Digitalizing HR processes in a distributed team: the experience of TIMAC AGRO and Vchasno.Kadry

After switching to electronic HR document management, the company experienced several tangible improvements.

The most noticeable change was the speed of vacation processing. Previously, the process could take from several days to several weeks or even up to a month. Now, the full cycle—from request creation to signing by all parties—takes up to one working day.

At the same time, typical issues of paper-based workflows disappeared. Documents are no longer lost, returned for corrections, or require re-signing. All stages are completed sequentially, without errors and without manual control over every step.

The company fully eliminated paper for short-term storage documents and gained constant access to the real-time status of each document, including approval and signing history.

As a result, the company moved from a model where process speed depended on logistics to one where all HR tasks are completed within predictable timelines without creating operational risks.

Read also: Vacation: procedures, conditions, and rules

Before digitalization, HR processes were essentially built around the physical movement of documents. Employees in regions received documents by mail, signed them, and sent them back. Some documents were transferred through managers, others were accumulated and sent in batches.

In this model, the same problems occurred systematically: documents could be lost or damaged during delivery, returned with errors requiring re-signing, or in some cases did not reach the responsible person on time.

The need for digitalization did not arise as a strategic initiative, but as a response to a specific operational issue: the existing document workflow model no longer обеспечувала control and predictability.

The solution was transitioning to Vchasno.Kadry. Since the company was already using Vchasno.EDM, the new service integrated into existing processes without requiring a complete change in the overall approach to document management.

During the selection process, an important factor was not only how the system works, but whether it could be trusted with HR documents without risks of loss or errors. There were also concerns about how the team would accept the new format, how complicated it would be to obtain QES, and whether it would become an additional burden for employees working in the field.

However, these concerns were resolved quite quickly during implementation. The process turned out to be simpler than expected, and the team adapted to the new format without major difficulties.

The main difficulties arose during team onboarding. Some employees had trouble completing authorization or obtaining QES due to technical limitations or missing documents. There were also occasional delays during photo identification through Diia.

At the start, there were concerns that these issues could become widespread and affect implementation timelines. In reality, difficulties affected only about 10–15% of employees and were quickly resolved during onboarding.

After the first weeks, these issues stopped affecting the overall process.

Read also: How to organize an HR document archive in electronic format

• First of all, the HR specialist no longer needs to keep dozens of parallel processes in mind, track document delivery, check statuses, or remind each participant about signing. Work became systematic: instead of manual control, there is a clear sequence of actions and a transparent status for each document.
• For managers, the change is reflected in simplicity. Approvals are no longer tied to location or physical documents—they can make decisions when needed, without extra steps.
• For employees, the process became significantly easier and clearer. There is no longer a need to print documents, send them by mail, or wait for their return. All actions are performed within one system, and everyone can see what is happening with their document.

As a result, not only speed improved, but also the overall experience—each person understands their role and can influence the process.

The transition was received much more positively than expected. Most questions arose before starting—mainly about data security and technical onboarding.

There were almost no “paper-only” supporters, since constant tasks like finding an A4 sheet to write a request or urgently printing and signing documents were not exactly motivating.

Out of more than 130 active employees at the time of implementation, only one refused to obtain a QES, which is a high adoption rate for a distributed team of this scale.

After the first weeks, initial doubts quickly disappeared. Once employees saw how the process works in practice, it stopped feeling complex or unusual and became a standard working tool.

The strongest proof came during peak workload periods. When a large number of vacations are processed simultaneously, unsystematic processes typically fail. In this case, all requests were handled on time without delays, proving the system works reliably not only in basic scenarios but also under real workload.

Read also: How to work with a non-digital team during HR digitalization

• A clear and reliable control system emerged: at any moment, it is clear where a document is, what stage it is at, and whether any action is required—without additional checks or manual tracking.
• Timelines became predictable. Once a process is initiated, it reaches completion without delays and does not depend on physical document movement.
• The number of small time-consuming actions—reminders, checks, clarifications—decreased significantly, which reduced workload.
• As a result, HR processes became stable even with the same workload, without the need to expand the team or add extra control.
• Most importantly, dependence on paper as a failure point disappeared.

The next step is integrating Vchasno.Kadry with the company’s internal ERP system. This will automate data exchange between systems and eliminate duplicate actions while maintaining a unified workflow logic.

This case clearly shows that HR digitalization is not just about implementing a tool—it is about changing how processes work.

HR tasks become faster and more predictable, regardless of the number of employees or their location. What used to take hours or days now fits into a single working cycle.

And this is only the first level of transformation.

When combined with the full Vchasno ecosystem, companies gain much more than just electronic documents. Data is no longer fragmented across systems, duplicated, or lost. It moves seamlessly between processes—from document creation to signing, accounting, and storage.