In today’s fast-paced business world, time is of the essence.
With every minute an employee spends on administrative tasks, that’s one less minute they have to focus on productive work. Think about it – in a 40-hour workweek, if an employee spends just 10 minutes a day trying to navigate where their payslips are, find updates to their schedule, gain approval for shift swaps or find important HR information, that adds up to over 40 hours of wasted time in a year. That’s a whole week of productivity lost!
Thankfully, that’s a 2023 problem. Today, we have an opportunity to enhance employee self-service with the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Imagine what your employees could accomplish if they had more time and less administrative burden.
But we’re not just talking about automating day-to-day tasks here. We’re talking about empowering your employees to take ownership of their careers at your company and save time while doing so.
How? Through the use of large language models (LLMs) such as elementsuite’s very own AI tool, ELLA.
Here are six ways ELLA can help empower your employees and enhance their self-service experience.
Take ownership of their schedules
It’s Sunday night, and just as your employee is about to relax for the evening, they remember they need to check their schedule for the week ahead.
They soon come to realise that they were scheduled to work on a site 1 hour away, but their car just broke down that morning, so they needed to find a way to swap their shift.
But instead of frantically calling around and trying to find someone who can take their shift, they can simply turn to ELLA and ask:
“Who can I swap my 10am shift with?”.
Within seconds, their trusted HR companion, ELLA, responds. Instantaneously scanning the current schedule, ELLA has identified available candidates that match the shift’s unique requirements.
So they put in a shift swap request through ELLA, a notification is automatically sent to their manager and colleague, and the shift is swapped.
Just like that, the employee can breathe a sigh of relief.
Access HR data without waiting for the manager or HR Admins
One of the reasons that employees are dubious about adopting new technology is because they feel it will be more of a hindrance than help. This is largely a result of the user experience they receive, with traditional systems often being clunky and difficult to navigate.
As a result, employees resort to asking their manager or HR for the information they need – taking time away from both the employee and manager’s schedules, and adding extra pressure on HR teams. Let’s not forget the harm it has on the ROI of your HR technology.
But with ELLA, employees can quickly and easily access HR data without having to wait for a response from their manager or HR department, or try navigate the labyrinth of HR policies that are constantly changing.
For example, they can ask ELLA a question such as “What’s the dress code for Fridays according to the employee handbook?” Within seconds, ELLA will pull up the information and present it in an easy-to-read format.
When it comes to absence management, ELLA can also provide instant updates on holiday allowances, sick leave, and more.
“Can you tell me how many sick days I have taken this year?”
“How many holidays do I have left?”
“How much parental leave can I take in a year?”
These are just some examples of questions that ELLA can quickly and accurately answer, eliminating the need for employees to wait on HR or their manager. This not only saves time but also promotes a sense of independence and control over their own data.
Take control of their pay
Payslips, P45s, overtime – these are all essential aspects of an employee’s pay that can sometimes cause confusion, frustration and even disputes. But, with ELLA, employees can take control of their pay and save time while doing so.
How? They can simply ask questions like “Show me my payslips from the last two months” or “How much overtime did I do last month?” and get immediate responses.
But as HR professionals and people managers, we know it is never as simple as generating a payslip or P45. There are rules and policies in place that must be followed, especially when it comes to overtime.
Well, ELLA is smart enough to understand your company’s pay rules and policies. So, if an employee requests to view their overtime hours, ELLA will not only provide the information but also show any deductions or adjustments made according to company guidelines.
And if they have disputes or discrepancies, they can also ask ELLA to look into them and provide a detailed pay breakdown, saving both the employee and your payroll team valuable time.
Keep track of performance
Performance conversations can be awkward. Employees trying to remember feedback from their last peer review and managers attempting to recall specific improvement areas can be a daunting experience for both parties. However, with ELLA, understanding and improving performance has never been easier.
Employees can ask questions like “Summarise the feedback I received in my last peer review on March 20th”, “How have I improved since my last peer review?” or “What are some areas I need to work on to improve my performance?” and receive a detailed response.
Of course, they can probably find all this information on the elementsuite’s performance module, but with ELLA, it’s just a question away.
Empower learning and development
This brings us to the next point – learning and development.
Employees always want to improve their skills and move up the career ladder – that’s why you hired them, right? But with so many training modules, workshops, and resources available, it can be overwhelming for employees to find the right ones for them.
How do they know where to start? Their one-to-one isn’t until next month, so their career roadmap has yet to be updated to reflect the changes in the LMS. But they’re eager to get started and show their manager all they have been doing to improve to help them reach that promotion.
ELLA is connected to your company’s learning and development resources, so it knows precisely where to direct employees based on their job roles, skills and career aspirations.
With ELLA, employees can ask questions like “What modules can I take to enhance my management skills?”,“What courses are available for me to improve my sales skills?” or “Where can I find a video on making reservations for large groups?” and ELLA will provide relevant information and resources to help them achieve their learning and development goals
Stay engaged with company communications
Company news, events, announcements – it’s important to keep employees updated and engaged with what’s happening in the company. But not everyone has the time to constantly check emails or browse through company portals for updates – especially our frontline workers who work tirelessly to keep things running smoothly.
With ELLA, employees can simply ask questions like “What were the announcements released for the Nottingham site on November 3rd?”, “When is the next company event?” or “Summarise the latest company newsletter for me” and receive all the information they need to stay informed and engaged.
With their AI assistant, ELLA can keep them up to date and in the loop without adding additional tasks or responsibilities to their already busy schedules.
Seizing the future of AI in employee self-service
As we can see, ELLA is not just any AI assistant – it’s the ultimate employee empowerment tool.
By taking on mundane tasks and providing employees instant access to critical information and resources, ELLA helps employees take ownership of their careers and free up time to focus on more meaningful work.
But remember, this is not about replacing human interaction or dehumanising the workplace. Instead, it’s about using technology to enhance the employee experience and create a more efficient and productive work environment.
So why not give ELLA a try? Empower your employees today and see its positive impact on your organisation. Book a demo now and witness how ELLA can revolutionise your employee self-service experience.
