Employee self-service software often is adopted as a way to improve efficiency within an organization, especially as it pertains to the responsibilities of your HR department. While that’s a common and effective use, organizations also can use robust self-service software as a way to improve employee engagement and productivity.
A recent white paper by Paycom and HR.com illustrates survey results from over 700 HR professionals (representing companies with anywhere from 50 to 20,000 employees) on how they use employee self-service software, and where there is room for improvement. Keep reading to find out what self-service software means for your efficiency and engagement.
Gains in Efficiency
Employees who use self-service software can alleviate some tedious tasks, freeing up your HR department to do more strategic and mission-critical work (rather than keying in information, often multiple times). Duplicating employee data (especially by hand) is an ineffective use of time, and can introduce errors.
Employee-entered data actually can improve the accuracy of the information you have on file for your workforce. Over 80% of HR professionals surveyed agree that employee accountability for data leads to a higher likelihood of accuracy for that data. In turn, that improved accuracy can help reduce compliance risk.
Gains in Employee Engagement
According to our research, what employees want most out of their self-service software is ease of use, by a large margin of 47%. Single sign on functionality (the ability to use one login for their employee self-service software and for other platforms) was the next most important.
Why does this matter? User-friendly self-service software with a single login can improve employee engagement (more on why that matters below) and also can increase the likelihood that they will complete the forms, training or information that your leadership or your HR department has requested.
What This Means for Your Bottom Line
Increasing efficiency with employee self-service software can help you increase your profit margin by saving time and lowering material costs. Improving employee engagement by selecting a user-friendly self-service software can have significant returns on your investment as well.
Employee engagement can help you reduce turnover, safety incidents and absenteeism. According to a recent Gallup survey, teams that score in the top quartile of engagement exhibit 21% higher productivity and 22% higher profitability that compared to teams in the bottom quartile.
In addition to improving the work environment and production, high employee engagement can help you save on the substantial cost of replacing key personnel. Bloomberg’s Bureau of National Affairs estimates that employee turnover costs U.S. businesses $11 billion per year, and highly educated and experienced employees tend to be the most expensive to replace.
If you’re considering adopting employee self-service software (or adding on to your current platform), be sure to take your employee experience into account, as well as the gains in efficiency that could be made. Choosing to prioritize the elements that matter most to your staff can help you increase employee engagement, boost productivity and maintain an efficient workflow.
Read more about the untapped benefits of employee self-service software in our white paper, The Role of Self-Service Software: Get the Most Out of a Crucial Technology.
