Vorex is Extending its HRMS Product Line…from Vorex

March 12, 2009

 

Vorex announces the next version of their Human Resources application, HR Terra, a complete suite of fully integrated Human Resource Management (HRMS), Human Capital Management (HCM), Time Management (TMS), and Training Management systems. This will be delivered via an on-demand model as well as a standard license model.

 

Vorex, Inc, a Dallas based company, announces that it is extending its product line in the web-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market place.

 

The company today announced the next version of HR Terra, a complete suite of fully integrated Human Resource Management (HRMS), Human Capital Management (HCM), Time Management (TMS), and Training Management systems, delivered via an on-demand model.

 

HR TERRA streamlines the Human Resource processes and eliminates time-consuming administrative tasks with an automated suite of intelligent products.

 

Ideal for businesses of any size, the HRMS module centralizes the entire workforce and HR functions, including benefits administration, into a single database to ensure data availability and consistency. The employee profile contains personal and contact information, photo, tax and immigration data, job and salary grade, skills, classes, education, and much more. Additional components include Employee Self Service (ESS), Managers Self Service (MSS), Request Portal, Messaging, Approval Routing, Notification, and Expense Management.

 

The HCM modules provide the tools necessary to develop the workforce through the automation of Job Board Tracking, On-Boarding, Talent and Skills Management, Performance and Reviews, and Succession Planning. Vorex’s streamlined modules expedite many processes and provide a consistent solution to people development across the entire organization.

 

The HCM solution will also help streamline the education and training department through the Training Management module, where companies can define classes and allow online enrollment.

 

The Time Management System (TMS) module enables organizations to eliminate time-consuming administrative work by utilizing a single time entry portal for all salaried or hourly employees. This allows improved project accuracy and transparency of employees’ efforts. This process can reveal potential budget variances and will eliminate timesheet errors due to erroneous data entry.

 

HR Terra’s real-time, extensive reporting system equips managers with the ultimate tool to better understand their operations, identify gaps and challenges, and discover ways to increase efficiency and productivity.

 

“We are excited about the robust functionality that Vorex is able to deliver to our clients. Vorex is uniquely positioned to offer our customers a comprehensive HR solution while driving down their total cost of ownership, in most cases, by over 50% per employee,” said Michael Salem, CEO of Vorex, Inc.. “Companies today are now able to purchase a single Human Resource system from one vendor, eliminating the need to integrate and support costly and disparate systems”

 

For more information about Vorex, Inc., visit: www.Vorex.com.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Softscape Closes Year with a Bang: Growth, Profitability, and Numerous Industry Accolades…from Softscape

March 11, 2009

 

Positive Growth & Continued Profitability Direct Result of Softscape’s Most Complete People Management Solution & Unmatched Customer Satisfaction

 

HRchitect featured Softscape in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider.

 

Softscape, the global leader in people management software, today announced solid global sales and revenue growth in 2008, while maintaining profitability, all of which has enabled the Company to further expand its global operations across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The Company attributes consistent growth to the most mature and complete human capital management (HCM) product offering and the highest customer satisfaction rates in the industry.

 

Growth & Profitability

In the first half of 2008, the Company achieved a twenty six percent (26%) increase in sales growth compared to the same period in 2007, and the second half of 2008 represented a sixty percent (60%) increase from the same period previously. Softscape maintains a strong footing due in part to over thirty five percent (35%) of the Company’s global business coming from outside of North America, as well as a diverse customer base across twenty nine different industries around the world. Bookings in EMEA grew one hundred and sixty eight percent (168%) in 2008 compared to 2007, and APAC grew one hundred percent (100%). New customer acquisition across the globe grew twenty percent (20%) overall and included organizations such as Foxtel, Bowe Bell & Howell, and SRA International (NYSE:SRX).

 

Softscape’s industry high ninety eight percent (98%) customer retention and satisfaction rate also remains unmatched in the industry due to the Company’s effective service methodology and advanced product offering. In addition, Softscape’s existing customers consistently expand their deployments each year with Softscape. In 2008, seventy one percent (71%) expanded their Softscape deployments across the Company’s broad people management platform.

 

Ongoing Industry Accolades

Softscape received the highest marks possible for core Employee Performance Management by leading industry analyst Bersin & Associates in the report “The Essential Guide to Employee Performance Management Systems”, and identified Softscape as one of the most experienced solutions provider in the talent management market today.

 

Softscape was also honored for its leadership and won the Enterprise category in HR and Training Management Software from the United Kingdom Software Satisfaction Awards 2008. The awards are based on the views of genuine buyers and end-users of business software applications.

