DrBenefits is an online software solution for companies that wish to outsource their administrative human resource management activities. The services include payroll, benefits enrollment, employee service data center, employee relations and management services. DrBenefits also acts as a communications hub, which connects employers, employees & key HR vendors/benefits providers.
DrBenefits can be used by small, medium or large sized businesses. This system provides HR professionals with a full service virtual HR office. The system can be managed by an onsite HR administrator and the general employee data can be accessed and altered by the employees directly.
The administrator can add new employees to the system by following a few simple steps. Once an employee is added a unique user name and password is generated and sent directly to the employee via email. The employee can than access their personal information and modify some of the fields, such as:
Employee performance appraisals can be submitted online. The online evaluation form is fairly comprehensive, allowing the employee to be scored on the following areas:
For each of the sections personalized comments can be included. In addition to this there is also a section that allows the administrator to enter in a description of the employees duties, the supervisors comments, any notable changes in performance and any recommended training or goal development.
Through this feature of DrBenefits you can add your insurance or retirement plan. All the information concerning the plan can be kept online to monitor employee enrollment and to provide employees with detailed information. Once the plan is online the administrator can go into the system if there are any future changes, update it and then have the information made easily available to employees.
This section of DrBenefits allows the administrator to really personalize the system to meet the needs of the company. It also allows you to drastically reduce the amount of administrative paperwork that can take place within an HR department. The information included in these sections is:
The system can be linked with Paymaxx to provide an online payroll system to companies. The two systems can be integrated online with a few easy steps.
In the DrBenefits Marketplace administrators can investigate the benefits plans offered by different companies. Through this online function you can request proposals from various vendors and evaluate the information you receive prior to making a decision.
The two online checklists that are provided are the HR Administrator Checklist and the New Employee Orientation Checklist. The HR Administrator Checklist is a general list of HR tasks that need to be completed on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis. The New Employee Orientation Checklist details the various tasks that should be completed with each new hire.
DrBenefits has three levels of access that you can create for the system. The administrator can set up the different levels of access, which allows you to keep a control over who can make changes to the database. The three levels are:
DrBenefits provides online Help pages that provide general troubleshooting information and answers to frequently asked questions. The Company also provides an online form where you can submit problems or questions that you require assistance with.
Pricing information for DrBenefits can be found through the Company´s website at the following link http://www.drbenefits.com/products/quote.asp. This link provides you with a quote calculator. By simply inputting the number of employees your company has you are provided with a detailed summary of the various costs involved.
To sum up what I liked about DrBenefits in two words: It''s comprehensive. This online system provides full virtual HR capabilities. The amount of administrative paperwork that this system eliminates is definitely appealing. The majority of the system can be customized to meet your company´s individual needs and preferences.
To begin with I thought it was neat that you could customize the colors that they system is displayed in. This may seem like a trivial detail, but while I was working through the demo I thought it was a great way to create company recognition. If your company has specific colors that identify who they are, for example in their logo, this is a great way to really personalize the system by carrying through the corporate colors.
I loved that employees are notified through email when they have been inputted into the system and when their time off requests are processed. This allows the employees to have quick responses and feedback regarding their various requests. Allowing employees to have access to the system through their unique password and user names from their own desktops is another great feature. If employees can modify their information and make requests online it eliminates the amount of paperwork HR receives and simplifies processes.
The online corporate literature, such as the newsletters/memos, mission statement and the Letter From the CEO drastically reduces the amount of printing that HR has to oversee. In reality not all employee read these materials, so it makes sense to have it all in one central location that allows interested employees to log on, read and print off (if desired) the information that is of interest to them. The FAQ was also fabulous. I can remember days when I would be asked the same question five times in a row. This can be very time consuming, and having an online FAQ database can be very beneficial. This also saves the employee time. Rather than having to go to the HR department and ask a simple benefit question, employees can simply access the information from their desktop when they have a free moment.
The same went for inputting the Company´s time off policies, job postings and directories. The information was clearly displayed and in on easy to access location. Employees are aware that the information is there and can be viewed at their own convenience. I know from past experience that paper copies of directories are printed out and lost, so they regularly need to be distributed. By making these resources available online it creates one less administrative task that HR needs to take on, and frees up a considerable amount of their time to work on other issues.
The online reports were also extremely painless. Rather than having to jump through various screens and struggle with finding the correct categories, you could simply click on the straightforward categories and submit the report. The report was than displayed in a clean and concise format right on your screen.
I thought that the three levels of employee access could have been added to. It would be good if there were No Access, Administrator Access, Standard Employee Access and a Management Level Access. This level would permit managers to have access to their particular employee group. I think that this added access is important because a lot of time there are a number of people who fall in between the full access and the standard access categories
Although the employee performance appraisals were fairly in depth, I did not find that there was enough customization. Different positions require that you score employees in different areas. The set categories within DrBenefits were relevant to a number of positions, but I thought an option of creating company specific categories would have been a good feature.
I wasn´t too fond of the Classified Ads section. Although this appears to be a great method of communication between employees, I am a little bit leery of the monitoring process. It appears that employees can post virtually any type of ad online, and that it is the administrator´s responsibility to go in and review the ads when they have time. If I was an employer this might concern me. Although the majority of employees would use this service respectfully, there is a possibility that inappropriate messages or information will find its way onto the message boards and I don´t think I would want to see the fall out if such a situation were to occur.
In general I thought DrBenefits was fabulous. The benefits and features of this product far outweigh those that could be improved or that are missing. I thought DrBenefits was well thought out and well designed. The simplicity of this system and the amount of time it would free up an HR Department makes DrBenefits a worthwhile investment.
DrBenefits, Inc
2082 Michel son Drive, Suite 300A
Irvine, California
92612
Phone: (949) 224-0193
Fax: (949) 225-1121