Value Visionary Series

Transforming HR Processes with HubbubHR’s Adaptive Human Capital Management (aHCM)

Interview with

Kathy Erdmann

People Development and Training Manager, Martin Engineering

About Kathy Erdmann

Kathy Erdmann has over 16 years of global HR experience and currently serves as People Development and Training Manager at Martin Engineering. She has been with the company for over 3 decades. In this Q&A, Kathy shares how implementing HubbubHR's integrated talent management platform has helped transform and elevate HR processes across the organisation.

What are the most critical components of an effective personal development program based on your extensive HR experience, and how has partnering with HubbubHR enhanced these initiatives?

I enjoy working with a global organisation, and I believe employees need programs with broad company understanding, yet also tailored experiences specific to the individual. To enhance our succession efforts, we developed a 2-year program with monthly classes and individual development plans. This has proven very successful in promoting from within. HubbubHR's succession module and ability to track certificates and education has been invaluable as we operate globally. I can instantly see who has relevant degrees or certificates when deciding to open new roles across different countries. This ensures we don't overlook existing talent.

When did you implement HubbubHR and why was it the right choice?

We rolled it out around 2018-2019. Prior to this, we had no unified global HR system, just separate learning and performance systems. We wanted an integrated global talent management suite, which made choosing HubbubHR an easy decision.

How does the HubbubHR platform support your global workforce and strategic HR objectives?

We started with the core HR system and required fields from a Corporate perspective. But we wanted to be sure that the system would be utlised by the People & Culture leaders and by the managers across our organisation. I engaged with our global HR team to get their input to understand their needs, and to localise and customise the solution to fit their country and culture. To incorporate the local nuances such as pay frequency and so forth. In addition, we looked at the languages needed, HubbubHR had core translations, then we could translate custom fields. Having the system available in multiple languages for our global user community has been instrumental - not every platform offers that level of flexibility. Though it required work to incorporate all linguistic nuances, once updated, employees and managers really appreciate having it in their own language.

Developing and retaining talent is a global struggle - having a unified HR system helps us evaluate performance to identify rising stars and create development goals that pave the way for internal promotions. In HubbubHR, I can instantly access a full employee profile from any country to inform my decisions. COVID truly highlighted the benefits of having robust systems and procedures in place for a remote workforce. Strategically, HubbubHR provides us with data to assess criteria like education, experience and more to plan for future roles that may not even exist yet, allowing us to stay agile as the business evolves.

How did HubbubHR's customer service model factor into your decision and continue to provide value?

As the main system administrator, the outstanding support I'd receive was a key factor. With HubbubHR, I have a direct line to call with questions, not just submit a ticket and wait weeks like some vendors. Having experienced less than ideal support previously, I knew that when selecting our new HR system that partnership was very important to me. In our discussions during the sales process, HubbubHR emphasized their dedication to customer service, and have absolutely followed through over the past few years. I can ring anyone on their team anytime, even after hours. During implementation, I had mobile numbers to contact when working long hours to finalize the system.

For us, it was ultimately HubbubHR’s collaborative approach and stellar customer service that cemented our partnership. And over the years as we have used the system, I have continued to be impressed with their willingness to listen and to co-create the system to fit our evolving global requirements. It’s really nice to know we have their support, it’s so important in a business relationship.

In your long tenure at Martin Engineering, how have you leveraged technology like HubbubHR to transform HR processes?

In my 37 years here, it’s humbling to reflect on the tremendous evolution, from manually typing export documents to the sophisticated systems we leverage today. Personally, the most exciting transformation has been moving from Excel spreadsheets to a unified global HR platform where everything is instantly accessible without concern of missing data. These technologies have helped optimize and elevate all of our jobs. Transitioning from paper-based to online performance reviews has also been a significant advancement. HubbubHR’s org charts and performance tools allow us to track employee training and ensure development goals are fulfilled. While the system streamlines the process, I always reinforce that it’s the human discussion and experience that matters most.

How does HubbubHR enable you to balance and prioritize diverse HR needs?

The system enables instant, global access - it’s like having every employee file at my fingertips, which would be impossible without it. And I can do so knowing that in managing our employee data globally, that our privacy protocols, GDPR compliance and security permissions are supported in the system. This proved invaluable when we shifted to remote work during COVID, reinforcing the benefits of good systems and processes. Strategically, it equips us with data to evaluate education, experience and other criteria that inform new roles, like several I recently created that were entirely novel to our company. The extensive reporting available in the system provides us with global insights, and the ability for us to create our own custom reports allows us to respond to very specific requests by our stakeholders. The ability to integrate and export data to other systems provides us with broad business analytic capabilities. I can easily consult HubbubHR on capabilities like tracking additional metrics - their willingness to collaborate is invaluable.

What have been the stand-out features and benefits of using HubbubHR?

The compensation module has been invaluable for our pay-for-performance culture. Managers can view where each employee sits within their salary range and provide data-driven recommendations for merit increases. Transitioning from paper or disjointed Excel sheets to HubbubHR’s integrated HR platform has taken our compensation programme to the next level. Fundamentally, the more functionality that can be consolidated onto a single, unified global HR platform, the better the experience for end-users. Our managers find the system easy to use, I simply provide a streamlined reference document to onboard new managers. It's rare that HR is even asked for support - our managers can independently navigate the system and find what they need to be self-sufficient.

About Martin Engineering

Founded in 1944, Martin Engineering is the world leader in making bulk materials handling cleaner, safer, and more productive. They specialize in manufacturing conveyor accessories and flow aids to help processes run efficiently and safely. Headquartered in Neponset, IL, Martin Engineering has global reach with operations in Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Indonesia, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Turkey, and India.