For several years now, we have been observing a trend where HRs are acting as agents of change in companies, transforming not only business processes but also the general vectors of movement, approaches and tools that can be used to achieve these changes,
The beginning of the war has brought the need to quickly adapt to new conditions, to be not only crisis managers but also visionaries to the arena of strategic plans and large‑scale goals.
For the «Continental Farmers Group», HR automation is an investment in the future, which ensures the continuity of processes and will accelerate the development of the company after the victory that is sure to come.
Iryna Romanenko, HRD at «Continental Farmers Group», shared how HR processes were built and automated in their company and how the introduction of new tools affected the effectiveness of teams.
Iryna Romanenko
HRD at Continental Farmers GroupExpert practitioner with 15 years of experience in HR management in such companies as METRO, MHP, Kernel, and Continental Farmers Group.
Business coach, expert in personnel assessment using the DISC methodology. Developed and implemented the HR management strategy at «Continental Farmers Group».
Why is automation worth paying attention to in 2023?
Main market trends
- Attracting young people
It is very difficult to find employees to fill job vacancies nowadays. Young people are attracted to such areas as retail or consulting. At the same time, the agricultural sector is often associated with work in the field and difficult working conditions. The goal of «Continental Farmers Group» is to interest young people and show them that agriculture is a highly innovative industry that uses modern technologies: satellites, precision farming systems, modern machinery and the latest software. - Hybrid work format
The ability to work remotely is not only a trend, but also a necessity. On the one hand, the transition to the digital space contributes to the popularization of agriculture as a high-tech industry. On the other hand, remote work makes it possible to keep operational, accounting, HR and other departments functioning even when physical work in the field or at the production site may be suspended. For example, for security reasons, taking into account the situation in the country. - Decision-making based on live analytics
In «Continental Farmers Group» all decisions are made based on analytical data presented on user-friendly dashboards, which makes statistics accessible and transparent to all employees. Thanks to the holistic data covering all HR processes and departments, the decision-making process is significantly simplified and accelerated. Live analytics provided by the system allow you to respond quickly to changes in the company and the external environment.
Digitalization in HR
The benefits of automating HR processes are absolutely identical to the trends described above. Thanks to the implementation of SMART HCM & LMS, the employees of «Continental Farmers Group» have quick access to all the necessary information in a single system. SMART HCM & LMS aggregates training courses, tests, competencies and employee goals. As a result, employees no longer need to use disparate applications and open countless pages to find information, and HR managers can perform and track all their tasks in a single system.
How the full cycle of HR tasks was automated with SMART HCM & LMS:
Recruitment
The recruitment process is almost completely automated. The manager just needs to make a few clicks to create a recruitment application with all the necessary information about the position. You only need to choose whether it is a new position or a replacement of an employee. All other data is automatically updated accordingly, including job responsibilities, job profile, competency model, and salary level. All this information is synchronized in the system, which reduces the workload of both the recruiter and the manager.
Adaptation and training
Continuous development is one of the company’s core values, so each employee has access to a knowledge base filled with online courses, useful materials, and tests to consolidate knowledge. Since all information is centralized in one place, employees can return to it at any time and refresh their knowledge.
The company has created an automated onboarding process for new employees. Each new hire is assigned an adaptation online course that allows them to immerse themselves in the processes and gain basic knowledge of the company’s processes.
Motivation and retention
Despite the shortage of workers in the market and the migration of people abroad, staff turnover in 2023 was only 0.37%, while last year it was 8%. The task of the HR department was to build processes within the company so that employees would not want to change jobs.
Motivation and retention of employees in the company is based on a transparent goal-setting system. Goal setting for a large company like «Continental Farmers Group», which has 2.5 thousand employees and 300 managers, is an impossible task without automation. It is easier for employees to achieve professional goals if they clearly understand what is expected of them. SMART HCM & LMS makes it possible to track changes in goals, cascade them and make the assessment system simple and transparent for all employees, as goal assessment is tied to the bonus system and directly affects employees’ salaries.
