For human resource managers, balancing tactical with strategic roles, juggling benefits and employee-related projects and trying to best meet the needs of the organization, employee self-service may have always been in demand. The growth of employee self-service, overall, can perhaps be best tracked alongside the launch of the Internet and its increasing acceptance as an integral tool in the workplace (65 million of the 115 million employed adults age 25 and over, almost 57%, use a computer at work), making both indispensable in many organizations today. Currently, more than 40% of HR executives use employee self-service technology and 23% plan to procure it in the next few months (Aberdeen Group's 2005 The HR Executive's Agenda). And professional services group Towers Perrin ranks the number even higher, with at least 80% of companies expected to use self-service to help employees enroll in annual benefits, view benefit plans and policies, access wellness information, view 401(k) balances, change personal data, view pay stubs and view job postings in 2006 (from companies surveyed in their eighth service delivery trends, fielded in 2005). Large companies lead the way, but small organizations are catching up quickly.
The adoption of self-service is no surprise, given the potential for benefit, with increased efficiency being high on the list. It has resulted in an 80% savings over manual processes for enrolling in benefits (according to the Cedar 2001 Human Resources Self Service/Portal Survey - Extending HR-Related Collaborative Application to the Workforce).
From greater accuracy and timeliness of information to greater efficiency, in having a single place to access a wide range of company functions, employee self-service lightens workers' and HR administrators' loads. Reducing paperwork and streamlining processes for workers and freeing up HR for strategic tasks, upon which these executives are most often evaluated, are key benefits.
At its most basic level, employee self-service promotes greater "customer service for some of the company's most valuable customers. It allows employees to have more direct control and ready access to their information when they need it. HR and other work-related transactions are easily accessible 24 x 7, granting increased workforce autonomy and greater satisfaction in providing empowerment for employees to do their jobs.
Trusting in Technology
Still, the success of any tool is only as good as its use. Despite the technological promises of self-service, many HR executives continue to execute rote transactions and are not fully benefiting from the available technology, according to the same survey by Towers Perrin. This may be attributable, in part, to software not containing the functionality (only 38% stated their HR technology included self-service capabilities, according to SHRM's 2005 HR Technology Survey Report), lack of trust in the software or technology in general and/or executives' continued reliance on maintaining control of transactions. HR managers, for instance, often express a disconnect from employees, in that they recommend a greater number of steps/screens throughout the self-service process, when often end-users comment that they would like less. These assertions signify that HR might perceive its workforce as not being technologically savvy and/or that executives may not be ready to let go of tasks that they traditionally held close to the vest. With a greater understanding of how to select the best technology for their organizations, HR executives can begin to trust in the right system to obtain greater freedom and satisfaction to focus on strategic issues.
What do HR managers need to know when it comes to putting their trust in an employee self-service system that will meet their and their employees' needs? A good self-service system is a highly-complex structure of rules and technological considerations that should not come across that way. Important properties of employee self-service systems include the ability to: streamline processes, ensure accuracy, provide a level of "freedom, be unobtrusive, provide greater productivity, be specific and be secure. An effective self-service tool must balance comprehensive functionality along with ease of use to give the HR Manager and the employee the assurance that a complex process has been handled correctly. Too often, this balance is overlooked which results in poor results and distrustful users.
Wizards Make It Happen
Often given little attention, but key to all of these attributes, are the wizards. Wizards are the behind-the-scenes engines that provide instructional help to guide the user through a series of multiple choice questions to accomplish a task. Another way of describing them is that they are the logic tied together. Preprogrammed to follow "if you do this, then that will happen scenarios, wizards collect information to provide a solid pipeline to a desired end result within a defined timeline. Wizards may be full process in nature, taking an individual through the entire initial open enrollment requirements, or partial, allowing an end-user to change a last name. Other examples of wizards include the ability to present only the benefits relevant to the employee, such as the option to add a new baby or to change insurance options.
An effective wizard acts as an expediter and will not clog a process with unnecessary input from a user. A wizard's logic process flow must be intuitive and must not over-simplify a task with too many stepsor the end-user experience will suffer. An effective wizard will inspire confidence and ensure a positive outcome for the employee and HR manager.
Specific
The wizards described above are generally employee-related wizards. However, it is important to note that wizards can also be provided for HR, carriers and other groups.
HR or administrative wizards might include confirmation of delivery and employee choices, acknowledgement of employee information that needs to be collected and confirmation of activities that must be performed, such as with COBRA. Carrier wizards can include ensuring eligibility and accurate demographic information, format and delivery assurances, etc. The processes and information presented are determined when the user signs in. Information is filtered based on role, and employees see only the relevant information they need to do their jobs.
