Stonewater has completed an extensive upgrade programme of its HR and payroll functions using software from MHR.
Jenny Sawyer, HR director, Stonewater, said, “Faced with a tough economy and continuing welfare reform, it’s essential that we maximise the value of our resources and adopt more digital methods of working in order to drive efficiency savings.
“We inherited multiple legacy systems following the merger [of Raglan and Jephson Housing in 2015], and it was clear that we needed a major overhaul of our HR processes to support our short- and long-term strategic aims. We wanted to improve our digital functionality, with greater efficiency through systems which were less labour intensive and cheaper to maintain and support.”
MHR carried out a strategic review of Stonewater’s HR and payroll systems to identify which areas of the housing provider’s HR department could be optimised via its web-based iTrent and outsourced payroll services. This included the digitalisation and automation of core work streams as part of Stonewater’s move towards a ‘digital by default’ model and ‘always on’ culture.
Following the review, MHR began a three-phase transformation programme in November 2015. The first phase went live in 2016 with the migration of Stonewater’s staff from its previous legacy system to iTrent and a single payroll software package, together with the introduction of new costing rules around the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics for the finance department, and the introduction of a new Business Objects reporting system.
The second phase of Stonewater’s transformation programme went live in 2017, centred on improving data security and digitising employee-centric functions such as online recruitment, employee on-boarding, and learning and development.
The final phase of the development, to be introduced at the end of 2018 and during early 2019, will include the introduction of best practice processes for contract variations and the automation of key HR processes for absences, attendance, discipline and grievances.
Sawyer said, “MHR’s iTrent is now the engine of our HR department, enabling our staff and managers to have the control, accurate reporting and the visibility they need while letting our workforce take greater ownership of their work through self-service functionality.
“Consistent and streamlined digital processes across all areas of HR and payroll has reduced the amount of labour-intensive, manual work, resulting in more value-adding activities. For example, automation of our payroll process has greatly reduced the number of people needed to carry out manual corrections and calculate post-payroll costings. Meanwhile, the adoption of modern recruitment and training methods means we can improve the experience of applicants and employees, increasing our ability to attract and retain the best talent.”
