Employee & Manager Self Service

What is Manager Self-Service?

With Human Resource departments being increasingly drawn into all aspects of a company’s work and needing to serve more employees and managers with less resources, many are looking at ways that managers can do HR tasks on their own or with the help of a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that the department outsources work to.

The basic idea behind Manager Self-Service is to give managers the information that they need without needing to contact Human Resources, so that the manager can better manage and direct their employees toward meeting departmental and strategic goals.

There are a number of areas that managers are typically being asked to play a larger role in information management including:

• Online Employee Information – many companies are now providing their managers with access to their HRIS system through online portals that allow managers to view and update certain information.  Typically this will include information, such as the employee’s address, dependent information, current job title and pay rate, benefit information, leave history, anniversary dates, birthdays, etc.
  
  The manager can be given permissions to either simply view the information, which can therefore reduce calls to HR when it is needed, or they can be given permission to update/change the information. In the second scenario, the information usually goes to a part of the system for HR to review quickly before it becomes final in the HRIS program. However, this can again reduce the calls/requests to HR for these minor changes and allow staff to focus on other tasks without interruption. This also allows the manager to have more up-to-date information about their team, as well as reducing the amount of paper that is being stored in their office, which leads to better confidentiality of the data.

• Recruiting Tools - This online portal can also be used for other purposes including managers opening their own staff requisitions when they need to hire a position or to review resumes of candidates that have been received by the HR department.  The portal may provide educational materials for managers on recruiting and hiring, including interview questions that may be appropriate, information on what to look for on a resume, how to check references, etc.  All of these materials and options can again reduce the need for HR staff to be involved in basic, repetitive projects and empower managers to get involved more fully in the recruitment of their team members.

• Performance Evaluations – managers are also being asked to take on a larger role in performance management of employees.  Many companies are going to feedback systems that may include a manager and an employee evaluation, peer or client reviews and more.  Managers and employees may be setting performance development plans that set goals and identify tasks that the employee is to participate in during an upcoming period.  The manager may be doing ongoing reviews and monitoring rather than only a yearly review.  All of these activities are allowing the focus of performance monitoring to move from strictly an HR task to a partnership and one that allows the manager to handle their team on their own more.

• Task/Project Management – companies are looking to managers to coordinate projects and tasks for their department and across departments.  Managers need to be given the tools necessary to do this and to reduce the amount of HR time that is spent assisting with the management of team members.  Managers should be empowered to make basic decisions about their projects and teams on their own and yet also know when to consult with HR or upper management about an issue.

• Business Intelligence Tools – managers are also being given more complex reporting and analyzing tools in order to better monitor and identify their team’s performance toward goals.  This can also include access to reports on various department metrics, such as turnover, headcounts, employee skill areas, etc.

All of these resources and tools allow managers to play a larger role in the development, management, and evaluation of their team on a self-service basis.  It also has the benefit of reducing the time that Human Resources must spend on tasks, such as looking up data or running reports, and instead allows them to become strategic partners with departments focusing on more important tasks and assisting in the success of the department and organization.

What is Employee Self-Service?

Human Resource departments are constantly looking for ways that employees can be given access to data and services on a self-serve basis and ways in which companies can use the services and resources of an outside vendors, such as a Professional Employer Organization (PEO).  This is becoming necessary as HR departments are being pulled in many directions and need to focus on strategic and management areas and moving beyond the old role of simply managing data and keeping files up to date.

The basic idea behind Employee Self-Service is to give employees the information that they need about themselves, their job performance, and their benefits and have the information at their fingertips without having to contact Human Resources, and through the use of applications and software tools that can be developed or purchased for use by the company.

There are a number of ways that this is typically occurring including:

• Access to Employee Handbooks – Companies are often outsourcing the development and updating of employee handbooks to PEOs.  The number of rules and regulations that companies are subject to is constantly changing and growing.  It can be difficult for a company to keep up-to-date on the information with everything else that they are doing, whereas the PEO can be focusing on those regulations and making necessary changes and alerting the company to policy changes that need to happen.
  
  Employees are now often being given access to employee handbooks and other company documents through the company's intranet in an attempt to reduce the amount of paper that is being produced and also make sure that employees always have access to the most current information that exists. This can reduce the likelihood of an employee getting into trouble for following an old policy and also give them access to the information anytime that they need it without having to go to the HR department.

• Access to Forms – employees are also being given online access to company forms that reduce the need to visit or contact HR for the form to be sent to them.  This allows the employee to complete the forms on computer, which can often then be sent directly to HR and transferred directly into the HRIS program without HR having to input the information themselves.  This can include address changes, dependent changes or additions, benefit changes and open enrollment processes, etc.

• Access to Benefit and Compensation Information – companies are also offering employees access to the benefit information online.  This can include the ability to review current benefits, obtain provider directories, benefit statements, etc., as well as the ability to complete benefit changes online, such as during a company’s open enrollment period.  The company can provide all information needed for the employee to make an informed decision about their choices, make the selections online, and then even print out the monthly premium costs and coverage information.  This can drastically reduce the amount of paperwork that is generated during an open enrollment period and allow the HR staff to spend their time on other strategic activities.
  
