Umicore launches HR on the go with SAP Fiori Elements

Rethinking employee self-service

Several years ago, Umicore launched a number of employee self-service applications. Both employees and managers used them to update their HR data and handle tasks like requesting leave or registering overtime. The apps were connected to SAP HR – the central system managing all employee data and payroll.

While this setup helped unburden HR, it wasn't always smooth sailing for users. Since the apps were desktop-only, using them from home meant firing up a laptop, connecting via VPN, and navigating a series of outdated screens. In short: a far-from-intuitive employee experience.

SAP Fiori Elements: a user-friendly, mobile employee experience

Together with Flexso, Umicore upgraded its legacy employee self-service architecture. "Instead of starting from scratch, we converted our existing 20+ apps to the cloud using SAP Fiori Elements," says Bruno Meganck, Senior P&O Technology Manager at Umicore. "They now feature a modern look and feel, intuitive navigation, and a consistent layout for a seamless user experience."

"Thanks to SAP Mobile Start, the apps are also fully mobile-ready. With a single login, employees and managers can access all relevant scenarios from their smartphone or tablet – anytime, anywhere."

"With SAP Fiori Elements, Umicore now has a futureproof setup. Thanks to SAP's standardized approach, future upgrades will be much easier to implement."

Role-based access

Another advantage of SAP Fiori is its role-based approach. This allows Umicore to activate specific functionalities or apps depending on the user – whether blue collar, white collar, or manager.

The team clearly defined which user groups need access to which scenarios, based on the different scopes per country and work context. By limiting the number of apps per group, they could keep the project scope manageable and speed up delivery.

A smooth go-live

Umicore rolled out the new apps in two waves. "We started small, with a limited set of scenarios for a few hundred employees in Japan and Thailand," says Bruno. "Once everything was running smoothly, we expanded to Belgium, Germany, France, the US, and Canada – scaling from a few hundred to almost 5,000 users."

"To ensure strong adoption, we communicated the changes in advance via our intranet, focusing on key benefits like the improved user experience and mobile access. We also organized dedicated info sessions for HR teams to help them prepare for the transition and handle employee questions."

Next up: Employee Central in SAP SuccessFactors

All SAP Fiori apps are now live, but Umicore’s HR transformation journey is far from over. "The next step on our roadmap is to expand our SAP SuccessFactors environment," says Bruno. “We already use several modules, including Learning, Performance, and Succession, but our employee master data was still in SAP HR."

To modernize that foundation, Umicore has now implemented Employee Central, again with support from Flexso. "Once Employee Central is fully operational, we will gradually phase out a number of Fiori apps – mainly those related to HR master data like personal details, addresses, bank accounts, family data, etc. These scenarios will move to Employee Central and be accessible through the SAP SuccessFactors app."

"For Umicore, the main objective has always been creating a user-friendly, mobile employee experience. In that respect, Flexso's experts have delivered a great job."

"For all other scenarios, we'll continue working with our SAP Fiori apps," Bruno concludes. "Optimizing the employee experience and going mobile has always been the main objective. In that respect, the project has already delivered on its promise. And we couldn't have done it without Flexso."