Technology and Analytics

E-3: How would you describe your collaboration with Workday?

Sebastian Rüting: Kainos is an IT consulting company and partner of Workday with over ten years of experience in international customer projects. We support companies in the implementation of Workday solutions and our consulting engagement starts with a pre-project and continues through implementation and post go-live support.

E-3: What are the customer requirements or expectations of modern HR solutions?

Rüting: Many companies are facing major challenges and are looking for answers to pressing questions such as "Is the company able to react quickly to changing market situations?" or "What does "The Great Resignation" mean for our organization?". In many cases, legacy HR solutions are reaching their limits. This is where modern Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions, such as those offered by Workday, are part of the answer. Part because they can act as a "catalyst for change." Equally important is successfully positioning the overall organization for the future. A change management process is essential, otherwise many HR initiatives and system changes will go awry.

E-3: How are Workday products different from other solution providers in the market?

Rüting: HR solutions are best when they fully meet customer requirements. Technology combined with analytics can help companies achieve their goals faster, more securely and, above all, more easily. Processes are automated to allow more time for strategic issues. Thanks to a modern user interface, Workday brings the user experience we know from the consumer internet to the enterprise context.

E-3: What role does the user experience play?

Rüting: User experience and usability are the measure of all things. But technology is the true enabler. But the best software is worth nothing if it is not used. The leading providers have understood that user experience, design and technology can permanently change and reshape our usage behavior. Simple and intuitive applications save us time and nerves and make our work efficient and enjoyable.

E-3: What trends does Kainos see in HR? 

Rüting: Kainos supports companies to successfully manage the HR transformation. Many of our customers want to have clear standards in their day-to-day business, consume innovations faster and manage operations with real-time data. Imagine you work in industry and need to react to the changing situation at lightning speed. Wouldn't it be great to be able to simulate scenarios with a planning solution integrated with your HR system to provide management with quick answers? Many companies want such functionality from their HR systems. Another topic is to merge different data, e.g. HR and sales data/CRM data. Here we use Prism from Workday. The next trend concerns understanding employee satisfaction. The more companies implement home offices or a hybrid work model, the more important applications like Workday Peakon Employee Voice become. The solution allows companies to better and more quickly take the pulse of their employees, respond to change, make the right decisions, and successfully align their business.

E-3: What role does the HR department play in the digitization of a company? 

Rüting: Many decisions to introduce new technologies are made by management and IT. However, in the age of SaaS, ownership of the software often lies with the business departments. HR can, of course, bring its full expertise to bear here, acting as the initiator of many innovations that positively influence business development and the mood in the team.

E-3: What are the key requirements for a successful implementation for companies?

Rüting: In any transformation project, the preparation phase is very important. First of all, the roles should be distributed correctly, i.e., who is responsible for what and who ultimately makes the decisions. Ownership by the company management is necessary here to ensure short decision-making paths. Clear goals or KPIs must be set and the desired result must be visualized. A solid and realistic budget, as well as easily achievable timelines are equally important. The human factor should not be underestimated, so it is advisable to involve experienced employees in such projects and a partner who supports the journey.

E-3: Thank you for the interview.

Kainos

Kainos Group plc is a software company headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that develops information technology for businesses and organizations. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.