Beaufort Underwriting Agency
Who are Beaufort Underwriting Agency Limited
Beaufort Underwriting Agency Limited is the Lloyd's Managing Agency for Syndicate 318 which underwrites International and US Property, Aviation, and UK Property and Liability insurance in the Lloyd's insurance market.
Summary pre Cascade
We were previously using another HR system, which was not self-service enabled, in order to hold employee records. In addition to this, a separate database was used where employees' could request and update their absence information.
The Challenge
As a growing organisation, the Syndicate required a system which would:
- empower managers and staff to take on more responsibility for HR related processes
- enable the Syndicate to centralise employee information, avoid duplication and ensure secure administration
- automate administrative processes and cut down on time spent on administrative tasks
- provide flexibility
- be easy to use
- be competitively priced
The Decision
A number of different HR systems were considered, however, Cascade appeared to be the most suited to the needs of the business. This was mainly due to it's flexibility in being able to adapt the system to fit specific requirements and ability to provide the self-service function.
The Solution
Core HR Module: This module is the fundamental aspect to the system, where information saved against each employee very simply. This module helps us to avoid duplication as documents can also be stored against records; therefore printed hardcopies on file are not always required. The ability to have a high number of varying profiles enables a secure system, where only pre-selected employees can view / edit the whole system and where others have a more restricted access.
Training Module: The training module has proved to be important to Beaufort as we have a large percentage of employees on a training programme and therefore taking part in regular training. In particular, being able to schedule employees onto training courses / plans and allocating this to set budgets has proven to be the most successful aspect of the training module for Beaufort so far. We also hope to use the training module to its fullest potential in the near future.
Self-Service Module: With the Cascade system being able to provide a self-service function this has required our managers to take on more responsibility for their employees and also helped to reduce the administration within the HR function.
Workflow Module: Using workflow within Cascade works very well especially alongside the self-service system, where the system can automatically request and remind employees (and not just HR) of tasks that need completing. If a business is happy to take the time creating their workflows in the first instance, then the benefits for doing so are clear. This module can almost act as a company's procedure manual and is very useful in helping to ensure that every aspect of the HR function is covered.