 

In addition, a record number of customers turned out at Softscape’s Annual Global Customer Conference to celebrate the Company’s latest product offering. The Conference showcased a number of customer achievements including ALFA (Mexican: ALFA), Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR), NASCO, Lion Nathan (STD:LNN), and Sodexo (OTC:SDXAY).

 

“Our customers view us as their long-term partner for one very important reason – we understand their business challenges better than others,” said Dave Watkins, CEO and co-founder of Softscape. “For over fourteen years, we have advanced our product innovation with a focus on customer results. We now have the industry’s most advanced people management platform available. I am honored to work with some of the smartest minds in the industry to help our customers achieve new levels of performance and productivity.”

 

For more information about Softscape’s solutions, please visit http://www.softscape.com.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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SumTotal Systems’ Customers Lead the Pack in Learning Program Satisfaction…from SumTotal Systems

March 11, 2009

 

SumTotal Systems’ Customers Lead the Pack in Learning Program Satisfaction, According to Aberdeen — Seventy-Five Percent of Surveyed SumTotal Customers Satisfied with Learning Program, Compared to Best-in-Class Average of 65 Percent

 

HRchitect featured SumTotal Systems in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. SumTotal Systems also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems in February 2009, where they were crowned the winner.

 

SumTotal Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMT), the market leader and global provider of talent development solutions, received the highest customer satisfaction ratings of any Learning Management System (LMS) vendor in a research study published by independent research firm Aberdeen Group, The Rise of Learning Management Systems in Talent Management. The report highlights SumTotal as the top LMS vendor with 75 percent of its surveyed customers citing satisfaction with their company’s learning program, beating out Plateau, Saba, SkillSoft and other industry vendors.

 

In August and September 2008, Aberdeen surveyed 718 HR, talent management, IT and line of business executives regarding learning and development at their respective organizations. Among the survey respondents were representative samples from customers of four leading LMS vendors: Plateau, Saba, SkillSoft and SumTotal. Seventy-five percent of SumTotal customers reported they were satisfied with their learning program, beating out the other big three firms named in the survey, while only 41 percent of customers who did not use any of these four vendors reported satisfaction with their learning programs.

 

“Our goal is to create a partnership that helps SumTotal customers see true business results from their learning and talent development initiatives,” said Arun Chandra, CEO, SumTotal Systems. “Coupled with our best-in-class software, integrated content and competencies, SumTotal also strives to build a comprehensive solution of best practices, organizational change and business processes that create the most value for our customers.”

 

According to Aberdeen, to address the role of learning with talent management, many of the leading LMS vendors have extended their solution offerings to include performance management, compensation and/or succession management. SumTotal Systems offers all of these solutions, both on-demand and installed, via the integrated SumTotal Talent Development Suite.

 

“Our research shows learning and development’s continued and growing impact across the talent management value chain – in both pre- and post-hire activities,” said Kevin Martin, VP and Principal Analyst, Human Capital Management at Aberdeen. “And, when it comes to learning management systems, our research revealed that organizations that utilize a LMS are not only 76% more likely to be satisfied with their learning program than those that do not use a LMS, but also they are more likely to experience year-over-year performance gains in key areas including compliance, workforce competence, and employee engagement.”

 

For more information on SumTotal Systems please visit www.sumtotalsystems.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Navicus and Thomas International Partner…from Navicus

March 10, 2009

 

Navicus and Thomas International Partner to Provide Integrated Talent Management and Employee Assessment Solution

 

Navicus, a leading provider of on-demand employment screening and talent management solutions, today announced that it has formed an alliance with Thomas International. Thomas International is a global leader on-demand behavioral assessments and reporting used to recruit, develop and retain top talent. Under terms of the agreement, Navicus now has fully integrated Thomas International assessment solutions through the Navicus Talent Management platform.

 

Thomas International’s on-demand behavioral and aptitude assessments can be used in all aspects of workforce management. Thomas’ on-demand behavioral and aptitude assessment solutions enable HR professionals, recruiters and business managers to achieve their human capital management goals by recruiting, developing, coaching, training and retaining top talent.

 

“Integrating Thomas International’s personality based assessment solutions enables Navicus to continue expanding value add service through its’ Talent Management SaaS platform. Reviewing personality assessments within our Talent Management platform enables users to better identify a candidate’s potential for success,” said Jesse Berger, CEO of Navicus.

 

For more information on Navicus, please visit www.navicus.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Spectrum and Deltek partner to provide best-in-class enterprise-wide HR solution…from Spectrum

March 10, 2009

 

HRchitect includes Spectrum in our list of top HRIS vendors that businesses should consider. Spectrum also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on mid-market HRIS in February 2009, where they were crowned the winner.

 

Spectrum Human Resource Systems Corporation and Deltek, Inc. have collaborated to interface their industry-leading enterprise application and HRIS software to bring the project-based industry an ideal HR solution.

