Any friction HR can remove to help employees do their jobs more efficiently is greatly appreciated. Going back and forth with HR to change an address or update direct deposit information not only takes employees away from doing the job they were hired to do, it creates frustration.
But with the right technology, employees are empowered to access and update their HR info anytime, anywhere. Here are eight employee frustrations that could be easily eliminated with the right HR tech.
Searching for PTO information
Let’s say you just found out your brother is engaged and is planning a wedding in the fall. Plus, you already have a trip planned for next month. You’ll need at least two days off for the wedding, but you’re already taking off five days for your trip. And you used two days last month because you were sick. Will you have enough PTO for the wedding festivities?
It can be overwhelming to remember how many days you’ve accrued and how many you’ll have left for future trips. The last thing you want to do is ask your manager or HR to check this information, especially since you haven’t finalized plans.
But with the right HR tech, you can easily see exactly how much PTO you’ve accrued and used all from your smartphone, without having to ask a single soul.
Managing expenses
Correctly recording expenses and getting reimbursed for them in a timely manner is important for you and your company. If your current method for managing expenses involves sticky notes, wrinkled receipts or piles of paper, you could lose track of an important transaction, causing headaches and delaying reimbursement.
With a robust expense management tool, you can easily snap a photo and submit expenses right from your phone. And if you log miles for work, you can track them directly in the app and tie them to the trip you will need to expense. Plus, approved submissions will go straight to payroll so you don’t have to worry about getting reimbursed in a timely manner.
Updating personal information
Changing your address or making sure your paycheck goes to a new bank account shouldn’t require multiple phone calls and emails to HR. You also shouldn’t have to depend on another person to update your personal information and risk not getting your paycheck or W-2 due to a data-entry error.
Plus, sharing your bank account information on a paper form, through email or even by text message is risky. Don’t put yourself in the position of sharing your personal information with people at your company if you’re not the one entering it into a secure system.
Having the ability to update important information in real time, from the privacy of your own device, gives you peace of mind knowing the change was made securely and correctly right away.
Chasing down benefit information
You think you signed up for the buy-up dental but can’t remember. And now you have to get a crown, which isn’t going to be cheap. What is your deductible, anyway?
With an easy-to-use app, you can see everything you signed up for during benefits enrollment, which is not only helpful when using your benefits, but extra helpful during the next enrollment. Seeing the benefits you chose the year before while choosing new benefits helps you evaluate what worked and what needs to change.
It can also be difficult (and require a lot of math) to figure out how all the deductions you choose will impact your paycheck. With the option to test a sample paycheck, you can see exactly what your paycheck would look like once you’ve added dependents, pet insurance and/or the other benefits your employer offers.
Using multiple platforms
No one wants to download a bunch of apps for work, and yet a Deloitte report revealed the average large corporation has 15 systems of record!
That’s 14 too many! Using an app to check things like PTO and your time sheet, another app to see how much you’re going to get paid, another app for learning opportunities and compliance training, and yet another for choosing benefits — it’s too much.
Knowing you can access all that information and more in one place with one password is a game-changer of efficiency.
Tracking hours and schedules
Your paycheck seems a little off this month, and you can’t figure out why. You go through the calendar to try to remember if you took off extra time, but now it’s been three weeks and you just can’t remember.
When tracking time in an app, you can see the hours worked on a timesheet not just for this week, but for weeks in the past. And you can have the ability to easily swap shifts right from your phone. If you see you’re scheduled on a day you forgot to request off, all you have to do is open the app and see who can trade with you.
Retaining important information
Lose those questions for your performance review in your inbox or printed piece of paper in your desk drawer? If your employer uses a performance management system that records all of this information, you can easily reference it anytime.
No more forwarding yourself emails to try to remember what has happened. Whether your review is handled monthly, quarterly, annually or otherwise, you can quickly access your previous reviews at any time to prepare for your next one. That way, you can make sure to directly address your manager’s comments and how you’ve made progress in any areas where improvements were needed.
Disorganized communication
When you do need to ask your company a specific question, it should be easy. Maybe you’re unsure how to add your spouse to your insurance after getting married or have questions about a flexible spending account. Without knowing who exactly to contact, you could email a handful of people before getting to the right person.
With a tool like Paycom’s Ask Here, you can open a conversation with HR or anyone within the company right from your smartphone to quickly get the answer you need.
If any of these frustrations sound familiar, ask your manager or HR team to request a demo with Paycom.
