Employee engagement is reason enough to invite human resources technology into your arena. All the benefits of HRIS that might save you from administrative time and workload take a back seat. Efficiency and cost effectiveness are management concerns. Employee engagement makes it work and makes even better business sense.

Employees of all ages have always wanted a voice in organizational operations. And, every employee under 50 expects an active and involved role. Data and digital systems allow them a real and virtual sense of engagement. When their engagement takes things off Human Resources management’s plate, employee productivity soars.
 
Interaction and collaboration
A central element of HRIS technology invites interaction and collaboration. The tools replace an element of word-of-mouth and gossip among workers with easily operated interface operations. The technology offers ownership, one less thing to complain about, and a sense of accountability. Technology encourages participation, decision-making, and feedback opportunities.

No need to worry
Human Resources Information System (HRIS) technology works best when:

• Employees have a comfort level with computers and entry into the technology. Chances are, if they have a smartphone, most employees can manage access, comprehension, navigation, and entry. If they participate in social media, employees know the universe.
• Employees deserve a chance to provide input on what they want to see, how they want to work with it, and where to access the system. The HRIS technology concept serves HR management’s needs, but it may die in place without willing participation. HR management needs to know its needs are not necessarily the employee’s needs.
• Employees and systems need a trial run. Implementation is not just a plug-in and turn-on. HRIS implementation must be open to a period of employment involvement, assessment, and feedback. Any final implementation should include and reflect employee input.
• Employees will expect, welcome, and follow any lead management provides in terms of enthusiasm, communication, and direction. If they recognize features and changes reflecting their input, they will engage and participate. Once they secure confidence in the ability to “own” the system, they will champion the technology.

Open the world
HRIS changes the modus operandi of the human resources office. It means more than moving desks and reassigning people. It is a system and function-wide change. And, if the department does not make that a full and apparent commitment, the HRIS plan can easily fail.  Engagement starts outside the department’s doors.

• Access requires convenient kiosk portals and internet portals. Sharing is important for the HRIS operation and employee engagement. Access must assure security and confidentiality, and it is key to the operational and cultural success.
• Self-service ability creates engagement and the accountability that follows. Individual platforms like laptops and smartphones enable the self-service, however create problems of their own. It takes internal IS input as well as that of your HRIS vendor to assure the feasibility and security of systems that enable self-service but guarantee employee and corporate security.
• HRIS make corporate communication easy and effective. The same access that the employees find interesting gives them contact with personnel policies and procedures, corporate news, employee forums, and internal and external communities. It replaces newsletters and runs interference with rumors.

Employee engagement may be the primary motive to find and design your HRIS future. While you may focus on selling your executive decision makers on the reduced administrative overhead, sophisticated reporting, and cost-effectiveness, you might spend more time on finding and pricing the value in the consequent employee engagement.

Read more for tips on determining whether your company actually needs an employee self service (ESS) system.

You may also be interested in downloading our latest white paper, Web-Based Online Open Enrollment: How a Paperless Process Saves Time, Eliminates Errors and Increases Employee Satisfaction