Liverpool Mutual Homes has completed the replacement its ageing HR system and payroll bureau service with a new system from Cascade. The implementation began in February 2014 and went live four months later.
Michelle Griffiths, HR manager, Liverpool Mutual Homes, said, “When I joined two years ago, the HR system was very inflexible and had limited functionality, and third-party software was needed to access the information that the HR wanted in order create meaningful reports.
“Furthermore, inadequate data meant that we could only surmise HR trends and the costs associated with underlying problems such as sickness absences, and customer service levels were poor, with lengthy call-back periods, often no acknowledgement of the receipt of data and constant last-minute panics.”
Griffiths’ criteria for the selection of a new HR and payroll service included ease of use, self-service functionality for non-HR staff, flexibility to accommodate varied employment contracts, room for growth and customer support.
LMH chose Cascade to provide a new HR system with additional workflow, self-service, training, online recruitment, timesheets, expenses and auto-enrolment modules, plus a payroll bureau service.
LMH’s HR team can now make starter, leaver, salary and post changes themselves, employees can update expenses and overtime applications for managers to authorise, and any variable changes can be sent via Cascade’s secure encrypted system, all before each month’s payroll cut-off date.
The housing provider is now much more confident about its payroll activities, and the HR department has been transformed, with fewer paper-based notes and manual interventions.
The HR team can accurately and proactively report on data including starters, leavers, agency staff, sickness absences and costs. They can also make useful suggestions for change to the management team and illustrate the need to implement targeted HR activities that will support the business and save money. HR reporting used to take around three days, with input needed from different team members but now only takes 30 minutes.
LMH’s managers now have much better access to relevant HR information. For example, when conducting a return to work interview for example, they have staff records, relevant documentation and everything else they may need at their fingertips.
Griffiths said, “As a newly streamlined department, we have more time to add value to the wider business. For example, we can easily produce sickness absence reports, help to uncover previously-unknown trends, identify causal factors and present evidenced suggestions for change to our executive management.”
