Peter Pluk, CHRO Hendrix Genetics: ‘Carry out the implementation of a global HRIT system step-by-step with a dedicated team’
Many companies put off the implementation of a global HRIT system. But there is never a perfect time, says Peter Pluk, director of HR at Hendrix Genetics. “Just get started, do it step-by-step and with a dedicated team. But above all: get help”, is his advice. “SuccessDay proved to be invaluable right from the start.”
Author: Ester Schop | Illustration: Studio van Laar | This article appeared in: CHRO Magazine. (Dutch)
Hendrix Genetics started out as a local family business with laying hens and has grown over the past decades to become a global player in the field of animal genetics. After various mergers and acquisitions, the Boxmeer-based company now has around 3000 employees and is operational in 25 countries. As well as the Netherlands, it is also active in France, Brazil, Spain, America, Canada and Eastern-Europe. Hendrix Genetics now supplies genetic breeding material for laying hens, turkeys, traditional poultry, pigs, salmon, trout and shrimp.
Data is important to us, and we want all sectors to work together according to standard processes
Between 2005 and 2015, Hendrix Genetics focused primarily on the acquisition of companies and integrating them into the organization. “Thanks to our buy & build strategy, we have scaled up and can now get more out of our R&D investments. This has also resulted in a better geographical distribution, so that there are sufficient back-up locations in other regions in the event of virus outbreaks and other animal diseases. This means we are always able to serve our customers”, explains Peter Pluk, HR director.
IT important enabler
From 2015, the focus moved more towards investing in the organization in order to generate more synergy in the professionalization of the internal organization. Vision documents recognized that IT is an important enabler for Hendrix Genetics. Several initiatives were subsequently started, including outsourcing the organization’s own data center and the global implementation of ERP and CRM systems.
“Data is important to us, and we want all sectors to work together according to standard processes”, says Pluk. The same applies to the HR processes and systems: the local HR responsibilities are spread over 25 countries, and until recently, everyone worked with their own systems and tools. Pluk is keen to make this more streamlined.
Around four years ago, he got in touch with SuccessDay via a mutual contact who had heard of the challenges Pluk and his colleagues were facing. “There was an immediate click and they completed an HR scan for us. Based on the results, they advised us on our HR organization and our HR policy.”
“One of their most important recommendations was: ‘Invest in a global HRIT system’. I had already started this discussion within the organization, but management was still reluctant at the time. The IT department had also indicated that they did not have the capacity to take on another large IT project because they had their hands full with the global implementation of the CRM and ERP systems.”
Help with business case and vendor selection
Ultimately, SuccessDay’s HR scan helped to get the green light for building the business case for the implementation of a global HRIT system. SuccessDay also helped in making the business case. Pluk: “With an HRIT system, it can be difficult to map out the exact return on investment. The result is often not very tangible. And cost reduction is often not the most significant objective.”
Hendrix Genetics is taking this step mainly to streamline and standardize the HR processes and to work more efficiently. “Standardization is tricky at Hendrix Genetics because it is organized in an incredible decentralized way. By clearly listing the advantages of this, we generated support within the organization”, explains Drago Savic, business consultant at SuccessDay.
SuccessDay is platform agnostic, which means that we can be confident that we will talk to the most suitable suppliers during the vendor selection phase
Once the decision had been made to implement a global HRIT system, SuccessDay helped Hendrix Genetics with the vendor selection. This was a careful process that took quite some time. “You want an HRIT or HCM system to serve you well for a good number of years. That is why it is so important to ask the right questions when selecting a supplier. What is the purpose of the HCM system you are choosing? What kind of business impact will it have? What are the requirements, and which weigh more heavily?”
Platform agnostic
SuccessDay helps formulate the right questions and looks for answers together with the customer. “Being platform agnostic means that our customers can trust that they will be dealing with the most suitable suppliers”, explains Savic. Various suppliers were approached for a demo and the development of a use case, and references were requested here and there.
The final choice fell to Talentsoft (now Cegid). “We really don’t need the Rolls Royce of HCM systems here and don’t want to pay that kind of price. It is important that you choose a platform that can meet the needs of the organization. A good foundation was all we needed. Talentsoft offers this and is very user-friendly”, says Pluk.
The implementation of Talentsoft started around eighteen months ago, with phase 0 and phase 1 partly overlapping. It was decided not to go for a big bang, but for a step-by-step rollout per module. Each different module is rolled out in all countries at once.
Tight deadline
The rollout of the Appraisal module was first. There was a very tight deadline – Hendrix Genetics wanted to start using this module right from the start of the new year, because that is when the appraisal interviews take place – so it was decided to initially introduce the module only for the white-collar professionals. This targeted around a third of the global workforce.
This was extended to all employees at a later stage. “This enabled us to quickly identify our high performers and high potentials and to serve them better with training and development programs so that there is a greater chance of retaining our talented employees”, explains Pluk.
The next module was HR Core Data, followed by the modules Talent Review, Succession Planning and Salary Review. The last two modules are currently being rolled out: Recruitment and Learning. “We already have a stand-alone recruitment system (ATS) and a learning and management system (LMS), but we want to use Talentsoft to bring all processes together and to link them to other relevant HR data”, explains the HR director.
Adoption is the greatest challenge
So far, the implementation has run smoothly. There is a project team that includes people from the organization and from SuccessDay. “The greatest challenge with the implementation of a new system is user adoption. You can buy the best system in the world, but if your people don’t use it, it’s all for nothing. We really focused on this. We provided information, developed training programs and we also used the early adopters to support other colleagues. The project group is followed by key users and ultimately all users”, says Savic, who calls this the waterfall method.
You can buy the best system in the world, but if your people don’t use it, it’s all for nothing
“We are now laying the foundations, with all our HR processes based on Talentsoft. We have moved from mostly paper and mail-based exercises to digital workflows. These are major changes for the users”, according to Pluk. He believes you should never do too much at once, so that the users can keep up with the pace of change.
According to Savic, relatively few adjustments were needed in the system and the testing phase also went without any major problems. “For the Talent Review module, we were able to easily fit Hendrix Genetics’ 9 grid into the standard Talentsoft matrix, which significantly sped up the implementation.”
In total, five SuccessDay consultants have supported the international animal breeding organization at different times and different points during the process. Pluk is extremely satisfied with the collaboration. “There is what you might call a cultural match. We think and work in the same way. Communication is clear and open, and it is possible to scale up quickly if needed. SuccessDay has enormous execution power.”
Good data hygiene
Another major challenge was feeding the data into the system correctly and keeping it up to date. Pluk: “Maintaining good data hygiene is particularly challenging for the smaller countries, where we don’t have an HR department.” The integration of the various systems and tools, such as the pay-roll system, with Talentsoft was also quite a challenge. “When changes are made in one system, you want them to automatically also be processed in the other system. This prevents duplication and reduces the risk of errors.”
Once the last two modules have also been rolled out, it will be time to take stock. “A lot has happened. Once the basics are in place, it is time to get used to things and optimize them. We will evaluate everything in 2025 and only then look at which modules could be added. One possible contender is Workforce Planning.”
Based on the HR data in Talentsoft, Hendrix Genetics is now better able to look back and ahead and to make analyses. Pluk: “In the past, all that data was spread over different systems, and we lacked overview. Now we can work much more efficiently because everything comes together in one platform. It is already helping us to retain our staff and to be able to offer attractive career opportunities. We can respond much better to development and growth opportunities.”
