Local HR solutions changing the way the world does business: hSenid-By Darshana Abayasingha

Source:FT

• Pioneer software developer launching IPO later this month

Modern HR business solutions are now moving into Robotic Process Automation, with machine learning entering the people management sphere. HR business systems can now do predictive analysis to say who could leave an organisation over the next six months. 

Dinesh Saparamadu, Chairman of Sri Lanka’s hSenid Group of Companies, a pioneer in the global HR business solutions sphere, says the transition begun about 18 months ago with the advent of the pandemic as technologies moved into the domain space. 

“If you look at most of our new customers, they are coming on the cloud using SAAS – Software as a Service model. The cloud gives huge benefit towards small to mid-sized companies, because you no longer have to pay huge licensing and infrastructure costs, you merely pay per employee. The whole landscape started changing. Now, I can have the same best software a Fortune 500 company has. That’s how the HR landscape has changed over the last seven to ten years,” Saparamadu says.  

HR managers are employing existing data and using new technology has moved into predictive analytics and looking at how organisations are performing. Employee engagement came to the fore as a key aspect during the COVID, with remote working becoming the norm. With millennials getting into the workforce and their penchant for instant gratification, organisations were looking for new ways and means to recognise and engage high performers in this Gacebook generation. Employee engagement solutions have come up to offer certain badges and kudos for instant gratification within the organisation. 

hSenid which begun its journey in Sri Lanka back in 1996, identified the lack of HR business systems in the market. Having deployed its first Human Resource Information System the following year, hSenid is now in 40 countries serving over 1,300 customers across 20 industries. hSenid Business Solutions, part of the hSenid Group of Companies, is set to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) later this month, and will become the first Sri Lankan ICT company to be listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. The IPO will support the company’s expansion in Asia-Pacific and Africa, as this Sri Lankan company expands in footprint around the globe as a premier HR solutions provider. 

Saparamadu points out many Sri Lankan companies employ very advanced HR business systems as they expand overseas and increase sophistication. He adds that maturity of users and how solutions are deployed by different departments have grown over the years, propelling the industry to innovate better. 

“There’s no point in having a system if there are no good people to take advantage of it. You could have the best system, but if somebody still uses it as data entry then there’s no point. We had seen that a lot, but now it is changing as a specialisation in human resources at higher educational institutes with enhanced scope and learning on the subject. So, now there’s a HR fraternity that understands the scope of this. Sri Lanka is up to a certain level, and some of the new countries we are going into have a long way to catch up to what we have done. That is why we can bring in a lot of expertise into those markets,” he adds. 

The Chairman of hSenid Group of Companies points out new solutions have helped companies significantly cut cost and enhance efficiency, whereby people can engage in far more productive tasks within their sphere. Automation has added significant value to the once difficult and tedious task of managing job rotations and changes improving the agility of a business. He added that whilst predictive analysis cannot always be 100% accurate, on average there is an 80% chance or probability. The system looks into leave patterns, timing, KPIs and delivery and triggers signals whereby management can proactively engage concerned staff members, or move into planning. 

“In Australia they consider advanced tools and look at certain critical aspects of employee engagement and how to keep staff more engaged and motivated. Brunei is getting into automation and looking at becoming more productive. We have companies in Africa as well who are doing that. There are different levels of maturity in these markets. The first time we went to Africa we saw early signs of Sri Lanka when we started out. But you can also see that people are very keen to adapt; especially in Africa, they want to adapt to these new technologies and try to grow.”

Saparamadu noted that many peers who are world leaders had built their systems from the back-office, whilst hSenid had built its systems from the front office. hSenid was keen that user interfaces are easy and attractive for employees, and designed completely with the employee in mind.