As a result of new advances in technology including the rapid rise in popularity of devices such as smartphones and tablets along with powerful wireless internet connections, more and more businesses are implementing employee self service solutions with their payroll software to enhance productivity.
To shed some light on why this is the case and to introduce you to how these systems are revolutionising the way payroll departments function, included below are a few of the advantages that ESS solutions are bringing to companies.
Reduce the administrative workload.
Employee self service solutions give staff the ability to view and amend their information including personal, contact and bank details. By transferring the responsibility of maintaining accurate records of these details from payroll personnel to each individual staff member, employee self service portals can successfully reduce the severe administrative burden that many payroll professionals face every day. The process of leveraging a business’s entire workforce to maintain staff records by giving employees the control to change their own information also often facilitates a higher level of accuracy.
Email coordination of leave applications and approvals.
Quick, easy application and approval of leave is made possible with the use of ESS systems. Employees are able to forecast leave amounts and submit applications online anytime, anywhere, triggering the sending of automatic email alerts to managers for approval. The mobility and convenience this provides to staff, as well as the expedited application/approval process that occurs as a result of the automated workflows that ESS software possess promotes a more engaged workforce. Once again, administrative duties are also kept to a minimum with details of approved leave being imported directly into payroll software for the next pay cycle when using integrated systems.
Minimise paper-based processes.
The benefits of replacing numerous paper-based processes such as leave applications as well as payslips with online substitutes using employee self service solutions are numerous. Time-consuming data entry by payroll and HR staff is no longer required. The occurrence of common errors such as lost application slips or incomplete contact details forms become a thing of the past. The allowance of employees to view and print their pay advices also dispels any need for staff requests for pay information or copies of previous payslips. Additionally, another obvious advantage of switching to paperless methods is the consequent positive effect on a business’s carbon footprint.
Enhance the mobility of your workforce.
Many businesses often rely on broad networks of employees across multiple locations to successfully carry out their operations. This scenario is often accompanied by its own unique set of challenges, none more prevalent than the need to efficiently gather data such as start and finish times to accurately process the payroll. The integration of an employee self service solution featuring mobile timesheet entry capability with a payroll software system greatly simplifies this conundrum. Giving staff the ability to input their own timesheet data online, coupled with the widespread use of smartphones and tablets with internet capability, means critical timesheet information can be compiled quickly from several different sites.
