HRMS Manager Self-Service: Defining Your Business Rules

If I asked you to think about the top uses for HRMS manager self-service (MSS), you would probably create a similar list to many other HR professionals: reviewing candidate applications, tasks related to the hire process, performance review and merit tasks; as well as non-HRMS tasks such as expense report approval. However, Manager Self-Service (MSS) has the hidden potential to be so much more!

A smart HRMS Manager knows that it’s not about after the fact record keeping, but more about using it as a tool to drive the business processes. So how can we use MSS in a proactive manner?

The first step is to understand the business challenge, or the need for automation via HRMS manager self-service. If it’s replacing a robust paper process, then the task is simple. But often it is necessary to understand the impetus for manager self-service. What is the business or data challenge that MSS can solve better than a less robust, non-HRMS solution?

Rule-Based HRMS Manager Self-Service

For example, I know a small, global financial investment company who had well-documented policies and procedures in place and most of the HRMS transactions were based on paper forms to request HRMS data changes. One of those policies stated that in order to terminate an employee, if that employee was a manager of people, then a new manager had to be established. However, other policies around the termination and need to get it into the system often took precedence. The end result was managers were terminated and employees were left in an orphan state until the situation was found on an audit report or when an expense report failed. When looking for the root cause, in reviewing the forms, comments were often listed about follow-up meetings needed, but once the termination occurred, the pressure was off.

In creating their HRMS manager self-service transaction, however, this company took an opportunity to require data entry in the ‘replacement manager’ field. In doing so, it forced the discussion at the time of termination submission. As well, recognizing the business challenge of replacement staffing, it offered the option for the submitter to choose the manager’s manager. In doing so, the reporting chain was then kept intact. As well, the manager’s manager would then see the employees online in manager views, whereas previously the orphan data situation was not visible on paper. This visibility was a major benefit of the new process, as the manager’s manager was ultimately responsible to fix the situation.

Manager Self-Service, when thought through, can be a good way to force adherence to business-defined rules that we otherwise wouldn’t follow.