Document management systems: frequently asked questions
Contracts, payslips, sick-leave certificates, internal policies, certifications… A company’s paperwork grows every month and, if it isn’t well organised, it ends up scattered across shared folders, emails and desk drawers. A document management system brings order to all of it. In this article we answer the most common questions SMEs ask us when they start thinking about digitising and centralising their documentation.
What is a document management system?
A document management system (DMS) is software designed to manage, control and store, in a centralised way, all the documents an organisation needs in order to operate.
The international standard ISO 15489, the benchmark for records management, defines this discipline as the set of tasks involved in creating, receiving, maintaining, using and disposing of documents throughout their life cycle. Put simply: it’s about making sure every document is where it should be, accessible to whoever needs it and protected from anyone who shouldn’t see it.
Compared with the classic paper archive or with loose folders on a shared drive, a DMS brings structure, traceability and security. You know who uploaded each file, who has consulted it and which is the current version.
What is a document management system used for?
Beyond simply “storing files”, a good document management system solves concrete day-to-day problems. These are its main benefits:
- It speeds up processes. Finding a contract or a payslip is no longer a ten-minute hunt through folders. You locate and share any document in seconds, cutting both time and costs.
- It increases information security. The digital format prevents paper from deteriorating, getting lost or being stolen, and lets you control versions so you always know which one is final.
- It makes teamwork easier. Several people can access the same document without duplicating files or emailing versions back and forth.
- It controls access. You can decide which documents each person or department sees, protecting sensitive information and complying with data protection regulations.
- It improves decision-making. With the relevant information available and well organised, management and human resources make better decisions and make them faster.
In human resources specifically, a document manager is particularly useful for safekeeping contracts, extensions, sick-leave certificates, occupational risk prevention courses and the paperwork signed by each employee, all linked to their record.
How do you choose the right document management system?
Not every system serves the same purpose or suits every size of company. To get it right, follow these steps:
1. Identify your company’s real needs
Before looking at tools, ask yourself what problem you want to solve. Do you need to centralise employment documentation? Sign contracts remotely? Give employees access to their own payslips? Defining the objective clearly stops you paying for features you’ll never use.
2. Assess security and regulatory compliance
The system must comply with the Reglamento General de Protección de Datos (RGPD, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation) and guarantee access control, encryption and the proper retention of documents. With employment documentation this isn’t optional: it’s a legal obligation.
3. Check that it integrates with your people management
A standalone document manager forces you to duplicate work. Ideally it should be part of your HR software, so that each document is linked to the employee and connected to the rest of your processes: time tracking, holiday management or payroll.
4. Choose the option that fits your budget
There are everything from very comprehensive solutions aimed at large corporations to simple, affordable tools designed for SMEs. Choose the one that covers your needs without over-engineering the spend.
LapsoWork’s document manager
LapsoWork includes document management functionality that lets you unify all your company’s information and documentation in digital format. With it you can:
- Store and organise each employee’s documents within their record.
- Share contracts, policies or announcements securely.
- Sign documents digitally, with no printing or scanning.
- Control who accesses each file.
And because it’s part of an all-in-one human resources platform, your documentation stays connected to clock-ins, shifts, holidays and the rest of your team management. You can find all the details on the document manager software page.
Want to see it working with your company’s real documentation? Request a demo and we’ll show you around, with no commitment.