 

Project-focused organizations can now realize the benefits of integrating Deltek’s Vision product family—industry-leading enterprise software solutions designed specifically for professional services firms—with Spectrum’s revolutionary best-in-class iVantage HRIS.

 

“This is the joining of two exemplary software systems,” said Spectrum COO Matt Keitlen. “With iVantage filling in the HR part of the puzzle, Deltek and Spectrum are providing a compelling solution for the project-based industry.”

 

The two companies will use web-services technology to seamlessly interface HR data from iVantage to Deltek Vision, which will gain enhanced HR capabilities that extend the value of Deltek Vision to customers.

 

“Combining our industry-leading Vision solution with such a robust human resources application provides great value to our clients,” said Scott DeFusco, Vice President of Vision Product Management for Deltek. “The web-services integration between Deltek Vision and iVantage provides the real-time interface that clients demand.”

 

With the core technologies of web services—http, xml and SOAP—Vision and iVantage will exchange data securely, economically and in real time.

 

“Direct and customizable interface from iVantage to Vision eliminates redundant data entry, provides timely updates of employee data and improves accuracy and consistency of data,” said Gordon Vaughn, MIS Manager at Spectrum client Gresham, Smith and Partners. “This will improve productivity and, ultimately, provide cost savings.”

 

To learn more about Spectrum and its products, visit www.spectrumhr.com.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Kronos Announces Workforce Acquisition 8.4…from Kronos

March 9, 2009

 

Enhancements reduce frontline hiring costs and improve workforce productivity

 

HRchitect includes Kronos in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems vendors that businesses should consider.

 

Kronos Incorporated today announced availability of Workforce Acquisition 8.4. The selection and hiring solution enables employers to better predict job performance by applying science to their hiring decisions, ultimately leading to reduced frontline hiring costs and improved workforce productivity.

 

Workforce Acquisition 8.4 provides hiring managers with enhanced selection tools to help them quickly identify best-fit candidates in today’s rapidly expanding candidate pool. “The application-to-hire ratio — the number of job applicants for each position filled — has shifted sharply higher due to the state of the economy. With more job seekers competing for fewer job openings, the hiring process can be overwhelming,” said Steve Earl, director of marketing at Kronos. “We believe that hiring doesn’t have to be so hard, even in a tough economy. Workforce Acquisition 8.4 includes new capabilities aimed at enhancing the selection and hiring experience for managers and job applicants.”

 

For more information on Kronos, please visit www.kronos.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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SumTotal Kicks Off “National Performance Review Month” in March…from SumTotal Systems

March 7, 2009

 

During the most popular month for employee performance appraisals, SumTotal offers free consultation and resources to help organizations improve the process and ROI

 

HRchitect featured SumTotal Systems in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. SumTotal Systems also participated in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems in February 2009, where they were crowned the winner.

 

As HR leaders and employees across the globe are completing 2008 performance reviews, SumTotal Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMT), the market leader and global provider of talent development solutions, has named March “National Performance Review Month.” The goal of this month-long initiative is to elevate performance management to a strategic, business-critical initiative rather than a laborious, tactical annual practice. In honor of National Performance Review Month, SumTotal is offering a free half-hour consultation session to any organization, whether or not they are a SumTotal customer, a complimentary Performance Management eBook and a series of webinars.

“It’s easy for many organizations to pigeonhole the performance review process as a routine task to be checked off the list,” said Jon Ciampi, VP of Product Management for SumTotal Systems. “Through National Performance Review Month, we hope to promote the power of performance management tightly integrated with business strategy. Especially in the down economy, organizations are changing rapidly, and performance reviews lay the foundation for managing through difficult periods.”

SumTotal is offering a complimentary Performance Management eBook a strategy manual about how to leverage performance management in an organization. The eBook includes more than five articles about goal alignment, competencies, compensation management, succession planning and redeployment. Additionally, SumTotal will host three performance management webinars throughout the month of March:

How to Make Performance Management a Strategic Contributor
Recorded on March 4, 2009

The True Value of Automating the Performance Management Process
March 11, 2009 
1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT

Competency Management: The Engine that Drives Talent Development Strategy
March 18, 2009 
1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT

Also in support of National Performance Review month, SumTotal is offering a free half-hour consulting session with a performance management expert. During each session a SumTotal consultant will analyze the organization’s review process and provide advice on how to improve the process and implement best practices, as well as offer insight into current performance challenges. Free sessions are only offered during the month of March and interested participants can sign up for a strategic advisory session at www.sumtotalsystems.com/pm_consultation.

