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How to digitize document management from the HR department

Discover how the digitization of document management is carried out step by step within a company and its most striking benefits.

consultor

Isabel García

HR Consultant

digitize document management

11 of April, 2025

The digitization of document management has moved from an opportunity to an obligation. Businesses are generating more and more documents. And it is essential to have all this documentation stored and ready for later consultation.

Our document management cannot be limited to just storing documents. Order and efficiency are fundamental for quickly locating them.

An analog document management is outdated, the digitized document management is the only possible alternative. Let’s see what it consists of and how to carry it out.

Digitizing document management, what is it?

By document management we understand the practices and techniques that optimize the administration of documents. This way, the company can control any activity and operation. Processes are automated, facilitating the recovery of information.

A digitized document management involves transferring all the documents that are handled and generated in the company to digital format.

This includes everything from employment contracts to medical leave slips. But also invoices, contracts with clients or suppliers, records, reports, etc.

Thus, the digitization of document management represents a fundamental change in our way of working. To make it possible, a process that is not always easy must be completed.

However, once we complete the process we will take advantage of the advantages of digitizing document management:

  • Faster and easier access to documents. At a click, we can quickly find the document we need.
  • We avoid storing physical documents. No more filing cabinets and boxes with documents taking up space in the company.
  • Document preservation. The company is obliged to keep documents such as working hours for years.
  • More ecological. We save on paper consumption, as we do not have to print everything, and ink. It is more ecological and we reduce costs.
  • We gain security. On the one hand, we prevent anyone from accessing physical copies. On the other hand, we can have backup copies.

The sum of all these aspects means that digitization of document management is more efficient. Both HR and the company’s management save time.

Steps of document digitization

Perhaps the digitization of document management seems like a long and tedious process to you. But nothing could be further from the truth. We can carry out this process in four simple steps.

Take note, because the digitized document management will revolutionize the day-to-day in your organization. The steps are as follows:

  1. Organization of documentation. It all starts by gathering the documentation that we are going to digitize. That is why it is essential that both HR and the company know what will be digitized and where the documents come from.
  2. Scanning system and nomenclature. In other words, decide how our documentation will be structured once digitized. Digitizing will serve us no purpose if the result is chaos.
  3. Scanning the documentation. Physical documents will have to be digitized. To a certain extent, this step is conditioned by the capacity of our scanner.
  4. Information storage. Some digitization programs allow us to automate storage, which makes things easier. You will have to repeat the process with each document that arrives at the company.

Having a document management software is essential. A tool like Sesame HR helps optimize the digitization of document management process.

It allows you to classify all documents, a feature that is added to its functionalities as Human Resources software.

5 tips for digitizing document management

  1. Have a digitized document management protocol. It will tell us which documents can be digitized, how the digitization will be done or how to name and store the documents.
  2. Use a document manager like Sesame HR. They help us optimize the company’s HR document management.
  3. Training of workers. They must be prepared to digitize the documents. For this, it is essential that they know the document digitization protocols.
  4. Create different levels and permissions. Management or HR will have one level of access, but other profiles can have restricted access to documents.
  5. Review of document management. In order to further optimize the process, HR should periodically review and evaluate the protocols.

What documents cannot be digitized

In theory, we can digitize any document. Contracts, invoices, minutes, reports, insurance policies, receipts, promissory notes, orders, plans and designs, maps and diagrams.

Any company document is likely to be scanned. That is why it is essential to establish what is digitized and what is not.

It is also true that some documents, due to their characteristics, present difficulties in their digitization. For example, those on tracing paper, coated, carbon or photosensitive.

Also folded documents, with folds or wrinkles, perforated… Even if the paper is very thin or too thick.

Do you want to know more about digitization of document management? Discover it on the Sesame blog.

Iris Serrador

Iris Serrador

People Partner | LinkedIn | | Web | +post

Customer-oriented, both internally and externally, specializing in the definition and implementation of HR policies, as well as talent management, recruitment, and retention. Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, organization, and team coordination skills. Over 12 years of experience in Human Resources.

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