Digitalisation tailored to hospitals’ needs
Because of its subsidised nature, the social profit sector is governed by very strict regulations, which also change regularly. Digitalisation is also just as high on the agenda there as it is in other sectors. Thanks to our broad expertise, SD Worx can present relevant and accurate solutions. In 2017, for example, we adapted our eBlox HR software package to suit a group of Belgian hospitals. In addition, we also developed a digital tool to help hospitals comply with the new IFIC job classification quickly and efficiently. Such initiatives turned out to have significant positive outcomes.
We find the personal approach of SD Worx very useful. We are clearly on the same wavelength. Better still: we can help shape the future features of eBlox HR.
– Lies Hooghe, HR Manager at Heilig Hart Leuven Regional Hospital
Tom Cuyvers, Director of Social Profit at SD Worx Belgium: “The Belgian hospital landscape is undergoing a major transformation. The vision of enabling hospitals to increasingly operate within a network, launched by Minister De Block in 2016, is gradually taking shape. We also see this structural cooperation in the area of HR: healthcare organisations are increasingly aligning their personnel policies and are looking for the right digital tools to achieve their goals. That is why we proposed a tailored software solution to a group of eight hospitals.”
Kris Huysmans, Commercial Director of Social Profit at SD Worx Belgium: “In three workshops, we examined which specific functions were needed and how we could adapt eBlox HR, our modular web-based software, to the needs of this group of hospitals. An automated training policy was high on the priority list, but the solution had to be capable of taking the special needs of the sector, such as extramural cooperation and monitoring of special professional qualifications, into account. By following a common approach across all hospitals, we achieved a degree of standardisation in the solution, which has led to a significant cost reduction for the users. This is music to the ears of the social profit sector, which has limited financial resources.”
Tom Cuyvers: “We planned out specific HR processes for hospitals in separate procedures. The legal knowledge centre of SD Worx, one of our exclusive assets, ensures that they are legally compliant and kept up to date. This ensures that all institutions continuously comply with all standards and conditions. Afterwards, these needs were translated to eBlox HR and each hospital has since implemented eBlox HR at its own pace. This is possible because it is a modular software package. The hospitals involved are very satisfied with the result, and thanks to their positive reactions, we were able to expand the group to thirteen hospitals.”
Kris Huysmans: "Not only do the hospitals benefit from economies of scale and professionalised HR policies, employees also get a more transparent view of their careers and can see that their employer is investing in them, boosting staff engagement. And it doesn't stop there: we maintain a dialogue with each hospital to see which functions we can add, but only at their own pace. For example, there is demand for a new career agreement in the healthcare sector that would focus on measures that enable employees to shape their careers to suit their needs. This could be a next step in a future eBlox HR update."
We are always listening to our customers, and with our strong expertise in the care sector, we can proactively meet their needs.
– Tom Cuyvers, Director of Social Profit at SD Worx Belgium
Tom Cuyvers: “This is not an isolated case. We are always listening to our customers. Our strong expertise in the care sector means we can meet their needs proactively. The introduction of the IFIC job classification is a striking example of such an approach. Under the regulation, the HR departments of federal private health institutions have until 30 April 2018 to present each employee with an individual proposal. Each staff member must be placed in a specific job class that is linked to a salary scale. Every employee must then decide by 30 June 2018 whether they will accept this proposal. All employers must be able to prove that they have provided their employees with the correct information and that their employees were able to make an informed choice. It’s all hands on deck for the organisations affected by this information and registration obligation, as they often employ thousands of people.”
“In 2017 during a webinar, we asked our customers whether they would be interested in a tool enabling them to digitally manage the end-to-end process of informing, choosing and registering. There was immediately great interest, motivating us to develop and launch the tool according to the cost-saving principle. It was a success: more than one in two hospitals in Flanders will use our solution to handle this process.”