Increase HR’s Efficiency With ESS
There’s never a dull day in the life of a Human Resource (HR) and Payroll (PR) professional. From new hires and leave balance inquiries to payroll and W-2s, you handle frequent requests that interrupt your day. In fact, research shows that each interruption causes you to lose focus for at least 25 minutes per interruption. With today’s technology there’s a better way to save valuable time and money all while giving your employees instant access to the information they need.
Employee Self Service
If you’re looking for ways to make your HR and PR departments more efficient, then you’ll want to take a look at an Employee Self-Service (ESS) portal. According to the Society of Human Resource Management,“costs decline as employers consolidate redundant information and web pages, and productivity improves as employees spend less time looking for the information they need.” Not only does an ESS solution increase your HR and PR team’s efficiencies, but it also provides a user-friendly and paperless way to communicate important information with employees.
Direct Deposits and Pay Stubs
Did you know it costs between $2.50 – $5.00 per employee to print a check? Although most employers have moved to direct deposit, many public organizations still print paper checks. In comparison, ACH costs an average of $.35 or less per pay check according to NACHA. Given these numbers an organization with 25 employees would save at least $2,000 a year with direct deposit. And, an organization that pays 100 employees would save at least $7,000 a year. What if you already use direct deposit? Even if you’re only printing pay stubs these costs still add up.
Moving to an ESS solution can help you make the transition to direct deposit and electronic pay stubs. This way employees can view their pay check history and information as well as their earning statements.
Do you receive multiple requests for paycheck copies for loan applications? Employees can easily access and print this information from an ESS solution, which saves valuable time for both your employees and HR and PR professionals. Direct deposit changes can also be placed in an ESS solution, saving employees a trip to your office and paper and printing costs.
W-2s, W-4s, and 1099s
More and more employers are moving to electronic notification of W-2s and 1099s. An ESS solution provides electronic copies of W-2s and 1099s which can also be easily printed and saved. Demographic changes and changes to W-4s can be made, routed and then approved by the appropriate departments, and ultimately flow into your payroll system.
Leave Management
Many employers struggle with the task of keeping up with employees’ leave and time off. Do you receive numerous requests during vacation and holiday season because employees lost their pay stubs with leave balance information? How do you handle lost paper leave requests or when a paper leave form is returned weeks after the coordinating payroll? Have you ever been notified an employee was out on extended leave days after he has returned?
An ESS solution can help simplify the leave management process. Employees can easily view their available leave and leave history without contacting anyone for assistance. A leave request can also be placed and routed to the appropriate manager(s) or supervisor(s) to be approved or denied. Integration with your payroll software updates your system and eliminates duplicate data entry.
Employee Engagement
Adding an ESS solution empowers employees to locate important information quickly without assistance from managers and other HR and PR staff. It also increases communication and transparency between employees and your organization. Instead of waiting hours for assistance, employees can easily view and make changes without a trip to another department. ESS solutions can also be available anywhere and anytime. This is an added convenience as it keeps employees from having to return to the office, especially if they work a position that’s always on the go.
Cost Savings
An ESS solution can help your organization saves thousands of dollars a year in paper costs and lost time. In fact, an ESS solution normally pays for itself in the first year.
Want to Learn About Harris’ Employee Self Service Solution?
Visit our ESS page to learn more and view a short demo video.
Resources:
Society for Human Resource Management Article
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/leveraging-value-of-employee-self-service-portals.aspx
