The Benefits and Must-Have Features of Employee Self-Service Portals

Employee self-service (ESS) is a labor-saving HR technology solution. ESS allows your employees to access their own employee information and resolve tasks that might otherwise require a manager or Human Resources personnel.

Employee self-service delivers a common-sense need for employees to be able to perform simple tasks for themselves. This saves everyone time and hassle. Why involve additional staff, when an employee simply needs to check their pay stub or confirm a detail about their benefits? 

Common Features of Employee Self-Service

The possibilities with employee self-service will vary from one business to the next. By using compatible HR software for several systems, it is easier to incorporate ESS into your HR processes. 

• Payroll information regularly needs updating. Has an employee moved to a new address? How about a change of bank account? 
• Time and attendance records should be accessible to employees. Managers shouldn’t have to verify whether employees forgot to punch out or worked too many hours. 
• Benefits administration can be time consuming for HR. Employees’ knowledge and participation improves with direct access to benefits information and policy choices.
• Employees with scheduling access can find replacements to cover their own availability conflicts. 
• Training and continued learning can be remotely accessible with a Learning Management System.
• Performance management systems give employees transparent access to better understand the targeted metrics and their own performance. 
• HR paperwork and support begins with the hiring and onboarding process, and ESS allows self-motivated hires to rise to the top. 

Benefits of Employee Self-Service

Like most software upgrades, the primary goal of ESS is improved efficiency. Depending on how and where you grant employees access, improvements happen in several areas.

Improve collection, storage, and maintenance of employee information

Without ESS, changes and updates reported to a manager may not get properly updated in your system. When employees have a single portal to manage their own data, they can access and update those records 24/7. 

Increase employee satisfaction and empowerment

ESS provides transparency and minimizes unnecessary hand-holding. If there’s a discrepancy with work hours in a pay period, then employees should have the tools to identify and fix the problem.

Reduce errors and ensure data accuracy

Between 2017 and 2020, more than $3 billion in stolen wages were recovered for workers. Many instances of wage theft are accidental, which is why it’s best to allow employees access to their own information. HR also save times from duplication of efforts, reducing errors system-wide.

Streamline HR functions and processes

Accustomed to serving as gatekeepers to employee information, managers and HR staff might worry about their jobs being automated. But ESS allows for their time to be spent elsewhere more productively, such as improving performance and workplace culture.

Ensure compliance and data security

How certain are you about your compliance with recent labor laws? ESS doesn’t negate corporate liability, but it provides another opportunity for employees to identify problems. Despite the remote accessibility of ESS, newer software (from reputable HR software companies) offers higher levels of data security and protection.

Improves HR communication

ESS allows employees to answer many of their own routine questions. Without so many tedious and repetitive queries, HR staff can focus on bigger questions and long term projects. ESS also allows HR to send out widespread company communication and tasks to employees.

Streamline recruiting and onboarding

How much time do you spend explaining the company culture and office policies? Employee self service is a great way to give new hires access to appropriate resources and start the onboarding process before even their first day. 

Train employees faster and easier

Coordinate a company-wide training or assign to teams or individuals only. Give employees access to training on their own schedule. Self-motivated and struggling workers alike will be proactive about closing their own skill gaps. 

Go green by going paperless

With an ESS, you can cut back on the printed paperwork. Convert employee handbooks and resources to PDFs. Communicate electronically instead of memos and flyers. Paper costs may not be a major budget item for your company, but going green is also a branding opportunity.

For more information on HR topics, read our HR blog and follow Netchex on social media—Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.