Tailor-made suit for global HR processes

German SMEs are present in all important markets worldwide - with their own plants, sales companies or by purchasing regional companies. To manage growth efficiently, business processes are usually standardized and consolidated across locations in a central ERP application such as SAP ERP.

Stepchild of global HR processes

However, global HR processes are often treated stepmotherly. The central HR department in Germany has to take responsibility for HR processes such as monthly payroll, time management and travel management for all employees worldwide, while also taking into account country-specific features of each location.

In companies whose IT strategy is based on the use of SAP software, the HR department usually carries out these processes in the SAP Human Capital Management (SAP HCM) application.

Since the individual locations work with their own HR solutions, which are rarely connected to SAP HCM, the complexity of global HR processes increases significantly. Salary, travel, time management and HR data are then largely transferred manually to headquarters, where the data is again entered into SAP HCM by hand - a feat that is as error-prone as it is labor-intensive and time-consuming.

The use of such local solutions can also result in different levels of HR process maturity: Site A, for example, uses HR self-services for travel management and travel expense reporting, Site B has commissioned an external service provider, while Site C works with an Excel solution and paper documents.

Overloaded HR

Heterogeneous HR solutions and processes, different levels of maturity, and manual activities with media discontinuities - all this brings numerous disadvantages.
First, the HR department is busy with routine activities. As a result, it lacks the capacity for important core tasks and the time to acquire know-how with regard to local specifics of HR work in the global locations.

Secondly, without harmonization of global HR processes, there can be no clear and uniform view of personnel data and HR information. Concepts for employee development, qualification or talent management can thus only be planned, implemented and managed locally. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, this can quickly turn into a competitive disadvantage.

Third, the quality of HR reporting suffers. Without standardized processes, there is a lack of uniform HR key performance indicators (KPIs) across locations, for example in the definition for part-time employees. In addition, management can only access HR reports after a considerable delay, because the central HR department has to consolidate the personnel data transmitted via Excel by hand.

There is therefore an acute need for action with regard to the consolidation, standardization and simplification of global HR processes and the establishment of a uniform HR reporting system.

However, internationally active SMEs quickly reach their limits here. The effort and costs involved in selecting, implementing, operating and maintaining suitable HR solutions and licenses are high, and such a measure also ties up personnel resources in the HR and IT organizations.

This is exactly where the integrated and modular suite oneHCM of the HR full service provider Treorbis comes in. The customized, platform-independent HR services support globally operating medium-sized companies with 1500 to 5000 employees to harmonize, automate and simplify their HR processes and HR reporting.

If desired, Treorbis can act as a general contractor for the client's human resources needs - both in Germany and internationally.

The greatest advantage of modular and scalable HR services is that they can be tailored precisely to individual requirements and can be flexibly combined to form a customized overall solution, just like a modular system.

The service modules from oneHCM cover almost all HR areas: Payroll, HR master data management, time recording, recruitment, performance appraisal, succession planning, travel management, HR analyses and reporting, and the creation and maintenance of a digital personnel file.

The suite is constantly being expanded and new services added. Soon, customers will also be able to access cloud solutions from SAP company Concur for travel management and expense reporting.

Treorbis supports medium-sized companies in harmonizing their global HR processes with proven consulting, process, technology and methodological expertise and acts as a general contractor when working with international partners.

In this case, Treorbis takes over the complete handling of an HR project at fixed service level agreements (SLAs) and controls it centrally like an "HR control center".

For the customer, this is an invaluable advantage, because he has only one contact person and receives all services from a single source: from the selection of the appropriate HR solutions and the right operating model to implementation and support for the applications and processes after they have gone live in the respective country.

Those who use the HR services of Treorbis for their monthly payroll thus ensure that it is prepared error-free and in accordance with regulations and delivered on time. The tasks of operational time management are also carried out accurately, reports and analyses are provided in a timely manner, and the maintenance of the personnel and payroll data of all employees from their entry to their departure ensures their high quality.

Certification in accordance with Section 11 of the German Federal Data Protection Act guarantees that all legal requirements are met in an exemplary manner when processing HR data - see box on page 66.

New legal regulations, such as those relating to payroll, are implemented immediately, interfaces between HR and Finance are continuously monitored, and change requests, such as the requirement for new HR functions or an HR rollout, are processed swiftly.

The general contractor is also responsible for designing and concluding contracts with local HR service providers and checking their invoices. If desired, he can also convert the data formats of individual sites into a format that SAP HCM can process.

