- Case Studies
- Publicis Group UK
- Douglas BC, IoM
- Just Digital
- Central Trust
- John Lewis
- Siemens
- Cheyne Capital
- Blackadders
“TeamSeer is always trying to improve their system,” said Beckie. “They listen to what we say and take our suggestions on board. I can’t imagine not having TeamSeer. It would be a terrifying thought to go back to the way things were before. It would be like someone saying I wasn’t going to have my mobile phone any more – I don’t know how I would cope without it. TeamSeer has allowed us to massively go forward as a business and given us time to focus on our clients rather than just the admin. I think it’s very good and all companies should use TeamSeer if they can.”
Beckie Akers, UK Group HR Manager
TeamSeer help Publicis Group UK to ‘massively go forward as a business’
“Reducing the amount of paper used in a creative company isn’t easy”
Publicis Group UK changed its absence management system to TeamSeer in April 2009. The organisation, which has some 450 employees and is part of the Publicis Groupe, previously used a paper-based holiday and sickness management system.
UK Group HR Manager Beckie Akers, described the old paper based system as dated. To book leave, the staff completed a form which was passed to their line manager for authorisation. This was then passed to the HR department, where annual leave was co-ordinated. Many line managers and PAs kept duplicate records, and staff frequently asked how much leave they had left. This was a huge administrative burden. Throughout Publicis, much time was spent co-ordinating and managing annual leave.
Immediate visibility and better use of time
When the TeamSeer system was implemented, the general feeling was one of relief. Staff find it easy and intuitive to use, and the line managers have immediate visibility. It has allowed the HR department to make better use of its time, rather than spending it on data entry and administration. TeamSeer has allowed Publicis to focus on managing its client relationships instead of spending time worrying about internal administration processes.
Publicis hasn’t made it compulsory for staff to book their leave through TeamSeer. The organisation’s culture is against such a heavy-handed approach. But there has been a progressive increase in its use as staff members have recognised the benefits. Internal training course timetables are booked using TeamSeer, so it is in people’s interest to book their leave electronically to ensure they don’t miss any training opportunities.
Publicis also runs an unpaid leave scheme, and TeamSeer has been instrumental in helping people apply online. The HR department can generate reports and manage the scheme much more effectively than they could with the old paper system.
Environmental Benefits of TeamSeer
Publicis has a strong environmental policy, and as a Group are trying to reduce paper usage and recycle as much as possible. “Reducing the amount of paper used in a creative company isn’t easy,” Beckie explained. “But in service areas such as HR, we can make a difference by using electronic systems where possible.” TeamSeer has helped Publicis reduce its paper consumption, by providing an effective online solution to absence management.
‘Big fans of TeamSeer’
TeamSeer provided ‘train the trainers’ training for Publicis Group UK, and PAs and members of the HR department became ‘TeamSeer advocates’. There are two levels of support available to the Publicis users: the first being managed by the HR department, which answers queries and helps staff use the system effectively. Technical support is handled by TeamSeer. Beckie commented, “TeamSeer’s documentation is comprehensive and the system is very intuitive to use, so the front-end users don’t need a lot of training.” Most of the technical queries are at ‘Administrator level’ and Beckie Akers describes the TeamSeer support as “fantastic”. She went on to say “We’re big fans of TeamSeer – they are always extremely helpful and come back to us very quickly.”
The Publicis UK staff are all office-based, with some employees working from client’s offices. Because the TeamSeer application is web-based, all have equal access to the system. Previously staff working off-site couldn’t access the company’s Intranet, and were unable to download the paper holiday forms. Now the off-site staff feel more part of Publicis, as well as being able to manage their leave effectively. Staff on maternity leave can access the system and can manage their time off, in the same way as everyone else. “In the past we had no visibility”, said Beckie. “We’re a very client-focused company, but on one occasion we had a situation where an account manager and the deputy were both out of the office, leaving a junior member of staff to hold the fort. Now the risk of this is removed and the planning is so much better as it’s possible to see when other people are out of the office.”
Publicis’ line managers have welcomed TeamSeer. Now they can see at a glance who is in or out before approving leave applications. Previously the only way to manage this was to keep duplicate records and plough through reams of paperwork. The implementation of TeamSeer has been a great relief to the managers, who now have immediate visibility and control of their teams’ absences.
Sickness management
The TeamSeer application is used to manage sickness as well as annual leave and other absences. Publicis is in the early stages of using TeamSeer’s Bradford Factor calculator to address sickness issues. Making full use of this facility is the next phase in the company’s use of the absence management software. Currently, reports are generated to identify anyone who has taken more than 6 days sick leave in a year, and the appropriate line managers notified. Because Publicis runs sickness management courses, TeamSeer has been instrumental in identifying which managers need training. Beckie Akers commented, “Now our sickness management is so much more targeted and effective because we have access to data we never had before.”
Sickness management
The TeamSeer application is used to manage sickness as well as annual leave and other absences. Publicis is in the early stages of using TeamSeer’s Bradford Factor calculator to address sickness issues. Making full use of this facility is the next phase in the company’s use of the absence management software. Currently, reports are generated to identify anyone who has taken more than 6 days sick leave in a year, and the appropriate line managers notified. Because Publicis runs sickness management courses, TeamSeer has been instrumental in identifying which managers need training.
Beckie Akers commented, “Now our sickness management is so much more targeted and effective because we have access to data we never had before.”
