How Our People Team Uses Docusign eSignature and Workday

When I started my career in HR, paper processes were everywhere. Agreements were printed, signed, mailed, and saved into boxes, filing cabinets, and secure storage. Docusign changed all of that, allowing HR documents to be created, routed and signed from almost any device. Then, the Docusign eSignature and Workday integration launched, making it possible to generate, send, and manage agreements from within the Workday app. 

With the launch of Docusign Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM), we’re continuing to improve our employees’ experiences and strengthen the trust and security Docusign is known for.

As the VP of People Strategy, Planning & Operations, I see the impact of this integration on my team every day. At the recent 2024 Workday Rising conference, I had the opportunity to share how the Docusign People team uses Docusign solutions to expedite hiring and onboarding and highlight new improvements that make managing HR documents even easier. 

The Docusign Workday journey 

The eSignature and Workday integration has simplified our hiring and onboarding process, just as it has for many other companies. By eliminating emailing, uploading, downloading, and even printing and manual filing, HR teams like ours are reducing agreement turnaround times by up to 80%. 

The best part is how we make an immediate positive impression on applicants and new hires, making our jobs easier while delivering a better experience for everyone. 

First, we send out offer letters with Docusign templates and route them for signature in our applicant tracking system. It’s really simple and fast for the applicant to review and e-sign the document. Then the Workday integration kicks in, automatically pre-filling forms with data they’ve already given us, eliminating the frustration of re-entering info and searching through multiple fields when completing documents. Finally, we verify their identity and get them access to all the systems and tools they’ll need to complete a successful onboarding. 

And the process is just as easy and efficient for our People Team. Workday built the eSignature integration to automate and expedite HR agreement workflows in an easy user experience that Docusign and Workday customers love. HR teams no longer need to manually create letters for offers, promotions, relocations, and terminations. Staff can complete a transaction in Workday, have the integration generate and send the letter to the employee, and then store the completed agreement in Workday and Docusign. 

As needs evolve, Docusign continues to improve the eSignature and Workday integration. For example, because these two platforms are used around the world, the integration now supports global signing standards such as eIDAS to ensure HR teams receive the correct type of signature based on location. Now we don't have to worry about whether a signature is legally binding for the specific country where the agreement was signed. 

Transforming HR 

We know that massive amounts of documents flow through HR departments. HR teams complete thousands of agreements annually, from offers and promotion letters to arbitration and IP documents. Creating and managing these agreements requires a series of critical steps. We need to track down information, verify location-specific regulations, and send and re-send documents via email or text for approval. Once agreements are signed, we have to update multiple systems and kick off additional steps like background checks and I-9 form distribution. After all this work, the completed agreements are often filed and forgotten—trapping their business-critical data and costing organizations nearly $2 trillion. 

With Docusign IAM, we now have even more ways to improve the employee experience and leverage the insights in our agreements with employees.

For example, we’re streamlining the onboarding process for contingent workers, using Docusign Web Forms to gather information and automatically populate it into agreements, making them ready for signature. Forms are automatically filled, so we don’t have to manually copy and paste data from one system into another, saving time and eliminating errors. Contingent workers get a great user experience from start to finish, and, for each document, Docusign eSignature automatically generates and stores a complete, time-stamped history of every send, view, print, sign, or decline action, minimizing risk and enabling compliance.

As customer zero for Docusign IAM, we’re shaping the development of new ways to streamline and automate HR agreements. Talent teams will be able to leverage AI to unlock and act on critical agreement data while integrating additional tasks into the hire-to-retire lifecycle.

Our Workday Integrations go beyond just HR

Agreements are required for virtually every important transaction. Now, with the eSignature integration for Workday Strategic Sourcing and the Docusign CLM integration for Workday Financial Management, our procurement and finance teams can enjoy the same connected workflows to Workday’s platform.

Today, over companies across a wide variety of industries leverage our integrations. From financial services and technology companies to higher education and healthcare, Docusign and Workday are trusted and secure solutions for getting agreements signed faster.

Attracting and retaining talent are some of the highest priorities for our People Team, as they are for all organizations. By continuing to add power to the two systems transforming global workforce management, the Docusign and Workday integration starts your relationship with new hires on a positive note and frees up your team to focus on people, not paperwork—and that’s what HR should be all about. 

Visit Docusign and Workday integrations to learn more.