Four in ten employees at international companies aren't always up to date with all digital applications
September 12, 2023
Three-quarters of companies operating internationally are firmly committed to digitalisation in the workplace. Even so, almost half of these companies still have a long way to go when it comes to integrating their different HR systems with each other. This may also explain why four out of ten employees in the companies surveyed struggle to keep track of all the applications available. These are the results of a study by the European HR service provider SD Worx of 4,833 employers and 16,011 employees across sixteen European countries.
HR tech for employees is higher on the agenda at international companies
A total of 73% of international companies are committed to digitalisation in the workplace. This figure is much lower for local companies, coming in at 55%. International and local employers, however, are prioritising the same things, with training employees in digital skills top of their agenda, closely followed by digitalisation of the workplace for their employees' benefit. The introduction of new digital products and services is their third priority. What's more, international companies place greater focus on supporting their employees than local companies, paying more attention to the introduction of HR technology for staff and optimising HR technology for a better digital experience at work.
A need to integrate HR tools
The range of applications needs to be increasingly integrated throughout the digitalisation process for companies to reap the benefits. As an example, 40% of employees in international companies report that they find it difficult to keep up with the complete landscape of digital applications. However, just over half of the international companies surveyed say their HR systems are significantly or fully integrated. This figure is significantly lower for local companies, at 30%. This shows there is still work to be done.
"Staying up to date with the latest technologies is important, but the figures also show that all tools must be integrated in a user-friendly, centralised manner", explains Tom Wouters, Chief Products Officer at SD Worx. "Only when the applications are fully integrated with each other they can function as a whole. You can then make them all accessible through one mobile app, so you have all your HR transactions together as an employee or as an HR professional. Furthermore, it allows you to exchange data, which offers added value and enables reports to be prepared that provide interesting insights, and more."
International companies invest more in payroll reporting tools
While both international and local companies agree on the importance of integrating systems for better reporting, analytics and more, there is still a long way to go in terms of implementing the right tools to this end. As an example, just under half (49%) of the local companies surveyed have systems that allow for the smooth reporting of payroll data. This figure stands at 67% among international companies. Continuing on the topic of system integration, 60% of international companies state they have a platform that brings together payroll data and data from HR systems. The local companies surveyed indicate this figure stands at just 32%.
"With more than 60,000 employees worldwide, we are under extreme pressure to ensure our payroll is sufficiently organised and in line with local requirements", says Frank Heuts, General Manager Human Resources at Komatsu Europe International. "Furthermore, we have a large number of employees working in Europe in a country that isn't their home country. This requires specialist knowledge about local payroll rules and regulations on the one hand, and general knowledge about international payroll on the other. As we are active on an international level, it is crucial that we have a global overview and can count on a partner who is able to help us in this area. Smooth integration of our systems is high on our agenda. Thanks to SD Worx' integrated approach and local expertise, we can count on holistic, accurate and secure processing of our payroll.