HCM implementatie Postcode Lottery Group:
I prefer people to systems
With its Postcode Lotteries, Novamedia / Postcode Lottery Group is expanding internationally. More than half of its sales are achieved outside the Netherlands. The international gaming market is developing rapidly. Competition has become fiercer, both offline and online, and the organization wants to strengthen its international position in order to continue its success and high level of fundraising. This also applies to the HR strategy, which is soon to be supported by a single HRIT/HRIS system. Since HR Director Virginie Kuijer was not convinced about the implementation, after initial discussions with technical implementation partners—she turned to SuccessDay. In this article she explains the huge difference this made and why she now has confidence in the success of the project.
Postcode Lottery Group is the owner of the Postcode Lottery format, in which participants have a chance to win great prizes using their zip code as the lottery number, while supporting 150 charities at home and abroad. It has now set up Postcode Lotteries in five countries in Europe (see box) and—totaling 825 million euros per year for charities— is the world’s third private donor, after the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
We don’t want to be a head office that says ’this is how we’re going to do it’
“The market in which we operate is becoming increasingly crowded. Which is why we have recently talked to the top 70 about our Group Accelerating Strategy. Whereas previously our lotteries functioned more as separate organizations in individual countries, we see that it pays to join forces more firmly internationally. For example, we want to develop television formats that can be used in several countries, and are increasingly developing marketing campaigns and tools together. The same applies to agreements with commercial partners and propositions for international media”, explains Virginie Kuijer, HR Director of Postcode Lottery Group.
The Postcode Lotteries have offices in Amsterdam, Stockholm, Edinburgh and Düsseldorf. Postcode Lottery Group wants to leverage its international strengths further in the near future. The same applies to Employer Branding and talent exchange.
We want to promote the flow of people within our organisation across all countries in which we operate
Kuijer: “We want to promote the flow of people within our organisation across all countries in which we operate. It is also important to draw attention to the international aspect of our work in order to attract new talent. Basically, our organizations (read: lotteries) are the same, although the licenses and therefore some of the activities differ. But in general there are many similarities. We want to align our strategy and approach more, and that also applies to HR.”
Towards one HCM system
Until now, each of Postcode Lottery Groups lotteries had its own HRIT system, or HCM system. In the Netherlands they used AFAS. But to better support the new international (HR) strategy, it was decided to switch to one system. It was important to fully reflect the special lottery culture. The choice fell on Oracle HCM Cloud after the beauty contest between the different providers, because this package fits the company culture and growth strategy best, and met all the requirements. In addition, Postcode Lottery Group’s finance team also had a preference for Oracle’s ERP package.
Virginie Kuijer – HR Director Postcode Lottery Group
Kuijer: “After the package selection, most organizations choose to immediately start working with the vendor’s technical implementation partner. But after talking to a few parties, it became clear that we just didn’t share each other’s language. Pushing decisions through top-down, standardizing processes and maximizing efficiency, putting the system first…. Whereas, as an organization, our main focus is on our people, the so-called employee experience.”
After the first meeting it became clear that Bas really understood me, because he had been in the same situation as me
It was through her network that she spoke with a fellow professional at MediaMonks, who had good experiences with SuccessDay. MediaMonks has a culture similar to Postcode Lottery Group: an international Mar/Tech organization, with many creative people, and where the main focus is on concepts, design and IT. So she decided to knock on the door of Bas Eggelaar of SuccessDay. “After the first meeting it became clear that Bas really understood me, because he had been in the same situation as me. He understood exactly what I was up against.”
Fun is essential
Kuijer thinks that an HRIT implementation is “an important project, but certainly not the most fun.” It demands a lot from the HR teams, who are already under great pressure due to the pandemic. Moreover, setting up an IT system is unfamiliar territory for HR professionals. “I like people more than systems. I see such an implementation project as a necessary evil. It always takes longer than expected and it often ends up costing three times as much as previously agreed. So if you’re going to do it, then find the right party to help you. I like to work with nice people and want to have fun doing my job—after all, fun is one of our core values. Since the people at SuccessDay came on board, I’ve been having fun. I even look forward to our meetings.”
