Diverse requirements call for a flexible solution Originally established in the US back in 1948, today Haworth designs and manufactures adaptable workspaces, systems furniture, seating and storage in more than 120 countries through a global network of 600 dealers, however in several markets the company sells directly to the end client. In Asia Pacific alone, the company employs close to 1,200 members of staff.

Despite this, the HR team consisted of just 13 people, each responsible for the entire spectrum of HR activities from staffing and recruitment to compensation and benefits, payroll, learning and development, and organisational and employee relation issues. Due to the way the team was structured, almost everybody was a generalist, which did little to help promote the idea of HR as a strategic partner internally. HR was viewed as an administrative function and all of the critical decisions were made by the business.

The company had no automated HR processes or protocols in place. All communications took place through email, and all employee records were monitored using Excel-based spreadsheets. As such, Haworth needed a complete overhaul not only of the systems, technology and processes they had in place, but also of the corporate culture and the way HR was viewed.

The operational reality was complicated even more thanks to the fact that the company is broken down into a complex web of sub-regions that spans all the way over to Latin America. As such, it was essential that any solution the company implemented was truly regional, capable of communicating with employees in multiple languages. Given this dispersed geographical range, the company also needed a vendor with a strong support team, capable of providing assistance at any hour of the day. Even more importantly Haworth wanted a solution that was suitably flexible to address the diverse requirements, processes and protocols of a “region” that differed greatly from the parent company. To assist them in this challenge they turned to SilkRoad for help.

Background

For more information: asia@silkroad.com | silkroad.com

“I would definitely recommend SilkRoad’s HR solutions. I like the fact that their technology can be easily adapted to suit your needs, and their systems

talk seamlessly to one another. As a result, they have

allowed the HR team to be much more effective and grow

towards being a strategic partner to the business.

Tarun Gulrajani Human Resources Director Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa & Latin America Haworth Inc

From back-office admin to business partner, how SilkRoad’s HR solutions transformed Haworth’s HR function

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“I took SilkRoad’s marketing collaterals and used them internally to educate and

engage our employees and stakeholders in the new

system. Because they are so clear and colourful, people understood what we were

trying to achieve off the bat, which ensured the internal sell

was a much easier process.

Tarun Gulrajani Human Resources Director Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa & Latin America Haworth IncHaworth Career Portal

SilkRoad Recruiting The company was in desperate need of an electronic portal that would allow them to create not only a database of roles, but also a central repository for resumes. Internal silos meant that existing resources were often overlooked for critical roles, or simply weren’t made aware of the fact key positions were available. This was compounded by the HR team trying to run meaningful reports based on data contained in somewhere in the region of 19 individual spreadsheets was near impossible.

SilkRoad’s OpenHire allowed Haworth to properly market roles internally throughout each sub-region, allowing for the easy transfer of existing employees. A key capability of OpenHire was to create a central portal that enhanced the ability to engage in external recruitment activities, enabling the company to expand its reach substantially. It also provides a clear line of sight over the entire hiring process, removing some of the frustrations felt by both the business and the team. Answering a critical requirement of the HR team the system allows the HR department to run complex reports in the blink of an eye, clearly identifying roles that are proving difficult to fill.

SolutionSilkRoad Performance Choosing the right performance management system was far from easy for Haworth. Not only did the company need an automated solution that helped drive career progression for individuals throughout the organisation; it also needed to consider the language differences and barriers that exist on a daily basis in such a large global company.

Thanks to the fact it was so easily customised, SilkRoad’s WingSpan provided the perfect solution, fully automating the entire performance management process and providing a fast, easy alternative to the traditionally paper-based approach. Now employee goals, KPIs and timelines are monitored online, which has allowed the company to increase the regularity of their performance conversations. This in turn has improved productivity and employee engagement, reducing attrition rates so significantly that WingSpan has since been adopted as the global performance management tool of choice for Haworth.

End-to-End Talent Management | silkroad.comTalent Acquisition | Talent Development | HRMS | Talent Portal

Easy Implementation For the HR team at Haworth, there was one other key benefit that made life considerably easier over the course of the software implementation process. When it comes to change management, securing buy in from key stakeholders and of course the employee population as a whole can be troublesome. Thanks to SilkRoad’s no nonsense approach to market collateral and client communications, the HR team saved countless hours engaging and educating their internal population on the benefits of product, which made the entire process considerably easier.

“OpenHire is fantastic because it allows managers to approve

things such as a staffing requisition, no matter which

part of the world they are in. It can be done at the click of a

button.

Tarun Gulrajani Human Resources Director Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa & Latin America Haworth Inc

Haworth At A Glance

End-to-End Talent Management | silkroad.comTalent Acquisition | Talent Development | HRMS | Talent Portal

1200 # of employees at Haworth in Asia Pacific

The Problem !Extremely lean team handling entire HR spectrum

Zero HR software of automated processes and all employee records in Excel

Diverse geographical footprint requiring support in multiple languages

Viewed as an administrative function with no strategic input

Extraordinarily long time to hire and poor line of site for internal transfers

The Solution The Results !Central careers repository created, enabling internal marketing of roles and easier management of external recruitment activities

Time to hire has been reduced by as much as 50%

Reports can now be created quickly and easily using analytics

Entire performance management system automated, removing the need for a paper-based system

Career progression paths clearly defined and managed in the system

Employee goals, KPIs and timelines can be monitored online, increasing the regularity of performance conversations

Significant improvement in productivity and employee engagement

Also freed up time for the HR team to focus on more strategic activities

At a glance…

50% Reduction in time to hire a new member of staff

0 HR technology in place before SilkRoad

3 # hours it used to take to complete a staff requisition form

Online recruitment solution

Online performance management solution

50% Increase in employee engagement

40% Increase in productivity