more fluid and transparent approaches.
This transformation requires time and method, but the benefits are long-lasting. By following these 5 steps and relying on specialized HR EDM, you can transform your documentary processes into real performance levers.
The important thing is to start by creating this source of documentary truth before tackling more complex optimizations. Your employees and your organization will thank you for it.
Do you want support in optimizing your HR documentary processes? Our experts help you identify the most impacting improvement levers and to set up an HR EDM adapted to your organizational challenges.
