Picture this: You’ve invested millions in SAP SuccessFactors solutions. HR transformation is underway - employee data flows smoothly, onboarding is digital, and performance management is streamlined. Life seems good.

Then someone asks, “Where’s Tessa’s updated contract?”

Cue the frantic email chain, digging through shared drives, and the inevitable “It should have been in that folder...” Suddenly, your shiny new HR system feels less like a unified platform and more like a jigsaw puzzle missing half its pieces. Welcome to theintegration trap.

Why “it’ll work fine” never works

When organizations focus on core HR processes and overlook HR document management, separate tools like SharePoint or Google Drive seem “good enough.” But documents are more than just files - they’re critical business records.

Treating document management as an afterthought may seem harmless, but it introduces hidden costs that grow exponentially over time.

The manual tax

When employee documents live outside SAP SuccessFactors HCM, every interaction becomes manual:

• New hire: Create the contract in SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, then remember to save it elsewhere.
• Promotion: Update the system, then hunt for the right folder.
• Performance reviews: Track which documents are where.

Highly paid HR professionals become glorified file clerks, spending time on administrative work instead of strategic initiatives. But the inefficiencies don't stop there. Employees, managers, and HR staff must navigate multiple interfaces, logins, and workflows throughout their day. Every search or approval takes extra time, multiplying frustration and slowing system adoption across the organization.

The compliance implications are equally problematic. Scattered documents make it nearly impossible to enforce retention policies, legal holds, and access controls. During audits, organizations spend weeks reconstructing records instead of generating reports in minutes. What should be a routine compliance check becomes a resource-intensive investigation.

Adding insult to injury, some solutions claim to integrate with SAP SuccessFactors but only provide links to separate portals. Users are still forced to toggle between systems, maintain duplicate records, and manage multiple security models - undermining the value of your HR investment while creating the illusion of integration.

What real integration looks like

True integration delivers seamless HR document management inside SAP SuccessFactors HCM:

• For employees: Documents appear in their employee profiles. Need an employment verification letter? Click, download, done.
• For managers: Contracts and records are available directly from team profiles. Everything happens in context.
• For HR: Document creation, routing, and storage are triggered automatically by intelligent service events. New hire? Folder structure creates itself. Termination? Retention policies activate automatically.
• For IT: One system to maintain, one security model, one audit trail.

The ROI of doing it right

Proper integration multiplies your SAP SuccessFactors investment instead of undermining it:

• Time savings: Employees access their own files. HR spends less time on document requests.
• Compliance advantage: Automated retention schedules and audit readiness turn regulations into confidence, not chaos.
• Enhanced employee experience: Seamless workflows increase adoption and engagement, improving employee satisfaction.

Breaking free from the integration trap

The integration trap is seductive because it promises quick fixes. But shortcuts cost more in the long run. Recognition is the first step. The real question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in proper integration... it’s whether you can afford not to.

Your SAP SuccessFactors HCM investment deserves better than duct-tape document management. Your employees deserve better than system-hopping. Your CFO deserves better than explaining why “modern” HR systems still require manual processes.

Ready to break free from the integration trap? Discover how OpenText transforms chaotic document workflows into seamless, automated HR document management, maximizing your HR technology investment.

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