Available on-demand and on-premise, SumTotal Performance Management offers a comprehensive range of goal management, performance appraisals, multi-rater/360 degree feedback, compensation management and career and succession planning. SumTotal has been recognized by industry analysts for the strength of its unified Talent Development Suite, integrating performance and learning management, and featuring anytime, anywhere access and Web 2.0 collaboration tools. 

For regular updates relevant to talent development, learning and performance management, follow SumTotal on Twitter @sumtotalsystems. To learn more about National Performance Review Month and SumTotal Systems Performance Review solutions, please visit: http://www.sumtotalsystems.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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2,000-Employee Caterpillar Dealer Achieves Savings and Efficiencies with UltiPro Delivered through SaaS…from Ultimate Software

March 6, 2009

 

HRchitect includes Ultimate Software in our list of top HRIS vendors that businesses should consider.

 

Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading provider of end-to-end strategic human resources, payroll, and talent management solutions, recently announced that its customer HOLT CAT has improved reporting, reduced expenses, and improved numerous business processes since going live on UltiPro delivered through Ultimate’s software-as-a-service (SaaS).

HOLT CAT, a 2,000-employee Caterpillar dealership with 27 locations, chose UltiPro to reduce expenses and streamline its human capital management processes. With multiple offices to manage, Texas-based HOLT CAT needed a unified HCM that would allow it to easily generate HR/payroll-related reports on individual dealerships, specific regions, or on the company as a whole. HOLT CAT had been using an HR/payroll application provided by a payroll service bureau, and after 18 months of using the system, the heavy equipment dealership found the solution and its reporting tools inadequate. HOLT CAT selected UltiPro in 2003 and deployed the solution rapidly.

“The system we had before didn’t perform as we’d hoped, and it was causing us to spend too much time manually compiling information for reports, such as those needed for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. With UltiPro, we were able to roll out the solution fast and gain control over our information. Now we can pull reports we need in seconds,” said Beth Heffeman, HRIS business manager for HOLT CAT. “UltiPro is also less expensive than our previous solution. Our initial analysis predicted a $100,000 annual savings. I think we are achieving or exceeding that figure.”

By using UltiPro to automate human resource and payroll business processes, organizations like HOLT CAT can minimize the cost and effort required to print, handle, mail, and store paper forms and paychecks while alleviating duplicate data entry. Because HOLT CAT’s employees and managers have access to their information via the Web portal, the company has moved to a paperless payroll and improved paper-intensive processes such as talent acquisition.

“With UltiPro Recruitment, we can get applicant details to hiring managers in the field quickly, and when a candidate is selected, the new hire’s HR/payroll information automatically moves into UltiPro without data entry,” said Bonnie Downey, payroll manager for HOLT CAT. “Before UltiPro, we had forms moving between dozens of different locations, bogging everyone down with paper and slowing our time-to-hire.”

HOLT CAT selected Ultimate’s SaaS delivery model, relieving the dealership of system maintenance responsibilities because Ultimate supports the servers, performs backups, and manages upgrades.

“Our IT staff has found UltiPro’s security to be excellent, and they are not only comfortable with Ultimate maintaining the hardware and software, they are happy about it,” said Downey. “With our previous provider, we didn’t need IT resources to support my team, and we didn’t want to go backwards. With UltiPro delivered through SaaS, every move we are making is a step forward.”

“Ultimate’s SaaS model gives businesses the best of both worlds—a sophisticated, end-to-end HCM solution that includes strategic reporting and analysis tools, without the IT burden of managing on-premise software or investing in infrastructure,” said Greg Swick, chief sales officer for Ultimate Software. “We are pleased that HOLT CAT has been able to improve its bottom line, cut costs, and reduce the amount of time staff spends on non-value added activities like data entry and handling paper forms.”

 

For more information on Ultimate Software, please visit www.ultimatesoftware.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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MrTed Stuns Recruiting Software Market with Breakout 2008 Performance…from MrTed

March 6, 2009

 

Talent Acquisition Leader Reports Record Sales and Profits, As Customers Look to Lower Costs Associated With the Still-Critical Process of Employee Recruiting

 

HRchitect includes MrTed in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems vendors that businesses should consider.

 

Cost-cutting companies in 2008 swarmed to recruiting software leader MrTed, resulting in a sharp increase in both sales and profits for the award-winning provider of talent management solutions. For the year, MrTed grew sales by 30%, while profits follow with 30% year-over-year. The dramatic spike in both areas comes amid a rise in global unemployment and a widespread slowdown in the business software market. Despite the sagging economy, many enterprises and government agencies continue to recruit and hire; only now they are looking to do so more cost-effectively than in years past. For these companies that means automating key recruiting processes and deploying software that is inexpensive to deploy as well as to maintain – each of which is an area of strength for MrTed.

