Author: Russell Piper, HR director, GESeaCo
Topic: HR software implementation
Supplier: Snowdrop

Challenge

Prior to selecting a supplier, GE SeaCo used paper records to manage employee information at each of its 20 offices across the world. Through moving to a computerised system, HR hopes to create a paperless function that would allow immediate access to all HR records, regardless of location; create global processes for improved leave & movement logging and ensure consistency of employee data.

Background

GE SeaCo employs 220 personnel in over 20 countries. Headquartered in Barbados, it employs 65 people at its largest office in London from where HR is run. Within the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, HR responsibilities are managed on a part-time basis as part of other roles.

Key facts

Russell Piper joined GESeaCo in Spring 2007 as HR director.

Implementation

• GE SeaCo took a rapid approach to implementation, with the whole process, from the initial selection to the project being up and running taking only four months. 
 
• Piper chose Snowdrop’s Evergreen (personnel records management) and U-Access (employee and line manager self-service) modules, which can be accessed by all managers and employees worldwide.

• GE SeaCo decided to brand the U-Access system with GE SeaCo’s corporate identity and renamed the system ‘MyHR’, to ensure employee ownership and buy-in.

• Snowdrop’s SDS* (Snowdrop Directory Services) and Workflow (information delivery by e-mail) tools will also be implemented at a later date to assist the company with SOX compliance*.
 
• The SDS tool will provide connectivity between the HR software and GE SeaCo’s Microsoft Active Directory. This ensures that employee information can be created quickly, and, if an employee leaves, be automatically switched off to to reduce potential security risks.

• When Workflow is rolled out it will automatically generate reminders for line managers and schedule work for HR at all GE SeaCo’s offices, smoothing data flow and increasing efficiency company-wide.

• Evergreen’s organisational charting and salary modelling tools will be integral to better workforce planning and worldwide salary reviews. It will enhance visibility of information, increase awareness across the organisation and create a global ‘who’s who’.

• A staggering thirty thousand documents were scanned and uploaded to Snowdrop’s database, which has already saved a lot of time in sourcing information for GE SeaCo.

Benefits

• Line managers can now track teams more easily, which is essential for the five‘virtual’ teams that are spread across the world. Managers can also view a range of reports, including salary, review and benefits information.

• Opening up information in this way has been fundamental in freeing up the HR team to concentrate on more value-added activities, such as coaching and development strategies, rather than spending time on retrieving data.

• GE SeaCo has also recently introduced a performance management system, from which outputs are stored in Snowdrop’s database. With online access, line managers can easily access development objectives, which assist them in keeping their focus on employee training and support. For HR this also provides a clearer picture of which topics need to be covered, assisting in the procurement of suppliers.

• U-Access enables employees to access and update holiday and absence data, and edit personal information. Employees can also view development plans and pay conditions that assist in creating greater transparency of information.

• Essentially, increasing the availability of data means reducing the amount of time spent searching for information, while increasing the quality and consistency of employee data – imperative for ensuring reliable management reports.

Results

• A key area of improvement is a firmer control on absences, in particular, through identification of sickness patterns and Bradford factor analysis.

• Through providing cost information at the touch of a button, Snowdrop has also been invaluable during the business re-organisation process.

• Now that there is worldwide access to HR information, Russell Piper, HR director for GE SeaCo, anticipates being able to equalise benefits, while no longer having to deal with time delays in finding employee information.

• Russell says: “With Snowdrop there is considerably less concentration on administration and a greater focus on training and development, enabling us to deal with the challenges of tomorrow.”

Lessons

• Understand the limitations of the system. How important is historical data to you? How often do you want to access it?

• File scanning

• Limitations of the organisational tool

Future plans

• There is more work to be done to make Snowdrop the central system that controls all access and all permissions in tandem with Microsoft Directory Services.

Top tips

• Introduce some ‘no alternative’ systems, which will ensure that employees have to use the software for important tasks, such as booking and approving holiday etc.

• Don’t underestimate the importance of data input. Get someone who knows the organisation to do it and then give them a clear unfettered run at it.

• Get as much data into the system at day one. Do not revert to ‘we’ll add that later’ because you never find time.

Chosen partner

Snowdrop is a leading supplier of mid-market HR and Payroll software to organisations of all structures, industry-wide. Russell Piper decided to implement Snowdrop based on his positive experiences with Snowdrop at Crane Telecommunications Group Ltd, which operates across a multi-site environment, similar to GE SeaCo.