Company News • 09.12.2013
Thomas Sabo streamlines Payroll and HR Software solutions with Carval Computing
Innovative jeweller and retailer manages continued growth with fully integrated staff management solutions
Thomas Sabo is an innovative and globally renowned lifestyle brand with its head office based in Lauf an der Pegnitz, Germany. Founded in 1984 the company now employs over 1300 people and has a presence in 66 countries around the world.
One of the leading providers in the jewellery, watch and beauty sector Thomas Sabo has about 230 retail shops, with over 40 of those being in the UK and Ireland.Thomas Sabo stores offer all the Thomas Sabo collections, aiming to provide a seductive ambiance with high quality shop design which enhances the shopping experience for its customers. As well as its own chain of stores, Thomas Sabo also operates a wholesale operation, supplying an extensive network of selected specialist retailers, who are supported by a team of sales representatives.
Continued Growth supported by HR
As the UK and Ireland division of Thomas Sabo has seen continued growth during the last seven years, the Human Resources department needed a more automated way to manage staff records and all the forms and documentation. In addition it was decided to bring payroll in-house to gain more control – previously they used a payroll bureau service. In keeping with the company ethos for innovative thinking and attention to detail, Alessandra Bernardinelli, Head of Organisation at Thomas Sabo UK and Ireland decided to look for a fully integrated HR system that would be able to manage every element of information about staff.
After a thorough evaluation of the market Alessandra and her team selected HR Unity from Carval. Alessandra explained: “We wanted a system that could manage our requirements both now and in the future. As Thomas Sabo continues to grow we needed a solution that could handle large numbers of employees, that had the flexibility to adapt to our changing needs, and provide additional functionality in the future. Carval's HR software met all of these requirements.”
Fully Integrated HR Platform
Thomas Sabo has purchased the full HR Unity platform, which includes Unistaff for HR management, Uniwage for Payroll, Unitend for Time and Attendance and Unity Online for staff and manager Self Service.
Alessandra and a colleague between them run the payrolls for office and retail staff, and an HR administrator manages personnel records for all staff in both UK and Ireland. The Carval payroll software enables different staff groups to be set up on the system, so that records are kept current even if they are not being paid through the system. The integrated nature of the solution means that data is entered once only, saving significant time for both payroll and HR departments, while reducing potential rekeying errors.
Unity Online self-service enables staff to check their personal details, holiday entitlements, and request holiday/leave. Managers are able to view details for staff in their departments and can authorise holiday at the click of a button.
Time and Attendance streamlines staff hours
In future the company plans to roll out Carval’s time and attendance software. This will save time for all employees as well as HR and Payroll as timesheets will no longer be required. Hours will simply be collected by the Time & Attendance system when staff clock in and out, which could be via the till for store based staff, with payroll being updated automatically. The system automatically logs hours worked and costs at branch, regional and head office level.
An additional plug-in option is the Deployment Planner which will assist store managers with forecasting staff requirements and costs.
Self-service for both staff and managers has also been introduced. This gives staff the ability to check their personal details, holiday entitlements and request holiday/leave. Managers are able to view details for staff in their departments and are able to authorise holiday at the click of a button. In addition the Self-service solution enables Thomas Sabo to manage recruitment, starter and leaver processes at branch level.
In summary Alessandra commented; “Carval HR Unity has enabled the HR and Payroll department at Thomas Sabo UK and Ireland to manage the continuing growth of employee numbers at the company without taking on extra headcount within the department. The system keeps all information in one place, so there are no anomalies between HR and Payroll data. HR Unity is intuitive and easy to use, saving us considerable time and enables us to manage all staff related elements of the business efficiently."
Source: Carval Computing
