Employee self-service
What is employee self-service?
Employee self-service is an online HR tool that allows employees to independently access, track, manage, complete, and update their personal information and HR-related tasks on the go, reducing their reliance on HR teams. With an employee self-service portal, employees typically have access to the information 24/7. It's usually part of the company's HR software system and managed by the HR team.
What are the benefits of having an employee self-service portal?
Here are some of the key benefits that come with adopting an employee self-service portal for your organization:
Efficiency:
Since employees manage their HR tasks independently, HR teams can take their minds off routine tasks and focus on other strategic initiatives.
Time-saving:
Since an employee self-service portal cuts down on back-and-forth communication, it saves a lot of time for both employees and HR teams.
Accessibility:
Employees can access all their key information—including their attendance data, leave information, payroll data, and more—on the go.
Autonomy:
Self-service portals empower employees to manage their own information, providing them with 24/7 access to everything that's absolutely necessary. Having control over their information gives employees a greater sense of autonomy.
Accuracy:
Since employees can update their information by themselves, the employee self-service portal plays a huge role in keeping HR-related information updated.
Better compliance:
Since most self-service tasks are automated so employee information remains updated and accurate, organizations can keep compliance issues at bay.
How does an employee self-service portal work?
Most of the time, employee self-service portals come as part of an organization's HRMS. Sometimes, they can work independently as part of a company's intranet, too. Each employee is given a unique login credential they can use to access the portal. Based on the role the employee holds in the organization, they can access and manage any information that's relevant to them. Self-service portals come with an intuitive dashboard that lets employees complete all HR-related tasks seamlessly.
What can employees do with an employee self-service portal?
With an employee self-service portal, employees can manage:
Personal information:
Employees can update their personal information, including name, address, contact numbers, and educational background.
Leave:
Employees can apply for leave, track their leave request's status, view their leave balance, access their holiday list, and perform other leave-related tasks.
Attendance:
Employees can mark their attendance, submit attendance regularization requests, and track their working hours.
Timesheets:
Employees can log time spent on different projects, create timesheets, submit timesheets for review, generate invoices for clients, and more.
Payroll:
Employees can view their pay slips, submit income tax documents, claim reimbursements, see their salary deductions, and get their PF details.
Benefits:
Employees can view details about their benefits plan, enroll in benefits, and update any required information.
Performance:
Employees can add goals, track their goal progress, complete their self-appraisals, view performance ratings (if applicable), track and provide feedback, view performance reports, and more.
Learning:
Employees can enroll in their training programs, take online classes, view training resources, provide and receive feedback, participate in discussions, submit assignments, and complete assessments.
Documents:
Employees can access company documents—including policies, handbooks, contracts, and letters—and upload their personal documents.
Communication:
Employees can view company announcements, participate in discussions with their peers, take part in company-wide town halls, complete surveys, and more.
Can employees access the employee self-service portal on mobile?
Employees can usually access their self-service portal on mobile. Many portals come with an intuitive mobile application that empowers employees with most of the same HR-related tasks as the desktop version. These mobile applications often send out notifications to employees, reminding them to complete tasks like applying for leave, marking attendance, submitting timesheets, and managing requests.
What should an effective employee self-service portal include?
An effective employee self-service portal should be easy to navigate and user-friendly so that employees can easily find the information they're looking for. Employees should be able to personalize the portal based on their preferences, and it should be fully functional on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. It should have robust security measures in place to protect and manage employee information and HR-related tasks in a way that complies with laws and regulations.
