#sharepointbestpractices

An organization is built of many things, not just brick and mortar and people, but processes and departments and so on. And as an organization grows so do the complexities of the processes involved, not to forget the burden of documentation, file maintenance and so on. With automation in the picture, many organizations are now digitalizing the paper heavy processes.

Automation though often considered advanced and futuristic, in recent times Microsoft SharePoint has made it commonplace with its workflows and other functions.

To elucidate this, let’s take a look at….

How SharePoint can improve lackadaisical HR processes.

Before SharePoint most organizations would use excel to maintain employee data, this process was not only tedious, but was iterative and consumed a lot of time. But with SharePoint, digitalization of the employee data, including access to the system via single sign-on, creating a single storage of employee work contracts along with the option to track contract expiration dates, all becomes possible.

SharePoint can be used to not just create a single sign-on but also secure platforms where employees can see their annual paid leaves, calculate and register their time offs and get their leaves approved. SharePoint can help in automating almost all HR functions, such as benefits, compensation, performance management, and talent acquisition.

How automation with SharePoint really works?

SharePoint helps in automating processes through workflows, configuring the inbuilt features or building your own custom SharePoint features. SharePoint also has Workflow notifications that keep the users notified about the changes in a workflow. Then comes Workflow task management, a SharePoint task management function that allows to create tasks for employees, set start and end dates and monitor task accomplishment.

The workflows can be created either by configuring the built-in workflows like approval workflow or by creating custom workflows to automate more complex and specific processes.

Simplifying the On-boarding and Off-boarding Processes

SharePoint can also be used to manage and automate onboarding and offboarding activities. It helps create a system that automates the addition of new employees. It can also monitor all tasks and ensure that they are completed in adherence to the organizational protocols.

SharePoint can create an Onboarding system to generate and assign tasks and workflows that take care of the hardware and software requirements of the new hires.

This system can further be used to have workplaces set up and to grant rights and role-based access to applications and databases.

SharePoint automation can be used to:

·        Automate onboarding process through workflows, approvals, and alerts

·        Synchronize activities of multiple departments

·        Create roles, positions, and access requirements for onboarding

·        Give new employees role-based access to company procedures, policies, and legal documents.

·        Track and record all stages of on-boarding

·        Integrate with other Management tools for interdepartmental functioning

The application of SharePoint however doesn’t end there.

SharePoint HR automation system can also be used for Midboarding, i.e., role changes or promotions, relocations, etc. which falls under the HR function. The role of SharePoint based HR system here would be to create or reassign access, create the provision for trainings and provide certifications necessary for the existing role or new role.

Automated processes also come to work when employees leave the company, a procedure otherwise known as the exit process. The SharePoint system can ensure that all access rights are disabled, that the company assets and equipment are returned, and that all the exit formalities are handled in the right manner. The best part about using SharePoint is that all the processes can be tracked, archived, configured, and compared for analysis and future improvements.

Improve Employee Collaboration

SharePoint can also facilitate collaboration through intranet where employees can not only find information related to their roles, employee benefits etc. but also interact with other employees of the organization.

Enforce Compliance

The perk of using SharePoint for automating Internal Processes is that it can precisely keep a track on and record all employee related changes for compliance requirements. This is helpful in the verification of employee accreditation, risk assessments, skill-gap assessments, certification processes for new role requirements, etc. Hence, decreasing the need for extensive data search or analysis. The system can easily be configured to create workflows that match the regulatory compliance of your organization.

Why you will need a SharePoint implementation partner?

If you are planning to automate your internal processes using SharePoint, you’ll need someone to help guide you through the initial process and ensure you make the most of the features that are available.