Successful digitization of HR processes with jacando for 400 employees and 7 clients
On the one hand, jacando offers the modern look and feel we were looking for and is easy to use for both managers and employees. But jacando goes beyond pure employee administration and can also cover the complexity of our organization including matrix structure, employee history, personnel planning and multiple clients.
These are the words of Markus Reiß, Director People & Organization at the TENHIL Group, which offers award-winning solutions for online recruiting and HR management. TENHIL took over jacando in October 2022, so introducing the software seemed like an obvious choice.
But it wasn't quite that simple: the Tenhil Group was only founded in 2021 from the individual companies Regio-Jobanzeiger, Stellenanzeigen.de and Yourfirm. Some of the companies had introduced HR software, others only a solution for travel expense accounting. Most of the administration was still done on paper and in Excel.
When the companies merged, they also needed standardized HR software that could still cover the complexity of several companies, clients and locations. Many providers have already failed in this respect.
But they succeeded and now have a uniform HR solution and have digitized and centralized all their processes, data and documents.
How did they achieve this?
We spoke to Markus Reiß about this. He took us through the entire process
About TENHIL
The TENHIL Group is a joint venture of Rheinische Post Mediengruppe, Ippen Mediengruppe and the management board of TENHIL GmbH & Co. KG. The companies of the TENHIL Group offer award-winning solutions for online recruiting: high-reach online job markets in Germany and Austria as well as SaaS portal solutions for the operation of job boards on partner websites. The companies in the TENHIL Group include the job exchanges stellenanzeigen.de, Yourfirm.de, Regio-Jobanzeiger.de, Jobblitz.de, Kalaydo.de and it-jobs.de. With Karrieretag (www.karrieretag.org), TENHIL also has a leading provider of career fairs in its portfolio. Other services enable publishers and partner companies to sustainably monetize their websites. The group is headquartered in Munich.
The initial situation
What challenges did TENHIL face before introducing standardized HR software?
When it was decided in 2021 that the TENHIL Group would be formed from the individual companies, one of the first considerations was We need to centralize our processes and bring all companies together in one HR software. With the complexity of several companies, locations and clients, it quickly became clear that it could not be a pure all-in-one solution, as this would not be able to meet the requirements.
What was particularly important to TENHIL in a new HR software?
Due to the group's strong recruiting focus, a good connection to its own job boards was a prerequisite so that the jobs could be posted simultaneously on all TENHIL job boards. Many HR software solutions only offer an interface with an agency for multi-posting, which was not an option for this requirement.
TENHIL previously had a separate tool for recruiting, which they were also very happy with. However, with the introduction of new HR software, it was important for them to create data and information consistency in addition to high-quality and efficient applicant management. They quickly realized that this would be very difficult or impossible to achieve with a stand-alone solution. In addition, reporting and analysis had to be made possible quickly and with reliable data. With all this in mind, the search for HR software began.
The implementation
Why did they choose jacando?
We had actually already decided on HR software that could meet our requirements, even if the user-friendliness was somewhat lacking. Then jacando came around the corner," says Markus Reiß, Director People & Organization at the TENHIL Group.
During the selection process, Markus Reiß did not yet have jacando on his radar as an HR solution. They only became aware of it when it became part of the group of companies.
After comparing it with our requirements and testing the software, it became clear relatively quickly: jacando can map our complexity, is user-friendly and is also the latest addition to TENHIL. There were no more arguments against it, says Markus Reiß.
What was the greatest hope in a new HR tool?
As the individual companies in the TENHIL Group had previously worked in their own systems, each HR department had different processes. For some, vacation requests were sent by email, for others they were entered into an Excel spreadsheet. Some recorded times, others did not. For some, approvals were made by email, for others by phone call.
By introducing standardized software, we not only had the opportunity to digitize and centralize our data, but we were also able to turn several companies into one by scrutinizing and streamlining all previous processes.
How did the implementation work?
In 2021, TENHIL's HR department consisted of a five-person team, today there are eight.
I had already introduced several HR tools before and the implementation of jacando was one of the easiest and fastest, says Markus Reiß.
Franzi, part of the HR team, played a crucial role as she had technical understanding and acted as an interface to jacando. By bundling everything with her, Markus and the HR team were able to concentrate on setting up the new processes.
A lot of resources were not tied up, but I would always recommend scheduling a full-time employee to work at least 50% on the tool launch. This also enables the right focus and careful implementation, which is essential for flawless use in the future, advises Markus Reiß.
What lessons have you learned that you would like to pass on to other HR managers?
jacando guides new customers through the entire implementation process in a clear and structured manner. Individual adjustments are of course possible and processes can be adapted without any problems. Nevertheless, we always recommend scrutinizing your own processes before blindly transferring them to another software that is designed for a different and efficient approach. It is not uncommon for those responsible to have their eyes opened to weaknesses and inefficiencies during such a project. Markus Reiß has also addressed this:
When introducing new software, many make the mistake of trying to squeeze their existing processes into a tool that was designed with other processes in mind. jacando already provides such efficient and sensible processes that we had a perfect basis on which to build our structures.
Where is TENHIL experiencing success with jacando?
TENHIL first introduced jacando's personnel administration, then the recruiting tool.
Markus Reiß gives us an insight:
"The before and after is a world of difference:
- Multiple Excel lists vs. a central vacation calendar
- Paper files and documents in various cloud filing systems vs. a central digital personnel file
- Managing absences via email, calls and Excel lists vs. automated workflows and clean absence management
- Time recording in lists vs. clean time recording in the tool with stored work schedules, break times, overtime regulations, etc.
- Change of address, sick notes, absences have to be reported by email or phone call to HR vs. employee self-service in jacando, which saves HR a lot of time
I think it's obvious from this list that we can work much more productively and efficiently. But that's not all: our work is less prone to errors. In the past, it was not uncommon for letters to be returned to employees because the address had been entered incorrectly in an old Excel spreadsheet. Today, employees are responsible for their own data and there is only one 'single source of truth' with the digital personnel file."
With jacando, TENHIL can now also map the complex organization in a matrix structure: Different functions can be assigned to one person and the main as well as secondary occupations can be displayed very well.
Do you have favorite functions in jacando?
Definitely. Basically the ability to cover our complexity. This includes the mapping of a matrix structure, the separation of person and employment, the mapping of employee histories, as well as our recruiting with an interface to our job boards. I don't know of many HR providers geared towards SMEs that can do this. There are also little things like editable templates, the mapping of leave approvals and the strong digital personnel file, says Markus Reiß.
This is precisely jacando's focus: user-friendly HR software that can nevertheless map the complexities of a medium-sized company and goes deeper than the typical "all-in-one software".
How jacando can help SMEs
jacando aims to map complexity without being complex to use.
Our software consists of several solutions that reclaim HR managers' valuable time thanks to clean processes, centralized data and automation.
Our four solutions cover all areas of the HR department:
- Personnel administration
- recruiting
- time management
- talent management
By digitizing your HR processes, as TENHIL has done with jacando, you can use the time usually needed for administrative tasks for more important projects. This gives the HR function in your company a strategic importance, and we support you in this.