Juggling Communication and Technology

Finding a balance between face–to–face communication and using self–service to send important messages to your staff is a constant juggling act especially when employers are cutting corners to reduce workforce costs. Fortunately, self–service applications make it easier for HR to manage day–to–day communications, which gives you more time to address complex issues.

Companies using self–service have seen a 50% improvement in employee satisfaction and the average usage rate is 97.5%, according to the 2004 Cedar Workforce Technology Survey. A web self–service application can be non–interactive, like a corporate intranet, or a fully interactive web self–service portal. The self–service portal is typically found within a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) or through a third–party solution provider.

The primary benefit to using an interactive self–service application is to empower your employees and managers by giving them access to the information they need, when they need it. With benefits, personal information, performance reviews, salary data and corporate policies readily available, your employees and managers can become much more efficient in their daily work.

Our society, as a whole, is moving toward self–service. We all have the option of pumping our own gas or using self–checkout at the grocery store. If it means less hassle and saving time, most of us are happy to elect the self–service option. This is typically the same for employees in the workplace. When given the choice between looking up information on their own, or sending an email to HR or Payroll and waiting for an answer, most employees would gladly use self–service. With an interactive self–service application, your employees can jump online to:

• Check paid time off accruals
• Read and review corporate policies
• Enroll in or check a benefit plan
• Submit or approve a performance review or salary adjustment
• Download or submit forms
• Look up or modify emergency contact information
• Update 401(k) or flexible spending contributions

Empowering employees, managers, or applicants with self–service gives HR more time to focus on the complex questions or issues that arise. Increases in productivity emerge throughout the company, ultimately impacting your company’s bottom line. Face–to–face interactions between HR and employees become more meaningful.

Five years ago, many self–service portals were expensive. Today, the demand is driving prices down to make it affordable for companies of any size. Companies that implement self-service typically see an ROI in less than two years, according to the Cedar survey. This ROI comes from a variety of areas.

First, your employees have the ability to quickly look up information online, eliminating the need to rely on HR to answer general questions. Second, an online system cuts down on paper costs because forms, internal newsletters, and corporate policies can be posted or submitted electronically. Third, processing time is reduced because information is automatically captured in the system, which eliminates duplicate data entry. Fourth, the likelihood of a mistake occurring during data entry decreases because the employee is entering the information making it more accurate and complete. Fifth, managers have instant access to data, which saves them time because they don’t have to go through multiple people to get an answer. Finally, with self–service, managers have immediate access to information for their direct reports.

In the end, a complete web self–service application improves communication. The face–to–face interaction may be eliminated for general inquires because employees are empowered to independently use self–service to answer their own questions. However, HR can still have interpersonal interaction when critical issues arise. Companies using self–service will see an increase in efficiency and cost savings because activities are streamlined and paper products used for corporate communications are significantly reduced. Working with your executive staff and employees to understand their needs will assist you in building an effective self–service portal for your company.