Category: FAQ
Excerpt: When employees are left out of the planning process, frustration, errors and avoidable extra work arise – but there has long been a smarter way. Self-service functions not only relieve the burden on HR and managers, but also give employees back real self-determination.
How modern workforce management systems increase employee engagement
At a time when the labor market is characterized by a shortage of skilled workers, high staff turnover and increased expectations of work-life balance, one topic is increasingly coming into focus: the employee Experience. It is no longer just a “nice-to-have”. to–have“, but is becoming a decisive competitive factor – especially in service-oriented areas such as contact or call centers.
Self-determination instead of bureaucracy
Many administrative processes in HR management are still time-consuming, error-prone and centralized. From vacation requests and shift swaps to the maintenance of master data – processing often remains in the hands of overburdened HR departments or line managers. Today’s employees want one thing above all: more personal responsibility and flexibility.
This is precisely where modern workforce management systems (WFM) with integrated self-service functions come in. They enable employees to manage their data and planning requests directly themselves – transparently, user-friendly and in real time.
The most important self-service functions at a glance
A powerful WFM system like opcycWFM provides employees with a separate the following functions via a separate portal:
- Viewing and updating master data
- Management of working hours and absences
- Submitting vacation and time off requests
- Reporting of sick days including transmission of certificates
- Retrieval of the current shift plan and working time account
- Submit desired shifts and swap shifts
- Insight into remaining vacation days and overtime development
These functions give employees control over their working hours and at the same time create more transparency – a central pillar for trust and satisfaction.
Self-services not only increase the autonomy of employees, but also bring concrete benefits for companies and managers:
- Time savings and efficiency gains: HR departments and team leaders are relieved of routine tasks - valuable time is freed up for strategic and value-adding tasks.
- Better data quality and planning capability: employees maintain their data directly - without media discontinuity or lengthy queries. This significantly increases the timeliness and accuracy of planning data.
- Increased transparency and fairness: Digital access to relevant information such as shifts, vacation accounts or application status strengthens trust in the organization and reduces internal friction.
- Motivation and retention: Studies such as the "Employee Experience Index" by IBM and Workhuman show that employees who feel involved in decision-making processes are significantly more loyal, productive and satisfied (source: IBM/Workhuman, 2020).
Managers benefit twice over
Self-service functions also offer clear added value for line managers. They gain faster access to applications, can process them in a time-efficient manner and always have up-to-date data on attendance and working time accounts at a glance. With intelligent reporting, critical developments such as overload are identified early on – before they become a problem.
Our WFM suite opcycWFM has been specially developed for the requirements of the service environment and not only provides the technical features, but also the necessary process understanding from over 20 years of practical experience. The integrated employee portal offers:
- Intuitive operability (also mobile)
- Real-time synchronization with the shift plan
- Configurable rules for preferred times and shift swaps
- GDPR-compliant data management
- Transparent communication between employees and managers
Conclusion: Self-services as the basis for a better employee experience
In times of increasing demands, high staff turnover and declining employee loyalty, it is crucial to provide employees with modern tools that promote personal responsibility, transparency and fairness. Self-services in the WFM context are more than just a technical feature – they are a lever for sustainable employee satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Would you like to find out how you can optimize your processes with self-services? Then take a look at our on-demand demo now or speak directly to our experts.
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