Employee self-service—The new normal

Author: Ian Hurst — Managing Director, Paymaster People Solutions

Employee self-service

Employee self-service (ESS) in its most basic form, is the ability for employees to apply for leave, collect their payslips and manage their own employee-data details. Employees can log in via a secure virtual private network (VPN) or a secure website in order to proceed with the management of their personal employee-data. By transferring accountability for the self-management of employee-data, ESS empowers your employees.

The new normal

With older legacy HR systems, the former way of managing employee-data is fast-becoming outdated. What was once normal in the past, is no longer considered normal anymore. Nowadays, the new normal is to implement the preferred alternative: an online cloud-based HR system. Cloud-based HR systems facilitate employee-access from any information and communication technology (ICT) device. This kind of functionality is the new bare minimum—businesses and human resources professionals expect nothing less.

5 Reasons why the new normal is important

It is the new reality. In other words, it is an expectation. This is not mere future reality that is yet to materialise. On the contrary, this is the present reality where employees are expected to manage their own employee-data. All your competitors live by this new reality too. Think of it like you would think of your access to WiFi: you just use it, taking it almost for granted. But when your WiFi service is unavailable, then suddenly you are lost with no connection to the world around you.
Talent retention. Nobody will resign from your company simply because you do not have ESS. However, ESS may indirectly influence the employee who has been frustrated with trying to get information about their current or past payslips, or other such employee-related information. In today’s business-world where talent is a scarce commodity, you need to do everything you can to keep employee retention high.
No longer does an HR clerk/assistant need to capture or change employee details. Instead, full onus rests with the employee to ensure that his/her employee details are updated and correct at all times. Accordingly, correct employee details will always feature on the latest employee payslip. This makes the employee’s life a lot easier and enhances your employer reputation too.
Instant society. Contemporary societal norms are such that virtually everybody demands instant access to their personal information—whether it be employee-related, or just in general. For example, nowadays a person can apply for a personal financial-loan at 2am in the morning. With ease of information access like this, the same expectation applies to employee-data within the workplace. Applying and waiting for an HR administrator to release information about an employee’s personal records is long-gone.
Allows more time for your HR administrators to concentrate on important tasks. No longer will your HR administrators need to spend time printing payslips or answering queries about leave balances. Instead, the task focus for the HR administrator is now allowed to shift towards payroll analysis and trend reporting. After all, these tasks have far more of an impact on the profitability of your business than ever before. So it just makes sense that their time and energy be focused on these areas too.

The bottom-line

The bottom-line is this: If your business is not already living the new normal, then you might need to consider preparing the way for your business to transition towards the implementation and usage of employee self-service functionality that comes with an online cloud-based HR system that you truly can rely on.

Should you wish to find out more, why not login to the Paymaster online demo version—accessible here: https://paymaster.payus.co.za/CMS/Default.aspx

Username: info@paymaster.co.za

Password: Honesty1!

For more in-depth information why not talk to Ian today.

Email: ian@paymaster.co.za

Paymaster People Solutions. Smart, Simple, Secure. Payroll Software Simplified.

Paymaster People Solutions (Pty) Ltd is a subsidiary of Grant Thornton Advisory Services Cape (Pty) Ltd
Grant Thornton Advisory Services Cape (Pty) Ltd is a member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd

Employee self-service—The new normal