The wizard mentality must also enhance the processes that the self-service provider utilizes. The implementation process must not place an unnecessary burden on the HR Manager. Long implementation lead times usually indicate that an HR Manager will have a burdensome role in the launch of the very tool that is supposed to save time. The self-service provider should also handle maintenance burdens such as rate or plan changes via wizard-driven systems.
Streamline Processes and Ensure Accuracy
An important aspect of wizards is that they be able to guide the process to ensure accuracy. Successful wizards are intuitive and guide the end-user on a logical path to a desired outcome. They prevent "stranding in the system along that path to ensure that the "rules or benefits criteria are successfully met to enable the action. The logic specific to the company's needs for eligibility, carrier requirements, timing constraints and other factorsmust be preprogrammed in to the wizards for them to be most helpful to the end-user and HR. Customization is an important factor in having an effective self-service solution and should be based on the unique rules of the employer group and its providers.
Providing a Level of "Freedom
Though they guide users on a desired path and should be relatively rigid in nature, wizards should not be completely unforgiving. Employees should be given basic rights to go back to a specific desired process, leave and return to the system without derailing and save work that has been established, to name a few. If employees feel like they are in self-service "jail, they will be less inclined to use the system.
Similarly, wizards should not be obtrusive or obvious and, instead, should intuitively and seamlessly guide users from one process to the next. Good wizards obtain enough information to help the user make a wise decision, but not too much to weigh down the process (a common disconnect, as mentioned, between HR and employees). Good technology providers collect user and HR feedback to ensure the effectiveness of wizards and act on that information to provide just the right amount of assistance. Employee exit surveys provide first-hand knowledge on the effectiveness of wizards. Invariably, survey results will show that employees prefer a process that involves fewer steps or web pages to complete a task. Many self-service systems elongate a simple process by breaking it down into more steps than are necessary. This only frustrates a user and makes the overall experience negative. End-user feedback shows desire for an interface that strikes a balance between usability and efficiency.
Productivity
Also high on the properties of effective wizards is their ability to increase productivity, their intended function. Effective wizards provide a clear path to the desired outcome, making tasks like open enrollment something that can be completed in a short period of timemany systems can enable that process in less than ten minutes. The ability to keep track of what needs to be done and present that information when the user logs in can be critical in ensuring that requirements are met and employees can complete open enrollment at their own pace. Some wizards also offer the ability to obtain information from other sitessuch as finding physician information from a carrier's sitewithout leaving, providing added efficiency. Others enable HR and employees to perform multiple processes at once, such as accepting employee transactions in batches for the former, or declining benefit plans for the employee that already has coverage.
Ultimately, any wizard will increase productivity and data integrity if designed correctly. Many self-service systems have poorly designed wizards that cause both productivity and satisfaction to suffer.
Live Assistance
Though most wizards make the process of open enrollment explanatory overall, the multitude of options that can occur and technological levels of users, make having a "help function in employee self-service a requirement. Help can be provided via: assistance within the software through help files; in-house by giving HR the ability to see what the employee sees and through outside help services; online chat and/or phone support. Outside help should be available 24 x 7 with technicians that can clearly explain processes for employees at various levels, as well as support HR in its needs.
Security
Security is always an important consideration where highly sensitive employee information is concerned. Passwords and electronic signatures should be the first lines of defense. Other important security attributes of an effective self-service system include:
" Exclusive authority for HR to decide who is allowed access and to what degree
" Daily backups, backup servers, protective layers, systems, procedures
" Data transmitted to carriers within a secure, encrypted session
" Users authenticated in a secure SSL Session (128-bit encryption preferred),
" Meeting HIPAA specifications, tracking page movement, etc.
Rolling Out Self-Service Systems
Successful implementation of a self-service system requires many steps, which includes the HR manager, letting go of individual employee enrollment details. A good system will require that changes and enrollment information be approved by HR, still requiring a level of control.
Open enrollment poses an ideal time to roll out such systems, when HR managers can explain new benefits enhancements and get everyone on board on the new self-service system. At this time, HR managers, often with the help of their brokers, can provide a short training session and answer any questions that employees may have. Employees should be directed to online help and offline options and receive a hard copy guide, to view at their own discretion, as well.
Accessibility is a key attribute of any self-service rollout. Kiosks or dedicated workstations should be made available to individuals that do not have access online at work.
Conclusion
Given that benefits are such an important part of compensation, some HR managers are taking the technology a step further to provide self-service access to potential new hires to show what their future could hold should they join the company. With most employees preferring the ease and speed of online transactions over paper, providing self-service offers greater access to benefits and control over information and leads to greater satisfaction. In selecting the best system for its and its employees needs, HR can empower employees and obtain more time for strategic issues upon which they are judged.
