Intranet Portal Applications for Precise Work and Effective Management

A modern and inclusive intranet portal means that there you can find a standardized user interface (UI) in addition to an inbuilt system to confirm user authentication. In simple words, the user can access the portal by signing in rather than visiting it simply. You’ll note an increase in knowledge domain of employees of an organization and improvement in data sharing and accessibility. The technology lets company’s management to aggregate, distribute, categorize information and facilitate collaborations in a user friendly manner. Among the significant applications of intranet portal is the highly crucial employee portal. The intranet consists of various useful workflows and applications, providing accessibility to the whole office processing anytime you would like in a highly secure environment. Portal system for employees facilitates improvement in productivity by allowing corporate communication and saving more time irrespective of the time and place.
Dedicated employee self service

Important components of intranet portal such as employee self service ESS system is an example of a time saving practice that is presently on the move. With the help of these processes employees can now easily get access to information without asking for assistance from their HR team. Employee self service systems can handle a variety of tasks such as managing health documents, company handbooks, newsletters, holiday requests, internal job applications, training documents, etc. Effective and easy processing of all these components are only possible through an employee self service system.

Performance management to achieve goals
An organization using performance management systems gets an increased, error free and effective work flow. An advanced PMS vitally helps in managing the overall work performance of the organization and its employees. To analyze and make improvements in performance procedures, the key performance indicators needs to be set well in advance for an effective and smooth appraisal system. These indicators are dedicated towards results and aren’t action oriented. A senior management team is responsible for supporting the performance indicators. A dependable and typical performance indicator adds value to the business and is also analytical.

Focus intended systems
The organization’s management committee and decision makers distribute resources and determine necessary levels while making performance levels. The focus is always laid on accomplishment of priority targets that are designed for measuring the performance indicators for certain objectives. A highly advanced performance management system provides vital information that is highly significant and supportive for decision makers. The measures taken for performance and outcomes must be selective and useful for providing valuable information to decision makers.

Managing leave through intranet
At some point of time, companies may be feeling the necessity for a leave management system. This acts as a requirement for companies that function with a large staff where they’ll always find others going out on leave and others coming in. The system helps by simple functions such as electronic processing of vacation applications and tracking the holiday period with other related papers.

Intranet portals have gone through a lot of changes in the recent time period so getting along with these technologies greatly help for reducing the overall work with more accuracy and effectiveness. They provide help in much more convenient ways than only functioning as a gateway to access an organization’s data.

Empowering the HR Team with a Good Human Resource Information System

A Human Resource Information System or HRIS essentially refers to a HR software designed with the help of technology to carry out HR activities and processes electronically. It is a single central repository of all data required by the HR department for efficient management of Human Capital. All HR processes and systems including Recruitment Management, Payroll  management, Leave Attendance System, Performance Management System  as well as Employee self service form part of a good Human Resource Management System.

A basic HRIS (Human Resource Information System) comprises of a centralized database as well as a system for database management. Advanced HRIS systems also provide tools and resources for data analytic by organizations.

A hallmark of a good Human Resource Information System is the flexibility of its databases to integrate with a wide range of applications and platform. Advanced HRIS systems also provide owners with the capability to generate customized report as well as undertake complex data analysis for better decision making.

Features of a well designed Human Resource Management System include:

My profile Page which allows employees to enter and update personal and professional information related to self and facilitates easy exchange of information between employees.

Leave Management System customized to meet the specific leave policy of a company allows an efficient online leave approval and tracking process. Employees can view their leave balance as well apply for leaves online. It also allows employees to select the category of leave under which they would like to apply. Since it is workflow based HR software, the leave application will automatically flow to their reporting managers for approving or rejecting. Once approved it flows down both to HR and to the employee to let him know the status on his application.

Performance Management System allows management to set clear goals and expectation as well track and review them periodically to ensure company objectives are being met. They also provide for employees to capture details regarding their performance throughout the year and do a more objective performance discussed based on goals achieved.

Company Update section allows management to share important news, events and updates related to the company at the same time across a geographically dispersed workforce. Employees feel a sense of belonging with the company as they are made aware of what other divisions and businesses are doing and what are the important milestones for the company.

Recruitment Module allows the recruitment or HR team to upload internal job postings on a regular basis to provide employees with an opportunity to apply for jobs or positions within the company that they might be interested in.

Training module helps HR team to manage trainings efficiently and effectively within the organization. Training calendar for a month or a quarter or even a year can be published and employees can be encouraged to apply online for the particular trainings they would like to opt for. Feedback on training can also be collected and reviewed online for enhancing training programs.

