Your employees need help.
According to an OpinionWay survey, 1-in-5 employees don't have the information they need to do their jobs. Even worse, half of them feel their management isn't communicating enough within the company.
Several factors contribute to these challenges, including a need for more transparency and efficient communication channels. Luckily, you can tackle these issues head-on by adopting an employee portal.
With an employee portal, you can:
- Centralize key information so employees don't have to navigate through different folders and documents to find the tools and resources they need.
- Facilitate transparent communication between you and your in-house and remote teams.
- Cut down on manual HR processes that require paper forms, emails, and manual data entry.
- Improve time management and eliminate unnecessary errors.
- Reduce IT costs while keeping employees engaged.
If you want to make it easier for your employees to self-serve the information they need, read on to find out the key features of an employee portal or team intranet — and how you can build one yourself.
What is an employee portal?
An employee portal, also called an HR portal or ESS portal, is a centralized intranet platform that connects an organization's employees and management.
Think of it as a one-stop location for your team to perform tasks, access important documents, communicate with colleagues, and keep up with company policies and updates.
Although employee intranet portals are accessible via a web browser, they are secured with login credentials so only authorized users can access them, protecting sensitive data.
14 key features of an employee portal
When purchasing or building an employee portal for your company, you'll find features falling into three main categories: self-service administration, communication and collaboration, and knowledge management.
Each category plays a crucial role in streamlining workforce operations, communications, and engagement.
Here's a breakdown of the key features you should consider when implementing an employee portal:
Self-service and administrative functions
1. Profile management
Ensure employees can easily view and update their personal information (e.g., contact details, emergency contacts, and banking information).
2. PTO and attendance management
Allow employees to request time off, track their remaining leave balances, and see the status of their requests, ensuring smooth management of vacations and sick leaves.
3. Shift management
Implement a system for planning and sharing work schedules so all team members are informed, avoiding scheduling errors.
4. Payroll and compensation
Provide access to pay stubs, tax forms, and salary history to empower employees to manage their financial and tax documents.
5. Document repository
Centralize important documents like employee handbooks, company policies, training materials, and compliance documents. Ensure employees can access, sign, and download them as needed.
Communication and collaboration tools
6. Announcements and news feeds
Create a centralized space for company-wide announcements, news, and policy changes so that everyone is informed about important events and updates.
7. Discussion forums and boards
Use discussion forums, boards, blogs, and social intranets to encourage idea sharing, feedback, and collaboration among employees.
8. Chat and messaging
Implement integrated chat functions for real-time communication among employees and between employees and management. This will facilitate quick problem-solving and teamwork at your company.
9. Employee directory
Provide a searchable employee directory that includes contact information and job roles, to facilitate communication and collaboration.
10. Feedback and surveys
Collect valuable insights from employees using surveys and polls. Encourage anonymous feedback so your employees feel their opinions matter.
Knowledge management and training
11. Training and development
Offer access to online courses, webinars, and training materials to support employee growth and development.
12. Onboarding features
Simplify the onboarding process for new hires with online resources and automated procedures (think: online registration, e-contracts) for a smoother transition and faster integration into the company culture.
13. Knowledge base
Create a knowledge base – a searchable database of FAQs and troubleshooting guides to provide quick solutions to common queries and support employee self-service.
14. Help desk
Integrate an IT ticketing system, ensuring timely assistance for employees facing technical issues.
Key benefits of an employee portal
An employee portal can offer several significant benefits to you and your staff.
From the employee's perspective:
Empowerment through self-service
When employees can update their personal information, request time off, or access payslips on their own, it creates a sense of control and responsibility. They feel valued and trusted, leading to increased job satisfaction and morale.
Employee portals empower individuals to manage their affairs independently, without constant HR intervention.
Centralized knowledge hub
Employee portals act as a central repository for all important company information, including onboarding materials, compliance documents, and company policies.
With everything is accessible in one place, employees can easily find the information they need without searching through multiple channels or waiting for HR responses. This convenience saves time and frustration, allowing them to focus more on their core responsibilities.
Take DS Automotive, for example. After creating an employee portal with Softr, vehicle technicians could easily access vehicle data, job cards, and history, enabling them to work more efficiently and accurately.
Additionally, the office staff benefitted from streamlined access to customer, vehicle, and booking data, which improved administrative tasks and enhanced customer service.
Build your employee portal the easy way with Softr
Out-of-the-box software might be what you need, but it’s often costly and lacks customization. Building a robust employee portal from scratch centralizes company data and streamlines internal communications and processes, but it typically requires development and engineering resources.
Softr simplifies this process. With Softr, you can build a custom collaboration hub that perfectly meets your company's unique requirements — no coding required.
Here’s what you can expect when you build an employee portal with Softr:
- A no-code portal builder: With modern blocks and customizable templates, create a portal that makes it easy for your employees to find information and submit requests. All synced to your database in Airtable, Google Sheets, and other data sources.
- Advanced user permissions: Tailor permissions for different employee groups without having to share your entire database. Control what different types of users can see when they log in, and which actions they can take.
- Centralized data and resources: Whether it’s up-to-date training calendars or the latest HR policy, share real-time information from multiple data sources and tools — all within the same portal.
Use one of our free templates to get started in minutes — we recommend the employee directory, team wiki, or intranet. The video above walks you through exactly how to get started!
What is Softr
Softr is the easiest way to turn your data into powerful business apps—no code required. Connect to your spreadsheet or database, customize layout and logic, and share with your team or clients.
Join 700,000+ users worldwide, building client portals, internal tools, CRMs, dashboards, project management systems, inventory management apps, and more—all without code.
Join 700,000+ users worldwide, building client portals, internal tools, CRMs, dashboards, project management systems, inventory management apps, and more—all without code.
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