INSIGHTS / News

XCD HR  is working in conjunction with Peterborough council to tailor their cloud-based HR solution in-line with public sector requirements. This technology will enable employees to work more effectively and flexibly, saving both time and money.

“Local councils are facing huge pressures to save money. We have teams of experienced employees, who are good at their jobs. We want to retain our staff whilst making better use of valuable skills. We need to work more effectively moving forward” commented Richard Godfrey, Assistant Director: Digital Peterborough, Peterborough City Council.

Huge business savings – time & money:

Historically, many of the council’s HR processes and procedures were paper-based. Over 100 of these tasks have now been automated. This allows employees to spend less time on paperwork and more time on the crucial elements of their jobs which really make a difference to the general public. The business can now ensure it utilises employee skills to the absolute maximum, which consequently improves internal operations and services to the community.

“We want social workers to be doing exactly that – social work, instead of sitting at their desks filling in forms. We are here to serve our community and so automating processes and enabling staff to work anywhere, from any device, means services will improve.” continued Godfrey.

The Digital Peterborough Campaign:

Peterborough council is leading the digital revolution of the Public Sector under its “Digital Peterborough” campaign. Their aim is to transform the way in which they deliver services to their local community by partnering with a number of leading technology partners, including XCD HR, Salesforce, Box, Transversal and Arcus Global.

Tailored Technology from XCD HR:

The XCD HR solution is a perfect fit. Not only does it meet the requirements of an employee centric, self-service system, but it also sits on the same technology platform (Force.com[1]) that all other systems used within the council are migrating to as part of the council’s innovative Technology Strategy.

XCD HR has taken its standard, out-of-the box solution and worked alongside Peterborough to develop the system to specifically fit their needs. Although the Public Sector HR model is complex, it’s mainly rule based as the majority of contracts, salaries, leave, benefits and pensions are standardised.  It was staggering to see the volume of paperwork, duplication of data and the time that it took to collate reports and analyse data.

“We could see the immediate benefits of automating their processes and the efficiencies it would make right across the organisation, for HR, Managers and Employees. We were in the perfect position to take on this challenge because the Force.com platform enables us to work four times faster compared to traditional software, and our clients have their data stored in the Salesforce UK data centre.” added Chris Mitford-Slade, CEO, XCD HR.

Business benefits:

• Immediate benefits/efficiency gains across the council (for HR, Managers and Employees) have been realised
• Improved reporting capability with 24/7 up-to-date decision making data available to appropriate audience supporting CMT
• Improved access to information to support a more mobile workforce using current communication tools – phone, tablet, pc, from anywhere via the cloud
• HR’s workload has become far more manageable and CIPD skills put to better us
• Less chasing is required due to the approval process and email alert reminders on managers and employees

Future benefits for the Public Sector:

This means that there is now a tailored solution available to the entire public sector. Other UK councils will be able to utilise the design built and benefit from a reduction in the length of their implementation projects by harnessing this expertise. This will be of huge benefit to the market place as the system is already tried and tested and implementation time will be hugely reduced moving forwards.

 “It has been a pleasure to work with a software supplier which has felt like you are working with your own in-house development team. We’ve been able to tailor the solution and mould the new system as if it were a bespoke project just for PCC.”  added Jan Paxton, HR Analyst, Peterborough Council.

“Digital Peterborough” is a long-term project and XCD HR will continue to work in partnership with the team. The XCD HR solution can be purchased via the G-Cloud, an initiative targeted at easing procurement by public sector bodies.

XCD HR are an Alumni member of the Bristol SETsquared Centre, from where it’s director, Nick Sturge, commented: “Given the increasing pressure on public finances, innovative software such as that from XCD HR, will be essential and we are pleased to have been able to help Chris and the team develop this exciting new relationship with Peterborough.”