Travel Management System provides for employs to submit a travel and advance request online as well as submit expense claims online and track the status of the claims. ESS workflow system enables all such requests to flow to the respective function avoiding the need for any paperwork altogether.

Knowledge Management is a relatively new feature available mostly in advanced Human Resource Information System. It provides for a central repository for all project or work documents and files by all functions. This enables other employees to access and reuse material and collaterals already available rather than creating them afresh every time they are required.

Like the Knowledge Management, the Blog is also a fairly recent addition to the HRIS and is probably available only in advanced versions. It allows for employees to exchange thoughts and ideas on important issues and can be the germinator of many interesting concepts, big reason why it is so popular among technology companies.

Newer features are being added everyday as the HR function seeks to redefine itself to move away from repetitive non value adding activities to play a more strategic and business value adding role. Read more.

Leveraging HR Software to Build a Culture of Trust And Transparency

HR teams across organizations have had to gear up to face new challenges in deploying and managing an increasingly diverse and globally dispersed workforce. The answer to some of these challenges have been through technological interventions such as  Human Resource Management Systems that have helped bridge the communication gap between employers and employees. While Human Resource Information Systems have helped in managing and analyzing employee data for better decision making, challenges in administering employee benefits program remained till Employee Self Service applications came into being.

Why HR Software is needed?

Organizations are increasingly realizing the value of deploying HR software to enable the HR time to be more productive and reduce cost and time spent on routine administrative activity. An integrated Human Resource Management system which combines Leave Attendance System, Leave Management System and Performance Management System with Payroll Management enables organizations to do away with tons of paperwork and establish work flow based systems which can be easily tracked and recorded for future reference as well.

Employee Self Service (ESS) is an application that enables employees to interact directly, through their HR software to view, and in some cases edit or update data, in the system. A tool that is gaining ground very rapidly, Employee Self Service portal empowers an employee to manage a number of self related tasks like leave or reimbursement application, personal information updation and accessing company related information otherwise routed through Human resources or management.   ESS is one HR software that directly impacts employees in a positive manner by giving them access to their information on demand, anytime anywhere without having to follow up with the HR or any other business support teams.

Need for an integrated HR system

A Human Resource Information System or HRIS enables organizations to maintain a secure and central repository for confidential information and processes related to Human resources.  It makes it easy to track and assess employee trends and movements and to determine the future shape of employee initiatives in the organization. A workflow based leave management system enables employees to apply for leaves online as well as keep a track of their leave balance without any outside intervention. It also allows managers to access leave records of team members reporting to them as well as track how many team members have applied for leave simultaneously in a given week or month. Managers can also approve or reject leaves online which then reflect in the system so that the employee can view the status of his application. Likewise managers can also submit their own leave application which then flows to their reporting manager and so on and so forth making the whole process flow seamlessly and effortlessly.

A well designed Human Resource Management System with interconnected modules, has the potential to reduce at least 2/3rds of routine administrative operations from HR function, enabling them to focus time and resources on more strategic value adding propositions and initiatives. It also helps to build a culture where employees are self driven with more accountability as all data pertaining to themselves and their teams are available to them online. Read more.

Performance Management System – Quick guide

An online performance management system helps to align an organization’s strategic goals with employee performance, while improving the efficiency of the appraisal process.  Businesses can derive a wide range of benefits from deploying an effective performance management system ranging from higher levels of employee engagement and higher productivity to higher profitability. Some key advantages to businesses of deploying a good performance management system include

Online performance management systems help to bring about role clarity and focus on expected behaviors and results. By driving performance and feedback discussions, they ensure greater alignment between managers and their teams leading to higher levels of engagement and involvement. An online performance management system empowers employees by providing them access to information as and when they need, bringing about greater transparency in the process leading to reduced attrition rates.

With an online performance management system, there is a significant reduction in the administrative burden of the HR team as also cost saving by eliminating the need for paper based processes. Employee self service portal provides easy access to data and reports at the click of a button leading to higher productivity and improved decision making.

Online performance management systems also enable structured goal setting process with clearly marked out deliverables. This makes it easier for organizations to recognize and retain high performers with focused interventions. A well managed performance management system also allows you to track training results vs. spend and work towards making training more aligned to business goals.

