We jumped from fourth to premier league - with HRlab.
With locations and subsidiaries in six countries and over 1.000 employees, SOEX covers the entire value chain of used textile collection, processing, recycling, and marketing. From our German headquarters in Ahrensburg, we manage the company's strategic direction, international trade, IT processes, and comprehensive logistics solutions.
1000 Employees
6 Locations
Textile industry
About Soex
As market leaders in the above mentioned areas, we operate the world's largest sorting facility at our Wolfen location with approximately 300 employees. SOEX sells second-hand clothing in around 70 countries worldwide, making a sustainable contribution to resource conservation and waste reduction. Through our subsidiary I:Collect GmbH, we also provide recycling solutions for numerous well-known textile brands in over 50 countries.
HRlab offers us an amount of flexibility, which comparable providers rarely do.
The Challenge
Why did you look for an HR software?
In April 2022, I joined the company and took over the HR department. Upon assessing the current state of HR processes, I found manual procedures, preparatory payroll calculations using Excel, and a lack of centralized absence tracking to be commonplace.
Specific Challenges that needed to be Addressed?
Our company structure involves diverse locations with different focus areas, such as warehousing, transportation, and administration. Consequently, an HR software must meet those different conditions.
At the same time, the mandatory time tracking decision took place shortly before the biggest HR fair in Germany. Although a time tracking tool was in use, it only partially met our requirements. Consequently, in the next steps I gathered internal requirements and searched for the right solution.
Why did you choose HRlab?
Besides a pleasant exchange, an appealing user interface, and comprehensive features, I felt that we could benefit from HRlab's remarkable flexibility. In our subsequent discussions we also came to appreciate Mr. Ebbecke's high level of objectivity and clear statements. This all-inclusive package, combined with a flexible and fair pricing, plus intuitive user interface we were confident in our decision for HRlab.
The Solution
How did the implementation process go?
Although data collection and import took some time, these tasks were finalized within about two months thanks to reliable and prompt support, as well as well-structured documentation. From this point on, HRlab was fully operational for us.
Standout Features Since Implementation?
Before HRlab, correction notes for time tracking used to pile up on my desk regularly. This has drastically changed, as time tracking is now fully automated and reliable. Additionally, the document template feature provides a significant workload relief.
For example, the contract processing for our truck drivers involved creating between 50 and 60 document pages. Before HRlab, this process took about 1.5 hours. Now, in the worst case, it takes 5 minutes. The next step for us is the standardization of employment certificates to benefit from templates in daily workflows.
Recent Features and their Impact?
Our highlight: the fully automated retrieval of electronic sick notes (eAU). Previously, each entry of illness required manual efforts of about 5 to 8 minutes. Thanks to HRlab, this is now history. Once the health insurance has approved the sick leave and entered it into the system, we automatically receive a notification. This translates into no effort left for the HR level. This innovation significantly eases our daily workload.
Open Requests? And how do Employees think about HRlab?
We look forward to the new HRlab app, available since this week. Occasionally, there were slight synchronization issues with the previous version of the app.
For our employees, the introduction of HRlab was initially an adjustment, but after about a month, we could observe the majority of employees to be convinced of the tool.
Reliable Support
Appealing User Interface
Remarkable Flexibility & Fair Pricing
Final Thoughts
Since the implementation of HRlab, time spent on administrative tasks in the HR department has reduced by 60-70%. Additionally, the central database makes it easier for us to manage employees and generate reports on topics such as sick rates, personnel costs, salary development, and more. In short, thanks to HRlab, we are no longer playing in the fourth league but are now in the premier league.