SAP empowers Auckland City Council workforce

SAP empowers Auckland City Council workforce

SAP Human Resources Information System enables employee self management,
reduces costs, improves productivity

Auckland City Council has implemented an SAP integrated Human Resources Information System (HRIS) to help its HR department drive better decision-making and plan more effectively. Since the system went live in February this year, benefits to the council include increased productivity through improved processes and more timely and meaningful information being available with less effort. The council has also made hard savings by eliminating the costs of previous systems, including an outsourced payroll system.

Auckland City Council identified the need for an integrated HRIS to deliver high quality HR services at a low cost to manage its large, diverse workforce more effectively. The council, which has been running SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) since 2000, chose SAP for its proven HRIS capability.

The solution at Auckland City Council includes two self service channels: one for employees and one for managers. All employees have access to HR information through a user-friendly web-based access point. Employee self service (ESS) includes viewing and maintaining personal and time management information including timesheets and leave requests. Manager self service (MSS) includes leave management for the team (including approvals and a team calendar), team administration (including recruiting and viewing personnel records) and remuneration management (viewing salaries and entering performance review results).

Peter Blackwell, manager enterprise systems at Auckland City Council, says the system has improved the quality and timeliness of basic people information at the council.

“Employees now have access to their own personal data for leave and time management, which eliminates a significant amount of paperwork and frustration with lost and misplaced timesheets and other documentation. We can now track every leave request from application and approval through to payroll payment processing,” says Peter.

“MSS allows our managers to look after their own data without asking HR or payroll. We’ve also dramatically improved our understanding of our workforce through HR reporting and metrics.”

Auckland City Council has eliminated the costs of running dual systems and separate databases. It has also reduced costs through more effective management of payroll and compensation.

“We’ve also reduced the time spent by line managers and HR staff on HR administrative processes,” says Peter.

SAP has long been a key enabler of the efficient provision of services to Auckland City ratepayers. The HRIS is linked to Auckland City Councils existing financial processes, allowing the council to leverage its existing strategic investment in SAP as its enterprise resource planning system.

Graeme Riley, managing director SAP New Zealand, says Auckland City Council is realising the benefits of improved visibility into the organisation which contributes to better decision making.

“We’re seeing a growing and lasting need and desire for clarity these days. Organisations must see clearly, think clearly and act clearly to improve collaboration and efficiency across the entire organisation and across their business networks.”

ENDS

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