In its move towards agile working, Melin Homes has implemented new HR software from CascadeHR.
Sharon Crockett, director of innovation and culture, Melin Homes, said, “As part of our push towards digital transformation, we realised that our staff needed to be able to work where, when and how they wanted.”
However, it became clear that Melin’s team couldn’t become more flexible without a better HR system. Cascade HR was selected, and company-wide champions were appointed to encourage buy in. This helped the subsequent roll out, before other elements of the technology mix were also overhauled, including Melin’s housing management system, server infrastructure and office telecoms.
Crockett said, “Before this project, 30 vans would line up outside our headquarters so that our direct workforce could collect their daily job sheets. Now real-time information is securely stored in the cloud, providing easy access via a mobile device, irrespective of location. This has reduced travel times by up to two hours per day, making our workforce more efficient and boosting their work-life balance.
“For agility to be genuinely embraced throughout the organisation, a sense of trust – certainly among our management team – was imperative. Prior to the CascadeHR implementation, our workforce had clock in/out fobs. However, knowing that these fobs signalled mistrust, Melin now allows them to input their own working times into CascadeHR. This admittedly brave move demonstrated our faith that people will work independently and transparently, which has energised colleagues who no longer feel ‘watched’.”
