Implementing an HRIT system is basically a piece of cake

Anton Ketelaars, Global HR Leader Processes & Solutions at BDR Thermea, knows that implementing a global HRIT system is about more than just rolling out the technology. That is why he enlisted the help of SuccessDay.What’s really important in such a process is managing the change at all levels of the organization.

Author: Ester Schop | Illustration: Studio van Laar | This article appeared in: CHRO Magazine. (in Dutch)

Transition is the common theme at BDR Thermea, producer and distributor of heating and hot water systems and related services. In the Netherlands, BDR Thermea actively uses the brand Remeha. For the organization itself, for its employees, but also for its customers – whether private individuals, the business market or new-build projects – because they are all affected by the energy transition now that we have to move away from natural gas. The organization has undergone enormous growth through several acquisitions. And “a few thousand” more people will be hired in the coming years.

HRIT vendor selection is not rocket science, HR is just HR

“We are structurally shorthanded in our industry, so it’s a tough challenge we’re facing. BDR Thermea has a Foundation Board, which means that the profit is largely invested in the further development and growth of the company. Our shareholder enables us to focus on the long-term”, explains Ketelaars. He has gained experience in Finance, HR and IT at various companies in the Netherlands and abroad. According to his current manager, this makes him the ideal candidate to lead the global HRIT implementation at BDR Thermea in the right direction in the coming years.

Searching for synergy

To address the challenges of the energy transition, BDR Thermea started looking for more synergy between the business units and decided to streamline and standardize the processes. At the same time, the range of products on offer is becoming increasingly diverse. “Nowadays, as a consequence of electrification and sustainability, we are supplying more and more heat pumps, air conditioning units and city heating sets. In the long term we will step away from fossil fuels completely, so we have to start looking for other solutions”, says Ketelaars.

In addition, it is becoming increasingly important for BDR Thermea to provide services and advice and to think in terms of total solutions. “All these developments mean that our own workforce is also going through a transition. For years we have held a strong focus on central heating boilers, but this is now changing in light of the energy transition. Our professionals now need to command different competencies and skills than before, which means that we must focus more on learning & development and recruiting new talent”, says Ketelaars.

BDR Thermea now employs around 6800 people. The core countries are the Benelux, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, the Iberian Peninsula and Turkey. The company is also active in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and China. There is an urgent need for synergy and an integrated HR strategy, supported by a global HRIT system.

25 versions of the truth

BDR Thermea currently works mainly with payroll systems, and in some countries with additional add-ons such as functionality for recruitment or time registration. But the most popular solution is still always Excel.And then you get 25 versions of the truth explains the global HR Leader. The purchase and implementation of a global HRIT system was commissioned in 2021 and in June 2022 the project gained momentum. Ketelaars was given the task of making a proposal for the management board, initiating a request for proposal and to visit the organizations in various countries with a roadshow.

The usual suspects in the HRIT sector were approached: It’s not rocket science, HR is just HR according to Ketelaars. BDR Thermea ultimately chose Workday. The most important selection criteria? A system that has proven its worth with best practices in Europe. But also: future-proof, secure and flexible. “We come from humble origins. So you can’t expect everything to immediately be exactly the way you want it to be. It should be easy to make adjustments.

User-friendliness is also essential; the system must facilitate all generations in our workplace, regardless of their level of education.

And the system must also be workflow-oriented, with good access to our data, also from mobile devices. User-friendliness is also essential; the system must facilitate all generations in our workplace, regardless of their level of education. In short: a tool that can breathe and grow throughout the journey we have initiated as HR.” Of course, the system must also fit in with the IT landscape of BDR Thermea. This means a single sign-on and integration with the Active Directory and the payroll systems. The goal is to move towards a single source of truth.

Extra support

As he had relatively limited experience with Workday, he decided to attend the supplier’s international conference, where he bumped into SuccessDay’s Bas Eggelaar. “I had already heard through the grapevine that that I should get in touch with his company for advice and support with an HRIT implementation. Workday is the implementation partner for the technical side of things, so no worries there. But for the processes and the human side of the story – essentially the ‘change’ element – we really needed some kind of extra support. SuccessDay is familiar with all the potential pitfalls and has the right people with knowledge of HR and IT, which is exactly what we were looking for”, says Ketelaars.

