Creating a Digital Employee Experience

Efficiently Engaging Employees

Employee portals are becoming increasingly important for both companies and employees. A U.S. study shows that 73% of employees expect their employer to offer self-service options.¹ Additionally, in another study, 84% of HR managers stated that self services are crucial to their company’s success.² Even with just ten people in an HR department, €60,000 per year can be wasted on unnecessary tasks.

This is primarily due to underutilized IT systems, including self services.³ This highlights the potential of modern self-service tools. The COVID-19 crisis also posed the challenge for companies globally to integrate employees working remotely into time and attendance processes efficiently. The relevance of this continues to grow with mobile work, flexible work models, and the increasing flexibility demands of new employee generations.

This whitepaper explores how companies can create a positive digital employee experience—for the benefit of both employees and the organization.
 

What Are Self-Service Tools?

Initially, Employee Self Services (ESS) focused on automating communication between employees and HR. Today, they’ve evolved into comprehensive employee self-service tools, allowing all standard and even highly complex processes related to time management and workforce scheduling to be handled efficiently.

Examples include vacation requests, balance inquiries, signing up for training programs, or even automated shift swaps. The approval process is just as easy—one click, and it’s done.
 

Requirements for Successful Use of Self Services

The internal system landscape must be compatible with the software used—and vice versa. Ideally, the self-service tool should be accessible via all standard browsers, eliminating the need for installation on each device. This offers flexibility in IT infrastructure.

It is also critical that the tool communicates with other HR-relevant systems. This ensures integration with key data such as leave balances, time accounts, shift schedules, training lists, etc., simplifying the mapping of various use cases.

The scope of the tool’s features is another key factor. Functions should be extensive but aligned with expected benefits. Does the system fit existing processes, or do those need to be re-evaluated? Ease of use is also essential. A tool that integrates well into the IT landscape but is too complex for employees will ultimately lead to dissatisfaction.

Beyond compatibility and design, successful adoption requires a company-wide willingness to change. Even the best software brings no benefit if structures and processes are rigid. This change must come not only from leadership but also from employees. It's vital to engage all stakeholders early—addressing their desires, fears, and concerns helps build trust and smooth implementation.