What to Love about Employee Self-Service (ESS)

Through the years, we have experienced a power shift in customers who now play a more active role in the market and have stronger control over their personal information. We’ve seen self-service in buffets and in fast-food restaurants, but were still awed by the rise of the consumer-dominated market which came as fast as the burgeoning ATM machines, self-service kiosks and portals.

With this, businesses must not forget that they have internal and external customers, and the focus on the latter should not overshadow the former.

A business’ internal customers consist of its employees who are the lifeblood of the organization and the ones behind the products and services loved and enjoyed by external customers.

This connection demonstrates the similarities between the two. Employees, like external customers, have evolved in the information and technology age and now prefer to be engaged and take an active role in the organization.

One way to engage employees is through Employee Self-Service (ESS) which is a tool through which they can access their information and make certain HR transactions transmit, like requesting time off, changing their schedule, and generating their paystub. Studies show that 73% of full-time employees in the U.S. expect their employers to provide high-level employee self-service (ESS).

Here are the things that you and your employees will love about ESS.

Why Your Employees Will Love It

  1. It empowers them.

empower

Employee empowerment grants your workforce autonomy to act independently and a certain degree of control in their daily activities by providing them support and resources. It greatly impacts employee satisfaction and engagement.

ESS allows employees to:

  • Monitor their daily time record, leave accruals, etc.;
  • Check their employee information, schedule, and paystub;
  • Request for leave, change their schedule, and many more.

 

  1. They have control over their information.

have control

Through Employee Self-Service, employees can have access to complete and accurate time tracking and payroll. Furthermore, they can easily rectify any inaccuracy or error in their profile information.

  1. It is accessible.

accessible

Since ESS is a web-based tool, employees can access their dashboards and submit applications anytime, anywhere.

Why You Will Love It

  1. It allows you to focus on more critical tasks.

Focus on Tasks

One survey found that 23% of HR and business leaders spend over 11 hours a week on payroll and benefits administration. While these and other administrative tasks are necessary, they take up too much time that could have been spent on HR strategy.

ESS is one of the solutions that can be utilized by employers to reduce people paperwork and make your HR team more efficient.

  1. It provides up-to-date and accurate employee records.

employee records

Paper-based and manual processes run the risk of human error. On the other hand, ESS can increase data accuracy since the employees can update and rectify their information themselves. Thus, you’ll have up-to-date and accurate records and database.

 

  1. You can get rid of redundant questions.

redundant questions

You won’t have to spend time answering employees’ redundant questions about their leave balances, contributions, or if their applications have been approved, since employees have access to this information (and more) on their ESS dashboards.

 

  1. It is cost-saving.

cost-saving

You may not notice minute details on your expenses like paper and printer ink but money spent on these in the long run can amount to more. Paperless transactions through ESS can save you thousands of dollars on office supplies. Moreover, because it streamlines some HR transactions, you’re sure to get more of your employees’ valuable time on revenue-generating strategies and tasks.

Do You Need An ESS?

Any business, no matter how small, will benefit from an Employee Self-Service system, especially those struggling with day-to-day time keeping, leave and benefits management, and data management. However, with a ton of ESS systems out there with different features and functionalities, it is important to identify which one will best serve your needs based on the size of your business and manpower. Talk to us today and we will help you get started and find the right solution!

Contact Payroll