SD Worx has launched the SD Worx Assistant onto the UK market. The application is not new and has been available on the continent for some time. The first reference to the tool is a short video in Feb 2018 that demonstrates the SD Worx Assistant.
Employees are currently working from home and even as lockdown eases, they are unlikely to return en masse to the office. It means the need to be in touch with employees is critical for firms. The SD Worx Assistant provides a mobile experience for employees and helps them through their administrative tasks. The app supports tasks including:
- Receive payment alerts and view payslips
- Request and approve absences
- Read the employer’s internal communication and give employee feedback
The application also integrates with digital diaries and calendar applications on the device, so booked vacations will appear in a personal or business calendar. The system will also support the SD Worx chatbot enabling employees to ask and have answered simple work-related questions quickly. This will also reduce the workload for HR staff. This feature is currently in development according to the press release, but the SD Worx site infers that it is already live.
Another planned enhancement, according to the press release, includes capturing expenses at the point of purchase using the camera and OCR technology. It will also categorise and assist through the approval flow. Again, it appears from the main site that this functionality is already available.
Improving employee engagement with the SD Worx Assistant
Delivering HR and Payroll information is a key way to improve employee engagement. Recent research by SD Worx found that 45.1% of employees viewed understanding the complete remuneration offering by employers as a key motivator. Understanding what pay an employee will receive each week or month is important. The SD Worx digital assistant helps to ensure that HR Teams can deliver the information seamlessly and with little effort from themselves. Once available, employees can register with the application and use biometric or a login code to gain secure access to their information.
Cathy Geerts, Chief HR Officer at SD Worx, commented: “SD Worx Assistant is a second brain for your employees, sending proactive reminders and streamlining internal communications. With SD Worx Assistant, you can take a bold step towards a new age of HR and differentiate your organisation as a modern employer that offers the latest digital innovations to its talent.
“Our new offering takes into account both sides of the business where HR teams will be able to boost efficiency, and employees will enjoy a seamless experience. Fewer HR-related administrative questions frees up time for HR personnel, meaning that the cogs of business can run smoothly and quickly.”
Where is it available?
The application is available on both the Google play store and Apple stores for download. It is available in four languages, English, Dutch, French and German. Recent enhancements include the ability to set absence duration in terms of hours and minutes.
It recognises the need for some employees working from home to support childcare requirements. This allows them to track hours worked more accurately. The app works across mobiles and tablets. SD Worx is also looking to support Alexa, Google Home, and WhatsApp in the future.
SKF Belgium has been using the app for some time. Kim Boschmans, employee engagement business partner SKF Belgium commented: “Request leave quickly and easily, enable or disable your out-of-office message, and view wage details: our employees can do it all at any time using the app. There’s also a handy chatbot to answer questions about parental leave. It also cuts down on the amount of administrative work for our HR department.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
SD Worx customers across Europe are already seeing the benefits of the SD Worx assistant. Importantly SD Worx has demonstrated that this is not a one-off investment. It is developing it further updates are constantly flowing to the app stores. For employers using SD Worx, this is a useful addition for HR teams. For prospects, it is functionality that they should highlight as a key requirement in any purchase.
