ALK-Abelló

ALK-Abelló has undergone rapid growth in the last five years. Several hundred new employees have been taken on, so the Human Resource department has had a lot to do, including dealing with new appointments, recording all relevant employee data and distributing information to managers and the management.

“Reporting needs have increased significantly, but we had no IT system to help us in this matter,” says HR Specialist

Vibeke de Stricker Borch. “If, for instance, we had to draw up an accountant of the salary paid to one particular employee, this had to be done manually by searching out the old pay slips. Correspondingly, all information on job applicants was filed in a separate database, with the result that we had to re-enter applicant details in the payroll system when the applicant was employed.”

IT assistance
Against this background, the HR department very much wanted improved IT support for its heavy work processes, preferably in the form of an integrated system which could deal with all data and where there was decentralized access so that all entries or data searches did not necessarily have to be carried out via a HR employee. This was what ALK-Abelló was on the lookout for – and that is why they are now in the process of implementing new modules for Microsoft Business Solutions-Axapta supplied by Columbus IT Partner.

Vibeke Borch says, “We chose Columbus for one entirely crucial reason – their consultants have a thorough grounding in HR. When it comes to salaries, personnel and development, they know what they are talking about. Right from the beginning, we had a common basis from which to work, and on top of that, they can provide modules integrated in Axapta, which precisely satisfied our wishes with regard to time and project registration, and recruitment.

For instance, this means that the data we receive from recruitment can now be transferred to the system at the push of a key when the applicant is taken on. And if the person is not taken on, we can file this data so we can quickly find the applicant again if we have a need for his or her qualifications – naturally with due regard for the Data Protection Act and having obtained the relevant person's consent.”

Skills exploited
The solution allows us to obtain an overview of the knowledge the company possesses. However, this part of the system has not been commissioned at ALK-Abelló.

“But soon we will begin evaluating how Axapta could help us support Human Resource Development. We will take a look at how the system charts staff competencies and supports the planning of training and development activities. If there is a need for particular skill for example, the system can quickly reveal whether we already have staff with those skills, or whether there is a need to employ new staff or provide further training. In the same way, Axapta can contribute to ensuring that employees' knowledge is exploited, thus boosting employee satisfaction and benefiting the company's bottom line,” says Vibeke Borch and adds that the challenge will now be to ensure optimal use of Axapta relative to the company's needs.