Tax agents H&R Block Australia have modernised their recruitment systems by ditching pen on paper signatures in favour of a digital signature cloud-based system.

The solution, by specialist providers Secured Signing, allows management to complete on- boarding and employment contracts for a workforce of over 2500 in a secure online environment with a legally binding digital signature from both parties.

“It’s a new way of doing business, but it’s really sped up our recruitment process and provided some great efficiencies without causing any technical headaches to implement,” says H&R Block HR Manager, Bill Cashman.

“Paper was the bane of our lives, and we had been looking for a reliable and secure way to sign electronic documents for some time. Secured Signing’s solution ticked all the boxes. We didn’t have to change to or buy a specific HR system; it is an extension of our existing systems, so it was agile, quick, and easy to set up with great support from the Secured Signing team.”

“The Secured Signing solution has also been integrated with our background check process to be truly paperless from end to end.”

Once an agreement is reached between an H&R Block District Manager and a potential new tax agent, a spreadsheet containing details of the new tax agent is uploaded to the Secured Signing service.

A single click then invites one or a thousand agents to fill-in On- Boarding forms and eSign their contract. The workflow generates an individualised agreement for each tax agent, sends reminders, manages the process, and enables participants to finish the process in minutes from anywhere, at any time, on any device. Upon completion, all parties including the company’s Human Resource department, receives a copy of the signed agreement with detailed audit trail.

“We are proud to have been able to incorporate H&R Block’s unique workflow with Secured Signing’s innovative Personalised X509 PKI digital signature technology that certifies the signatory’s authenticity, data integrity, and ensures non-repudiation,” says Mike Eyal, Managing Director at Secured Signing.

“Our ability to deliver this bespoke solution for H&R Block is a great example of how Secured Signing is able to understand the business needs of the partners we work with, and then deliver to them a system that provides tangible results.”