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June 2017

Five tips to reduce back office staffing risks

It is widely accepted that Brexit will have a major impact on our UK workforce – regardless of any labour agreements that are made. We are already seeing the effects – which range from corporate decisions about where to locate teams – through to individuals changing their life plans. In the back office, this poses the risk that individuals holding key roles will leave an organisation – and most have no clear strategies of how to replace them.  The good news is that there are key steps that companies can take to protect against this risk – and also capitalise on the fast accelerating world of Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

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March 2017

We are hiring!

Do you want to join an innovative management consultancy that shapes, defines and delivers high level business or IT transformation programmes?

Following the relaunch and rebranding of our organisation we want to speak with people who are keen to embark on a new and rewarding career within consultancy. You may have recently graduated or moved into a role following graduation that isn’t quite the career path for you, or perhaps you have been seconded onto an internal project and really enjoyed working to support it.

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February 2017

Ditching the Employee Performance Review Process for an Agile Approach

In the 1980s the General Electric CEO, Jack Welch, advocated a system of employee performance he called ‘rank and yank’. Employees were, on an annual basis, sorted and ranked; poisson curves were drawn as lines on a battlefield and employees found themselves promoted, rejected or forced to remain as they were and try again next year. Since then, the ‘dreaded’ annual review has been an intrinsic part of major organisations for nearly thirty years. Managers curse the inevitable deluge of paperwork and difficult conversations. Employees compete for promotion or fear unemployment. If this sounds familiar, rejoice! A revolution is underway.

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September 2015

Should I be concerned about these Robots?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been around for some time. It is increasingly being considered as organisations drive for efficiency within ‘expert’ functions, and as an alternative to outsourcing. Quotes that RPA will replace 30-40% of white collar jobs over a 10-20 year timeframe have to be set in the context of continuing efficiency, however RPA is a reality in many organisations.

The bottom line on RPA

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been around for some time, but is increasingly being considered as organisations drive for efficiency within more ‘expert’ functions, and as an alternative to outsourcing. The benefits are driven by

  • Scalability – as a ‘train the trainer’ approach can be rolled out from one software robot to another
  • Productivity – as robots work faster, and 24 hours a day
  • Accuracy – with a reduction in errors
  • Compliance – from greater accuracy but also in terms of retaining data and processes onsite
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September 2015

To flatten or not to flatten?

Organisations often develop too many layers over time. Companies need to move fast in terms of decision making and often encounter further headcount savings. Delayering is the process of identifying and delivering the optimum number of layers in an organisation that will optimise accountability, decision making and efficiency.

The bottom line on De-Layering

Delayering delivers benefits, but the impact of it needs to be carefully considered against the context of other drivers in the organisation. The best programmes are blended with other initiatives such as centralisation or Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

Delayering programmes can deliver the following benefits:

  • Headcount savings – organisations which have historically grown with too many layers of management and senior management can often achieve 10%+ reduction in headcount cost, without impacting frontline operations
  • Decision making and agility – organisations which have too many layers can be slowed down by decision hierarchies
  • Accountability – fewer layers can result in a smaller number of clear Manager and Leadership definitions
  • Simplification – delayering often results in function pooling and sharing leading to further economies of scale
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