Pest control and cleaning specialist Rentokil Initial has chosen to run its global HR system for its 66,000 workforce from the Cloud.
Although Rentokil is a £2.5bn global organisation, according to Fergal Harkin, group HR operations director, there was “no cohesion, no management” across its 1,000 branches in 58 countries, with multiple payrolls and manual-heavy HR processes. He says:
As part of a company-wide initiative to drive standardisation in its administrative and operational processes across the business, Rentokil looked for a solution to automate and integrate its HR processes.
The company realised that its under-invested IT infrastructure and small and low-key HR function would make it difficult to manage an on-premise HR system, so using the Cloud was an ideal approach.
Workday impressed Rentokil because it was the only HR firm on the shortlist that was exclusively followed the software-as-a-service model, rather than traditional on-premise software that had been adapted for the Cloud. Lower costs compared to on-premise software and its use of intuitive self-service tools added to the attraction of Workday.
Using a Cloud approach also appealed because, if it wants to reengineer any processes, it doesn’t need to call outside help. Harkin explains:
The first ‘proof of concept’ phase of the project began in May and by the end of the first quarter 2012, UK and Spain will be fully up and running. The next target is to bring on board the 17 countries with the size and scale to benefit most from the system. Longer term the aim is to extend into performance reviews and talent management.
Harkin said it was difficult to put an exact figure on savings made, but that as payroll accounted for 70% of costs, having better control over that process and better insight with real-time reporting would prove invaluable. Says Harkin:
Rentokil was already at home with the Cloud model, using Google Apps’ email, intranet and collaboration toolset, Ariba as it main procurement tool and Cornerstone OnDemand for global online learning. But Harking stresses that it is not dogmatically following a cloud approach, but assessing each business case individually.
