Employee Self Service Portals: Are You Getting The Most Out of Your ESS?  (2024)

Self-service is part ofour daily lives, so why notuse it inhuman resources? An employee self-service portal gives workers the abilitytomanage their personal data, payroll, benefits and eventocompleteopen enrollment.If your employee self-service portalcan’t perform all these functions, youmayneed toreconsideryour options.

What is an Employee Self-Service Portal or ESS?

An ESS portal is a featureavailable withinmostHuman Resource Information Systems(HRIS).An HRIS provides core HR functionsandhelps you track, measure and automate employee tasks to optimize operations. An HRISfunctions asa database at the center of your organization, tying information—like payroll, benefits, attendance and other related data—to individuals. It also handles recruiting, tax compliance, personnel tracking and reporting. Think of an HRIS as the engine that powers your entire HR vehicle.An ESS portal allowsemployees to drive that HR vehicle, instead of just being a passenger.

An ESS portalis a web-based tool thatallows employees to access their informationinthe system.Payroll, benefits,personaldataandtax documentsarealltypicallyaccessibletoemployees through a self-service portal.An employee can use an ESS portal to request time off,change their payroll withholding taxamount andupdate their personal informationif they moveor have another life change.The capabilities of an ESS portalareonly limited by the HRIS. For example, some HRISs may only allow employees to access their paystubs or request time off while other systemsallow employees topartake inopen enrollment through an ESS portal.

What are the Benefits of an ESS Portal?

The idea of putting HR services on a company-wide intranet has been around for a couple of decades. HR administrators were able to reduce or eliminate paper by putting employee documents and information online.documentsareuploadedto the system.An ESS portaloffers more benefits than just a reductioninpaper.

HowESS Portals Benefit Companies

An ESS portalcan raise your stature.

Employees arefamiliar with using portals in other areas of their lives, whether it is throughadoctor’s office, bank oronline marketplaces. The fact that their employer offers the same, if not more,accessgives the impression they work for a forward-thinking company.On the flip side, if your ESS portal is lacking, your employees will notice.

Costs are reduced.

The cost, both in time and money, of handing out information to employees—think benefits packages, updated policy manuals, pay stubs and more—are reduced or eliminated with an ESS portal. This information can be revised and uploaded in seconds,giving employees immediate access.

Data errors are a thingofthe past.

ESS portals give employees control over their data. They input their personal information, their bank routing numbers orwithholding amounts, eliminating anyinput errors by HR.When employees are responsible, it puts compliance on their shoulders, like providing the IRSwithcorrect, up-to-dateinformation.Plus, as ESS portals provide a single point of entry,witheverything in one place, instead ofbeingspread out across multiple files.

How ESS Portals Benefit Employees

Quick access to essential information.

Employees who need toseehow much their health insurancedeductibleisor if their PTO was approved canfind the information in one place, saving time.No longerwillemployees have to hunt through stacks of paperwork or multiple intranet pages.

The power to change their information.

Being able totake control of their informationempowers employees. They don’t have to wait for HR to adjustpersonal information or take the time to walk paperwork downto the HR office.

ESS portalsprovidecompany transparency.

Employeesdon’twant to be left in the dark when it comes to company communication. Having access to company information increasesemployee confidence in their employer.And companiesreap the benefits of improved communicationbecause employee satisfaction levels rise.

ESS Portals Help with Efficiency

One of the biggest benefits of an ESS portal isthe efficiency it offers.WhenHRdepartments are more efficient, they have more time for strategic pursuits.

ESS Portals are TimeSavers

HR departments have a lot on their plates, especiallyright nowwith COVID-19 challenges. ESS portals allow employees toaccessHRservices that HR staff would otherwise have to provide.When HR doesn’t have to spend timeonadministrative tasks, e.g., updatingaddresses, benefitsdependents and printing paystubs, they can focus more time and resourceson improving the department and furthering the company’s goals.

Examples of time-consumingadministrative tasks include:

• Providing pay stubs, either through email or mail
• Printing federal and state withholding forms
• Updating banking information for direct deposit
• Providing employeeswithinformation on their employment status or rate of pay
• Adjusting healthcare benefits like adding dentalor increasing HSA contributions
• Changing personal data, likean addressor marital status
• Manually entering time worked
• Scheduling time to go over open enrollmentpaperwork

Open enrollment is one of themoreimportant yetalso moretime-consuming tasks for HR.Not only are health care options an important benefit for employees,maintaining a plan is required for many companies.As per theAffordable Care Act, employers with50 or more full-time employees must provide healthcare benefits.

An ESS portal thatprovidesopen enrollment capabilities can streamline the process by allowing employees to make their own selections andcalculations, based on employer-directed options. Many of these can be integrated withfeedsfrom an organization’s HRIS to ensure information is up-to-date and to connectto interrelatedpayroll. This benefit not only savesa huge amount of time, but it keeps youcompliantas well.

Saving Time Leads to Increased Productivity

ESS portalshelp to increaseproductivityforboth HR and employees.Consider howmuch time is saved when employees spend less time looking for the information they needorwhen HR spends less time on administrative tasks.Hours? Days?Research has shown thatnearly 50%of an HR department’s time is spent processing employee information and responding tofrequentlyasked questions.All ofthat extra time canbe funneled towards meeting strategic goals.

ESS portals give employees the ability tocompleteHR requiredtasks without stoppingto takemultiple phone calls orfillout paperwork.And when employers are more productive,they’remore engaged, leading to lower turnover rates.

According to HR Technologist, ESS portals can optimize efficiency, manage costsand ensure compliance by:

• Giving employees convenient 24/7 access
• Supporting modern identity verification for employees, such as biometric
• Integrating with existing payroll and time and attendance software
• Supportingcompliance at every level,fromFamily Medical Leave Act claims,mealtime rulestofilling out workplace safety forms

Using ESSPortals for Onboarding

ESS portals can also handle HR onboarding, even virtual onboarding. New employees can login from anywhereto fill out paperwork, view policies and upload important documents.An ESS portal is part of a strong, web-based onboarding process which helps new hires acclimate to their jobsquickly and efficiently.

An ESS portal helps streamline the onboarding process by:

• Tracking and monitoring new hires throughout the process
• Eliminatingpaperworkso employeescanonboardanywhere
• Offeringpersonalized content, like access to schedulesand employee information
• Giving employees access to online handbooks and policies, and requiring them to digitally sign after readingthem
• Educating new employees onavailable benefits like healthcare, vacation, compensation and so on
• Invitingemployeesto enrollin a healthcareplan
• Automatically setting up payroll information, including bank information for direct deposit

Arcoro’sCore HRmodulenot onlykeeps central HR recordkeeping and essential compliance documents in order—laying a solid foundation for orderly HR operations, frombenefits managementtotime trackingand payroll—but features anESS portal that integrates withall ofits modules. Employees can log in anytime to request PTO and sick leave, submit expense reports, view benefits statements and paystubs and more.

Arcoro’sOnboardingsoftwareensures new employees are ready before day onewith a 100% paperless, cloud-based systemfeaturingan ESS portalthat walks new employees through the entire process.Visit oursolutionspagesto learn more.