It is difficult for business leaders to make key decisions surrounding employee compensation without the ability to view detailed data in a way they need to see it. This was the challenge Nexthink, a leader in digital employee experience management software, was faced with solving.
Nexthink is no stranger to understanding the power of technology-based solutions.
After all, its own software solutions provide IT leaders with unprecedented insight into employees’ daily experiences with technology assets at the device level. This frees IT teams to progress from mere reaction-based problem solving to proactive optimization. For more than 1,100 customers, Nexthink’s software ensures that nearly 15 million of its clients’ employees have better digital experiences.
The Quest for the Right Compensation Management System
Miguel DaFonseca
As the Head of Global Total Rewards and Technology, Miguel DaFonseca is in charge of overseeing Global Compensation and Benefits strategies, HR technology, Global HR Operations, Compliance and Global Payroll for Nexthink and its almost 1,000 employees (and growing). These employees are scattered globally, with nine offices worldwide and dual headquarter locations in Lausanne, Switzerland and Boston, Massachusetts. One would expect a leader in digital technology to have its thumb firmly on the pulse of employees’ compensation management, with a wealth of robust data available to make decisions around merit-based raises, bonus distributions, pay equity, and the value of total rewards. But even technology-focused companies can’t always find a compensation management solution that is both robust and configurable enough to meet the diverse needs of both its leadership and distributed global workforce. Like many companies that started small and grew rapidly, Nexthink was still using mostly manual processes for compensation management and review (aka Microsoft Excel spreadsheets). This led to cumbersome data collection processes, time-consuming report gathering and distribution, and an overall lack of visibility for business leaders who needed information to make effective decisions for the people they manage. DaFonseca and his team which included Chief People Officer, Meg Donovan, Senior People & Talent Systems Manager, Mikki Ngo, and Senior Global Compensation Consultant Zeynep Inanc set out to find a solution that could offer the same kind of detailed insight its own software provided to IT leaders; in this case, the need was a solution to help manage compensation for Nexthink’s own employees. The evaluation team also included Nexthink’s People & Talent Business Partner Manager Eric Bertolotti and Senior People & Talent Business Partner, Gabi Tofani. Together, they worked to find a solution that could offer detailed compensation information that could be easily accessed and analyzed to provide strategic insight into employees’ compensation details, no matter where the employee or business leader reported to work. It wasn’t just about being sure that payroll, deductions, and spiffs were accurate and distributed on time (although that is always a priority, of course). It was also about having the information needed to see things from a big picture hierarchical view, or by diving deeply into highly detailed analyses designed to evaluate compensation bias or pay equity. They also needed insight into market data, and the ability to streamline employee information to create compensation packages that both attract and keep top talent. Simply put, Nexthink needed a solution that could provide these detailed insights and also enable the kind of global communication necessary to inform managers to make effective decisions for the company and its employees. The extremely competitive job market for companies recruiting digital and IT professionals only made these needs all the more pressing.
Evaluating Options
Before deciding to use CompLogix, DaFonseca said he and his team evaluated a number of solutions. While most had positive reviews and provided the basics needed for the company’s compensation management needs, few actually offered the flexibility required to configure compensation strategies to Nexthink’s specific needs.
“I found CompLogix to be much more developed with a very clean user interface, robust analytics and more flexibility to tailor to our compensation strategies at Nexthink,” said DaFonseca.
In addition, because of the rapid growth Nexthink was experiencing, and due to continually changing job roles and structures, they were especially appreciative of CompLogix’s flexibility and adaptability.
“We didn’t have to build a structure to administer the compensation programs that some well known HCM system with compensation modules require,” he added.
Fonseca said they were also able to utilize the built-in 9 box calibration tool for reviews which allows Nexthink leaders to make better decisions based on long-term performance and potential assessments.
Seamless Integration & Measurable Results
When it came time to transition from manual spreadsheets to CompLogix’s software solution, DaFonseca found the entire process to be completely seamless. “We had a fully functioning Strategy and System within a month’s time,” he said. “The CompLogix team continues to be great partners; they are extremely responsive and supportive of our needs.” Along with a quick transition from manual spreadsheets to the digital compensation management environment, Nexthink also saw quick results to reinforce they had made the right decision in choosing CompLogix as a solution partner.
“Almost immediately, we saw a reduction in questions from the business leaders, as everything from market compensation to pay history was now available at their fingertips,” said DaFonseca. He also noted a reduction in time required to upload and prepare the data for analysis.
According to DaFonseca, administration was “tremendously streamlined” by managing decisions and recommendations collaboratively with business leaders in real time, accelerating hierarchical reviews and approvals. DaFonseca summed up his thoughts about the quest to find a compensation management solution that could be configured to Nexthink’s needs and reiterated the value of CompLogix’s system.
“CompLogix provides a unique ability to streamline global compensation programs and decision-making through a modern platform with robust analytical capabilities. Their capacity to be ‘system agnostic’ allows the platform to work with all market-tiered HRIS/HCM systems, both cloud or on-premise.”
Are you ready to find out the ways CompLogix could help your organization? Contact us today. We are a small business with big solutions that can be configured to your business’ specific needs.