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Getting up to speed with employee self-service

By Shashi Laverick

In today’s web-centric world, waiting to speak with a Human Resource representative, or worse yet, waiting for a Human Resource Representative to get back to an employee with an answer, is simply not acceptable. Employees and Managers want information when they need it – not hours or days later. With a Human Resource Internet-based website, critical Human Resource information and processes can be available for employees and managers whenever and wherever they need them – at work or even at home.

The concept of employee self-service was born out of this drive for speed and efficiency. The idea was simply to:

• deliver relevant HR information to staff using dedicated computer stations or their normal work desktop, and

• allow them to perform simple HR functions (such as applying for annual leave) on-line.

Early ESS systems were based either entirely on touch-screen kiosks tied to corporate LANs, or interactive voice response (IVR) technology that enabled employees to use touch-tone telephones to access HR systems. But the proliferation of corporate intranets has accelerated acceptance of ESS and allowed integration with other corporate information delivery and customer relationship management systems.

The NSW Premier’s Department has examined the advantages of employee self-service and directed that State Government Departments begin to implement it. The Environmental Protection Authority is leading the way, with substantial progress already made on using its standard web browsers and internet connections to deliver relevant HR information to staff when and where they want it via an Intranet accessible to all employees.

The advantages of ESS systems

The advantages of an ESS implementation are clear. It can:

• Quickly guide employees to the tools and information they seek. This enhances the efficiency of HR processes, and can allow an organisation to offer additional services as well, using an HR website to provide links to external vendors and information.

• Increase employee satisfaction because workers can get answers to questions quicker.

• Reduce HR expense by reducing time spent handling routine administrative matters and performing data entry, significantly reducing the amount of paper forms distribution and processing, and virtually eliminating printing of forms.

• Allow management to communicate consistent messages to employees on a regular basis, or as needs arise. A web-browser provides an unprecedented opportunity to deliver highly relevant, media-rich information to each person in an organisation.

• Allow HR staff more time to coach, counsel, and develop employees and managers.

• Create a resource library for HR staff. This collaborative effort will also help management better serve their employees, since HR professionals will not need to wait to talk with a colleague to get an opinion about a situation – when they can quickly find the information on-line.

• Help measure the effectiveness of HR processes and communications. For example, when you post a critical announcement, you can immediately determine how widely read it becomes. If you see certain web pages accessed more frequently than you would expect, you may find that the information contained on those pages needs to be explained better. Other pages that are never accessed may be of little or no value – or in need of revision to make the information contained on them more widely understood. 

• Allow HR staff to spend less time administering day to day HR functions and more of their energy to support the strategic initiatives of the organization, such as finding and retaining key employees, identifying gaps between employee capabilities and organizational needs, and designing solutions to improve organisational performance and effectiveness.

• Drive accountability from HR to employees and managers. Information that was once centralized in the hands of a few, can now be delivered to everyone in the organisation through an HR website – without HR intervention required.

• Eliminate the confusion often found when there are multiple printed versions on hand throughout the organisation by keeping HR content, forms, and tools on a Human Resource website. There is less wasteful and costly trashing of old pre-printed forms or policy manuals. When anyone is in doubt, it’s understood that an HR website contains the most current document. This also helps improve consistency of policy application throughout the organisation.

Software and content

It’s one thing to decide to set up an HR website or full ESS system, but quite another to deliver meaningful information in a way that is usable or appropriate to staff needs. Importantly, it’s not always feasible to simply convert existing paper manuals and staff guides to an online environment.

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