Remote working, telecommuting, working from home: no matter how you phrase it, none of these terms are new. Although 2020 may be seen as a turning point, the need for remote business process support has existed for years. There is now evidence to suggest that flexible, digital-friendly workflows are going to be even more of a priority going forward. As a result, companies may want to ask themselves which processes could benefit from being “remote-friendly”, and the best way to accomplish this.
For many, the new emphasis on remote working in 2020 might seem sudden. In 2013, Yahoo gained attention by calling for remote workers to return to offices, a move met with criticism and backlash. In the memo announcing this change, the company’s HR head, Jackie Reses, emphasized the importance of being physically in the same space for “communication and collaboration” as well as “the interactions and experiences that are only possible in our offices.”
However, the decision came with mixed reactions, even at the time. While some saw it as a bold, positive change that would increase productivity, others criticized it as a backwards step, giving workers less flexibility. The fact that Verizon bought Yahoo just a few years later, in 2017, could contribute to the impression that this had an overall negative impact on the company.
Since then, numerous studies have cited remote working to not only be a desirable option for employees, but one with enterprise-wide benefits. In 2020, this trend has accelerated even more, requiring companies to be prepared for a “new normal” that sees more workers offsite. Human Resources departments in particular seem to have been affected: A Gartner survey of HR leaders found “nearly 50% of organizations reported 81% or more of their employees are working remotely” as of April 2020, in response to the pandemic.
However, shifting to digital use in this way can come with enormous strain, as processes that were normally done manually have to be reimagined. Without the ability to print and deliver documents in person, companies need to know each transaction will reach the proper endpoint. This demands security, flexibility, and above all, an online signature solution for validation.
While signing a document electronically might sound like a simple process, implementing it involves many of the same concerns as other digital services. Companies may be reluctant to invest in them if not required to, due to modernization costs, security issues, and complex demands. Furthermore, standards and legal requirements can vary, depending on where your company is based and what exchange platforms you may be interacting with. This requires an enterprise-specific solution built to reflect your use case and adjusted to meet the proper workload.
This ebook will outline the importance of digital signatures, what a signature process contains, and how implementing one can help any company with remote working.
Table of content
1. Remote Working Statistics
2. Digital and Electronic Signatures: What’s the Difference?
3. Digital Signature Challenges
4. The Essentials of a Signature Process
5. Sample Workflow
6. Advantages of using Compleo
Conclusion
About Symtrax
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