This year’s Softworld HR & Payroll Solutions show takes place on 17 and 18 October at Birmingham’s NEC. This free exhibition offers an opportunity to see and test out the latest HR software, get expert advice, and update your software and IT knowledge. There will be a wide range of software on display, covering HR and payroll, accounting and finance, business performance and project management.
Exhibitors
Current exhibitors include Snowdrop, KCS RightSource, Knight Business Forms, and TeamSpirit (for the full list of exhibitors, see box on page 32).
What’s new?
A number of recently launched products are due to be exhibited at Softworld. These will include the following:
First Advantage Corporation’s employer services segment will be demonstrating the latest enhancements to its hiring management system, First Advantage HMS. The solution uses .NET technology to allow the system to tailor the recruitment process to each specific user’s needs.
“We will continue to introduce features that deliver benefits customers want,” says Russell Crisp, executive director for the HMS UK unit of First Advantage. “Security, for example, is the hot topic of the moment, and customers are asking for employment screening and security background checking. They want to be able to conduct automated background checking at varying levels through the HMS solution, and then append results automatically to candidate records within HMS.”
Cascade’s flagship HR system, Cascade HR, is now available as a hosted web service, which visitors will be able to try out at the show. This is aimed at organisations that do not want to go to the trouble and additional cost of installing their own HR system. Instead, HR records are accessed via the internet through Cascade’s secure HR portal.
“The system administration, updates, daily back-ups and service availability are all dealt with by us, leaving the HR staff to get on with their real job,” says Dan Edwards, development director at Cascade. “By removing the need to purchase, install, configure and maintain a new HR server, customers can reduce costs, speed up installation time and cut down on issues and problems,” he adds.
ASR will be showcasing its latest product offering, called .NET Workflow. The company claims the module, which is designed to complement its existing systems, can help to reduce costs, improve productivity, provide faster processing times and, by using electronic forms, take organisations a step closer to a paperless office.
Masterclasses
A number of exhibitors will be running seminars across the two days, offering you the chance to hear first-hand about their latest products and discuss your business requirements face to face.
Softworld’s independent ‘masterclass’ series will run over the two days. The free, hour-long sessions will cover key payroll issues, and provide tips and case studies from experts on choosing and implementing a technology solution.
Keynote masterclass speakers include:
Karen Thomson, head of policy and research, Institute of Payroll Professionals, who will examine the relationships between payroll, HR, finance, and pensions. She will provide top tips on how an organisation can improve relationships, especially through organisational change management. She will also explore how these relationships can be strategically managed to benefit each area, and how the skills, knowledge, and information flowing from one can be used to add value to another.
Katherine White, group HR manager at the Four Pillars Hotel, will discuss the challenges that HR teams face in efficiently managing their data. From selecting a supplier through to going live with a solution, White will provide visitors with the inside track on how to identify the right solution, ensure successful implementation, and make the most of system functionality.
Andy Crossey, vice-president of HR consulting at Capgemini Consulting, has experience of many HR system implementations, both as a project manager, and from being on the receiving end as an HR professional. He believes there are many things that HR departments can do in preparation for implementation, and will give practical advice, from dealing with the technical team and the package supplier, to making sure the whole project runs smoothly and delivers maximum benefits.
David Lennan, managing director, Business HR, will be discussing whether managing your people equals more pain or more opportunities, focusing on new and developing trends in the context of the changing working environment, and linking business strategy to HR strategy and the need for good leadership.
Paul Priddle, associate partner, SAKS Consulting, will discuss the complications of selecting and implementing an HRM system within an organisation.
Professor David Hall, director, David Hall Consultancy, will share his views on building a trust culture to support business development, and debate how HR can add value to the business.
Anthony Bruce, director, HR services, PricewaterhouseCoopers, asks: if HR technology is only half the story, what is the other half?
Richard Nicholas, associate solicitor, Browne Jacobson, will offer tips on negotiating IT contracts and getting the best deal from a legal perspective.
Dennis Keeling, chief executive of BASDA, will outline the key things to look for when selecting business software.
Ian Henderson, strategic services, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, will offer a personal perspective of implementing HR technology at Rotherham.
Vicky Athersmith, IT project manager at Pinsent Masons, will discuss her experience of implementing a new HR and payroll solution at the law firm.
Pre-registration perks
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
All pre-registered visitors to Softworld will receive a free Softworld HR & Payroll Solutions buyers’ guide packed with product information, market overviews, case studies and full product listings.
Exhibitor list
- Accord Consulting
- ASR
- Avco Systems
- BASDA
- Carval HR
- Cascade Human Resources
- COA Solutions
- First Advantage HMS
- Fluous Solutions
- Frontier Software
- HumanConcepts UK
- Institute of Payroll Professionals
- KCS RightSource
- Knight Business Forms
- LexisNexis
- LexisNexis Payroll Alliance
- Meta4
- Northgate HR
- Oracle Corporation UK
- Patersons – Global HR & Payroll
- Pay Magazine
- Payroll & Human Resources
- Payroll World
- Pyramid HR
- RedPrairie
- Safe Computing
- Select Software UK
- Snowdrop
- Softworks Computing
- Star Computers
- TeamSeer
- TeamSpirit Holdings
- Topaz
- Vizual Business Tools
- Wolters Kluwer UK
