Novo, Nordisk, HR, RebusHR

How Novo Nordisk outsourced HR to RebusHR

26 Nov 2003 | (Case Study)

A reorganisation of the company and the creation of a new ‘Europe North’ business area meant Novo Nordisk needed to find a new solution to the way HR services were provided in the UK and Ireland.

Maria Persson, Director of Human Resources at Novo Nordisk Europe North said: "We had to find a guaranteed source of HR expertise that could provide the same level of service. Already working as our payroll bureau, RebusHR offered a highly-skilled and knowledgeable team.”

Since the autumn of 2002, RebusHR, an HR and payroll solutions specialist, has acted as the HR department in the UK and Ireland, providing all of the HR support services and administration that employees need throughout their career with the organisation. This includes managing the entire administrative operation, responding to calls and queries from staff, and dealing with specific employee problems. It gives expert advice on the implications of new employment legislation in the UK and Ireland, and provides reports to the management of Novo Nordisk on employee trends to inform performance management work. RebusHR also provides advice on strategy where appropriate. The only area where it does not have any input is training and development.

For staff, the outward changes in the HR service are minimal. The RebusHR consultant has a Novo Nordisk telephone extension number and an internal email account. There is also regular face-to-face contact. At the beginning of the relationship the RebusHR team made weekly visits to the main Europe North offices, and these have continued when needed for reporting meetings and to meet staff needs.

By outsourcing the HR function in the UK and Ireland, Novo Nordisk believes it has gained access to a wide range of professional services that alternatively would have required a large and expensive internal department.

Henrik Juuel, Operations and Finance Director, Novo Nordisk Europe North, said: "From my perspective the value of the relationship is twofold: we have managed to reduce the spend on HR quite significantly, and we have access to a very professional service.

“It is increasingly hard for internal resources to keep up with ever-changing employment law, and outsourcing is one way of dealing with that. Another benefit of getting professionals to deal with the administrative side of HR is that our own staff have more time to deal with strategic activity that directly benefits the business."

"It has worked out brilliantly for us,” adds Maria Persson. “We have ensured quality, minimised risk, and been able to share in best practice. Most importantly, there has been no loss of efficiency, and it has encouraged managers to take more control of performance issues. We also don’t have to make use of any additional legal support to help us with employment legislation issues.

“One of the greatest challenges in moving to the new service was people’s fear of change. But those staff who have had reason to contact the new HR service have been impressed with the quality of the response. The service is working extremely well and the team has been enormously flexible and quick to pick things up, to ensure a smooth transition.”

Novo Nordisk is a focused healthcare company and a world leader in diabetes care. It also manufactures pharmaceutical products for areas such as growth hormone therapy, hormone replacement therapy and haemostasis management. Based in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs 18,221 people in 68 countries.

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