What was the Access ‘time to value’ process like for you?
“This implementation process really suited us as we were working on such tight timescales. We basically got 30-plus HR processes from an out-of-the-box system which got us up and running with immediate ROI with the option to configure further at a later stage. We had great support from Access and we knew we could do what we wanted to tailor the system using our pot of consultancy days and budget. Initially we had wanted to do everything quickly, but then when we reviewed how the out-of-the-box system was already meeting our business requirements, we were happy to defer the tweaks whilst we road-tested the new processes first.”
What issues obstacles did you encounter?
“Data was our bugbear. We knew cleansing was going to be an issue and in a perfect world we should have started earlier but couldn’t. We had to deal with 349 different working patterns, varying holiday entitlements, a range of notice periods… It was a significant task to cleanse the data and get it into the system. We had to prioritise. I would say to others don’t be tempted to input the bad data such as out of date next of kin and telephone numbers – it’s much better to get individual employees to do it via the self-service portal.”
How did you launch the new system?
"We did a phased launch to some users, then to managers, then launched more processes in phase 3. We had good-buy-in from our senior management team and conducted Skype sessions with our senior managers to get them up to speed. But we also have a disparate workforce, so we always knew it would be a challenge to communicate with everyone. Our Marketing team stepped up with some great ideas including holding a competition to name the system and incentives for individuals to check their details and read the updated policies. We gave away £100 of Love to Shop vouchers as well as cookies and donuts which were all popular. Our new system is called CHRIS which stands for Centralised Human Resources Information System. We created a ‘CHRIS’ character persona which was brought to life in a video on launch day; and on a daily basis, CHRIS answers questions via the interactive self-service tool within the system. This is a crucial element in the employee engagement process and his full-size cardboard cut-out still prompts a smile and a high-five from staff today.”
What difference did the support from Access make?
“I’ve depended on our ‘Builder Buddy’ which is our consultant at Access who is on hand to answer questions as you go through the go-live process. It’s a great way to learn too because when you want to know how to do something on the system they work with you via a team viewer, so you can learn at the same time. This ultimately makes us self-sufficient. We were speaking daily in the early stages; obviously the support is not needed as often now. Our Builder Buddy also came to our site for our go-live events which was really helpful.”
Has the Access HR delivered as you’d hoped?
“We only went live six months ago, and we’ve already started to free up HR to add value not spend the whole time processing forms. We are also getting rid of double keying between payroll and HR systems so yes, we are definitely getting there. People are now logging in every day, we are achieving ROI on our department efficiencies and we have accurate data now. It’s been a really positive step forward for us.”
Read the EVO Group case study for more details