SuccessDay is currently supporting BDR Thermea with phase 0, the most important preparatory phase that precedes the actual implementation (phase 1). SuccessDay provides the project manager for phase 0, a change lead, a functional lead and two business consultants. “In phase 0 we map the employee journeys. We start very consciously at this level, and ask questions like: ‘How should someone feel when applying for a job, on their first day of work, etc.? These elements are familiar to everyone, and the future processes are then a logical consequence. If you start with the current working methods, you can talk through the current frame of reference about the differences and explain why your working method is better. Employee journeys are not limited to what you do in a system. We take an end-to-end approach”, explains Stefan Hanekamp, Senior Business Consultant at SuccessDay.

He is the Functional Lead for phase 0 at BDR Thermea and is responsible for the project management together with Els van Mierop. “We map out the moments that matter from hire to fire and determine the Design Principles. We use workshops to help us answer questions like: What requirements must the process meet? What is the approval process? How will support be arranged? Who initiates certain business processes: HR or managers? Which parts are linked to the system and which parts are (consciously) not?

For example, it may be that something is suitable to be automated, but you choose not to do so. An automatic reply when someone applies for a job can save a lot of time, but if personal contact with the applicant is paramount this is something you probably shouldn’t do.”

Once the implementation train is up and running, it will keep going faster and faster. Then it’s great that the SuccessDay people are there who – if needed – slam on the brakes

Connecting the worlds of HR and IT

In phase 1, which started here simultaneously with phase 0, SuccessDay fulfills various roles: Project manager and PMO, Integration Lead, Data Lead and Test manager. Ketelaars: “The technical implementer focuses primarily on technical issues and mainly takes a modular approach. Once the implementation train is up and running, it will keep going faster and faster. Then it’s great that the SuccessDay people are there who – if needed – slam on the brakes and say: ‘We should think carefully about this first, because these are the potential consequences. Maintaining a clear overview and thinking in terms of employee journeys is essential. The people at SuccessDay understand this and have knowledge of both HR and IT. For me, this is really valuable.” In addition, SuccessDay is platform-agnostic.

His organization is still quite immature in that area. “We lack the knowledge and skills. Stefan and his colleagues help us to think globally and to connect those two worlds. They tell us to let go of our own processes and to work towards one process”, explains Ketelaars. He is enthusiastic about SuccessDay’s approach and praises the way they communicate. “It doesn’t feel like their people are from an external organization, they blend in really well with our organization. I also regularly receive feedback that the partnership is running smoothly and that the added value is clear to see.”

Launch: no big bang

The system is due to go live on 3 November 2023. First, only the basics (HCM Core) will be rolled out in the ten countries where BDR Thermea is most prominently represented – including the recruitment and onboarding modules. The module performance management module will follow on 1 January 2024. Additional HR functionality will then be added step by step, including talent management, succession planning and learning. “We deliberately chose not to have one big bang. We’ll do things step by step, at our own tempo. Next year we will start rolling out in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and China. We still have a choice to make regarding administration: do we centralize it or partially outsource it? In 2024 we will talk further about the operational support model and further professionalization and in which order to roll out the other modules. Sometimes this will differ per country.”

The biggest challenge for the project, according to Stefan, will be the adoption of the system. “There should be no work arounds because people prefer to continue doing things in the old, familiar way. We must get the whole organization on board. The whole HR organization is convinced that this implementation process is necessary. But the managers and professionals must soon embrace it too.” Ketelaars also sees a significant challenge in terms of change. “People have a lot to deal with, due to the transitions in which they, the company and the world find themselves. Luckily, our people have a can-do mentality, which makes a difference.”

There will be cursing and screaming at times, but we just have to do things together, in a safe place, and with a sense of humor.

He emphasizes that humor is incredibly important for the success of a project. “Without it, you can’t just keep going. I’m sure this won’t be the first project that has its hiccups. There will be cursing and screaming at times, but we just have to do things together, in a safe place, and with a sense of humor.” They are both convinced that an HRIT implementation is all about change. Hanekamp: “Your system is only as good as the people using it. It can be compared to a hammer: you must know how to use your tools.”

About SuccessDay

SuccessDay is a rapidly growing employee journey company in Eindhoven. The company supports organizations in the transformation to a new HRIT system, whether it’s Workday, Oracle HCM, SuccessFactors, Ceridian Dayforce, HiBob or another global HCM player. Its independent advisors are also specialized in Employee Experience and People Analytics.

BDR Thermea

The BDR Thermea Group is a manufacturer and distributor of domestic and commercial water and space heating systems. With its head office in Apeldoorn, the company was created after several (reverse) take-overs. The abbreviation BDR comes from the companies Baxi, Dietrich and Remeha. BDR Thermea’s solutions are sold in more than 100 countries, it has 15 production locations and 12 R&D centers, and the company employs around 6800 people.