The system also makes it possible to manage different performance cycles within the same organization such as 6-monthly or 12 monthly performance appraisals, as well as appraisals based on employee anniversaries or ad-hoc reviews. Moreover, they are easily scalable with options of administering different forms for different category of employees or employees located in different geographies. They are also securely routed and password protected with access controls to ensure data is kept secure and confidential.

Key features of a well-designed performance management system include

However, even the best performance management system can be successful only if it is used as an enabler to drive greater focus on the performance discussion and end user experience. The true value of a performance management system is realized only when data from the performance management system should be used to identify and plan focused interventions for driving business results. Read more on OfficeNet Portal.

Human Resource Information System– A Quick Guide

The Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is basically an online solution or software designed to meet the data needs of the HR team and is mostly designed to include an option to add an integrated payroll management and accounting module.

A well-designed and implemented Human Resource Information System provides organizations with a three-fold benefit. Firstly and most importantly, an HRIS system empowers employees with tools to update their own particulars as well as access critical information related to team management, career growth and skill and knowledge enhancement.  Secondly, It frees up HR staff from administrative query management and record updating to perform a more strategic role. Lastly, a Human Resource Information system enables managers to make better decisions and support their team by providing them with tools for real time access to data and analytical reports on their team.

Businesses that invest in implementing an HRIS system suited to their culture and employee values are able to reap rich benefits of a more engaged and productive workforce. Key benefits of using Human Resource Information System include

Newer features like chatting within the HRIS system enable easy flow of information among employees allowing for greater team work and productivity. With a centralized database accessible from anywhere and at any time, Human Resource Information system provides a convenient tool for organizations to host company policies as well as make important announcements. 

Workflow based HRIS system is particularly useful for automating recurring events like monthly payslip generation or annual tax return filing which can easily be completed without human intervention.

Well designed HRIS systems incorporate flexible designs with databases that can easily be  integrated with a range of modules and features. A good HRIS system also provides options to generate customized reports for fast and accurate data analysis and workforce management. Self service module enables more efficient administration of benefits and other employee related processes.

A basic Human Resource Information System typically includes the following features

A more advanced comprehensive HRIS system provides options to add or integrate related application modules such as recruitment management, succession planning, performance management and even learning management.

The HR function is increasingly being called upon to play a more strategic role in current economic conditions for companies to derive and sustain competitive advantage. As the war for available talent pool intensifies, HR and consequently human resource information systems (HRIS) will need to constantly evolve and innovate to include even more value adding business intelligence reporting features, above and beyond, self-service and access to critical information and processes anywhere and at any time. A Human Resource Information system can prove to be an immensely useful tool in helping businesses seamlessly manage a globally dispersed workforce, enhance employee satisfaction, improve efficiency of HR processes as well as achieve cost savings. Read more.

Payroll Software is a Cost Effective Tool for Streamlining of Payroll Operations

As the world becomes increasingly globalized with the rise in mergers and acquisitions and a highly mobile workforce, the payroll process is becoming increasingly complex and difficult to administer. Technology has come to the rescue with advanced payroll software, customized for   local or global use to administer payroll processes for multiple locations with a single employee database, accessible from anywhere.

 Payroll software takes away a major part of the heavy lifting process from the Payroll / HR team with very little input needed from the employer. Basic information that payroll software requires to process payroll include employee wage information and hours. The payroll software is designed to handle all the complex and tricky calculations as well as withholdings. The software also includes features for automatic updates every time tax laws undergo an amendment. Some advanced payroll software are also equipped with features to  fill out employment tax forms on behalf of the employer as well as send reminders for filing them.

Payroll Software offers businesses significant advantage in terms of reducing costs and liability, and increasing efficiency and effectiveness of the payroll system by minimizing the possibilities of human errors. Key benefits include

1.Helps businesses to organize, simplify and integrate complex business processes into a single system.

2. Diligent compliance systems lead to reduced risk of liability through oversight.

3. Ensure accurate and reliable processing and reporting of financials.

4. Ensure privacy and confidentiality of payroll data through controls.

Given below are some must have features of a good payroll software aimed at efficiency and accuracy of the entire payroll process

1.Simple and easy to install. It saves time and expense on training new employees .

2.Flexibility to customize as per your business requirement. Every organization operates in a unique way. An effective payroll software should be customizable to create custom categories of income and deductions and apply the pertinent tax laws for calculation of the same.

3.Include features for online filing of tax forms from data generated through the payroll software

4.Generate custom business intelligence reports exportable to PDF, Excel, or Quickbooks format.

