Hendy Group – Driving HR!

The Hendy Group is a perfect example of a successful, family-run business.  The organisation started over 100 years ago and is now a multi-site franchise operation employing over 900 staff.

The Chairman and Deputy Chairman are great grandsons of the founder and the group has grown from being Britain’s first Ford dealer to being one of the largest Ford dealers in the country.  With offices from Sussex to Devon and further, the Hendy Group have 24 sites.  With the recent acquisition of the Kia franchise and another on the horizon, the success story looks set to continue well into this decade.   

Clare Hendy joined the organisation in 2003 and was soon promoted to HR Manager with a clear remit to set up a dedicated HR function for the Group.  Up to this point HR issues had been dealt with by managers and the payroll function.  Clare was keen to find an HR system that would actively help her do this, which led her to Select HR Insight and Clearvision – with its Pro-Active HR approach.   

“I really liked the overall look of Select HR,” says Clare.  “We could not report on absence or turnover before I joined, which I was keen to change.  The Board of Directors also wanted to find a solution that would work with our new intranet, so the combination of Select HR Insight and Clearvision was the right option for us.” 

“Select Software helped us tailor Clearvision to our needs,” commented Clare.  “We wanted to roll the HR intranet out gradually to all members of staff, including those who didn’t have access to or use computers and it has worked very well.”  Computers have been installed in communal areas like the canteen and workshops and the Hendy intranet is now available at all sites to all employees.   

Around 80-90% of the information available on the intranet is HR based.  HR policies, a notice board and a job opportunities page are provided as well as all the other facilities available through Clearvision such as checking personal details and requesting holidays.  

Employees now input and amend their own data and managers are able to access information about their departments.  This process ensures that absence data is monitored accurately and resourcing problems can be addressed much more quickly than before – a valuable benefit for managers.

The turnover reports that Clare wanted are now available and she has had encouraging feedback from the Board of Directors.  “I thought the holiday carryover report was excellent too!” she says.  “I produced an end of year holiday carryover analysis very easily – all the reports you need are on the system already.  Whatever I want is always there!” 

Clare plans to implement the Training module within the next few months.  “The technicians are constantly attending training to keep up to date with Hendy’s quality accreditation.  Managers are asking for qualifications on Clearvision so this part of the Select HR solution will be really useful”, she enthuses.  

And what of Clare’s relationship with Select Software?  “I have a great relationship with them” she smiles.  “On the occasions that I have used the helpdesk the response has been fast, friendly and professional. I like being kept up to date with new developments and am really looking forward to reviewing the on-line appraisals module.” 

“With the help of our Implementation Manager at Select Software we were soon ready to go live and everything went really smoothly.  We managed the process well and are extremely happy with the results”. 

January 2006