MHR, the specialist provider of HR, payroll and finance software, is working with the ZSL (Zoological Society of London), an international conservation charity, on a new 10-year partnership that will see the charity move onto MHR’s People First platform.
ZSL employs around 700 people, including 200 zookeepers caring for animals across its two zoos, scientists in its Institute of Zoology, conservation teams working in the field in Nepal, Kenya and the Philippines and projects in over 80 other countries around the world. With the majority of ZSL’s workforce on the ground or in labs rather than sitting at a desk, ZSL has relied on MHR’s iTrent platform for the last decade to run a reliable HR and payroll operation remotely.
During its 200th anniversary year, the charity has now signed a new 10-year contract, moving to MHR’s People First platform, bringing in a dedicated change management team to rethink how it manages processes such as rotas and rostering for staff, moving away from manual timesheets. ZSL will also work closely with MHR’s account management and technical teams to help shape the platform’s development, including building people management dashboards using Power BI.
Keith Day, Reward and HR Information Systems Manager at ZSL, said: “We have an incredibly diverse workforce, with people bringing a huge range of skills and expertise, working across the UK and around the world, from caring for animals and welcoming visitors, to leading conservation projects overseas. That makes having a flexible HR and payroll platform really important, so everyone can access the support and information they need, wherever they’re working. Moving to People First is a great opportunity to rethink the way we're doing things rather than just seeing it as a move to a new platform. What I'm most excited about is the mobility it offers, giving our people the ability to use the system wherever their work takes them.”
Anton Roe, CEO at MHR, said: “ZSL is the perfect example of how the right technology can keep a dispersed workforce connected, whether that’s zookeepers at London Zoo, or conservation teams working across the world. We’re proud that a partnership that started with payroll 10 years ago has grown into a relationship where ZSL is working in collaboration with our teams, helping to shape the future of our platform. We’re aligned with ZSL’s vision of seeing this as a change management opportunity, partnering with them to transform the employee experience and keep their global workforce engaged.”
