Admiral overhauls HR and payroll functions using automation

Admiral has announced that it will use automation to digitally transform its HR and payroll function with specialist software provider MHR UK and Ireland.

It claims that iTrent’s solution has had a “positive impact” on engagement levels by reducing the number of payroll queries and giving users access anytime while “on the move.”

The move follows Admiral’s 2018 financial results which saw its shares falling by 4%, while profits increased by 18% to £476.2m.

And it comes at a time of increasing pressure on HR departments, due to the uncertainty and legislative changes Brexit might cause, such as staff retention.

Digital solution

Admiral has invested in MHR’s iTrent solution as part of its ongoing commitment for a strong people-focused culture.

The solution will be applied to its 7,200 staff at its South Wales offices in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

The solution has also enabled Admiral’s payroll services to issue payslips early, absence trends and offer support where needed.

The self-service functionality claims to give users greater responsibility for their data and mobile access to the system.

Phil Thomas, assistant payroll and benefits manager, said: “Our ethos is that people who enjoy what they do, do it better. We’re extremely proud to be recognised as a great employer to work for and firmly believe following positive feedback from employees that iTrent has contributed to this achievement.

“Empowering our employees through self-service has increased the amount of personal data we hold, while managers now have real-time access to detailed information at their fingertips, so they no longer need to make frequent requests to HR and payroll.”

Laborious process

Prior to apply MHR’s iTrent solution, Admiral revealed it suffered from a lack of consistent processes across the business, for example logging absences heavily relied on manual methods which ran the risk of errors and mislaid or inaccurate information. This meant that the process was laborious and time-consuming for all staff.

The new digital solution allows the entire process to be automate, freeing up Admiral’s payroll team to turn their attention to more meaningful tasks.

Stacy Standen, payroll and benefits analyst at Admiral, added: “The limitations of our previous system meant our payroll team were essentially just a data entry team who produced payslips once a month. Our team is highly skilled and have undertaken formal training to become payroll professionals but were unable to utilise those skills because they spent their entire time inputting data.

“Automating many tasks which were previously done manually has improved the accuracy of the payroll process and eased the administration strain facing our payroll team so they can now spend more time delivering an excellent payroll service and advice to our people managers and employees.”

MHR is a specialist provider of HR, payroll and analytics software and services, its other customers include The British Transport Police.