Blue folder out of line from other folders

Why it’s ever more important to digitize your human resource processes and what PDF has to do with it

Christian Schiller // December 5, 2022

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Have you noticed how the workflows in human resource departments are becoming more and more complex? And if that wasn’t enough, a shortage of qualified workers and the costly search for potential hires mean that even less time is available for that “routine” task of employee record keeping. Personnel administrators who still use paper documents, and have to make room for filing cabinets in which to store them, should be seriously concerned about competitiveness. Our recommendation: Digitize your HR operations and work with software to implement the digital personnel file.

Why a digital personnel file?

The primary purpose of the digital personnel file is to make the workflow in any HR department as efficient as possible and in turn save time and resources. All personnel-related records can be stored within such an electronic file, including job applications, performance check-in notes, employment agreements, certificates and other evidence of training and skills upgrading – in other words everything that accumulates in connection with your workforce over the course of their employment.

The benefit of using digital personnel records: Everything is stored and managed centrally and can be accessed with a single click. A helpful side effect: The space that was once reserved for filing cabinets and paper records can be used for other purposes.

webPDF as the smart conversion solution

Human resources typically sees vast numbers of documents being created, managed and archived. These can be anything from simple employee discussion notes all the way to entire job application packages – all of which need to be put into a single standardized format. This is because working with different file formats makes managing records a bewildering task and unnecessarily complicated. The simple and obvious solution is to convert all documents to PDF so that records can be shared and saved swiftly and securely.

The webPDF conversion functionality can be integrated seamlessly in software solutions for digital personnel files. One example is Waldorf-based XFT, experts for enterprise information management in SAP environments, which offers an interface for human resource management that allows the quick and easy integration of webPDF as the conversion solution. It is so smart that users won’t even notice that a new software and provider are in play.

All your documents can be added to the file by simply dragging and dropping them. And you can rearrange them within the file as you choose. These are then automatically converted to a uniform PDF format so as to eliminate any future media discontinuity.

You can convert hundreds of file formats with webPDF and it is remarkably simple and easy to split or combine documents. Users can also rotate and extract documents and even show a document preview. The latter gives you a much more helpful and advantageous overview, particularly when large numbers of documents have to be processed as part of the HR mission.

Added benefits of webPDF integration

  • Can be incorporated into existing infrastructures
  • Integrates quickly and easily within prevailing work processes
  • Is dynamic and scalable on demand
  • Complies with privacy and data protection regulations
  • Supports all programming languages using the API web service
  • Includes an easy-to-understand documentation
  • Comes with guaranteed professional support

Archiving personnel documents securely over time

The extended and secure archiving of sensitive files and documents plays an important role in human resources. When doing so, HR professionals must pay particular attention to legislative rules and regulations governing long-term archiving and be prepared to retain documents securely for up to ten years. With the help of webPDF, you can easily, and at the same time reliably, convert documents to PDF/A format, a proven ISO standard for use in the archiving and preservation of business documents over long periods of time. Simple PDF files are unsuitable for this task because they can be edited after the fact, a feature that is prohibited in long-term archiving.

How digital personnel files with webPDF integration improve the document workflow

Digitized processes are steadily gaining in importance within the human resources field, not just because they simplify the work, but in their ability to drive substantial time and cost savings. This also holds true for the digital personnel file, which generates tremendous added value as opposed to its analog counterpart: It reduces your staff’s workload while saving money at the same time.

Implementing the digital personnel file makes a lot of sense not just for major corporations, but small to midsize businesses or any other undertaking where HR has to manage large volumes of documents in many different formats. Here is where webPDF, integrated such as within the XFT solution for SAP enterprise processes, can make a huge contribution to your work through greater clarity, standardized formats and secure archiving.

The PDF format is and will remain an essential standard in every sort of digital enterprise process.


SoftVision Development GmbH, based in Fulda – in the heart of Germany, specialises in software development and has been supporting companies in all sectors for many years with innovative software solutions that ensure reliability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Customers across all industries and company sizes trust in our products webPDF, n2pdf …

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Christian Schiller

Christian Schiller

Managing Director at SoftVision Development GmbH