Why Are You Still Using Spreadsheets to Manage Workforce Compliance

It’s 2024. We have self-driving cars, smart homes, robots on Mars, and the Metaverse. Yet, in many organisations, HR administrators are still attempting to manage workforce compliance using spreadsheets or even paper.  

Eight Benefits of Switching to a Digital Platform for Managing Workforce Compliance

From efficiency to scalability, automation to analytics, switching to a digital workforce compliance platform will generate immediate and long-term benefits.  

1. Efficiency  

How much time does your team spend gathering, organising, and analysing workforce compliance data? Kinatico can reduce multiple processes and manual forms to a single web form, creating a centralised source of data and removing the need to chase people for responses. Other efficiency gains include:  

  • Automated alerts and renewals   
  • Automated document collection  
  • Employee self-service portals   
  • Fast onboarding and pre-boarding leading to reduced time to start   
  • Portable credentials between jobs reduce duplication
  • Seeing compliance status at a glance.  

2. Data quality  

One of the problems with spreadsheet-based manual data entry is the increased likelihood of human error. A study found that the probability of human error when manually entering data into simple spreadsheets was between 18% and 40%, rising to 100% with complex spreadsheets. Repetitive data entry makes people susceptible to mistakes, which in turn can cost the business a great deal in rectification.  

Shifting to a digital system with automated data collection will reduce errors, improve the quality of data, and (importantly) mean the leadership team can make decisions with confidence that the underlying data is correct.  

3. Automation  

Without an automated solution, HR administrations can find themselves spending most of their time chasing people for compliance tasks, including onboarding and renewals. Automatic notifications prompt users to complete these tasks in a self-service portal, meaning the HR admin will only have to intervene manually if the user ignores the automated prompts.  

Automation can also significantly reduce the burden on HR regarding onboarding, online inductions, and document collection.  

4. Scalability  

While it is possible to manage workforce compliance for a small team using spreadsheets, doing so rapidly becomes difficult and attainable as a business grows. Hiring more people to input data is an expensive and unsustainable solution.  

Shifting from a spreadsheet approach to a database/platform strategy creates a foundation for growth. Kinatico can easily scale from a single team to thousands of workers through the power of automation and in-built flexibility, seamlessly managing multiple sites, teams and projects.  

5. Transparency  

Transparency is crucial in workplace compliance management. Using a digital platform takes data out of silos such as spreadsheets and emails. It brings them into a centralised, accessible system. Kinatico helps to prevent compliance breaches and creates an audit trail that is invaluable when investigating incidents and accidents, showing you every compliance-related move made by staff and workers.  

6. Analytics  

Digital platforms can generate custom reports for data-driven insights at the touch of a button that would have taken several days of work using spreadsheets. Analytics enables data visualisation that can help users spot trends at a glance, see red flags (areas of risk), and spot data anomalies that may have been hard to see in a lengthy spreadsheet.  

Data analytics is essential for making better quality decisions, optimising performance, driving continuous improvement, reducing risk, and discovering new opportunities.  

7. Integration  

Tech-savvy organisations use a sophisticated technology stack approach to HR management comprising several systems to streamline, optimise and support HR functions across recruitment, engagement, collaboration, and performance. It is essential that data can flow seamlessly between the different components of the tech stack, which is where an API comes in.  

The Kinatico compliance platform has a Checks as a service API ready-built for integration with off-the-shelf and bespoke HRIS (Human Resources Information System) platforms.  

8. Security  

Although spreadsheets have some security features, such as password protection and cell locking, they do not have the security and data protection needed to protect sensitive information, including workforce compliance data.  

Kinatico uses world-class security and data protection tools to protect your business and its information. The platform guarantees privacy and security by complying with Australian Privacy legislation and GDPR. It is ISO 27001 certified for peace of mind.