New frontiers for ESS

ESS is often regarded as an effective IT intervention, that can help HR a better climate for ER deliverables. Also helps optimise its resources, minimise F2F and enable employees to take care of some of HR services by themselves. But beyond this very few organisations work on 'Employee relations'. Can HR really 'empower' employees to take care of themselves? perhaps for a better work life balance or for improving job or career satisfaction? These intangibles remain intangible for HR as well, often because of misplaced priorities. Can ESS concept be stretched to address these intangibles for a better ER? We all know the reasons why people take up employment, despite knowing that it will make daily life stressful. Many expect the rewards will help them overcome the stress and strains in life. So organisations , tie up those rewards to achievements, output, time spent , quality, performance etc. They do believe that pay need to be based on these factors , as they 'assume' all employees do look for pay as an index or solution that can reduce stress in life. What is the limit for this model? After all there is a limit for an employee to take up pressures that are tied into those rewards. Also poor reward management practices makes it riskier. Here the equation looks like: more work=more pay=better employee relations=less stress. Some companies work on the reverse for better employee relations. Stress is seen as factor of resilience in such companies. They aim to reduce stress by enabling employees to increase their resilience.Knowledge sharing, mentoring, team work, self assessment, self development are recognised. They work on relationships and collaborations. An open and flat architecture helps to create a supportive ambiance for management/operational levels, with only administrative level kept higher. Policies will aim integration, Titles to reflect functions and Leadership, vision and experience. Employees can then cope up with higher degrees of pressure effortlessly as their 'resilience' levels remain high. Enabling employees to work for enhancing their resilience levels, will then give visible and tangible results in employee relations. That then is Real ESS at work.