Harnessing The Power Of Employee Self-Service Functionalities For An Optimized Workforce

Shedding some of your HR admin burdens just got easier with technology designed for today's employees

In today's world, almost everything can be automated, outsourced, or streamlined to make business operations and processes much easier and quicker for employers and employees. Technology like employee self-service (ESS) software makes it easy for employers and HR managers to alleviate some of their administrative load and place a bit of the responsibility on employees. In fact, 50% of HR respondents agree that ESS increases employee accountability.
 

At the very least, employee self-service technology facilitates the completion of average HR tasks by allowing employees to access and update personal information and other documents. However, these days, more advanced ESS software enables employees to do things like apply for vacation and sick leave, access payroll information like pay stubs, handle time and expense management, and so much more.

With the right ESS, your business can move on from manually populating long-winded, paper-based forms and save valuable time and money they can put towards other areas of the business that require human expertise.

A Quick Look at Some Employee Self-service Functionalities

Modern employee self-service software has multiple functionalities that make handling everyday tasks much easier for HR teams and employees. Some of these functionalities include:

Personal information management

An efficient ESS will have functionalities that allow employees to update their personal details like contact information, emergency contacts, etc., without involving HR staff. It also makes it easy for employees to upload documents from anywhere in the world. Not only is this convenient, but it also saves time and reduces admin errors.

Payroll and benefits management

Payroll management is one of ESS's key functionalities that significantly ease HR burden and improve compliance. These features allow employees to do everything from accessing and printing past and current pay slips to accessing their tax forms, benefits enrollment, etc., online, which is great for record keeping. This eliminates the need to make and distribute physical copies to employees monthly. It also significantly increases transparency and satisfaction around payments.

Time and attendance management

Employees can record their working hours, request leaves, approve overtime, and get instant feedback online. In a world of remote and hybrid work settings, this can be incredibly helpful as employees can even punch in time when they're working out of the office, and managers have a comprehensive view of who's in and who's out. This is incredible for compliance as it makes it easier to keep track of hour and wage regulations.

Some software even allows managers to track employee break periods, which can be great for employee well-being. Features like this enhance accuracy and compliance when calculating employee work hours. But niche functionalities like sending employees reminders to use their break periods can also be crucial to improving employee retention and engagement.

Performance management

ESS can help HR teams manage and streamline the performance review process. These days, you don't have to rely on memory when handling employee files each time they're due for review. Managers can also conduct employee satisfaction surveys with an ESS so employees can access and respond to the surveys anonymously and at their own pace. On the employee's end, they can complete self-evaluations, input information on development and training needs, view their performance goals, feedback, appraisals, and more online, and participate in the evaluation process. This function makes analysis and reporting easier for HR and fosters employee engagement and development.

Schedule and vacation management

Streamlining schedule management is much easier with the right ESS software. Employees can easily view schedules and accept, or decline assigned shifts based on availability. The ESS software uses that information to create or update schedules so all employees can see them, promoting transparency. Employees can also request vacations using the software, and managers can approve or deny them. A notification is instantly sent to the employee, eliminating wait time to see whether your vacation is approved, which is much more efficient than submitting a paper or verbal vacation request.

Learning and development management

Most employees are highly interested in acquiring skills that help them complete their job duties better and upskill them for future roles in the organization. Helping your staff achieve this can mean organizing costly training sessions and paying for external certifications or adopting an ESS system that makes training your staff members effortless. E-learning has been a big focus in recent years, and more businesses are using this channel to encourage learning and development. A software that offers comprehensive, bite-sized e-learning courses on relevant topics makes it easy for employee's access learning resources, enroll in courses, track their progress, etc., online and enhance their skills and competencies. HR tech has been impactful in delivering training to a wider audience and supporting career growth and retention.

When used to its full potential, employee self-service software helps save time and gives employees direct access to HR information. This makes for a more welcoming workplace as employees can conveniently manage some of their own data anywhere, anytime—even from home. This gives them some control over their career and puts them in the driver's seat, so they spend less time wondering about internal programs and processes and more time focused on doing their best work.

The benefits of effective employee self-service software can be pivotal for business owners and HR teams willing to embrace them. Human expertise will always be invaluable, but an ESS system that easily handles routine tasks, increases data accuracy, streamlines communication, manages financial documents, saves time, and frees them up to focus on complex issues that need a human touch boost is always a bonus.

These functionalities and more are just a few reasons why every future-fit business should be highly interested in integrating a well-rounded employee self-service software if they aren't using one yet!

Author Bio

Alana Pratt is an HR Advice Specialist at BrightHR Canada.