The Benefits Of Employee Self-Service Systems for Staff and Managers

HR managers are always looking for ways to streamline tasks and save time spent on traditional manual processes. At the same time, employees are looking for a sense of control over their information and increased transparency with their company.

Both of these goals can be achieved by implementing a self-service employee system and giving your employees a self-service option. Workers can easily manage tasks like accessing company news, calling out sick, choosing benefits, and browsing open positions within the company, among other things.

73% of US workers are open to self-service HR tools, so this kind of tool is bound to be very popular with your staff and your HR departments.

What Is An Employee Self-Service (ESS) System?

An employee self-service system (ESS system) is a web-based tool that allows employees to perform HR tasks and administrative duties independently in place of a staff member doing it manually.

An employee self-service portal puts all information in one place so it is easily obtainable by all of the staff. The information may have been available before on the company intranet, but may not be super easy to navigate, so an ESS system puts it all together.

An ESS system should also help employees feel more connected to their broader organization.

Your staff should be able to access the system from any internet-capable device. A mobile ESS system is especially valuable for frontline or distributed workforces that don't log into a computer every day - industries like manufacturing, logistics, retail, restaurant, construction, etc.

How Does Employee Self-Service Technology Benefit Your Staff?

1. Increases Control and Ownership of Employee Data

2. Enhances Visibility into Workflow Processes

3. Highlights Employee Development and Career Advancement

4. Creates a Home Base for Employee Support

5. Builds a Foundation for Team Connectedness

1. Increases Control and Ownership of Employee Data

They can submit their own personal data like when they agree to company policies, manage open enrollment and administrative tasks, and submit their emergency contacts. If your team member is entering the information themselves, there is less chance for error.

2. Enhances Visibility into Workflow Processes

Employee self-service portals allow for more transparency in processes and enable employees to have greater visibility- for example when requesting time off, employees can see what they are clicking rather than having an HR manager do it for them. Allowing them to go through the process gives them more transparency into their work environment. The more transparency, the greater the relationship.

3. Highlights Employee Development and Career Advancement

With open positions accessible in the self-service portal, employees are able to be proactive in finding promotional opportunities. A self-service solution lets your team browse and apply for current open positions. The system can even have a tracking status capability so they can see where they are in the process.

You can take it a step further by using your ESS portal to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. Workers can also browse and enroll in online training, and sign up for seminars, workshops, etc. This allows employees to be more hands-on in their development and career advancement.

4. Creates a Home Base for Employee Support

Your ESS Portal is the home base for your team. The information is always available at any time in an employee self-service system, thus giving workers a sense of the HR team always being available. You are able to distribute key information and manage employee communications and employee engagement directly in the system.

This 24/7 access helps employees feel supported and increases trust in your organization.

5. Builds a Foundation for Team Connectedness

Use your portal to build up your employee culture - provide company information and policy documents that connect your team to your company's mission and build a sense of increased connectedness within your organization.

Build a bit of fun into it - get creative in how you can use your self-service system to delight your employees and build a better sense of culture. Send out birthday announcements, promote team or customer wins, and share monthly goals and numbers to encourage a sense of connectedness and camaraderie.