Norse Group, a combined facilities management, property consultancy and care provider, has signed a deal with specialist software and service provider, MidlandHR, to implement iTrent, its single solution for talent management, workforce planning, HR and payroll.
The system is hoped to improve efficiency across the business, speed up HR processes and give instant access to up-to-date HR information.
Norse Group, a £250 million turnover business, was looking for a fully integrated HR and payroll platform to meet the needs of all the different parts of its business, replacing dated technology and paper-based processes with a single solution that would provide an improved service for its 10,000+ employees.
Tricia Fuller, Norse Group HR Director, says, "Norse is a fast growing, dynamic group which is currently experiencing rapid expansion in the facilities management and contract services side of the business. With this growth comes an increased demand for faster HR and payroll administration processing and more flexible and detailed reporting. iTrent will play a valuable part in strengthening our new business processes, providing vital real-time employee data and statistics to help us provide accurate public sector tender documents.
"Having previously been running 33 different payrolls across multiple locations, it was clear that consolidating all of these disparate systems and databases into one single solution would bring cost and efficiency savings. We are also looking forward to our employees being able to enjoy a better service including improved response times and overall experience," said Fuller.
iTrent will transform Norse Group’s HR and payroll processes, providing improved workflow functionality, integrated document management and more in-depth group wide reporting, as well as a single database for all employees. Improved HR and payroll processes will enable the HR and payroll department to engage with the workforce and managers quickly and effectively, it’s believed, for example when processing timesheets and expenses.
It will also provide immediate and accurate information, which can be searched in real-time from any of its 30-plus office locations or from home.
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Norse Group will also be implementing online payslips which will reduce paper consumption, whilst iTrent’s Manager and Employee Self-Service functionality will empower managers and staff by giving instant access to their HR data. Employees will be able to access the system for training course bookings, holiday records and online payslips, whilst the powerful reporting suite will enable management to see people-related costs and statistics to help improve service and efficiency.
Norse Group considered various technology options before concluding that iTrent provided the best level of functionality and integration for their complex requirements. Lisa Rutland, Norse Group Payroll Manager, explains: "Following an in-depth tender and review process, we decided on MidlandHR’s specialist solution because we believe it offers richer HR and payroll functionality at less cost than an ERP solution. Furthermore, it also provides a greater strategic fit with our other IT systems and applications including a better costing interface into the general ledger.
"iTrent’s best practice approach will better support the business strategy, reducing duplication and error rates as well as providing meaningful people management data to enable business risks to be more effectively managed," she concludes.
Declan McGrath, managing director at MidlandHR, explains: "iTrent will provide Norse Group with a scalable platform to allow the business to grow in a robust way, mitigating the risk of outdated and increasingly obsolescent systems. It will also streamline business processes and standardise systems across the group’s three different companies to meet customer demands, both now and in the future."
All 12 modules of iTrent will be rolled out across the Group in five main phases beginning with HR, Payroll and Absence which are scheduled to go live from April 2013. This will be followed by Web Recruitment and Manager and Employee Self-Service. The final phases will include People Development, Learning Events Administration, Health and Safety and Performance Management.