Time for the core business

Thanks to the proven HR services from oneHCM, the efficiency, quality and transparency of global HR processes and HR reporting are noticeably increased, while at the same time the internal HR organization is relieved of time-consuming routine activities and can concentrate fully on its core business.

In addition to employee development, the recruitment of suitable specialists and talent management, this includes in particular the development of a forward-looking HR strategy that is in line with the company's objectives. The HR reports provided by the outsourcing partner play a significant role in this.

The centralization of HR tasks, the integration of IT applications, and the harmonization and optimization of processes and reporting in the course of HR outsourcing also enable significant cost benefits to be realized.

Depending on the situation in the company and the oneHCM services used, Treorbis customers can achieve proven savings of 20 to 40 percent in operations.

From the as-is analysis to the target model

The starting point of every HR outsourcing project is an as-is analysis that includes all relevant aspects: Data, processes, IT architecture and organization. On this basis, a customized target model is then developed together with the customer and implemented step by step.

One of the particularly sensitive tasks here is the development of a qualification concept that prepares affected employees in the HR department at an early stage for new tasks such as recruitment or succession planning.

Hybrid SAP HR processes

The selection of the appropriate IT operating model - on premise or as a hybrid - is also of great strategic importance. Experience shows that internationally active SMEs whose IT strategy is based on SAP software use an SAP HCM application installed on premise for classic HR processes such as payroll or time management.

In many cases, this model can be ideally complemented by the modern HR cloud platform from SAP SuccessFactors, which can be used to consolidate and uniformly manage the HR data of all employees worldwide.

Strategic processes such as recruitment, employee development, succession planning, performance appraisals and HR reporting can thus be standardized, simplified and handled very efficiently throughout the company.

This creates real added value, especially since the HR cloud solution also meets the expectations of end users for a contemporary, intuitive user interface on which they can perform their HR tasks in a role-based and convenient manner, both on the desktop and mobile via smartphone or tablet.

So if the strengths of the on-premise and cloud worlds are combined and bundled in an integrated, powerful and tailored HR platform, a high business benefit can be derived. The customer can then use the best of both worlds in HR work and is excellently equipped for the challenges of the future.

The customized HR services of the oneHCM suite are based on SAP HCM and can harmonize, automate and simplify HR processes and HR reporting for globally operating mid-sized companies.

If desired, the HR full-service provider can act as a general contractor to take care of the client's human resources needs.

Three questions for Treorbis Managing Director Rainer Brand

SuccessFactors Sales Partner

What are Treorbis' goals as a reseller of SuccessFactors?

Rainer Brand: As a sales partner of SAP SuccessFactors, we primarily address our midmarket customers who have subsidiaries worldwide and thus global HR processes.

The focus here is on the development of hybrid HR scenarios. This means that traditional payroll accounting, which takes place on premise in SAP HCM, is linked to the cloud solution SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central (EC), which is intended to serve as a central HR management system.

What services do you provide for customers?

Fire: As a reseller, we support our customers in all aspects of implementing SAP SucessFactors cloud solutions with comprehensive consulting - in terms of processes, data, IT architecture and organization.

To guarantee high quality in consulting and implementation, we put together our own consulting team for SAP SuccessFactors and organize targeted qualification measures for employees in this HCM area.

What is the demand for HR cloud solutions from SuccessFactors?

Fire: We are currently registering lively interest in the SAP SuccessFactors cloud offerings for HR work, as confirmed by numerous discussions with our customers as well as with interested parties.

At the same time, this also increases the demand for corresponding consulting services. We will therefore further strengthen our existing team for SAP SuccessFactors and are looking for experienced consultants and specialists for projects in this area.

§ 11 BDSG

Process HR data in compliance with the law

German SMEs still have reservations about HR outsourcing. In addition to concerns about a possible loss of control, they are particularly concerned about unauthorized access to highly sensitive personal data.

Customers must be able to rely on the security and integrity of the handling of their personal information - in employee or HR master data maintenance as well as in payroll, time management or travel management.

Certification in accordance with Section 11 of the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) guarantees that Treorbis, as an HR outsourcing service provider, fulfills and implements the legal requirements for processing HR data in an exemplary manner.

The required regular audits at Treorbis, which Datenschutz Cert carries out as an independent body, are significantly supported by the partner Procedo Unternehmensberatung.

Procedo is an independent and objective audit and consulting service provider specializing in the areas of risk management and internal auditing, data protection and data security, quality management and occupational safety.