Hiring Less Expensively
A pioneer in delivering software-as-a-service talent management solutions and the largest non-U.S. recruiting software vendor, MrTed is expert at helping businesses lower recruiting costs and improve recruiting efficiencies. The company’s MrTedTalentLink solution is used by hundreds of large enterprises and numerous Fortune 1000 organizations. And late last year MrTed launched SmartRecruiters, a 100% free applicant tracking system (ATS) for the small and midsized business (SMB) community. MrTed’s wide variety of web-based recruiting applications automate the key business processes that drive employee hiring, and its solutions are delivered via the on-demand model, which significantly lowers the cost of hiring for companies and eliminates the need for internal resources to manage the recruiting system.

“The idea that companies are hiring and therefore need recruiting systems seems counterintuitive in a time of layoffs, but progressive enterprises clearly recognize that finding and hiring the best people—particularly in a down economy—is integral to a successful business recovery,” said Jerome Ternynck, CEO at MrTed. “While other talent management vendors tinker with performance and payroll applications of diminishing value, MrTed remains committed to delivering best-of-breed talent acquisitions software that help companies lower recruiting costs so they can grow their businesses. Our record growth in the past year is a strong indicator that MrTed has identified the correct balance between systematic collaboration with users, resource allocation to fuel product innovation, and the regular release of stand-out talent management applications.”

Key Growth Areas
Growth was the theme across MrTed’s business in 2008. Multiple segments of the company, including its enterprise and channel sales businesses, grew rapidly. At the same time, MrTed expanded its reach into a new market with the introduction of SmartRecruiters, a product designed specifically for U.S. SMBs. Following are a few of the highlights:

• Fortune 1000 business on the rise – MrTed continued to grow its base of Fortune 1000 customers last year, as more industry leaders chose MrTedTalentLink to ensure the highest-quality candidate experience and optimum recruiter effectiveness. MrTed’s solutions allow enterprise organizations to lower the cost of, rather than cutting back the process of, tracking, assessing and managing the candidates who will meet talent requirements across the business.

• More RPOs choose MrTed – Several recruitment process outsourcer (RPO) firms adopted or expanded their use of MrTedTalentLink, based on the strength of its cost/benefit rationalization combined with its power to help RPOs replicate processes across widely varying, customer-defined recruiting continuums. The solution can accommodate the broad array of technologies, methodologies and reporting which are often dictated by RPO’s diverse base of client companies. RPOs praise MrTedTalentLink’s ‘one-to-many’ infrastructure for enabling the cost-cutting and economies of scale that deliver financial benefit. Chris Hornsby, business solutions manager at RPO, Ochre House, said: “We wanted to be in a position to offer our clients a tailored solution underpinned by our in-house consulting, implementation and ongoing support capability. MrTed provides us the ability to offer such solutions.”

• SMBs take notice – Over 400 SMBs have signed-up to use MrTed’s feature-rich, Open SaaS, pay-per-use ATS, SmartRecruiters, since the product was launched in October 2008. Targeted to the six million U.S. businesses with as many as 2,500 employees, SmartRecruiters serves the new generation of web-savvy SMB recruiters with a free, easy-to-use, open architecture. MrTed’s SMB users understand the value gap between the practical, efficient SmartRecruiters approach and the licensing and hosting fee burden of the traditional ATS. “SmartRecruiters is designed to disrupt the ATS market in the same way Google has with many of its free services,” said Peter Gold, founder at Hire Strategies, a UK-based a consulting business that helps large employers maximize social media as part of their talent management strategy. “The launch of SmartRecruiters, and its instant success in the market, demonstrates MrTed’s savvy grasp of SMB needs.”

“Undoubtedly these are challenging times for businesses, if enterprises ever were going to rationalize their recruitment function, now is the good time to do, and on that subject we are extremely optimistic,” noted Ternynck. “The combination of strong domain expertise, our best-of-breed Talent Acquisition Solution for Enterprise and RPO market and our exciting new solution for the SMB market has MrTed well-positioned to support clients to standardize and automate processes to increase the efficiency and reduce costs”.

 

For more information on MrTed, please visit www.mrted.com


Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Destination Hotels & Resorts Launches Comprehensive Strategy with SuccessFactors Focused on Cultivating Top Talent…from SuccessFactors

March 6, 2009

 

SuccessFactors’ Customer to Present Best Practices at the HR in Hospitality Conference on March 17

 

HRchitect featured SuccessFactors in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider.

 

SuccessFactors, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFSF), the global leader in on-demand performance and talent management solutions, announced today that Destination Hotels & Resorts, the fifth largest independent management company in the United States, has begun an aggressive strategy to drive workforce productivity, initially implementing SuccessFactors’ succession management and goal management solutions.

