ManagingHR processes manually has become a thing of the past. As the global workforce becomes more diverse and dynamic, runningHR operations manuallyis more tiring and time-consuming than ever. When employees have to go to their HR managers for every small clarification, it’s a waste of time and productivity for both employees andthe HR department. This where Employee Self-Service (ESS),a prominent feature ofHR software, can help. Read on to decode the basics of an employee self-service portal, including its key features and how it can be beneficial to your organization and its employees.
What is an employee self-service portal?
With ESS, employees can track and manage their own activities and perform their administrative tasks without depending on the HR department for everything. Employees can access their personal details and professional records anywhere, any time, without hassle. These portals are aimed at offering more power and autonomy to employees while reducing the administrative burden on HR teams.
What are the key features of an employee self-service portal?
According to a survey conducted by Nintex, 49% of employees report having trouble with locating documents. This can be avoided completely as all the essential information is present in a single, centralized location. Withan employee self-service portal, employees can:
- Access information at their convenience
- Input their personal and professional information easily
- Apply for leavein just a few clicks
- Track and maintain their time off balances and attendance details
- Record their working hours
- Check the time spentoncertain projects or number of hours logged per day
- Accessany documents shared to themor uploaddocuments theyneed to share
- Clock in and clock out withgeo-restrictions
- See the essential details of team members including phone numbers, seat locations, ID numbers, etc.
- View announcements made by management
What are the benefits of using an employee self-service portal?
Now that you understand what an employee self-service portal can do and some of the key features of an ESS portal, let’s see the benefits that it will bring to your organization.
Empowers employees
One of the foremost benefits of an ESS portal is that it empowers employees to track their activities by themselves instead of having to wait on answer from HR. ESS also provides them with greater autonomy over their information, allowing them to make decisions on their own. It enables employees to updatetheir information without depending on anyone else.Other necessaryHRinformation including sickdays, time offbalances,andattendance hours are easily available to your employees, providingthemmore clarity and opportunity to plan ahead.This helps them feel trusted and improves morale and motivation.
Enhances the efficiency of HR tasks
As most HR processes are automated with ESS, paperwork is reduced andtasks are completed more efficiently. This saves time andincreasesproductivityacross the board. As an HR manager, you can concentrate on other pressing issues including employee retention, employee happiness, work-life balance, and employee recognition.Putting responsibility into the hands of employees means you don’t have to chase people down for important information. Employees can fill those details out themselves.This also reduces errorswhen recording employee information.
Ensures greater transparency
Employees can access all essential documents including company policies, safety procedures, insurance documents, annual tax returns,and more from anywhereat anytime. Any announcements posted by management or the HR department are available to all employees, ensuring that everybody is on the same page.This transparency creates a sense of trust among employees, and theywillfeelmorevalued in your organization.
Improves employee engagement
It is a known fact thatHR operations have a huge impact on employee engagement and productivity. No matter how good an organization is, having a dysfunctional HRsystem canhurt the success of your business. In such a case, anESS portal, which empowersemployees and helps them to coordinate with their peers, cangreatly improve employee engagement, job satisfaction, and your overall bottom line.
Leads to improved security
ESS provides the highest level of data confidentiality asdata is stored online andit’spassword-protected.AnESS portal can be accessed by employees only when they are given permission.Unauthorized users cannot access employee data.If employee information isbeingrecordedon paper, the risks of data theft and misuse is very high.
With a self-service portal, your employees can track their activities independently. Everything from attendance to time off can be managed by your employeeswithout any confusion as all the data is presentin a single location.Using Zoho People’s self-service feature, employees can set up their profiles, request time off, log time spenton projects, access essential information, anddo much more from a single platform!
Also read:What activities can employees can complete using a self-service portal?
