In an era where people want every interaction at work to happen faster, with information available instantly, in a modern and digitized format, companies frequently identify the need to implement platforms that facilitate communication between HR, management, and the employee workforce, meeting all these requirements.

Thus, Employee Self-Service (ESS) platforms have become increasingly popular, serving to maintain an efficient connection between managers, employees, and the human resources department. The concept of Self-Service translates into the independence this platform offers employees through a multitude of functions such as viewing leave requests and their status, accessing payslips, employment contracts, and the validity of employee identity documents, viewing organizational charts, and even social interaction between colleagues.

Information, Interaction, Implementation

The initial role of Employee Self-Service (ESS) platforms was to cover the basic needs of employees—granting legal leave days or days off according to company policy or legal provisions for certain life events of the employee.

Over time, these platforms have evolved to support the HR department—eliminating the time needed to receive and process requests from employees, who now have the ability to download certificates, useful documents, or payslips themselves—as well as increasing employee independence by reducing wait times for various HR requests or specific HR document issuance.

Beyond the fact that the payslip is now just a click away, advanced Employee Self-Service (ESS) platforms allow employees to view the status of their leave requests, the number of remaining days to be taken by the end of the year, as well as weekends and public holidays, facilitating long-term vacation planning.

Additionally, ESS platforms have evolved by incorporating features similar to those of well-known social networks. Employees can populate a profile page with personal data (date of birth, date of employment, phone number, email, etc.), a photo, and a description section with skills and hobbies. They can access any colleague’s profile within the company to easily discover aspects such as their position, their reporting manager, how they can be contacted, and shared skills or hobbies.

Feedback at a Click Away

Most employees are somewhat hesitant when it comes to providing real and transparent feedback, or feedback may be delayed long after a project’s completion, which can make it incomplete or even irrelevant. Moreover, a busy schedule can interfere with meetings allocated for giving and receiving feedback. Modern ESS platforms offer employees the opportunity to provide prompt and quick feedback after each project. These platforms provide predefined categories for evaluating an employee’s skills (e.g., teamwork), as well as the ability to add project-specific categories, such as the level of familiarity with a work method or the tool used in the project.

A summary of employees’ skills, extracted from their self-posted descriptions, along with accumulated feedback from various projects, can present a unique opportunity for both the company and employees. Mixed teams can be created for new projects by allocating employees from various teams, selected based on specific skills, or certain roles that have not identified suitable candidates can be temporarily filled. Employees can showcase skills not utilized in their current role, allowing them to benefit from new growth and development opportunities within the company.

Technology Supports Wellbeing

As technology advances, the company grows, and employees become increasingly satisfied and engaged. Self-Service platforms play a crucial role in improving employee wellbeing and significantly contribute to strengthening organizational culture, as they facilitate quick access to essential employee information, encourage interaction and collaboration within teams, and considerably reduce the time needed for communication with HR departments to resolve human resources-related requests. These platforms not only simplify processes but also promote a more transparent and efficient working environment.

24/7 Accessibility

With an intuitive and user-friendly interface, ESS platforms ensure a hassle-free experience for employees and HR departments in logging in and processing requests. All information added to the platform is accessible 24/7.

Instant viewing of a large volume of data is supported by a robust BI system, and for quick display, various filters can be applied depending on preferences.