The highly successful Telpark app greatly improves the parking experience for motorists by providing a convenient, reliable and easy-to-use tool for booking and paying for well-located parking spaces. It has grown to become the main channel of communication between citizens and city councils and is helping to drive new standards in sustainable mobility.
The company has 1,800 staff members, with most operatives working on location without access to an office or a computer. Consequently, employee interaction was always challenging and an entirely manual process, with even an individual’s payroll handed to them on a piece of paper. Such reliance on an analogue culture was in stark contrast to the digital products and digital customers responsible for the company’s continued growth and market reputation as a progressive digital innovator.
It was clear that a new approach was required to transform staff engagement and interaction. The risks, limitations and inconvenience of paper-based internal processes have now been replaced with an entirely digital culture. Following the introduction of corporate email accounts for each staff member, the Workday app is now enabling instantaneous, very dynamic and secure interactions with staff, as well as far greater operational agility.
Improved staff interaction and greater insight
Enabling direct and open interaction with individual staff members in remote locations, Workday has overcome the problems arising from Telpark’s bureaucratic, manual and largely paper-based HR processes of the past. Having standardised processes and all inter-related information connected within a single tool is now enabling the company to keep all employees fully informed at all times. It is also intuitive and very easy to use and provides the insight to ensure prompt and well-informed decision-making at every level within the business.
“Previously it was difficult for us to get accurate messages through to everyone,” says Raquel Sanchez, Telpark’s Director of HR Services, Compensation and Benefits. “We couldn’t be sure when, if and how our messages arrived due to unreliable processes and inconsistent channels of communication. And it was always a challenge for local managers in 150 different cities to provide individuals on different shifts with their paper payroll in a timely manner. Workday has helped us overcome these difficulties and greatly improved our operational efficiencies for the benefit of individual employees as well as the company as a whole.”
Careful planning paves the way for step-by-step transformation
Aware of the complexities involved in cultural transformation and the impact of changes to established internal processes, Telpark developed a detailed implementation programme for the Workday system. This helped to focus on the key processes and behaviours that needed to be changed and the steps to take to ensure a progressive and seamless transition to the new ways of working.
It was important to obtain buy-in from staff, so the HR team opted for a phased step-by-step approach based on the needs of employees rather than changing all processes at the same time. Such careful planning covered everything from an assessment of existing processes and communication with staff to the definition and adoption of new processes and staff training. All employees received helpful tips and guidance every step of the way so that no one was left behind. This commitment to inclusion and engagement provided opportunities to demonstrate the far-reaching benefits of a digital work culture as everyone became more and more familiar with the full potential and functionality of Workday.
“It’s important that everyone has the opportunity to digest the changes and to get up to speed with the new way of working,” says Carlos Jambrina, Telpark’s Director of Cultural Transformation. “That’s why our implementation roadmap has extended far beyond the various ‘go-live’ dates. Working in close partnership with Workday, we have stayed in tune with the needs and views of staff and ensured they always have appropriate support, encouragement and feedback.”
Everyone could see very quickly just how easy it is to use Workday and the benefits of such direct and open interaction. As a result, any new initiatives and staff communications are now already 100% digital.Director of HR Services, Compensation and Benefits, Telpark
Effective skills mapping and development
“It was important for us to understand the skills and abilities of our staff and to rethink all of our internal processes and our entire employee experience,” says Jambrina. “Identifying talent is a continuous challenge for us as a business and we had limited knowledge of the capabilities and experiences of our employees. The introduction of Workday has changed all of that. Not only do we now have a better understanding of previously untapped skills within the business, but it has also acted as a catalyst for people to recognise the benefits of digitalisation and to put forward new ideas and initiatives. Previously, there was never the time or scope to do this, so it really has transformed the experience for employees while also helping us to be more agile as a business.”
By standardising the company’s internal processes, Workday has brought all of Telpark’s HR processes together so there is now a single source of information, where data traceability and security are assured and where increasingly advanced data analytics is second nature.
Closer engagement and real-time interaction with staff across a huge geographical area are now enabling us to harness the previously untapped skills of our workforce and to flex and adapt our operations to meet the ever-evolving demands of our customers.
Director of Cultural Transformation, Telpark