National Trust Self-Service HR System Case Study

In 2012, the National Trust introduced a new internal HR system called MYplace, to streamline current HR processes and help manage a workforce of approximately 14,000 employees.

The platform consisted of the following Oracle e-Business suite modules: 

• Core HR
• iRecruitment
• Employee & Manager Self-Service
• Learning Management
• Time & Labor
• Payroll

The deployment was successful, and the National Trust realised many administrative benefits of having an integrated, centrally run HCM system.

However, they came across some common problems:

• The system wasn’t trusted by other business functions
• Not well adapted and overly complicated
• Feedback from staff that the system wasn’t user friendly
• Applicant feedback that the recruitment process online was error-prone and unintuitive
• No mobile access for the workforce comprising of people who do not have easy access to PCs
• Complex and unintuitive screens for managers result in forms being filled out incorrectly, causing problems in payroll, time recording, vacancy creation and job changes

Another trouble spot was iRecruitment. This was deployed as an external job board for candidates to view National Trust vacancies and apply for jobs.

Poor usability, errors and an unbranded experience caused candidates to abandon the ‘apply for a job’ process. It was also not possible to search for vacancies or apply for jobs using mobile devices.

Key performance indicators like Time to Publish, Time to Offer, and Time to Hire were below expectations, and candidate numbers were falling. Improving the candidate experience became a critical priority, especially given the volume of seasonal recruitment.

Having invested long-term in Oracle HCM, the National Trust was keen to realise its original return on investment. So, as part of a larger organisational strategy focused on empowering its people, the National Trust HR team embarked on a large HR transformational project that included increasing the accessibility, usability, and capability of its people systems.

DSP, along with its partner Applaud, the Oracle HR specialist, have been helping Oracle HCM users for many years, and so understand how users’ needs have evolved.

Applaud is driven by a mission to create HR technology that focuses completely on the employee. This technology basically gives employees the same exceptional experiences at work as those outside of work. 

In 2015, we integrated Applaud’s modern and technologically advanced Self-Service application, enabling employees and managers to use a fresh and intuitive interface complemented by native mobile and tablet applications. With Applaud’s module sitting on top of an existing implementation of Oracle HCM, there was no disruption, with a seamless integration resulting in the demands of the modern HR user being adaptively met.

The original implementation of Applaud HR required no upgrades, no interfaces and no disruption as the system used the existing setup like AME rules, flex fields, user hook validation and more to deliver a next generation experience.

Once implemented, all 14,000 National Trust employees used the self-service facility, delivering significant business benefits, such as cost and time savings.