One of the attractive features of a human resource information system (HRIS) is the employee self-service portal. Such portals provide employees and their managers with access to select information such as their emergency contacts, job information, events, and skills. An employee can usually view and update their address and emergency contacts, view medical and other benefits and savings plans and even access their pay advices in some cases. Some portals allow staff to manage their time off with requests and approvals and provide access to balances of their vacation and sick plans. An employee portal should be the one website that employees use to access links to other web programs and company policies.
Many companies find to their surprise that employees continue to call the human resources office even after the launch of sophisticated HRIS platforms with self-service portals build in. If you find that the human resources manager is still the ‘go to’ person even when the self-service portal in an HRIS is activated, it’s time to assess the situation.
The first question to answer is “why”: why aren’t employees using the self-service portal? Your own team’s answers may vary, and it is helpful to ask them directly why they continue to call the HR department when they now have access to the information directly. A few common reasons include:
If none of these tips help, check your HRIS itself. Make sure that the self-service portal does, in fact, do what it purports to do. All of the information in the system should be complete and up-to-date. If employees find the information is incorrect or out dated, they will lose faith in the system.
Develop a simple system for reporting problems in the new system. Create a form so that people can easily report problems and include all of the pertinent information for problem-solving.
Lastly, talk to your HRIS vendor if you have any ongoing issues or problems. Your HRIS consultant or vendor can help you trouble-shoot any vexing issues that may be separating your team from successful implementation and use of the self-service portal.
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