Riverwell

The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018 was a major driver for many organisations to focus on their data. For Riverwell’s clients, data access, transparency and compliance quickly became core concerns.

“Clients were getting worried about GDPR,” says Sean. “They were asking how to improve compliance, how to make sure they were capable of seeing what was on people’s files – and make employees aware of what was being held on them.”

“We’d start with a simple audit to see what they had and the sheer amount of paperwork there was. We’d ask where the employee records were, and they’d be split across multiple separate files.”

In order to recommend the right systems to help clients consolidate HR data, Sean visited the HR Software Show in London to evaluate different solutions.
While initially impressed by slick user interfaces, Sean quickly realised that ease of use didn’t necessarily translate to a simple set-up.

“The dashboards looked good and very simple. But my experience of IT systems was saying: “Tell me about the background.”

Balancing ease of use with more manageable implementation, the Natural HR system is now a key part of Riverwell’s toolkit – and it’s yielding excellent results for the company’s clients.

“I’ve used it with one automotive client in Dublin who has eight garages, and they’re very, very happy with the system,” says Sean.

“Each time they open or take on a new client, it goes into their garages automatically.”

“Sometimes a finance team will decline, stating that they already use another  system, but then I would have calls from the garage owners, confessing their regret in not having gone with our system, that their software isn’t delivering as it was completely out of date.”

Where Riverwell has implemented Natural HR, it’s the ease of access and transparency of information that have had the biggest impact – both for managers and employees.

“It’s used by the employees for managing holidays, looking at their salary history, looking at their performance review history and monitoring absenteeism. Seeing their Bradford points clearly on the screen has helped reduce absenteeism too,” says Sean.

“Meanwhile, the managers aren’t getting constant calls for those kind of requests. So it is freeing up their time, and they’re really appreciating it.”

From Sean’s own perspective, as the supporting consultant, there’s another area in which Natural HR impresses, too.

“Compared to other software providers I’ve worked with, the support is much better with Natural HR”, says Sean

“Whether it’s via email support or just a quick call, any requests get dealt with very, very quickly.”

With most of Riverwell’s clients around a year into their Natural HR journey,  Sean believes the time is right to begin leveraging more of the system’s advanced analytical capabilities.

“Now that everybody is using the system and using it well, I think we will be looking more into the quality of reporting that’s coming from it. For the  garages and dealerships, for instance, the ability to look at gender pay gaps will be important.”

“It will also be so much easier now to see who is leaving a particular garage or manager. Things like that will make a major difference to my clients.”

• Self-service functionality provides instant answers for employees, reducing time pressures on managers.

• Transparency of information on absenteeism holds employees accountable, therefore reducing absenteeism.

• Ease of access to past performance reviews facilitates a faster, easier and more transparent appraisal process.

• Compliance with data laws and industry regulations are made simpler via consolidation and centralisation of key employee data.

• The Customer Success team is highly responsive to help Riverwell’s clients get the most out of the Natural HR system.