How Professional Services Organizations Can Play to Their Tech-Savvy Workforce

Is your professional services company struggling to close the gap between the reality of the workplace, and the expectations of tech-savvy employees? According to the 2018 Paychex Pulse of HR Survey, 69 percent of HR leaders surveyed are satisfied with their HR tech solution. But how happy are their employees?

Your highly educated, tech-savvy workforce can be demanding and often will have high expectations. Many professionals prefer to work in organizations that leverage technology for innovation and efficiency. Companies that are too complacent about HR technology run the risk of becoming losing focus about talent, too.

The most successful professional services companies are much more likely than their peers to use up-to-date technology as a primary tool to recruit and retain valued employees. A Paychex survey of hundreds of HR professionals across a broad range of firms reveals that they measure engagement regularly via short electronic surveys and other methods.

The top performing professional services organizations are also more likely to adopt collaborative tools and human capital management (HCM) systems to help them improve employee engagement.

Employees prefer self-service tools, so that they can interact with technology at work in the same way they do in their personal lives. See how Paychex can help with time-savings solutions to better serve clients, fuel growth, and build winning teams.

And that means being able to access an online portal and accomplish simple, common actions and independently complete a range of HR-related tasks, such as:

• Confirming contact info
• Changing an address
• Checking a time-off balance
• Requesting time off, whether personal day or vacation
• Viewing pay stubs and pay-to-date tables
• Learning about workplace safety and ergonomics
• Taking online trainings to advance one's skill set
• Reviewing performance evaluations
• Independently adjusting a 401(k) balance or savings plan

For small to mid-sized firms in professional services, there is no simple solution to the talent shortage. But our Spotlight, “Finders Keepers: How Up-to-Date HR Tech Helps Win the Battle for Talent,” shows how the right technology is critical to your success in finding — and keeping — top talent.

The Benefits of Self-Service

Self-service systems can help both HR departments and their employees: HR departments spend less time on data entry, which saves them money and can give them more time for strategic thinking, and employees can enjoy the benefits of self-sufficiency.

• More time for HR strategy: instead of spending time keying in basic information, HR professionals can focus on growing their organizations with top talent.
• Self-sufficient employees are often happy employees: self-service portals allow employees to update personal information without the help of HR. A good system will confirm with employees that information is correct, and will email change notices directly to their inbox.
• It’s simply more professional: if you’re organization is still filling out HR forms by hand, your people may begin looking to work for companies that work more efficiently.

There are key reasons why the HR technology used for hiring, onboarding, and meeting organizational needs has the power to inspire employee engagement — if you get it right. By meeting employees’ HR tech expectations, you can shift the culture of the whole workplace forward. Explore the HR solutions that can accommodate the needs of your business.