 

A wholly owned subsidiary of Lowe Enterprises, a privately-held, national real estate organization active in commercial and hospitality property investment, management, and development, Destination Hotels & Resorts began in 1972 and has grown to become the country’s fifth largest independent management company with more than 6,500 employees and more than $1.7 billion in assets under management.

 

Before selecting SuccessFactors, Destination Hotels had disparate systems for managing its people, and the lack of integration was a pain. The company’s leadership sought a single solution, and after an exhaustive search, chose SuccessFactors for its ease of use and true integration delivered from a single code base. The company also believed the Web 2.0-functionality in the SuccessFactors suite would help ensure high user adoption, and management saw it as the best solution to strategically look at talent planning for optimal decision making.

 

“A thorough search lead us to SuccessFactors, and we’re pleased with our decision,” said Robert Mellwig, senior vice president of human resources for Destination Hotels & Resorts. “The pricing, delivery model, ease of use and relationship we’ve developed with the company have all been great. During the selection process, our conversations with existing SuccessFactors customers were even more impressive – all indicated that they’d make the same decision to go with SuccessFactors again – and the company’s customer-first mentality continues to impress us.”

 

Destination Hotels first deployed succession management because they already had an existing process, and believed it was the fastest way to realize a return on the investment. Soon after, the company implemented solutions for managing employee goals and performance, and is currently evaluating SuccessFactors Stack Ranker, which enables managers to effortlessly rate and assess their talent across defined competencies for a visual and intuitive stack ranking of employees to accelerate a course of action.

 

Robert Mellwig will offer a two-part presentation on his vision and actions in executing an integrated talent management strategy at the HR in Hospitality Conference, to be held in Orlando, Florida from March 17 – 19, 2009. From recruitment and on-boarding through performance management and succession planning, Robert will discuss how to integrate these critical HR activities into a comprehensive strategy that produces results greater than the sum of its parts.

 

“SuccessFactors is thrilled to work with Destination Hotels on its aggressive talent management strategy, as now more than ever, organizations need to focus on their people to drive even higher business results,” said Lars Dalgaard, founder and president of SuccessFactors.

 

For more information on SuccessFactors, please visit www.successfactors.com


Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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New Bersin & Associates Report, Learning Leaders 2008: Lessons from the Best, Profiles the Business Impact of Learning…from Bersin & Associates

March 6, 2009

 

Complimentary research report provides in-depth look at best practices for employee learning and development in 26 organizations including Luxottica Retail, Vestas Wind Systems, United States Air Force, Cisco and Boeing

 

Bersin & Associates, the only research and advisory firm focused on enterprise learning and talent management, today announced the availability of the report, Learning Leaders™ 2008: Lessons from the Best. The complimentary, 135-page report is a detailed look at the winners of the 2008 Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Program, which recognizes organizations with effective and efficient approaches to employee learning and development resulting in significant business improvement. 

 

Click here to download a complimentary copy of the report.

 

Learning Leaders 2008: Lessons from the Best profiles each of the 26 winning organizations. For example, the report details how Vestas Wind Systems, a 24,000-employee global company that is the world’s leading supplier of modern energy solutions, uses e-learning for global onboarding; how Booz Allen Hamilton, named one of Fortune’s “100 best companies to work for” for the fifth year, combines all talent related functions into a single portal; and how Sun Microsystems, a global technology leader with more than 30,000 employees worldwide, fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing among sales people through a YouTube-like portal.

 

Other companies profiled include: Beers + Cutler, Boeing, CA, Textron, Freeman, Telstra, The United States Air Force, KPMG LLP, Luxottica Retail, Cisco and learning solution providers Allen Communication Learning Services, Brainshark, InnerWorkings, Kognito Interactive, Mzinga, NIIT, PDI Ninth House, Richardson, Saba and Suddenly Smart. 

 

In addition, the report includes an introduction by Josh Bersin about the common elements among the winners for driving success in these difficult economic times and observations from Bersin & Associates’ judges gathered during the review process. 

 

Bersin & Associates is planning a series of activities highlighting the best practices of the 2008 winners. At the company’s annual research conference, IMPACT 2009: The Business of Talent®,  Josh Bersin will moderate the session, The Best of the Best in Enterprise Learning, with participating executives from these 2008 Learning Leaders:  Boeing, Vestas Wind Systems, Freeman, Beers + Cutler and Sun Microsystems. The speakers will share their insights and best practices for creating learning organizations that are innovative, embrace web 2.0 and collaborative learning, and support strategic business and talent goals. 

