Member Article

Housing Group saves £50,000 a year and improves employee engagement with mobile HR solution

MobileHR and self-service used to submit 3,000 staff nominations for Spectrum Stars scheme

Spectrum Housing Group (Spectrum), one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south of England, is saving over £50,000 each year and improving employee engagement using MobileHR, a mobile HR solution from Advanced Business Solutions (Advanced).

MobileHR allows Spectrum’s employees to submit expenses, annual leave requests and declare business hospitality gifts via smartphone and tablet devices, allowing the HR team to focus on more value-adding activities. Line managers can use the solution to record all sickness absence types and approve processes remotely without having to travel into the office.

The solution interfaces with Advanced’s OpenHR human resource system, which manages all HR information relating to Spectrum’s 900 staff situated at nine UK offices. OpenHR’s integrated self-service, training and recruitment modules have further streamlined administrative processes by assisting the HR department to more efficiently track absences, health and safety information and identify internal skills gaps through greater automation.

Robert Barnett-Moore, HR Systems Manager at Spectrum Housing Group, says, “MobileHR has eliminated the need for trade staff to come into the office to manage annual leave requests and other administrative tasks. We are now saving approximately £50,000 each year in fuel and efficiency gains which has given us an instant return on our investment. “In addition, holiday and sickness absence records are now automatically updated remotely by authorised staff. As a result we have saved five per cent of administrator’s working time so they can focus more strategically.”

The solution is also enabling Spectrum to increase employee engagement through its internal recognition scheme, Spectrum Stars. Staff can quickly and easily nominate individual employees, managers or teams using their mobile device to receive internal recognition and annual awards for their outstanding contributions.

The process is managed using intuitive workflow which routes all submissions for the consideration of the HR department and automatically alerts staff by email when they have been nominated. To date almost 3,000 nominations have been submitted following the scheme’s launch in June 2012.

Barnett-Moore comments, “We wanted to improve our levels of employee engagement and Spectrum Stars, with the aid of MobileHR, is supporting our goal to be named as one of ‘The Best 100 Companies to Work For’ in The Sunday Times’ annual survey.

“In the last two months alone we have seen a 71 per cent increase in staff nominations for our 2015 scheme, partly due to the fact that Advanced’s solution is so easy and quick to use.”

Spectrum Housing Group has recently achieved Investors in People Gold, the highest award possible, which has currently been achieved by just seven per cent of Investors in People accredited organisations. The Standard is the benchmark of good people management practice. Feedback from Investors in People included praise for staff recognition and reward for its Spectrum Stars scheme.

Advanced Business Solutions is a division of Advanced Computer Software Group plc, a leading supplier of software and IT services to the health, care and business services sectors. In 2014, the Group won Tech Company of the Year in PwC’s UK Tech Awards and ranked in the Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50, which recognises the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the UK.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editor

About Spectrum Housing Group www.spectrumhousing.co.uk Formed in 2007 Spectrum Housing Group is a non-profit organisation. It owns and manages approximately 18,000 homes and maintains a further 45,000 across the South of England through Spectrum Property Care. Spectrum Housing Group works in partnership with local authorities, health trusts, statutory bodies, a range of voluntary organisations and higher education establishments to create safe, sustainable communities.

About Advanced Business Solutions www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/abs Advanced Business Solutions (Advanced) provides leading integrated business applications and services that enable public, private and third sector organisations to retain control, improve visibility and gain efficiencies whilst continually improving corporate performance. Advanced prides itself on getting close to its customers by understanding their businesses and responding to their evolving needs.

Advanced’s software systems comprise core accounting/financial management, procurement, supply chain management, human resource and payroll systems, integrated with a range of collaborative, document management and business intelligence solutions to extend the value and effectiveness of the finance, human resource and payroll departments.

Management information systems for school and academies are also provided through Advanced’s subsidiary, Advanced Learning. Advanced also provides specialist vertical solutions for the not-for-profit and legal markets. All solutions can be delivered as a managed or bureau service.

Customers are from both the public and private sectors and include Companies House, Newcastle City Council, NHSScotland, Norfolk Constabulary, Edge Hill University, WH Smith, Royal Bank of Scotland, Aer Lingus, National Express Group, DFS and RSPB.

Advanced Business Solutions is a division of Advanced Computer Software Group plc, a leading supplier of software and IT services to the health, care and business services sectors.

Press contacts Angela Mycock & Ben Carey, Advanced Computer Software Group pr@advancedcomputersoftware.com +44(0)1625 856 513

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Advanced .