PZ Cussons
PZ Cussons displays visual organisation charts to staff worldwide, managing growth, improving HR data accuracy and knowledge sharingPZ Cussons
Industry
International manufacturer of personal healthcare products, detergents and consumer goods
Employees
4,000
Solution Focus
Access to workforce organisation charts for all staff across international organisation
OrgPlus Product
OrgPlus Enterprise
PZ Cussons operates in Africa, Asia and Europe, developing leading brands for the markets in which it operates. Whilst some have global reach, the majority of its brands are sold only in local and regional markets.
PZ Cussons' main brand is the Imperial Leather range of soaps, bath and shower and cosmetic products. It also produces a range of hair care products, detergent and household products as well as other known brands, Premier soaps, Carex anti-bacterial moisturisers, Cussons baby lotions, Makler perfumes, Pearl soaps, Original Source shampoos and gels, and Morning Fresh dishwasher liquid. It has recently acquired the premium brand The Sanctuary in the UK.
Managing the organisation effectively
With such a widespread organisation and many different products and departments, the HR team has invested in an Oracle On Demand HR system to manage its HR data for all personnel. The HR system provides an easy to use central repository accessible by all of the HR services teams. However although the system provided a powerful relational database, it did not provide charting capabilities. OrgPlus Enterprise compliments Oracle On Demand and has helped PZ Cussons to maximise on its investment in Oracle's HR system.
"We wanted to be able to display our organisation in visual charts, not just for the managers and the HR team, but also to provide an overview for employees across the organisation. We selected OrgPlus Enterprise following a recommendation from Oracle," said Sally Knill, Global Reward Director.
"OrgPlus Enterprise exactly met our requirements, both for charting and for HR modelling, talent and succession planning. It gives us the flexibility to change things easily and offers excellent value for money."
Used by employees worldwide
PZ Cussons initially started using OrgPlus Enterprise in the UK and has since rolled it out across its locations in Nigeria and Indonesia. All employees are able to view the organisational charts via the intranet. Those that are not full time PC users are provided with secure login details so that they can use kiosks, which are available for all staff to use.
By highlighting data from Oracle, OrgPlus Enterprise enables HR managers to validate data accuracy and ensure that the correct staff member is shown as reporting to the right person in the organisation.The charts have also helped the HR team to identify 'orphans' where the data shows that individuals are not recorded as reporting to anyone.
"When we first implemented the system we had over 20% of staff not linked. Now we find that as new staff are employed across our locations we have only about 2% identified as orphans. The transparency and visibility that it gives us of the organisation is fantastic."
As well as position in the organisation, contact email addresses are displayed and provide an immediate link for employees to connect up with others.
Planning tool for HR and managers
The HR team is delighted with the system so far, focusing on using OrgPlus Enterprise to validate and capture accurate HR data and making data widely available to its managers, wherever they are located.
OrgPlus Enterprise provides the managers across the company with headcount information and department structures that help with resourcing and planning. Managers in different areas are able to view other departments, using knowledge sharing for adopting best practice on team structures and positions.
The team is also implementing Blueprint, an interactive modelling module for OrgPlus Enterprise which helps with planning acquisitions and merger activity. With Blueprint the managers will be able to perform organisational design exercises and see how change options would impact budgets and reporting structures. Because it is web based, it enables the managers across different locations to share ideas and make informed decisions to shape the new organisation around current needs, as well as plan for future growth.
According to Sally Knill the next steps are to start using OrgPlus Enterprise at a strategic level to support the HR team to identify key roles then develop succession and talent management plans to address business continuity risks.
"OrgPlus Enterprise is a practical tool that delivers real benefits across the company, both at the employee level and also for our managers. It is flexible and as an HR tool enables us to respond at different levels. We have also found HumanConcepts to be the right organisation for us to work with - their structure and size enables them to be very agile at supporting their customer needs."
HumanConcepts is based in California with offices in the United Kingdom and Germany and offers OrgPlus software and services worldwide. For more information visit www.orgplus.co.uk.