Manager Self-Service
What is Manager Self-Service?
Manager Self-Service (MSS) is an application that enables managers to manage data and settings for their team's employees. The most common use case is in HR, where managers can view and update personnel data. In modern digital environments, managers also want to handle other needs for their employees. For example, you may want to grant them access to an application needed for a project or to a specific data folder. Manager self-service is an increasingly powerful tool for these tasks as well.
In this article, we first provide concrete examples of common HR-related manager self-service use cases. We then show newer use cases in which managers can provision and modify accounts and access rights themselves.
HR Manager Self-Service
As noted, you will find most examples of manager self-service in HR and recruitment. Below are some examples:
Personnel Management: This includes viewing an employee file or registering promotions, job changes, and other updates. Managers can also manage performance reviews and appraisal notes in the HR system themselves.
Leave and Absence Management: Through this manager self-service feature, managers can approve or reject leave requests for their teams. Absences due to illness can also be recorded and monitored. Managers will also have clear leave and attendance overviews.
Salary and Compensation Management: This allows managers to view and approve salaries, pay statements, bonuses, expense reimbursements, and other forms of financial compensation.
Recruitment and Selection: Managers can easily post and manage job openings, review applications, and select candidates. Often, with guidance from the HR department, the manager can work with the data directly online.
Training and Development: This includes reviewing training requests or scheduling training for an employee. The progress of training and courses can also be monitored here.
Benefits of Manager Self-Service
Manager self-service offers benefits at multiple levels, from the organization as a whole to the individual manager and their team members:
The organization as a whole benefits from manager self-service because management operates more efficiently and makes better decisions thanks to real-time data. Managers are also encouraged to comply with relevant laws and regulations.
As an individual manager, you have greater control over your work, easier access to data, and improved communication with your team to address their needs.
Employees also benefit from manager self-service. Their data and requests are processed faster, communication with their manager becomes easier, and there is greater clarity about their needs and outcomes.
Manager Self-Service for (IT) Facilities
The previous sections showed examples of typical HR-related items, such as pay statements and leave, that a manager can handle directly through a manager self-service portal.
Employees also need many other items to do their jobs, ranging from an access badge and a laptop to access to applications and data. Manager self-service can make an important contribution here as well. Two types of systems are often used:
ITSM Tools
IT Service Management (ITSM) tools are designed to handle a wide range of IT-related matters for employees within the organization. Through an ITSM tool, you can request software licenses or hardware such as laptops, phones, and printers. You can also report incidents and submit repair requests, as well as request non-IT assets such as company clothing, tools, or access badges. Managers can request these items directly for their employees through a portal, or they can review self-service tickets submitted by employees online. The ITSM tool manages the requests and ensures execution, for example, by sending notifications to the responsible departments or staff.
Identity and Access Management Platforms (IAM Platforms)
IAM platforms such as HelloID are essential for providing employees with the right software licenses, accounts, and access rights. An IAM solution can often automatically grant and revoke access rights (provision) based on a person's role or department within the organization. HelloID also offers manager self-service capabilities to process individual requests for software, accounts, and permissions.
In practice, there is an interplay between the above systems. An ITSM tool such as TOPdesk often handles the processes around issuing and retrieving assets. When a manager needs a new laptop, the ITSM tool, after approval, sends notifications to the right departments or staff to provide and configure the laptop. The recipient is then notified that the device is available for pickup.
TOPdesk executes these processes, while the HelloID platform often provides the trigger. Suppose an employee receives a new role as a nurse. HelloID detects this in the HR system and, based on business rules, determines whether the employee needs new accounts and access rights for the new role. These are then automatically forwarded to the target systems. A business rule can also be configured to require that someone in the nurse role wear a uniform. In that case, HelloID will send a notification to TOPdesk, after which that system starts the corresponding process.
Manager Self-Service in HelloID
Within the HelloID IAM platform, we automatically provision as many accounts and access rights as possible. We do this based on a person's role, department, or other attributes. As a result, about 80 percent of all account and administrative actions can be automated. The remaining 20 percent consists of individual requests for, for example, a specific license or project folder, which must be handled differently. The Service Automation module is an important tool for this. It not only simplifies and streamlines helpdesk tasks but also enables self-service capabilities for both end users and managers.
As a manager, you can request applications and access rights for your employees directly. Often, a single click is sufficient; only a short form is required. Depending on the type of request and your policies, HelloID can implement a request directly in the target systems, or a resource manager may need to review it first. HelloID automates these workflows. This way, you have clear visibility into your team's IT usage and can quickly provide additional IT facilities when needed.
These manager self-service options are available by default through the user dashboard. They only need to be configured for your specific customer environment. It is also possible to add additional customer-specific manager self-service options. You can develop 'delegated forms' for this. HelloID, therefore, provides ample room for manager self-service.
Want to Learn More About Manager Self-Service?
Want to learn more about the manager self-service capabilities in our HelloID Service Automation module? The Service Automation page on our site provides a complete overview of the features and options.