 

Also at IMPACT 2009, Helle Bay, senior vice president of business performance, people, and culture for Vestas Wind Systems, and Lee Ann Timreck, principal with Booz Allen Hamilton and a key contributor to the organization’s talent management strategy, will appear in the keynote panel, Talent Management as a Business Strategy: Perspectives from the Top. IMPACT 2009 is scheduled for April 14-16 in St. Petersburg, FL.

 

In addition, Leighanne Levensaler, director of talent management research, and Dr. Karie Willyerd, CLO of  Sun Microsystems, will present the April 30th webinar, Managing Learning as a Profit Center. They will discuss Sun’s learning services organization and how it serves employees, customers, partners and the community using technology, centralizing services and off-shoring. Click here to register.

 

For more information on Bersin & Associates, please visit www.bersin.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Saba Ranked Among NASSCOM’s 15 ‘Exciting Emerging Companies to Work For’…from Saba

March 6, 2009

 

Saba’s Commitment to Company Culture and Employee Satisfaction Contribute to its Continued Growth and Success

 

HRchitect featured Saba in our May 2008 release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider.

 

Saba Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:SABA), the premier people management software and services provider, today announced that it has been ranked as one of the top 15 “Exciting Emerging Companies to Work For” by India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM)—the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT software and services industry in India.

 

The NASSCOM ranking is based on a composite score known as the “Excitement Index,” which analyzes input from employees and HR to gain insight into a company’s work environment, culture and employee satisfaction. In addition, NASSCOM examines the robustness of an organization’s HR systems and processes. Saba’s progressive HR programs and core belief that people are the most critical asset for any organization, have resulted in strong employee satisfaction and a collaborative culture, which have contributed to the company’s continued growth and success.

 

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the top exciting, emerging companies to work for by a leading industry trade body like NASSCOM,” said Gaurav Mehra, managing director for Saba India. “Our core values define who we are and what we believe makes Saba a great company. By creating a great place to work, our customers and partners also benefit through our continued innovation and commitment to their success as well as our own.”

 

In order to encourage continued growth and innovation, Saba has established “Your Next 2 Jobs,” which provides employees with an opportunity to choose a career track of their choice. Saba also uses its own people management solutions across the company, which are designed to help continuously align goals with strategy, develop people, improve collaboration and knowledge-sharing, and gain increased visibility into organizational performance.

 

“Saba’s mission is guided by a set of people-centered values, and this award validates our commitment to our most important asset—our employees,” said Bobby Yazdani, chairman and CEO for Saba. “Our operations in India have played a key role since the inception of our company, and by creating an optimal work environment we can continue to attract and retain the top talent that is vital to our success.”

 

For more information on Saba, please visit www.saba.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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NOW Solutions Signs The National Federation of Independent Business to Use AllegroHR Onboarding Under Its Strategic Alliance With Emerald Software Group…from NOW Solutions

March 6, 2009

 

HRchitect includes NOW Solutions in our list of top HRIS vendors that businesses should consider.

 

NOW Solutions, Inc. (NOW Solutions) announced today that the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), an existing client of NOW Solutions’ emPath Payroll/HRMS solution, has become its first client to license the AllegroHR onboarding software product under NOW Solutions’ strategic alliance with Emerald Software Group (Emerald). AllegroHR’s onboarding software provides companies and organizations with the ability to add new employees to their teams through its form based tools, reducing costs and ensuring compliance with government regulations and the specific rules of the particular business or organization. AllegroHR Onboarding adds a significant enhancement to NOW Solutions’ product offering that can be fully integrated with the emPath Payroll/HRMS solution.

 

emPath is a Web-based HRMS solution leveraging Microsoft.NET technology that provides functional efficiency for the entire enterprise coupled with remarkable performance gains. Tightly integrating the organization’s human resources functions, emPath provides comprehensive administrative and workflow capabilities, as well as employee empowerment via employee and manager self-service, all delivered with zero client administration.

 

“NOW Solutions is very pleased to have quickly followed up on its recent agreement to distribute the Emerald Software Group’s AllegroHR products with this sale to NFIB,” stated Laurent Tetard, Vice-President of Operations for Now Solutions. “This ably demonstrates the current interest of businesses and organizations in finding onboarding, offboarding and paperless requisition products that can supplement their existing human resource and payroll management solutions.”

 

NOW Solutions’ continued success can be attributed to the robust, Web-based features and flexibility of its products. empath is an integrated HR payroll solution that provides a low total cost of ownership and a high return on investment while enabling users to improve decision-making capabilities.

 

For more information on NOW Solutions, please visit www.nowsolutions.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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TriNet to Acquire Gevity HR., Inc…from TriNet

March 6, 2009

 

Solidifies Position as a Leading Provider of HR Services for Small Businesses

 

TriNet, a provider of human resources (HR) outsourcing services for small companies, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Gevity HR, Inc. (NASDAQ:GVHR – News), an HR outsourcing company based in Bradenton, Florida, for $4.00 per share in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $98 million. The Boards of Directors of TriNet and Gevity unanimously approved the agreement.

