Tesco
is launching a global computer system to standardise its HR function and reduce
costs.
The
grocery giant, which operates 907 stores worldwide, is hoping the system will
also lead to better training, talent spotting, reward and retention.
David
Richardson, Tesco people insight director, believes the system will simplify
business processes and reporting: "We are becoming a global retailer with
stores around the world but we have no global reporting structure in place. All
of our reporting had to be done in one central place to achieve standardisation
and this created a bottleneck," he said.
The
group employs over 240,000 staff in stores across the UK, Hungary, Poland,
Czech Republic, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia and it aims to
connect all via a browser-based internet system.
The
move is designed to improve user interaction and should help improve the
quality of HR information delivered to managers and staff across the group.
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The
move from a mainframe to a pure internet architecture should also substantially
lower system costs. Tesco is implementing the PeopleSoft system this year in
the UK and Thailand and in the other operating countries from 2003.