Bas Eggelaar, CEO of SuccessDay, thinks it’s sensible that Postcode Lottery Group made a very conscious decision to really take the time to establish the route from the current to the desired situation. “We helped them with what we call ‘Phase 0’. We map out the processes and data and assign roles and responsibilities. Together with the client, we establish process standards according to the desired employee experience, and define the design principles. Finally, we name the loose ends and risks and resolve them together with the customer, so that everyone is ready for implementation.”
If you only focus on the system, one thing is certain: in a year or two you will have to start all over again.
Eggelaar calls it “a powerful message” that Postcode Lottery Group has been consciously working on Phase 0 and has examined carefully how the IT system can support the organization. “You are not only implementing a system, it is at least as important that you take the organization with you; with a lot of attention to change management, training and communication. In such a transformation it is important to know who to bring along; because ultimately the investment in the system, the implementation party, but also ourselves, must pay off. If you only focus on the system, one thing is certain: in a year or two you will have to start all over again. Because the use of the system will have dropped to a low level and your data will no longer be correct. And that’s a terrible waste.”
Business as usual
The challenge with an extensive HCM project of this magnitude is that business must, of course, continue as usual. Phase 0 has now been completed, we now have a Management Summary that contains the issues that have been given the green light, and which will be developed further with the HR team and aligned internationally.
Now the technical implementation partner can get started on the configuration. The implementation phase will continue at least until spring 2023. We have selected two waves of implementation. During the first wave it is the Netherlands and Germany’s turn with the modules Core, Onboarding, Recruitment and Absence. In the fall, Sweden and Great Britain will follow with these modules. Phase 0 for the Performance Management, Learning and Compensation modules will be launched this summer.
It feels like we can very much shape it to our own liking
Even during the implementation, SuccessDay stays on board. “The cooperation is excellent. They take as much work as possible out of our hands. They understand our organization and know what the pitfalls are. We don’t want to be a head office that says ’this is how we’re going to do it’. On the contrary, we want the countries to be super involved and stay that way. With the new system, each country’s local HR Manager becomes an expert in a particular area, such as Self Admin or Join, for example. This keeps us being mutually responsible. This is not the head office’s system, but the system of the whole group. For us, it’s primarily about the people, the personal approach and the culture. The HRIS system has to support that—and not the other way around,” Kuijer explains.
According to the HR Director, the human touch is important at Postcode Lottery Group. “We don’t like having an ‘HR desk’ and ’ticketing’ when you have something to ask. Probably efficient, but we prefer personal HR service, and like to stay in touch with our colleagues. SuccessDay understands this. Their guidance during the preparatory phase and later during the implementation phase makes a world of difference. The added value of change manager Els van Mierop and project manager Philippe Piso is particularly important to ensure that such a project runs smoothly.”
Eggelaar emphasizes that these roles are crucial in guiding the transformation, providing honest feedback and focus to the organization, at the right time. “They translate the strategy to the operation. They question the internal organization and elaborate on the choices made.” Incidentally, Kuijer finds it important to continue doing much herself. For example, she asked Rebecca Bot, the system administrator, to take on the internal project manager role. This created a good opportunity by broadening her field of work internationally. In addition, we will soon be training our colleagues ourselves in our own Lottery Academies, to ensure that the system ‘lands’ well in the organization. ” It feels like we can very much shape it to our own liking, but with a sense of security due to the knowledge and experience that SuccessDay brings to the table.”
About Postcode Lottery Group
Postcode Lottery Group has set up Postcode Lotteries in the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Germany, and Norway. Through 2021, 11.7 billion euros have already been donated worldwide to thousands of charities and social initiatives. Last year, more than 13.5 million players in five countries collected 825 million euros for good causes. It employs 1,500 people, 680 of whom work in the Netherlands. In total, the Postcode Lottery Group has 4 local HR managers and around 30 HR professionals.
