KP Snacks goes nuts for IRIS Cascade HRi

In this day and age, our personal lives are consumed by a sense of instant gratification; we have immediate access to media, an infinite library of music, the answers to questions without waiting and the ability to communicate with anyone around the world.

All of this is right at our fingertips.

Over the years as technology has advanced further in line with these demands, our expectations towards the workplace have also altered.

We now want speed and flexibility in both our professional and personal lives.

Few businesses understand this rising demand as well as KP Snacks, who used to receive regular feedback from employees detailing their frustration towards the outdated HR and payroll systems.

KP Snacks' former software offered employees no payroll visibility or HR self-service, which not only failed to meet today's on-demand expectations but also resulted in incredibly time-consuming processes.

The lack of functionality within the software was an enormous issue because many of KP Snacks’ employees work in direct manufacturing, which frequently involves additional hours.

But due to the previous software, employees weren’t able to get sight of their payslips until payday.

As a result, if people found errors in their payslips, they'd have to wait until the following payday for it to be amended.

Changing the (HR and payroll) recipe

Samantha Pavey, HR and Payroll Admin Manager at KP Snacks, understood the employees’ frustration and embarked on a mission to implement an impactful and simple solution.

She wanted to overhaul the HR and payroll systems as part of an efficiency programme that would resolve the challenges and inadequacies that were stressing the workforce.

KP Snacks’ goal was to provide employees with a self-service system that gave them access and visibility of their own details, past/present payslips and associated documents.

The hunt for a new HR system began, but it wasn’t simple. KP Snacks needed software that was flexible and easy to use so the HR and payroll department could manage and modify it themselves.

Selecting the new (HR and payroll) flavour

In March 2019, KP Snacks selected IRIS Cascade HRi as its HR software solution, providing a platform that enables employees to control their own HR and payroll admin.

The seamless switchover to IRIS Cascade HRi was supported by IRIS consultants who went above and beyond to aid the implementation.

“Everyone got paid accurately and on time, with all users being able to log in and use IRIS Cascade HRi. It was great teamwork between us and IRIS,” Samantha explains.

With IRIS Cascade HRi, KP Snacks’ employees can now view their payslips online ahead of the BACS being raised, enabling them to highlight any issues with the HR team before payday.

Expanding further on IRIS Cascade HRi’s system flexibility, Samantha says: “If you ever need to adjust or add something after the implementation, it doesn’t mean potential months of waiting and a large invoice, which is very common with similar systems.”

Giving employees something sweet

Not only does IRIS Cascade HRi resolve KP Snacks’ challenges around visibility and functionality, meeting the demands of the modern employee.

KP Snacks has also seen a drastic gain in efficiency, providing more governance and control to reduce their costs by as much as £25k per annum.

Samantha adds: “Because of the time-savings, processes and efficiencies the new solution has driven, we’ve not required any additional resource.”

But the benefits didn’t stop there for KP Snacks as it also made massive strides in improving employee engagement.

“Measured by Best Companies, we have increased employee engagement, particularly in our manufacturing sites with an 11% increase in 2020. Cascade has been a fundamental contribution to this increase.

“As a result, we have achieved a place in the Food & Drink’s 10 Best Companies to Work For (Best Companies 2021) and The UK's 25 Best Big Companies to Work For lists,” says Samantha.

Meeting the COVID-19 crunch

As with many businesses, the pandemic has tested KP Snacks’ flexibility and robustness to the maximum.

But IRIS Cascade HRi has proved invaluable in maintaining operations during these uncertain times.

Samantha says: “I don’t actually know how we would have managed in the pandemic without IRIS Cascade HRi.

“For example, we have nearly 2,250 employees working in manufacturing who are classed as key workers.

“With the software, we were able to quickly respond, issuing key worker letters to all colleagues – to show to schools to get the childcare they needed, or even just to travel in those early days of lockdown.”

The perfect snack

Samantha summarises her experience with IRIS Cascade HRi by saying: “Switching to IRIS Software Group’s technology was a bit like going from a Robin Reliant to a Ferrari. The jump was that remarkable.

“All in all, I’m a big fan of IRIS Cascade HRi, and we’re so pleased that we chose it. It’s helped so much in our efficiency initiatives and proved invaluable when the unexpected hit with the pandemic.”