Ana Teodorescu, HR Manager of certSIGN: The role of HR departments became more strategic, as catalysts of organizational changes

In a digitized and global economy, companies offering integrated solutions to enhance the ability of companies to move faster and as much as paperless possible are of paramount importance.

Ana Teodorescu, HR Manager of certSIGN offered The Diplomat-Bucharest his opinions on the company’s workforce objectives in 2021 as well as how to put at good use the company’s Paperless flowSIGN solution in HR-related operations in business work.  

The impact of Paperless flowSIGN solution in HR-related operations. Benefits, ease of HR operations, how does it function?

Human resource management is one of the most important processes of a company and, at the same time, one that uses a lot of resources (time, staff, archiving space).

The digital transformation of HR had been a hot topic for several years but has the HR Department really been experiencing the benefits of technology?  

For instance, the use of electronic signatures in relation to an organization’s own employees to sign employment contracts and other documents could really trigger the digital transformation of HR as it brings about new ways to increase efficiency and free up HR time for activities that bring value to the organization. 

Paperless flowSIGN is a remote electronic signing service, that can be accessed on your laptop, tablet, smartphone or any other device, extremely easy to use and very convenient especially now when it would be best to limit meetings with other team members. 

Paperless flowSIGN makes the HR processes 100% digital. Until now most of HR departments have used software to manage the documents related to employees: contracts, additional deeds etc. But, at the end of the day, all these electronic docs were printed in 2 copies and signed on paper. What is groundbreaking in using Paperless flowSIGN and qualified electronic signature is the fact that electronic documents stay in digital format, are signed with a qualified electronic signature, and have the same legal effect as the documents signed on paper.

The Paperless flowSIGN application can be used to sign documents attached to all HR processes – from recruitment and personnel administration to induction, performance appraisal, training, and career development etc. All these processes are based on forms such as employment offer, employment contract, additional deeds, confidentiality agreements, leave of absence requests, appraisal forms, training forms etc. that need the signatures of several signatories and can ensure the integrated management of an electronic document from the signing by all those involved in the process, to the electronic archiving of the signed documents. 

To use it within the company, a few simple steps must be followed.

• Registration

Paperless flowSIGN ensures signing using qualified digital certificates stored in cloud. However, if one of the signatories already has a qualified digital certificate on token, he can also use it to sign using Paperless flowSIGN.

• Remote video identification

For those who do not have a digital certificate, Paperless flowSIGN ensures the issuance of a digital certificate following the remote video identification of the person, through a certified mechanism that is equivalent to the physical presence (scanning the data on the identity card using OCR technology and confirming that the person who presented the identity card is the same). The system also allows the immediate issuance of a qualified remote electronic signature certificate to signatories who do not already have one.

• Authentication

One needs to access flowsign.ro and log in with a username (e-mail) and a password.

• Creation of a signature flow

After authentication, anyone can create, supervise, sign, download signed files, edit, or delete flows, depending on the assigned rights.

To create a signing flow, the documents are uploaded and the people who need to sign are added. When the flow is complete, each signatory can download the documents with all the signatures.

In terms of benefits, it streamlines the work of HR specialists who can track who signed the documents and allocate the saved time for defining employee-oriented HR projects and build positive relationships between the company and its employees.

The 2 factor security mechanism (user & password and unique code received on your mobile phone) integrated in the qualified electronic signature guarantees that the data of the employees is secure and can only be viewed by the persons authorized to sign the documents.

Essentially, the application meets the needs of the HR department as the cumbersome processes become easier, faster, more secure, reducing the number of errors caused by managing a multitude of printed documents.

How would you describe your personal experience with the platform?

I believe that electronic signatures are a necessity for seamless HR processes and I recommend this solution to all human resources departments.  We have been using the application for more than 2 years to sign HR documents. We have greatly simplified processes; we are more efficient in managing and controlling working documents. Another advantage is that we are perceived by the new hires as a modern, transformative employer.

Another benefit, probably the most important for me, is that role of the HR Department has changed significantly from a department overwhelmed by printed documents into a department with a strategic role, catalyst of organizational changes and focused on attracting and retaining top-notch talent – an endeavor that is kind of a challenge in today’s work market.

The HR strategy in 2021: Hirings, development programs, upskilling

Our strategy for 2021 focuses on the development of the company at the same time as the development of the employees.  We have built a quite strong employer branding program that supports open and efficient communication with the existing employees, as well as towards new hires. The purpose of the program is to capitalize on the skills of each employee and to support them in their professional development process – trainings, access to technology and various technology-intensive projects, as well as a balanced work-life program, especially during the pandemics when most of our people are working remotely.  What worked for us was the continuous, clear and concise communication that helped employees feel more prepared than panicked, through remote communication channels: e-mail, online meetings, messages from leaders which enabled us to maintain a friendly, safe, supportive, and encouraging climate.

Communicating the company’s development strategy across the organization remains a priority for us, as we are still going through a period in which it is more important than ever for every employee to correctly understand the company’s direction to clarify the roles, to stimulate individual ownership, as well as the contribution of each employee to the evolution of the organization. certSIGN values of performance, innovation, trust and quality have equally become the values of our employees, skillfully nurtured by an experienced management team.

In terms of recruiting, certSIGN is a technology-intensive company, we are constantly looking for new talents to add to our team: software developers, application testers, security engineers. We focus a lot on the sale process, looking for experienced IT salespersons as well as customer support specialists.  

Reaching the right balance of hard and soft skills

We are both fortunate and unfortunate at the same time to be looking for IT specialists. Fortunate as Romania is still a breeding ground for IT specialists and unfortunate as we are trying to identify the best of them, as most competitive companies do. I am referring not only to companies in Romania, but also to companies abroad for which many IT specialists in Romania work remotely or relocate.

In terms of skills, of course the technical training and skill are highly important, but we have started to pay equal attention to soft skills such as interpersonal communication, adaptability, creativity even under not so perfect conditions, empathy, and care for the team members.