What You Gain From An Employee Self-Service Portal

Reducing paperwork and streamlining administrative tasks

It’s no surprise why employee self-service (ESS) portals are rising in popularity. Today, employees want autonomy in the workplace, flexible workflow processes, and the freedom to access their information any time they need to. 
 

At the same time, HR departments want to reduce paperwork and streamline administrative tasks. An ESS portal is so beneficial because it allows employees to view and manage their payroll, benefits, and healthcare information rather than relying on HR for everything. 

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits both employees and HR teams can gain from an ESS portal. 

1. Improve Employee Satisfaction

An ESS portal provides numerous benefits for employees, such as the consolidation of information and web pages into one user-friendly access point. Employees can update their personal data, enter time worked, print out pay slips, and enroll in employer benefits. 

Some ESS portals even include preconfigured life events pages that allow employees to follow a series of steps related to life events, such as marriage, divorce, and birth or adoption of a child. As a result, employees spend less time looking for the information they need. 

Since self-service portals give employees greater control and visibility into their employment information, they often feel more valued by their employers and more connected to their workplace. Employees are also more productive as these mundane admin tasks can now be completed with a few simple clicks of a button. 

2. Streamline HR Processes

Employee self-service portals offer countless benefits for HR departments too. Research from McKinsey shows that HR departments typically spend close to 60 percent of their time and resources on transactional and operational HR. To reduce the number of requests an HR department receives, employees can use an ESS portal to request time off or make changes to their payroll deductions. 

This will significantly expedite processes and/or eliminate the need to get HR personnel involved, freeing up time for them to support other business-critical functions. 
Onboarding new employees and managing benefits enrollment can also be time-consuming. An ESS portal can help streamline open enrollment processes by allowing employees to make their own selections and calculations, based on employer-directed options. 

3. Features to Look for in an ESS Portal

The ideal employee self-service portal should utilize the latest software development technology and be accessible on any device, including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. To ensure the portal is user-friendly and responsive, look for a platform with a simple design, intuitive menus, and frictionless navigation. 

Keep in mind that seamless interconnectivity between departments is essential for the implementation of this kind of technology. While HR will oversee the deployment, the portal will also rely on IT, finance, payroll, and various other departments to run smoothly, accurately, and on time. Interdepartmental communication is key to taking full advantage of an ESS portal. 

Overall, it is important to create a transparent environment, where employees can access and manage human resources, payroll, and benefits information from anywhere, at any time. An ESS portal delivers this transparency and gives employees the freedom and flexibility they want. From a business perspective, an ESS portal provides the capability for HR departments to standardize processes, improve data quality, reduce errors, and enhance reporting. 

Author Bio

Cal McGrath, Vice President of Product Management, joined Unicorn HRO in August 2003 and currently has responsibility for the development and advancement of Unicorn HRO's software solutions. Cal has over 10 years of experience in product management services to HR outsourcing companies and their clients with a specific focus on using technology solutions to support complex benefit plan and administration requirements. Connect Cal McGrath