Showcases for HR process management
Process definition for better collaboration with the HR Shared Services Center (HR-SSC)
Project type: Process management
When I took on the role of Regional Head of HR Operations at an international corporation in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, I was responsible for ensuring the smooth running of HR services. The company had an HR Shared Services Center (HR-SSC), but it didn't meet its requirements in terms of quality or quantity. Standardized service or performance descriptions didn't exist. The diverse requirements, especially the German location, were vast. The control and responsibility for the SSC's SLAs and KPIs lay with the finance department.
After an initial comparison of the HR BP requirements and the SSC's performance, we recognized the need to analyze and optimize the processes specifically for the German locations. We scheduled a one-day workshop for each process. This time was necessary to discuss the multitude of individual requirements from each location and incorporate them into the process. The documentation was kept simple and clearly structured in DIN A3 format with entry/exit criteria, a description of the process step, responsibilities, and the HR tool used. The processes were then aligned with the existing HR SSC, and necessary comments and additions were added. However, the process implementation of the processes proved challenging because I did not have direct influence on the SSC employees. This fact extended the implementation period. In the medium term, however, the quality improved here too.
Seven years later, and four years after I left the company, a former HR BP, then HR manager of a site, informed me that he was still working with the HR-SSC according to our clear and concise process descriptions.