How to go paperless at work: a step-by-step plan

Why go paperless?

• Fewer errors: handwritten timesheets and forms are often illegible, incomplete or calculated wrongly. Digital forms can require fields and calculate totals.
• Time saved: no more chasing signatures, re-typing data into payroll or searching filing cabinets.
• Better compliance: records are stored consistently, with dates and audit trails, and can be found quickly for audits or disputes.
• Security: digital files can be access-controlled and backed up; paper in an unlocked cabinet cannot.
• Visibility: managers can see completed checklists and forms from any location in real time.
• Lower costs: printing, storage and courier costs fall. Try our paperless savings calculator.

Step 1: map your paper

Walk through a typical week and list every piece of paper your business creates or handles. Include who fills it in, who signs it, where it goes and how long it is kept. Typical lists in hourly workplaces include:

To record clock-ins, breaks and overtime automatically, see EZTime time and attendance software.

Step 2: prioritize

You do not need to convert everything at once. Start with processes that are high-volume, error-prone or time-consuming. For most hourly businesses, that means time tracking first, because timesheet errors flow straight into payroll; then HR forms and onboarding; then operational checklists. A quick win in the first month builds support for the rest, and it gives you real numbers on time saved to share with the team.

Step 3: check the legal requirements

Most employment records can be kept electronically, but the details matter:

• Electronic signatures: the federal E-SIGN Act and state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act generally give electronic signatures and records the same legal effect as paper, with some exceptions. See electronic signature and EZTime e-signatures.
• Payroll and time records: the FLSA does not require a particular format; records can be electronic as long as they are accurate, complete and available for inspection. See time record retention requirements.
• Form I-9: employers may complete and store I-9s electronically if the system meets federal requirements for integrity, security, audit trails and retrieval. See our Form I-9 guide.
• State rules: some states have specific requirements for pay stubs, consent to electronic delivery or certain notices. Check before switching.
• Posters and notices: required workplace posters generally must still be displayed physically where employees can see them, although electronic posting may also be required or allowed for remote workers.

Step 4: choose tools frontline teams will use

The biggest risk in going paperless is choosing tools that office staff like but frontline employees ignore. Look for tools that work on employees’ phones and shared tablets, use simple language and large buttons, work in the languages your team speaks, need minimal training and handle poor connectivity. Combining time tracking, schedules, forms and documents in one app avoids asking employees to learn several systems.

Step 5: migrate in stages

1. Pilot one process with one team for two to four weeks.
2. Collect feedback and fix confusing fields or steps.
3. Train managers first, then employees, with short demonstrations on the floor.
4. Run paper and digital side by side only briefly, then retire the paper version so people do not fall back to it.
5. Scan or digitize active paper files you still need; securely store or destroy the rest according to your retention policy.
6. Move on to the next process.

Step 6: set rules for digital records

• Access: who can see which records. Medical and some other records should be kept separately with restricted access.
• Retention: how long each type of record is kept, and how it is deleted afterwards.
• Security: strong passwords, multi-factor authentication where available and removing access when employees leave. See our cybersecurity checklist.
• Backups: confirm your providers back up data and that you can export it.
• Naming and structure: consistent folders and naming so records can be found.

Bringing employees along

Some employees will welcome the change; others will worry about using a new app, about privacy or about tracking. Explain what is changing and why, show how it makes their lives easier (no more lost time-off slips, pay stubs on their phone), answer privacy questions honestly, for example what location data is collected and when, and give people time to learn. Make sure employees without smartphones have an alternative, such as a shared kiosk. Identify one or two enthusiastic employees on each shift who can help colleagues during the first weeks; peer help is often more effective than a manual.

A short example (fictional)

A family-owned chain of three car washes uses paper timecards, a whiteboard schedule and paper opening checklists. Each payroll takes the owner most of a day. The owner moves time tracking to a tablet kiosk at each site, publishes schedules to phones and converts the opening checklist into a mobile form with photos. Within two months, payroll preparation drops to under an hour, missed punches are corrected the same day and the owner can check from home that each site opened correctly.

How EZTime helps

EZTime replaces paper timesheets, schedules, time-off slips, HR forms and checklists with one app for employees and managers. Employees clock in on their phones or a kiosk, sign documents with e-signatures, fill in digital forms and receive pay stubs electronically, while managers get organized records in each digital employee file.

Frequently asked questions

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