Employee Self-Services: A Tool to Increase Employee Autonomy and HR Efficiency

According to a Hunter Group’s Human Resources Self Service survey, more than 90 percent of 342 companies surveyed are ”successful or somewhat successful” in employee self-service implementations. The survey shows that the number of companies using web-based self-services will increase from 46% to 82%, a striking statistic for sure. On an average, a company would spend $1.5 million on self-services solution, depending upon the size of the organization and the type of solution implemented.

The Wave of Employee Self-Services is Raging

The term “Employee Self-Services” must have echoed at least once in every Human Resource department. That’s the impact of technology on human resource management. Employee self-service (ESS) refers to a technology solution which allows employees to access their personal information and conduct vast array of people-related transactions through a centralized gateway or online website.

HR departments managing on-paper transactions and employee files spend as much as 65% of their time on administrative work, thus becoming a tedious and time-consuming task. ESS aims to give ownership to employees for managing their own data, cut down paperwork and expense, and reduce burden from HR team.

A Towers Watson report named New Horizons, No Boundaries stated that as organizations are rapidly deploying self-service technology, employees and line managers are becoming more interested in these capabilities and the ability to access & control their own data. Hassle-free ESS positively impact employee satisfaction level, and this becomes a key to success for engagement initiatives taken by an employer.

Here are a few reasons that have improved self-service software adoption rates and given more time to HR to focus on core processes.

• Cut Down Queries

An ESS tool provides answers to frequently asked questions and offer employees a convenient way to apply and approve leave, check leave balances, update personal data, complete benefits and enrollment forms, get approval on travel expense from managers, access the employee directory, view organizational hierarchy, to name a few functions. Employees feel satisfied using customized, user-friendly ESS tool as they can instantly access and process any personal information online, in just a few clicks.

• Save Company Costs

Using a self-service technology solution significantly reduces costs that is spent on paper forms and files. The need to hire a huge HR team to manage employee-related processes and administrative work can also be eliminated.

• Speed Up Decision Making

Employees remain informed when their data is made accessible to them. For instance, they can check their leave balance before applying for a leave request to the manager. Employees can access their benefits and enrollment information anytime and modify it according to their preferences.

Mass surveys can be conducted, and employees’ opinions can be gathered through a self-service portal. The leadership can make decisions by analyzing employee opinions. This simplifies decision making and increases employee engagement.

• Simplify Communication

Harness the opportunity to communicate updates on benefits plan, health plan, company holidays and more. Self-service technology simplifies company-wide communication and keep all stakeholders updated on any changes in HR policies.

An ESS tool can keep new hires informed about company policies and workplace rules. New hires can access company directory to know basic details about their colleagues. They may even check Organizational Chart to identify company hierarchy structure.

• Empower Employees

Just like online banking allows customers to manage their transactions and money from any part of the world, you too can empower your employees by giving them high level of control, access and responsibility to efficiently manage and modify their personal and performance data. Online employee self-services give autonomy, sense of accountability and ownership to employees, which increases their satisfaction and engagement. A report by Aberdeen Group shows that Employee Self Service software helps in increasing employee engagement by 18%.

Though there are many HR vendors offering these solutions, yet experts suggest choosing a software provider that specializes in employee self-service technology. Empxtrack is a leading ESS solution provider that serves in more than 20 countries and is well-known for offering user-friendly self-service portals to ensure compliance and save costs. Since ESS technology has a great impact on employee engagement, do not risk and choose the software wisely.

 

Why development of high potential employees (HiPo) is essential?

Employees, HR and the leadership collectively put in efforts to build a strong, stable future of the business. Since employees are largely responsible for the changing dynamics of an organization, it is necessary to identify and nurture top talent.

Filling leadership positions has always been a major challenge for small to mid-sized organizations. Early identification of  high potential employees avoids business discontinuity, and ensures a smooth transition of potential successors into leadership roles.

As stated by Bersin, A “high-potential employee” is an employee who has been identified as having the potential, ability, and aspiration for successive leadership positions within the company. Often, these employees are provided with focused development as part of a succession plan and are referred to as “HiPos.”

People often misunderstand top performers as high potential employees. Only 1 in 7 high performing employees is considered to be a HiPo. High potential employees are the most valuable assets for any organization. Hence, there is a need to identify and nurture them and create a strong talent pipeline for effectively managing leadership roles in an organization.

To give a right start to your HiPo program, it is necessary to know the traits of high potential employees and understand what they truly want from their employers.

• Highly Responsible: Willing to take responsibilities and challenging tasks.
• Exhibit Leadership Skills: Exhibit leadership skills during times of need and can supervise teams for better business outcomes.
• Top Performers: Are the team players who give excellent performance and improve team productivity.
• Multitaskers: Having strong multitasking skills.

What can be done to retain High Potential Employees?

Succession planning is a method to identify leadership positions and prepare future successors in an organization. This approach helps an employer to carry out its day-to-day operations without any disruption, even if a key employee leaves the company suddenly.

Develop talent pool– HR should look for potential successors for all critical positions across the organization to create a strong talent pipeline. Evaluate if these employees possess the capabilities, skills, personality traits needed to become future leaders. Assess characteristics of high potential employees and assign them to corresponding talent pool.

Identify potential successors– Performance evaluation should be carried out carefully to identify a high potential employee. If you are using an automated employee performance appraisal tool, you will be able to view HiPos in a performance potential graph (9 or 12 grid box). Integrating appraisal software with succession planning tool is essential to continually evaluate performance, capabilities and commitment of potential successors.

Skill development opportunities – The best way to nurture potential future leaders is by providing training opportunities for enhancing the skill development. HR and leadership can identify key positions and map employees with required qualification, experience and competencies to fill leadership roles.

Creating development plans to train potential succession candidates and monitoring their performance periodically keeps high potential employees engaged and committed to business goals.

Takeaway

What is your organization doing to manage and retain high potential employees at your workplace? Find out before it’s too late!