Sage VIP Outsourcing has created a hosted online employee self-service (ESS) solution that enables companies to streamline the leave application and approval process, distribution of IRP5 forms, and other common human resources (HR) tasks and business processes.

The solution integrates snugly with Sage VIP’s payroll software and is a perfect fit for companies that have outsourced their payrolls to Sage VIP.

It saves the business time and money by automating HR tasks, while offering convenience to employees by allowing them to apply for leave, access IRP5s, and more, from their PCs, smartphones or tablet computers.

In addition, managers have online access to information such as the days staff members plan to take leave so that they can make better business decisions and plan their resources based on accurate and up-to-date information.

“With this solution, companies can provide their employees with convenient access to HR information and services wherever they are,” says Marina Nolte, national outsourcing manager at Sage VIP Payroll & HR.

“In particular, our solution streamlines the whole process of leave management, which can account for half or more of the transactions and queries the HR department processes. Our aim is to give time back to HR and payroll managers so that they can focus on developing the business’s people and optimising their performance rather spending hours every day on paperwork.”

Some of the key features of the solution include:

Online leave application and approval
Employees can view their leave balances as they appear on the payroll database and apply for leave. They can attach sick notes or any other relevant documents as attachments with their leave applications.

Managers have access to reports that help them to better manage leave in their teams. The system communicates via email, and employees and managers are kept informed and up to date of all transactions. Once leave has been approved by all parties in the workflow, the transaction is posted to the payroll electronically.

Online personal information
The solution gives employees access to personal information, for example their contact numbers or addresses. They can update this information themselves-once the HR department has approved the change, it will go live on the system.

Online family history information
Employees can update their next of kin information.

Online payslips
Employees can see all their previous payslips and print out an older payslip should they need it.

Online IRP5s
When the employee filing season starts employees can access their IRP5s online, as well as view a history of all their previous IRP5s. The IRP5 import from your payroll to ESS happens automatically when you’ve processed IRP5s on your payroll.

Online overtime processing
When employees work overtime they can capture the extra hours through the ESS system. When the request has been approved, the hours are automatically reflected on your payroll. You can customise the overtime forms to your exact specifications and you can allow employees to make file attachments if you need to.

Online claims processing
Submission of travel reimbursements, subsistence and expense claims can all be automated and streamlined through the ESS system.

Says Nolte: “The solution is hosted in a secure data centre, meaning that you can be sure of the integrity and privacy of your sensitive HR data. Online ESS is an option that any company should be thinking of to help its HR department become more efficient and enable HR staff to focus on strategic issues rather than on printing IRP5s and managing leave requests.”