  Employees can also be given the ability to review their compensation information. For example, if a company provides pay checks only through direct deposit, the paycheck summary can be provided online for the employee to view each pay period, along with the ability to review vacation or paid time off accruals, request a W-2 reissue during tax time, etc. This can again reduce the amount of time that HR staff is involved in data management and pulling reports for individual employees on a walk-in/call-in basis.

• Access to Performance Information – many companies are now making performance reviews and data available to employees on an ongoing basis.  So rather than performance management being something that happens just once a year during an annual review, employees can be constantly reviewing objectives for their position and see how their manager is rating their performance.  This can reduce the miscommunications that can happen between an employee and a manager, which often result in HR staff becoming involved to settle disputes or resolve conflicts.

When these options are offered to employees, it can have great benefits to both the employee and the organization.  Employees can have up-to-date information whenever they need it and HR staff can be redeployed to other more strategic tasks that better impact the company’s success and reaching of goals that have been set.  It’s a win-win for everyone!

Employee Self Service - Outsourcing your human resources functions can save you time and money by allowing you to focus on your business. Workforce Solutions offers many hr packages to allow for employee self service. They can take care of most of their hr needs online or through us instead of your own hr department. We can provide customized emmployee handbooks, Cost-effective on-line training for managers and employees, Up-to-date and compliant employee and HR forms, documents and notifications - available on-line, I-9 documentation and management, Payment reconciliation and Federal 5500 Filings, Coordination of benefits enrollment and new-hire paperwork, Assistance with Benefits Claims, Assistance with State Unemployment Claims Administration, O.S.H.A. Compliance, Employee leave coordination (ADA, FMLA, Cobra, HIPAA, etc), Online Payroll Processing Services, Risk Management Services, Employee Benefits Packages, and other Online HR Administration Services. So if you want your employee to self service themselves give us a call today at 1.866.637.3900 or fill out the contact form to the right.

What is Employee Self Service?

Employee self service (ESS) is an increasingly popular way for companies to simplify human resource tasks. Based on the internet or a company intranet, employee self service systems allow workers to access benefits, payroll, human resource, and organizational administration information online. This frees human resources staff to focus on administrative obligations or more delicate HR duties, such as handling grievances or conducting interviews and recruiting. It also saves mounds of paperwork, and helps eliminate lost or incorrectly transcribed data. ESS has proven so effective that by 2007 nearly 9 out of 10 companies will offer web-based annual benefit enrollment for employees.

While developing and administering employee self service internally can be time consuming and costly, eating up resources an organization may not necessarily have, companies can save the hassle by outsourcing the responsibility to a Professional Employment Organization (PEO). A PEO will handle employee self service implementation and, if applicable, work closely with existing HR to make sure the system and its content is updated and properly administered. For an added measure of security, employee self service applications can be set up with user rights, allowing (or not allowing) employees and managers to update certain information. Here’s a closer look at the services employees can access:

1) Benefits. By logging on to their account, employees can get up-to-date information regarding benefits. Areas typically covered with employee self service include medical and dental enrollment, primary care physician selection, benefits inquiries, retirement plan transactions, stock purchase plan transactions, and flexible spending account selections. Critical information regarding 401K plans can be viewed quickly and easily and updates, such as contribution amounts, can be made as necessary.

Other than saving HR time in this area, ESS also saves employees the sometimes significant time investment of calling and speaking to insurance companies or even just logging on to their websites.

2) Payroll. Besides access to duplicate W-2s and exemption information, ESS also provides a trove of helpful financial information. ESS gives employees control over direct deposit for their paycheck and changes can be made to financial accounts and institutions, ensuring accuracy with deposits. Employees can view earnings history by pay period as well as a year-to-date summary of earnings, taxes, and other deductions. ESS also provides hours worked and vacation hours earned and used.

3) Human Resources. ESS eases the burden on HR by allowing for personal information updates and emergency contacts information, making sure HR has accessible and accurate information in case of emergency—no rummaging through files necessary. The software also allows for job postings and applications, dependant and beneficiaries maintenance, and employee training.

ESS has a significant impact in the area of training. By having an area for centrally managed content, HR (or an outsourced PEO) can ensure that employees are receiving the current and uniform content regarding risk management standards, OSHA requirements, and other federal and state requirements. In addition, employee handbooks can be posted and updated, allowing easy reference for seasoned employees as well as training for newcomers.

4) Organizational Administration. In the area of organizational administration, ESS handles I-9 employment verification, new hire paperwork, corporate policies, organizational charts, and employee directories. Employees have contact information at their fingertips, facilitating easier communication within the organization.

Another benefit of employee self service is more effective company-wide communications. Newsletters, surveys, calendars, and annual reports can be posted and announcements can be made on the system. Keeping communication information fresh and relevant not only keeps everyone informed, but it also helps ensure that employees use the system.

These are just a few of the benefits provided by employee self service systems. However a company chooses to utilize such a system, both human resources and other employees will experience significant time savings and have the ability to access up-to-date information in a multitude of areas, allowing them to focus on being productive employees and contributing to a more robust bottom line.