It Takes Much More Than HR Software To Make Employees Your Top Priority

(Source - Susan Galer - Forbes)

For over 20 years, Edita Food Industries has delighted customers with premium snacks that satisfy both salty and sweet cravings. Intent on keeping up with fast-changing food trends, this leading packaged foods company based in Egypt has found the formula that enables its employees to satisfy those demands. After centralizing every step of talent management on SAP SuccessFactors and unifying data across ERP and Finance systems, Edita increased employee engagement by 45 percent as well as performance in the management cycle by 40 percent.

“When you buy SAP SuccessFactors solutions, you’re not just getting software; you’re getting all of the experience of SAP in deploying the software in many companies and industries as well as support for all the best practices,” said Ihab Selim, CIO at Edita Food Industries.

Hybrid solution aligns people to corporate strategy

Edita’s strategy revolves around using the best ingredients and modern technology to strengthen customer loyalty, boost shareholders’ equity, and stay at the forefront of the food industry. Aligning its 5,500 employees to company objectives required an equally modern talent management system that would follow employees throughout their careers while capturing data on their progress. The major asks for the new software were clear – state-of-the-art, usable, and hassle-free for HR. Edita achieved these goals integrating its on-premise SAP ERP HCM with SAP SuccessFactors solutions.

“SAP SuccessFactors software is our single point of truth for making decisions about talent, from hiring and identifying skills of our top people, to compensation and career development,” said Maged Tadros, Vice President of Human Resources & Administration at Edita Food Industries. “We decided on SAP SuccessFactors solutions because of all the benefits we recognized, one being the integration between all the different talent management processes. This allows us to capture the whole employee lifecycle.”

Speed, agility, accuracy for better decisions

Replacing time-consuming, paper-based manual processes with SAP SuccessFactors software, including Performance & Goals, Succession & Development, Compensation, and Recruiting, provides convenience and transparency to employees and managers. Employees have the tools to monitor their own performance and development, taking charge of their careers. They appreciate the easy-to-use software and how it lets them chart a career path.

Information transparency has been equally beneficial for company leadership. Advanced visual dashboards deliver comprehensive talent management data. With one click, the CEO has a consolidated view of company objectives and drill-down analysis by percentages related to development, health, and safety, including how many objectives are expressed as a financial target. Managers can cascade specific corporate objectives to their respective teams. In succession planning alone, Edita shot up from 0 to 100, based on reliable data management. This means that everyone at Edita is headed in the same direction, creating the focus and common purpose to stay ahead of competitors.

“In order to have succession planning, you need trusted information based on accurate data from performance management, and this is just fantastic with SAP SuccessFactors solutions,” said Fathy.

Attracting, retaining super-star talent

People are central to Edita’s growth strategy, making recruiting and retention a top priority. The company recently introduced SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, rolling out a portal that supports better candidate shortlists and streamlines the entire hiring process. Future plans include mobile access for managers to view profiles and provide feedback on applicants anytime from any device. The company also plans to introduce SAP SuccessFactors Learning, which will expand course offerings for employees.