In this day and age, companies are constantly seeking ways to streamline their operations and optimize their workforce management by leveraging intuitive technology solutions, like self-service functionality in Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS).

With HRIS employee self-service tools, employees are enabled to manage their own HR-related tasks, including updating personal information or requesting time off, without the need for direct interaction with HR professionals.

This article will take a closer look at the key components and benefits of HRIS employee self-service software, as well as where our team of HRIS consultants can come in to help.

What is Employee Self-Service?

Employee self-service (ESS) refers to technology solutions that give employees power over their own workforce experiences. With ESS capabilities, employees are enabled to handle HR, IT, and other administrative tasks on their own, without the need for intervention from staff members in each department.

Employee self-service portals make it easier for employees and HR professionals to manage employee information, update personal contact information as needed, and complete job-related tasks with greater efficiency.

What is Manager Self-Service?

Manager self-service (MSS) involves the use of intuitive human resources management (HRM) technology to allow managers to access and manage employee information, perform tasks without assistance from members of your HR department, and initiate employee-related actions with ease.

With MSS functions, managers can perform essential tasks that previously required assistance from HR professions, including time-off requests, scheduling, and performance reviews, to help company leaders reduce time spent on manual processes in the long run.

Key Components of HRIS Self-Service Solutions

While HRIS employee self-service tools do offer support for a wide range of HR operations across the entire workforce in a single gateway, there are a few key components that are able to change and adapt as core HR systems evolve.

Here are the key components of self-service functionality in most HRIS solutions…

Time and Attendance

From allowing employees to track their own hours on any device with internet access to verifying time entries for payroll processing, placing vacation and time-off requests, and anything in between, an HRIS self-service portal can simplify time and attendance management across the board.

With a more efficient system and better data entry functions, HRIS self-service tools offer direct access to important time and attendance information and make it easier for your HR staff and other employees to manage time and reduce errors in the data.

Benefits Administration

ESS systems help employees in any kind of organization streamline their benefits open enrollment processes, including the management of key employee information during the open enrollment period, retirement investment plans, employee contributions, and more.

By leveraging self-service features, employees are enabled to browse and choose benefits packages that meet their individual needs and easily make changes to align their benefits choices with major life events that arise over time.

Human Resources Documentation

Uploading and signing documents, changing personal information, and updating documentation as company policies change can get pretty complicated without the right technology to support your employees. This is where HRIS self-service comes in to help.

With a comprehensive employee portal and functional self-service tools, employees and managers have a centralized source of truth for all policy documents and updates and are enabled to manage their own information wherever and whenever it’s needed.

Employee Training

Many ESS systems allow employees to access E-learning platforms and other employee development information to complete tasks and make it easier to keep everyone on the same page across teams.

From completing assigned tasks to participating in group learning courses, accessing study guides for certifications, and more, self-service portals make it easier for employees to learn, grow, and develop their skills over time.

Payroll Management

With self-service functionality, employees are able to view their most important pay information, including previous pay stubs, upcoming paychecks, and tax withholding and deduction amounts.

HRIS self-service tools simplify payroll management across the entire organization, reduce administrative burdens of printing and transferring hard copies, and allow employees to leverage direct deposit features to avoid physical records for payroll information.

Customized Notifications

With HRIS self-service, employees, managers, and other members of the human resources office can leverage automatic notifications to keep up with changes in employee shifts, holiday schedules, and other important data over time.

Managers are also enabled to notify employees about shift changes to keep everyone on the same page, give employees more control over their own experience, and improve employee satisfaction and engagement in the long run.

Main Advantages of a Self-Service Portal

Here are a few of the key benefits of HRIS employee self service tools for any organization…

1) Time Savings

Employees can access their HR-related information and perform HR-related tasks (such as updating personal information or requesting time off) without having to wait for HR staff to respond to their requests.

This not only saves employees valuable time by speeding up data entry processes, but also helps HR professionals save time required to complete administrative tasks across the organization.

2) Increased Data Accuracy

By allowing employees to manage their own HR-related information, the likelihood of data entry errors or miscommunication is reduced. This can help ensure that employee information is up-to-date and accurate, even when changes to employee information occur over time.

3) Improved Data Transparency

HRIS self-service tools provide employees with visibility into their HR-related information, benefits, payroll, and performance data. This helps to build trust between employees and their managers by providing transparency and a sense of control over their own information.

4) Enhanced Compliance

Self-service portals can help ensure that employees are able to comply with company policies and procedures, such as requesting time off or submitting expense reports, by providing clear guidelines and streamlined processes.

5) Cost-Effective Solutions

By reducing the need for HR staff to perform administrative tasks, HRIS self-service tools can help reduce labor costs for HR departments. They also help minimize the risk of errors, which saves companies quite a bit of money in the long run.

Examples of Self-Service Across HR Systems

HRIS self-service tools enable employees to access and manage their personal HR-related information, such as benefits, payroll, and performance data, without interacting with HR staff directly. And, self-service portals are available in many different HR systems, including…

  • Workday: Workday’s self-service portal simplifies data management for employees and managers and offers pre-built access to a functional mobile application, giving users the opportunity to view time-off balances, update personal information, access their Workday inbox, and more.
  • UKG: Self-service features in UKG make it easier for employees to handle HR and administrative tasks, access information whenever and wherever it’s needed, and manage critical login information. Users can leverage tools like the UKG Pro Portal, My UKG Support, and UKG Account Help to ensure their solution is aligned with their needs.
  • Infor Lawson: With service-service tools, Infor users can access key HR information, including pay stubs, schedules, and personal contact information, configure application and user IDs, complete web forms, and perform HR-related tasks anytime, anywhere.

How Can We Help?

Whether you need help outlining a plan to help your HR systems keep up with the functionality that evolving corporate cultures require, additional support implementing a self-service option into your HR system, or just an extra hand getting your employees acclimated to new self-service tools, Surety Systems is here to help.

Our team of senior-level HRIS consultants has the skills and experience needed to help your organization leverage self-service technology to improve efficiency, increase productivity, and align employee operations with organizational goals.

Getting Started with Our Team

Interested in learning where our team of HRIS consultants can fit in your organization?

Ready to get started with HRIS self-service tools, but don’t know where to begin?

Contact us today for more information about our HRIS consulting services!