6 Things to Look for in an Employee Portal

Keeping employees connected and engaged is a never-ending process for companies of all shapes and sizes. Implementing an employee portal is one way to offer convenience and build trust with your employees. From providing access to HR-related information to managing PTO, an employee portal enhances your staff’s experience and increases engagement.

Why is an Employee Portal Important?

An employee portal provides access to various HR services such as benefits, pay, direct deposit, time off, tax forms, and more. Because employees have instant access to important documents and information, they don't have to wait hours for someone to respond to their inquiries. It increases employee satisfaction and helps reduce HR administrative transactions, freeing up time to focus on strategic efforts.

Businesses today, even in healthcare, have a distributed workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic. An employee portal allows companies to stay in touch with their employees regardless of whether they're working onsite or remote. It helps employees stay updated on their benefits and embrace company culture.

Not all employee portals are created equal. As you would when selecting an EHR for your practice, pick an employee portal that serves your organization's goals. Here are some characteristics to look for in an employee portal.

1. Easy to Use

An employee portal is only worthwhile if employees use it, so choose one with the user experience in mind. Pick a system that's straightforward, intuitive, and provides easy navigation. A smart search feature in an employee portal helps employees save time when searching for documents, colleagues, and policies. Employees don't need to spend hours learning and navigating a new system, especially in healthcare where time is especially valuable. Select a system that your employees would want to use and that can help them easily find what they need without assistance.

2. Works on Any Device

Employees today appreciate flexibility in their work, and that applies to accessing company information too. In particular, healthcare professionals who are always on the go need a more mobile solution. Cloud-based solutions allow staff to access the employee portal from any location and device, whether they are in the office or at home. Additionally, a cloud-based solution helps you scale up quickly if the need arises. Ask potential vendors if their employee portal has a companion mobile app. If not, ensure that the portal is optimized for mobile devices.

3. Secure

Employee portals contain sensitive and confidential information like social security numbers, contact information, tax forms, performance reviews, salary history, and other data, and need to uphold a high-level of security. For example, a multi-factor authentication verifies an employee’s identity and prevents data breaches. Select a portal with customizable security options to ensure each employee only has access to the minimum necessary information related to their role.

4. An All-in-One Platform

Everyone today is used to having information at their fingertips. Similar to how patients today search online for the best local providers and book appointments themselves, your employees want their employment information at hand to be able to take immediate action. An employee portal should serve as a one-stop-shop for anything HR-related, such as looking up and requesting time off, viewing and printing pay stubs, setting up and adjusting direct deposit, and accessing tax forms. If they have a question about their benefits, employees want to be able to access that information quickly and initiate steps to resolve their concerns further.

5. Gives Managers the Ability to do More

A great employee portal empowers managers to do more. It allows managers to oversee work schedules and employee leave requests, gain insight into the workforce, and make informed decisions. Systems with role-based security allows managers to have access to everything they need and nothing they don’t, resulting in a clean interface and increased productivity. 

In today's remote work setup, an employee portal helps streamline new hire orientation and onboarding. HR staff and managers can post a list of instructions and the onboarding schedule on the portal, allowing new hires to navigate the process virtually.

6. Customizable Branding

Find an employee portal that allows you to customize the logo, colors, and background images to your company branding. Take it one step further by customizing your portal to the company's own domain or subdomain. This simple change provides a lasting impact that reinforces your legitimacy. An on-brand employee portal creates a welcoming and engaging environment, helping your employees become more invested in your company.

Empower Your Staff with an Intuitive Employee Portal

An intuitive, easy-to-use employee portal significantly contributes to happy employees. Happy healthcare employees drive profitability and provide exceptional patient care. Self-service employee portals reduce HR's workload, freeing time to focus on employee retention and other strategic efforts. With the wealth of data that an employee portal provides, managers can make informed decisions that benefit the entire organization.

Nexus HR's employee portal ticks all the right boxes of an intuitive system fit for modern healthcare organizations. Our responsive design delivers an optimized user experience on any device. With role-based security, you can control what your employees see based on their job function. In addition to a convenient employee portal, Nexus HR also offers end-to-end human resource solutions. From recruitment to onboarding and payroll, we’ll handle all HR administrative functions so you can focus more on patient care.

Contact Nexus HR today and discover how our portal helps your practice stay connected and engage employees.