The field and function of HR is undergoing a digital transformation. Employee self-service is one critical technology option changing the workplace – one that HR can leverage to be even more strategic while further empowering its workforce.
According to Sierra-Cedar HR Systems 2018-2019 Survey, 78% of respondents currently use self-service applications in their organizations. That number is expected to rise to 87% in the next year as HR leaders implement such tech to engage employees, increase productivity, decrease labor costs and give their workforce direct and mobile access to their personal data.
We invited Dave Zielinski, business journalist for HR magazine and the Society for Human Resource Management, to join an episode of our HR Break Room podcast. Here are three key takeaways from our conversation.
1. Remove duplicated work
Self-service technology gives employees the opportunity to take care of their own HR tasks with great efficiency – anytime, anywhere. Employees “can conduct standard HR-related transactions much faster or access information at any time around the clock, not just during work hours,” Zielinski said. “So it gives them 24/7 access to pay stubs, to request time off and to swap shifts with co-workers.” Employees are not beholden to the traditional work schedule or the availability of an HR employee to access and update their information.
Employees also can check their PTO accruals, review past performance reviews and access benefits information – after all, it’s their information.
HR also benefits from the “twofold” value of self-service apps. HR managers are free to focus on strategic matters, such as recruiting talent for hard-to-find positions, developing programs to close skill gaps or creating succession plans. With employees entering and accessing their data themselves, HR no longer has to allocate staff or time to handle these routine transactions or repeatedly answer those FAQs.
2. Improve the employee experience and productivity
With the nation’s unemployment rate currently low, a great employee experience is more critical now than ever for retaining top talent. Companies are starving for talent, and workers have even more opportunities to move.
Every aspect of an employee’s experience at your workplace matters when competition is this close. Self-service tech creates convenience workers love, mirroring the applications and tools they use in their personal lives for things like shopping, paying for coffee and making reservations.
Simplified HR technology – within one application – removes barriers, challenges and confusion for employees. And that helps them focus on the jobs they were hired to do!
3. Become a more strategic business partner
When HR removes itself from the middle of employees and their data, they can use that time to focus on initiatives, drive employee engagement and ultimately lead to a more productive workforce. Paycom clients can take advantage of Direct Data Exchange®, a revolutionary tool that pinpoints where employees could complete more of their own tasks, freeing HR to focus on strategy instead.
Increased efficiencies can help position HR as a strategic partner to the C-suite, and lead to even greater long-term business results. Zielinski noted that HR can use their additional time to “work with line managers to develop plans and strategies to work on policies and practices that help improve diversity in a company or reduce problems like the incidence of sexual harassment.”
Listen to our full conversation with Zielinski on episode 54 of the HR Break Room podcast, “HR as Intended: The Value of Employee Self-Service.”