It’s five o’clock somewhere; can you access your payroll information? For instance, can you easily pull past pay stubs, enroll in benefits, request time off or submit your time sheet right from your phone or laptop? If not, you’ll be delighted to know this is all possible with the proper technology.
Almost everyone loves freedom and your employees are no exception. It’s frustrating waiting for staff requests for something as simple as an address change. With employee self-service your employees have the freedom to access important information anytime, anywhere and you – the employer – can relax a little easier. Making your employees happy has never been so simple.
Want to know what empowers employees? Having the ability to check the status of their vacation days, pull past pay vouchers or look up company manuals after hours, that’s empowering. It’s a waste of time fielding the same questions over and over again when employees could have everything they need right at their fingertips. Employee self-service is a secure and convenient method for retrieving quick answers to commonly asked questions and much more.
Why Employers Appreciate Employee Self-Service Models
1. Improved Productivity – For starters, employee self-service not only gives your employees more independence, it also lessens the burden on your HR staff, giving them more time to be strategic. Time isn’t lost filtering through redundant questions and your employees are given the proper tools to access the resources they need. When processes are streamlined, production runs smoothly and as a result productivity increases.
2. Get Instant Answers – Waste no more time on repetitive questions, all the answers your employees need are right in front of them at any time and from anywhere there is internet access.
3. Updated Records – Could you imagine a highly-confidential letter being delivered to the wrong address because the new address of this particular employee wasn’t updated in the system? That could be a very costly mistake, especially when considering COBRA compliance. Don’t make this mistake. Give employees the ability to make changes to personal information like phone numbers, addresses, and emails to ensure accuracy.
4. Quick Approvals – Create an automated workflow with an expedited submission/approval process. Employees can submit applications and expenses which automatically alerts managers for approval. Aside from the necessary mobility this provides it also results in a more engaged workforce overall. Note that this capability may vary depending on the provider, so talk with your preferred vendor to determine if this is a possibility.
5. One single system of record – Searching different places for information is not only time consuming and frustrating, but more importantly it’s not efficient. Wouldn’t you prefer your employees spend their time growing your business? Dashboards allow employees to check information all from the same location. Getting important information quickly in a single place seems like an easy concept to get on board with.
6. Going Green – The green initiative is taking the corporate world by storm and more and more businesses are looking to lessen their environmental footprint by going paperless. The ability to view pay slips, tax reports, hours worked and expense details all online eliminates the need for print outs and saves on printing, postage and delivery.
In a report to the government regarding paystubs, researchers found that the state spends approximately $582,000 in hard costs to print, mail and distribute paper checks and paper pay stubs. These costs could be significantly eliminated if 100 percent participation in direct deposit and electronic pay stubs could be achieved.
Managing employee requests is a tall order, but employee self-service simplifies the process unlocking your workforce’s true potential. When you put your people first, you always win and so too will your business.