When it comes to human resources (HR), there’s the potential for a lot of paper to be involved.

From personnel files to onboarding documents to time cards and performance reviews, there’s no shortage of paper.

But what if your HR department cut back on paper and began to keep some files electronically? Not only would it save a few trees, it would save space and satisfy employees’ desire to have updated technology.

“Employees are demanding mobile,” says Katie Bischoff, an employment attorney and HR consultant with tHRive Law & Consulting LLC. “It provides flexibility in where they work and when they work.”

Bischoff explored the benefits and risks involved with moving HR functions to the cloud during a breakout session at the CUNA HR & Organizational Development Council Conference Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale.

Employees are already connected: 77% of Americans own a smartphone and they read 54% of all email on mobile devices, according to Pew Research.

Plus, more vendors offer their applications in a cloud-based format, with 50% of large corporations already putting payroll in the cloud, according to a Sierra-Cedar Report.

These mobile apps can allow employees to enroll in benefits, log time and attendance information, submit requests for leave, and complete performance management paperwork, Bischoff says.

But putting HR tasks in the cloud can also present risks, she adds, namely data security.

That raises the question of who protects employees’ personally identifiable information, such as Social Security numbers and financial information, as well as how to protect an organization’s trade secrets and confidentiality.

“Putting things in the cloud is just putting it on someone else’s server,” Bischoff says. “That creates vulnerabilities, and the risk of a breach is huge.”

Privacy issues are another concern, such as an employer knowing where an employee is during non-working hours because the location services function is turned on for the HR app.

►Visit CUNA News for more conference coverage, and get live updates on Twitter via @CUNAJennifer, @cumagazine, @cunacouncils, and by using the #HRODcouncil hashtag. Learn more about the CUNA HR & Organizational Development Council, a member-led professional society for credit union executives, at cunacouncils.org.