Croner Launches New Online HR Resource

Croner, the UKís leading provider of workplace information and consultancy services, part of Wolters Kluwer, launches Croner Employment Assist, a flexible online HR software service that streamlines all HR operations, reducing time spent on administration and improving overall HR efficiency. The service has already been successfully implemented by Premier Coffee, the largest franchise of Costa Coffee, to improve HR and management efficiency in its stores and at its headquarters.

Croner Employment Assist can be used by line managers and HR professionals for employee record keeping and HR reporting, and is integrated with Cronerís employment law helpline service. Managers can scan and store documents online, including employee information – such as staff appraisal and attendance data - which replaces the need for paperwork and ensures all correspondence and documents have been logged for future reference. The system is also pre-populated with Croner templates, ranging from employment contracts to holiday forms, reducing administration time.

Employee details are filed in a single database that can be accessed by a number of different people from different locations, including employees, who can use the system to request annual leave and update personal details. The tool also includes a traffic light warning system, highlighting red for risk, amber for action required and green for OK - alerting managers to any immediate actions, upcoming deadlines and potential problems.

Premier Coffee was looking to bring all of its HR processes online, reducing the need to fill in paper forms and therefore making the whole process more efficient. As one of the largest franchisees of Costa Coffee, it has grown from one to 14 stores in the last five years, resulting in increased administration for store managers.

ìAll of our HR functions have previously been paper based. With a growing number of stores, we wanted to use a system where we could bring everything online in one centralised location, for our in store line managers and HR department to access easily,î says Paul Downey, General Manager at Premier Coffee. ìWe have used Cronerís services in the past and wanted to use Croner Employment Assist to streamline our HR functions and give our managers the time to proactively manage day-to-day responsibilities, without worrying about all the forms they need to fill in.î

To meet the business challenges of Premier Coffee, Croner configured the Croner Employment Assist software using its in-built flexible tools, and created a streamlined online system to provide a solution for the client. Premier Coffee can now collect information online from each of its stores, such as employee contracts, and seamlessly communicate this to its HR department, without spending time filling in forms and manually sending them off.

Downey says: ìWe are using the online system to manage new starters, process holiday authorisation and deal with any leavers to the company. Croner Employment Assist is a long-term investment for Premier Coffee but in such a short time the benefits are already clear. There is definitely reduced administration time and our staff have been very receptive to the new system. Due to its success, we are looking to draw all of our HR functions onto this system in the near future and see Croner Employment Assist as a ëone stop shopí for HR.î

Linda McBride, Commercial Manager at Croner says, ìCroner Employment Assistís flexible nature means we can work with clients to configure the system to their needs, from storing employee information to setting diary date reminders. HR departments are under increasing pressure to perform and need to be able to spend their time managing more strategic, value-added HR responsibilities. Croner Employment Assist saves considerable time on administration and provides invaluable compliance information, helping HR departments to improve overall management efficiency.î