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RECRUITING EMPLOYEES ALWAYS IN CONTROL WITH HAUFE, THE VHV GROUP ALWAYS HAS AN EYE ON ITS APPLICANT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE CHALLENGE • Applications were coming in by either email or postal mail • No real process control was possible • Introduction of a standalone software solution for applicant management • SAP connection SOLUTION • Deployment of web- based Haufe Applicant Management RESULT • 97 percent of applications are submitted online Assuming that there are about managers via Outlook, and after • HR and management 252 working days in a year, the that, we had no process control staff have role-based, VHV Group receives an average over the application process,” centralized access of 12 applications a day. That’s a explains Stefan Klasen, HR • Automatic job postings huge quantity of data and a whole officer for the VHV Group. through StepStone interface lot of work, when you consider Clearly, a new solution was • SaaS solution with no need everything that has to happen to needed. for additional staff get the vacant jobs staffed with the right employees. The VHV Before the VHV Group switched Group eventually had to face the to a more appropriate system for fact that its existing applicant applicant management, most of management system was not the 3000 applications they received keeping up with the company’s each year came in as emails. The daily reality. The challenges that consequences were obvious: a arose are familiar to many HR high volume of data, and HR departments: “First we entered experts and managers faced with the applications into an Excel overflowing inboxes. The situation database by hand. Manual at that time was hardly what you’d entry is time-consuming and call a well-controlled process. error-prone. In addition, the The requirements for a new whole process was very hard software system were thus already to keep track of. We forwarded established: More transparency in the applications to the relevant the recruitment process, and the RECRUITING EMPLOYEES ALWAYS IN CONTROL already have experience in the » It was definitely the most convincing visually. The user interface insurance industry. Eighty percent makes a clear, modern impression — on the applicant site as well. of employees hired come to work at the main office in Hanover. We also had the feeling that the software was very user-friendly. It’s well put-together and has a clear structure. « It was important to VHV Group decision-makers that the new Christiane Kind software is not “grafted onto” the existing system from the outside; it needed to fit seamlessly into existing processes. The company ability to automate many of the specialists based in Hanover, uses SAP as its ERP system, steps in that process. It was also Germany. Most of its employees and all other HR functions are important that the software meet are office-based, and the majority also handled through SAP. The the VHV Group’s more specific work in highly specialized additional requirement, then, requirements: functions. That means that job was that the new software had qualifications within the group to be usable as a pure applicant With its VHV Insurance and range from trained insurance management solution. After the Hannoversche brands, the VHV sales staff to mathematicians, insurance company had looked Group is a well-established group IT professionals, and lawyers. at a number of software vendors, of insurance and pension Ideally, new employees should they decided on the Applicant Management module of Talent Management from Haufe. A PROFESSIONAL SYSTEM... AND GOOD-LOOKING, TOO Even before introducing Haufe Applicant Management, about 75 percent of applications to the VHV Group were submitted electronically. Not through an application form, however — only by email. What looks like an advantage at first soon turned out to be less than optimal. After all, the VHV Group is not that different from other companies, and this approach to email applications leaves a lot to be desired in terms of data protection: “Emails quickly become a part of the background in a company, and it becomes impossible to truly delete the data,” says HR officer Christiane Kind. The only applications being submitted through online forms were for internships. But even there, the approach needed to RECRUITING EMPLOYEES ALWAYS IN CONTROL applicants. The HR department » The new software was well-received by the managers. They is always informed of the current welcomed the fact that instead of getting application emails in status of every application. Questions as to whether an their inboxes every day, they had a structured overview within applicant has been invited to the system of all the applications submitted. « an interview, or whether the appointment has been confirmed, Christiane Kind can be answered with a click of the mouse. And since Applicant Management is provided through a web-based SaaS model (software change, since the form had a rigid of an intuitive and user-friendly as a service), it works just as structure that only stored the data, interface was soon confirmed: “As well from home or on a business but was not editable. soon as the managers got their trip as from the office. For the passwords, they tried it out for company’s internal IT department, All in all, the HR team were dealing themselves, and they didn’t have there’s another advantage to with less than fully user-friendly too many questions for us,” reports this approach: They don’t need conditions before Applicant Christiane Kind, and continues: to assign anyone to support the Management came along. “The new software was well- software. Applications were stored in various received by the managers. They places, in a variety of different welcomed the fact that instead structures and file formats. Then of getting application emails in »Together with our there were the applications that their inboxes every day, they had implementation partner, came in by postal mail, which a structured overview within the we put together a custom were then passed around the system of all the applications company in file folders. With Haufe submitted.” solution that’s very practical. « Applicant Management, the VHV Group opted for a professional 97 PERCENT ONLINE, THANKS Stefan Klasen software solution that ensures a TO THE JOB BOARD INTERFACE single integrated process, and in which applicant data are stored Today, almost all applications Most available jobs are published in a central location with role- to the VHV Group are submitted to both the company website based access rights. The look online. Just 3 percent come in to and to the StepStone portal. In of the software also played an the company in paper form. These fact, the VHV Group came up important role in the decision: “It individual exceptions are then with a special function just for was definitely the most convincing manually entered into the system. that purpose. Within the system, visually. The user interface makes After that, the files are sent back there’s a button that generates an a clear, modern impression — on with a request to use the online automatic job posting: “Together the applicant site as well. We also form. This shouldn’t be seen as with our implementation partner, had the feeling that the software a hurdle: “Applicants have been we put together a custom solution was very user-friendly. It’s well happy to go along with that,” that’s very practical. When we put-together and has a clear Stefan Klasen reports. want to post a job to StepStone, structure,” says Stefan Klasen. an email is generated and sent to Once the HR team releases an our contact person on their side. Since June 2013, the software has application, the responsible The email already contains all the been in use across the entire VHV manager can then access it. information that needs to appear Group, both in Hanover and at the The system offers more than in a job posting,” explains Stefan field offices in Berlin and Munich. 50 letter templates that can be Klasen. The HR team’s initial impression used for communication with the RECRUITING EMPLOYEES ALWAYS IN CONTROL INDIVIDUAL SETUP, MINIMAL vacant post, they can use the pre- EFFORT, MAJOR IMPACT selection option. But of all these »The whole system is put advantages, there’s one that really together in a very modern Another advantage of Applicant stands out for Stefan Klasen: “We and well-organized way, Management from Haufe: completed the implementation HR staff can enter individual with relatively little effort. I also with useful search functions questions in the online application like that the system is very self- to search by jobs or by form for each advertised job. explanatory. It’s really simple — applicants.« If the company expects a lot just what we were looking for of applications for a particular in an applicant management Christiane Kind ABOUT THE USER system.” And Christiane Kind especially appreciates the modern user interface: “The whole system The VHV Group brings together the VHV Insurance companies and is put together in a very modern Hannoversche. Most of its employees work in highly specialized roles. and well-organized way, with Job functions range from insurance sales staff to mathematicians, IT useful search functions to search professionals, and lawyers. Eighty percent of employees hired come by jobs or by applicants. The job to work at HQ in Hanover. subscription service that potential applicants can set up has been Company Employees well-received. The applicants like VHV Group about 2,700 working with it, and so do we.” Sector Website Insurance www.vhv-gruppe.de Location Hanover GET IN CONTACT WITH US PEOPLE WHO DO THE RIGHT THING 00800 55 99 55 00 “The biggest factor driving business success is people who do the right thing.” With this motto, Haufe stands for a management approach that puts people instead of processes at the center [email protected] of corporate philosophy and policies.

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