 

With this transaction, TriNet will become one of the leading HR outsourcing companies serving small businesses in the United States, with more than 8,000 customers employing more than 130,000 people nationwide. The acquisition advances TriNet’s plans to be a nationwide HR provider with the reach, technology, and industry expertise to serve customers everywhere. The new company will be a preeminent HR outsourcing leader in California and Florida with strong competitive positions in Texas, New York, New Jersey, New England and Colorado.

 

The acquisition is subject to approval by Gevity stockholders and customary regulatory approval. After receipt of the requisite approvals, the acquisition is expected to be completed in the second quarter.

 

“For too long, small businesses have been forced to settle for a ‘one size fits all’ approach to HR outsourcing. Our experience tells us that the needs of a retail franchise are dramatically different than those of a software startup,” said Burton M. Goldfield, President & CEO of TriNet. “With this combination, TriNet will set a new standard by delivering industry-specific services and solutions to small businesses nationwide.”

 

The newly combined operation will capitalize on deep industry expertise to bring customers a broader product portfolio, expanded risk management capabilities, and expanded benefits and workers compensation packages. All customers will gain the benefits of TriNet’s world-class technology platform with a significantly enhanced level of automation.

 

The acquisition will be handled by an experienced integration team using best practices, ensuring a seamless transition process. Customers will undergo no changes to their current service delivery.

 

“TriNet was a natural choice for Gevity because of its deep commitment to its employees and customers,” said Michael Lavington, Gevity’s Chairman of the Board & CEO. “Gevity’s values and culture are closely aligned with those of TriNet and we look forward to combining the talents of both teams to build a great company.”

TriNet’s majority investor is General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm with $13 billion under management. David Hodgson, managing director of General Atlantic and a board member of TriNet, said “General Atlantic enthusiastically supports TriNet and Gevity as they team up to bring continued innovation to their small business customers. Our capital can have no higher purpose in these challenging times than to provide a solid platform for the entrepreneurial businesses that fuel our economy.”

 

TriNet has maintained rapid growth achieving 74% cumulative revenue growth over the last three years. The company has also completed several acquisitions, including LMC Resources, Inc. in Denver (2008), John Parry & Alexander (2007) and the Outsource Group (2006) both based in Walnut Creek, California, and the E3 Group in Dallas (2003).

 

For more information on TriNet, please visit www.trinet.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Catherine Veinbachs Named IHRIM Summit Award Winner…from IHRIM

March 6, 2009

 

The International Association for Human Resource Information Management (IHRIM) announced its 2009 Summit Award winner is Catherine Veinbachs. IHRIM’s Summit Award recognizes members who have made significant, long-term contributions to the advancement of IHRIM’s mission and goals, and have facilitated the exchange of ideas, solutions and information about issues impacting the industry.

Veinbachs will be recognized April 20 at IHRIM’s 2009 HRMStrategies Conference & Technology Exposition in San Diego, Calif.

A long-time IHRIM member, Veinbachs has contributed to the growth and recognition of IHRIM and the HRIM profession as a former board member and as a member of the steering committee that developed the IHRIM Global Special Interest Group. She was also a founding board member of HROA-Europe.

Additionally, she contributed to two IHRIM Press books: Out of Site: An Inside Look at HR Outsourcing and Boundaryless HR: Human Capital Management in the Global Economy. She has been featured in articles in both the IHRIM.Link and IHRIM Journal. Veinbachs also has presented at a number of industry events in the United States and abroad including several highly rated IHRIM conference presentations.

Cathy has participated in a wide range of IHRIM activities and is well respected internally in the arena of HR information management and outsourcing, said Lynne Mealy, IHRIM president and CEO. We appreciate her contributions to our association and to our industry.

As principal of HR Effectiveness at Mercer Consulting, Veinbachs provides consulting expertise to her clients in the areas of HR strategy alignment and HR service delivery optimization. She helps clients identify how business strategy drives HR strategy, and how to position HR as a strategic partner in organizations. She has particular expertise in working with multinational and global organizations.

Since 1980, the International Association for Human Resource Information Management (IHRIM), the world s leading HRIM clearinghouse, has been uniting a dynamic group of practitioners, vendors, consultants, students and faculty to share best practices and the latest technological trends. Through membership, educational programming, listservs, networking forums and IHRIM s annual conference, HRIM professionals can receive valuable knowledge that will enhance both their own careers and their companies success.

 

For more information on IHRIM, please visit www.ihrim.org

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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