5.Validating mechanism to ensure accuracy of data and calculation

6.Control mechanisms to protect against data hacking

Well designed and implemented payroll software can be a huge time-saver making it much easier to manage complicated calculation, constantly changing tax laws and ensure all your payroll data is available in one repository.

Advances in technology is leading to a growing trend towards web based payroll software allowing for further streamlining of payroll operations and greater cost savings. Web based payroll software also allows easy access to management to data for better, and faster decision making. They also do not need expensive on location hardware and software applications leading to significant cost savings for business. Web based payroll software also make it possible to apply updates easily and seamlessly, while also ensuring data reliability and security and disaster recovery remotely without the need for onsite IT support. Read more.

Leave and Attendance Management System – A Key Enabler

An online system that helps organizations capture & evaluate an employee’s leave & attendance record, offers myriad advantages to all 3 constituents viz The Employee, The Human Resources Department & the Organization at large.

Leave & Attendance Management systems also lend themselves to the employee’s real time reporting of planned leaves, which enables line managers to allocate work to existing staff, well in advance thereby ensuring department productivity is unaffected. The system also goes a long way in ensuring timeliness & absenteeism’s kept under check especially in case of remote locations.

The integration of the Leave & Attendance Management system with the punch card/ biometric system of attendance recording, ensures that the system is error free & requires no manual intervention. This facilitates efficient payroll processing as it takes away the need to capture attendance data from a multitude of sources, namely different attendance systems, manual registers etc. It is a great step towards saving time & money spent towards cumbersome administrative tasks& improving not just ROI but also employee morale as the HR personnel focus on a range of strategic issues.

The system can be customized to each organization’s requirements ensuring that shift timings, compensatory offs, weekly offs & other such organization/department specific data is per-fed into the system.

The system also functions as a great repository of information, with the facility to store Employee Demographic information including but not limited to:

This central repository of data could be put to multiple uses such as employee motivation schemes centered around personalized birthday wishes etc.

A great feature of the Leave & Attendance Management System, is its ability to empower employees. With the Leave & Attendance System speaking seamlessly to the Employee Self Service (ESS) module, it can among other features, generate automated mail alerts asking employees to update their attendance status.

Other than its tactical function, Leave& Attendance Management System also works as a great strategic tool in empowering the organization with valuable data that aids decision-making & business intelligence. The leave & attendance records can be filtered using a number of variables such as location, department, function etc, offering valuable insights.With the system enabling a number of MIS reports, it not only helps track employee leave & attendance records, it brings to the fore, any emerging trends that can be proactively tackled.

Needless to mention that it is also a great way towards a paperless office & the “Go Green” initiative adopted by most forward looking organizations. Read more.

A Quick Guide To An Employee Self Service System

"An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success." --Stephen Covey

A well-designed intranet based employee Self Service system is a powerful empowering tool for employees, a relatively low cost means of building a positive association by ensuring all relevant information is available to them at the click of a finger.

In current times, with the internet making access to information instant and easy, employees and managers are simply not willing to wait for information to be made available by a HR representative in a time lag. Employee self-service as a concept, was born out of this very need of businesses to be able to access critical employee information as and when needed. The original concept was to provide an application that could:

ESS was first adopted in a big way by the IT services sector due to the availability of a significant proportion of employees with access to and possessing knowledge of computer and internet. It is particularly advantageous for large corporations with offices and employees spread out geographically across cities and countries. A well-planned and implemented Employee Self Service system provides employees, access to a diverse range of information and forms from a single login. Employee Self Service systems are increasingly evolving into technology tools enabling employees and managers to handle most of their role based data and processes.

Some key benefits of a well-developed ESS system include

Employee Self Service is no longer focused only on providing applications designed to provide relevant information in real time.  It is increasingly being used as a powerful tool for empowering employees and managers to assume greater responsibility towards their jobs as well as professional development. Career planning and growth, skills profiling, learning metrics, goal setting, performance appraisals and a host of analytics are getting added to the ESS applications. Technological advancements, particularly in web technologies, and an improved understanding of human resources, conceptualized and led by HR, but driven by the workforce have triggered this evolution in the ESS application.

A well structured and implemented Employee Self-Service system can take away a sizeable chunk of all HR transactions out of your HR department, freeing up valuable time and resources for more strategic business value adding responsibilities.

Employee Self Service is now an established Business application developed and implemented with the aim of empowering employees and reducing paperwork errors and cost. By reducing paper waste, ESS also lends itself to being an extremely popular Eco friendly initiative as more companies increasingly look for ways to 'go green'. Read more.