Making the most of manager self-service: six tips

Self-service: from cafeterias to gas stations to HR technology, it’s about efficiency and cost-effectiveness. But merely providing the option of manager self-service is not enough. To realize the full benefits, you have to work to encourage your managers to make use of what’s on offer. Here are six ways to increase adoption and make self-service HRMS a valuable tool for your managers.

1. Sell the benefits

Your managers need an answer to the question “What’s in it for me?”

Clearly outline how it enhances their daily operations, such as more accurate data, faster HR transactions, and people processes, less administrative input from HR staff, more informed real-time decisions (such as last-minute scheduling changes), automatic alerts that prompt them to take timely action, and generally lower costs of HR activities.

Recommended reading: get your employees engaged with your manager self-service module using these six steps to HRMS self-service success.

2. Prove the benefits

Promising improvements is one thing, demonstrating them is another. Use data and performance metrics to showcase the advantages of manager self-service.

Show them the volume and speed of common transactions, compare the time spent by managers and by HR staff on transactions before and after the introduction of self-service functionality; track the volume and speed of handling of HR cases; compare error rates and data quality pre and post-implementation; wherever possible, quantify where the financial savings to the organization.

This is also just part of good practice for your ROI calculations.

3. Make it easy to use

At the risk of stating the obvious, the simpler and more intuitive your HRMS self-service module, the more likely your managers are to use it. And the more they use it, the more benefit they’ll see.

4. Make their lives easier

Some managers may view manager self-service as a way to offload HR tasks onto them. Counter this resistance by illustrating how it simplifies their responsibilities, particularly in:

• Performance management: Streamline evaluations and goal-setting.
• Resource deployment: Improve team scheduling and workload distribution
• Reporting: Access real-time data without waiting for HR.

Demonstrating how manager self-service reduces administrative burden can quickly turn skepticism into enthusiasm.

5. Try the ‘green’ angle

While paperless offices remain an ideal rather than a reality, a modern HRMS can definitely contribute to saving a rainforest or two.

In addition to the personal benefits that individual managers might gain from the new self-service module, balance that with some bigger picture pluses. Until we colonize Mars, the planet is about as ‘big picture’ as it gets.

6. Treat managers as partners, not customers

In other words, involve them in your HR technology strategy. Your managers are a key stakeholder group and should be consulted right from the start to ensure that the system meets their particular needs.

That engagement doesn’t stop with HRMS implementation; evaluation, calculating ROI, fine-tuning, and deciding on future functionality are all areas in which their ongoing involvement will pay dividends.