Etisalat analyses human capital with new human resources strategy

To achieve this, Etisalat has evaluated a number of integrated tools to map its human resources base and give a comprehensive view of skills and growth opportunities. Oracle today announced that Etisalat has deployed the Oracle Human Resources Management System (HRMS) to complement the company's existing Oracle Financials, Supply Chain, Logistics and Contracts modules of the Oracle E-Business Suite software.

Etisalat is the leading telecom operator in the region company in the Middle East, with around than 10,000 employees spread across its many offices in the region. It first implemented modules from Oracle E-Business Suite to give its management team a clear perspective on the financial data, integrated with the activities of its operations arm, thereby enabling faster decision-making and the ability to capitalize on market opportunities. Integrating the Oracle HRMS solution into this existing back-office IT infrastructure will ensure that the employees that power Etisalat's growth can rely on a strong support system to track their personal career growth and development.

"Our people are the backbone of Etisalat's strength, and they constitute a strategic investment in the long-term growth of the company," commented AbdulAziz Al Sawaleh, Chief Human Resources Officer. "Enabling us to implement world-class Shared Services systems, linked with compensation schemes, training, analytics and other human resource-linked activities, the Oracle HRMS solution integrated with Oracle E-Business Suite will deliver speedy returns to our HR team as well as senior management."

Employee-related costs can average up to 60% of a company's expenditure, and in a developing market these costs can quickly spiral out of control, impacting bottom-line results. With a clear view of who is on the payroll, their organizational level, competency, employment record and compensation level, management can make quick staffing decisions when considering new projects around the region.

"Etisalat is one of the visionary companies in the UAE, with a strong record in international investment as well as robust growth in its home nation," commented Sherif Hamoudah, Director Telecommunications & Transport Industry, Oracle Middle East & Africa. "With a 23% growth in revenue year on year by the close of 2005, Etisalat looked to harness technology to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of its workforce by supporting staff with programs in-built in the Oracle HRMS solution, to achieve what Oracle knows as Workforce Excellence, and drive further growth in 2006."

The project aims to deliver a best-in-class HR function through web technology, which will reduce costs through implementing self-service processes for employees, while empowering their managers to remove the burden from the HR team. With the options of customization either through local language or in-house specialist projects, the Oracle HRMS team has delivered flexibility and time savings across the board, making processes faster and better. Through the integration with Oracle Financials, many of the challenges with salary reimbursement and expenses have been eradicated, speeding up payment, which has a knock-on effect with employee morale.

"The Oracle HRMS implementation has been highly successful," concludes AbdulAziz Al Sawaleh, Chief Human resources Officer. "Fostering leadership and talent in our organization and reducing costs through automation will enable Etisalat to continue its local and international growth initiative."