HR is increasingly being seen as executive rather than administrative and a profit centre rather than a cost centre. Central to this movement has been an effort aimed at putting the administration of HR data into the hands of those closest to it, employees. Ian Mason General Manager at Frontier, explores.
Never before has electronic communication been so readily available. News, views and working procedures – all at the touch of a button, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The majority of today’s workforce expects access to instant technology whether it’s on a mobile phone or tablet device. It won’t be long before everyone has access to this technology and it will revolutionise working practices as never before. Organisations will be able to better manage employees, monitoring their activities on a daily, hour by hour and minute by minute basis. 2011 has been the year in which the Human Resource function has embraced the mobile app and all things online – something that is only set to continue and grow into 2012 and beyond. This is simply because of the way technology is evolving, people are increasingly relying on their mobile phones to manage their day-to-day lives. So much so, such technology will be needed for organisations to be able to run employee self-service functions and similar HR activities.
“The emphasis will shift to the employee as it will be their responsibility to input the information correctly. It really will be the case of nowhere to hide. Even though it’s been 28 years since the year 1984, it looks as though Big Brother will really be here”
Current austerity measures are pushing organisations to look for savings as never before. It’s not just the technology that’s driving change. HR professionals are constantly challenged to improve efficiency and control costs whilst meeting higher employee expectations for quality service. The growing demand for home and flexible working is also pushing the need to connect with employees. Self-service remains a critical pillar of HR service delivery and continues to grow in use and sophistication. Self-service has emerged as the workhorse of HR service delivery, a staple that’s helping organisations achieve their basic needs. Research has shown the more an organisation deploys self service, the more effectively and efficiently HR services are delivered to employees. Also, manager self service (MSS) has joined employee self service as a key part of an organisation’s approach to delivering HR, benefit and reward programmes for everything from traditional core benefits to performance management services.
An organisation of the future will have a smaller HR function as all of its employees, from drivers to road sweepers, from cleaners to managers, from developers to directors all using ESS and MSS applications via their mobile phones. There is already the technology to pay for items from a smart/android phone and it won’t be long before an employee has to use the video calling facility to “clock in and out” as well as report from his or her location throughout the working day. Video conferencing and Skype™ calls are becoming the norm in everyday working life so it will obviously extend to all of the workforce and not just office based employees.
ESS/MSS will become the main conduit enabling employees to communicate with the organisation, both by sending and receiving data. They will be able to Personal and job details Task delegation Authorisations via flexible configurable workflow Timesheet entry Absences Travel requests and expenses, Flexible benefits changes, Training and career management, Corporate communications, Collaborative knowledge Online and web meetings Multiple access points Links to suppliers, customers and business partners. The emphasis will shift to the employee as it will be their responsibility to input the information correctly. It really will be the case of nowhere to hide. Even though it’s been 28 years since the year 1984 (and 63 years since the original book by George Orwell was published) it looks as though Big Brother will really be here. There is already much of this technology in current ESS solutions, thus empowering employees and the manager. There is time card reporting, benefit status checking; they can enrol in benefits, change payroll deduction, manage career path plans and enrol in training classes. Managers can use this technology to approve timecards, open job requisitions and enter employee reviews online. Organisations utilising Employee Self Service software solutions know full well the tactical and strategic benefits of empowering employees and managers. Benefits include a reduced time-per-transaction turnaround cycle, cost-per-transaction reduction and reduced query-per-staff for human resources. The future will offer more choice and challenges than ever before for HR service delivery. The current economic climate has made it clear that cost is, and will continue to be, a consideration. The challenges could also mean an unsure future for the HR function. Although it is a continuing evolution and will improve as the relationships between organisations and software companies develop, handing the power to employees will undoubtedly lessen an organisation’s HR burden. Software and hardware companies know what can be achieved but need the support and guidance to deliver that future vision for the benefit of employees as much as for the benefit of employers.
