Employees don’t just want great technology; they expect it. After all, so many of our collective interactions today are digitally enhanced. Think of how you:
- shop
- watch movies and TV
- check your bank account
- interact with friends
All of these actions and countless others are available online and in the palm of our hands — some through a single app! It’s natural for employees to expect this level of convenience from their workplaces, too.
And organizations that consistently deliver what top talent want see big returns. According to Gallup, companies with intentional recruitment and development strategies are over twice as likely to have grown 10% over the past two years.
Though what defines a quality experience is evolving, no one succeeds with outdated software and processes. Self-service HR tech boosts companywide efficiency and empowers employees by involving them with the data they know best, like their compensation, development and more! But to truly satisfy and engage your people, these tools have to be right.
Identifying and providing the tech employees want gives proactive organizations a competitive edge in recruitment and retention. After all, 67% of employees said they would take a pay cut for twice-better workplace tech, according to a OnePoll survey. But in the same study, just as many workers said they don’t believe their company prioritizes digital transformation.
To uncover how self-service tech supports a great experience, we first need to understand its current state. Then we’ll see how this relates to — and exceeds — employees’ expectations.
Why do businesses need self-service HR tech?
Every process has the potential to become faster, leaner and more accurate. The simpler a task becomes, the easier it is for us to work and live. But speed isn’t the only benefit of great technology. After all, speed isn’t valuable if every employee can’t easily access and understand their data.
For example, let’s consider the one thing that affects every employee, no matter their industry or title: a paycheck. A business doesn’t exist (at least not for very long) without a consistent way to pay employees. But even if they’re paid on time, this doesn’t mean payroll’s perfect.
Small mistakes carry huge consequences. In a separate OnePoll survey, 91% of HR professionals agreed payroll errors damage an employee’s trust in their organization. If an employee doesn’t believe their company can accurately pay them, they won’t have the confidence to establish a career. Imagine if an employee had to choose between refilling their prescription or buying food because of an untimely payroll error. The last thing they’ll be thinking about is their future at a company with a problematic process.
And even if payroll is technically correct, employees still need to see how their pay is calculated. The ability to anticipate and plan around life — for child care, an unexpected emergency and more — is crucial, especially to the 203 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck.
What if there was a way to decrease a business’s liability and boost engagement?
Peace of mind is as priceless as insight. Your people gain both with an employee-driven payroll experience that guides them to find and fix errors before payroll runs. Self-service tech connects them with every piece of their HR life cycle, including:
- time
- benefits
- expenses
- performance reviews
- and more
But it isn’t enough to just connect employees with this data. In fact, if everything they manage is divided across multiple disjointed systems — each with a separate login — it’s unlikely they’ll use the tools you provided them.
With self-service payroll, employees review, verify, troubleshoot and approve everything that makes up their paycheck before it hits their bank account. This capability is even better when it’s available through one easy-to-use app with a single login and password. In turn, employees have the assurance and confidence they need to focus on their work.
Self-service tech makes life easier for HR professionals, too. When employees enter and confirm the accuracy of their data, HR doesn’t have to invest countless hours into:
- data reentry
- guesswork
- fixing erroneous information
- retroactively correcting mistakes
Instead, HR has a greater opportunity to understand the workforce on a deeper level and develop programs that boost the employee experience. For one aviation company’s HR department, self-service tech reduced payroll processing time from three full working days to just four hours.
Technology should never work against those who use it. After all, if it’s not helping us accomplish more, is it even worth using?
Exceeding expectations with self-service HR tech
Candidates hold the leverage in today’s job market. They’re inundated with offers from organizations still reeling from the impact of the Great Resignation. Top talent don’t have to settle for anything; they have the power to choose.
But that’s OK. The right self-service HR tech works with this agency by granting employees more control and flexibility over their work lives. It empowers them to:
- manage their own data
- build a development journey
- provide important feedback
- ask questions without knowing whom to ask
- understand their place in an organization
Consider how self-service tech raises the quality of an employee’s experience in these four areas:
1. Automation
Automating everyday processes helps employees use their time more efficiently. For example, a new hire could enter their basic information before their first day. 
As a result, they hit the ground running and can quickly develop themselves and grow comfortable in their new workplace.
2. Collaboration
Self-service tech is a great platform for communication. Be it for evaluation or responding to surveys, employees have multiple chances to be heard. This builds a sense of trust and transparency throughout an entire business.
3. Speed
With streamlined processes, HR professionals have time to focus on the needs of their workforce. And employees don’t have to sit in the dark while they wait for questions to be answered.
4. Insight
Knowledge is valuable to everyone in a business. Giving employees insight into their HR data and encouraging them to take a proactive part in their organization — especially through accessible software — eliminates doubt they may have about the importance of their work. In fact, greater understanding helps them identify how to make a larger impact.
Remember, don’t assume what employees want. Ask them! This’ll help you ensure the self-service tech you secure is right for your current and future workforce.
To learn more about the connection between self-service tech and the employee experience, watch our on-demand webinar. And explore Paycom’s easy-to-use app to see how it exceeds employee expectations.
DISCLAIMER: The information provided herein does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional legal, tax, accounting or other professional advisers. Before making any decisions or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation and for your particular state(s) of operation.
