With the HR platform Emply, PlanBørnefonden has established a strong digital foundation for the entire employee journey – from recruitment and onboarding to master data management and time tracking. The result: streamlined processes, better data management, and more time for what matters most – securing a better future for the world’s most vulnerable children and youth.

PlanBørnefonden operates in some of the world’s most fragile and underserved regions to protect children’s rights and create equal opportunities for all – regardless of gender. The organization is part of Plan International and has a presence in over 80 countries.

Supported by more than 45,500 private sponsors, companies, and foundations, PlanBørnefonden is both a strong humanitarian brand and an attractive place to work. In recent years, the organization has grown from 63 to 102 employees. But growth brings demands – and in HR especially, it became clear that the time had come for a digital transformation.

The challenge: Fragmented processes and manual workflows

Before implementing Emply, employee data was stored in flat files and maintained in Excel sheets on internal drives. Recruitment and onboarding were handled manually, and there was no centralized system for managing employee master data, contracts, absences, or time tracking.

“It became too heavy and insecure to manage everything in large Excel files. It also took time away from what we should be focusing on – like easing operations and freeing up capacity for more value-creating HR,” says Susan Jane Barker, People Operations Specialist at PlanBørnefonden.

The solution: Emply as a unified HR platform

In fall 2021, PlanBørnefonden conducted a thorough market screening to find a solution that would support their goal of becoming more data-driven and efficient – without introducing complexity or excessive costs. Three solutions were evaluated, and the organization ultimately chose Emply.

“Emply stands out in several ways. It’s an all-in-one solution that supports the full employee journey – from recruitment and onboarding to core HR data, absence tracking, and mandatory time registration. The platform is highly user-friendly, easy to customize and scale – and it fit within our budget,” explains Susan Jane Barker.

Emply was implemented over a period of six months and went live in January 2023. Throughout the project, PlanBørnefonden received support from consultants at Devoteam and Emply – and the collaboration was both constructive and trust-based.

“We felt well supported the entire way. The Emply consultant was a valuable sparring partner throughout the process, and once we went live, we were assigned a Customer Success Manager who still checks in to see if we need help. We’ve also had great experiences with Emply Support. It all contributes to a strong sense of security,” she says.

The result: Freedom, oversight, and growth

Today, all 102 employees at PlanBørnefonden use Emply – via both web and mobile app. Employees have access to their own profile data and can update it themselves.

“You could say we went from zero to one hundred. From an HR perspective, Emply provides exactly the freedom and overview we were looking for. I really value that we now have one unified solution for the entire employee journey – one that we can adapt ourselves. It’s a big advantage not having to manage multiple systems at once. It supports compliance and makes it much easier to ensure quality in our HR work,” says Susan Jane Barker.

“We’re especially happy with the recruitment and onboarding modules because they not only streamline our processes but also send automated reminders and information emails to managers and relevant departments when new employees are hired or leaving. That’s a significant improvement compared to the past, where we had to send all emails manually. With automated reminders, notifications, and efficient approval flows, we now have peace of mind that nothing is missed.”

PlanBørnefonden also now has a strong, visual, and functional career site. It serves as an important showcase for the organization and supports the recruitment module, which is used by both managers and the People & Culture team.

“Managers are very satisfied with the recruitment module. They can follow the entire process, rate candidates, and pull data – everything is in one place,” she explains.

Through Emply’s API, the organization has also integrated its data with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations for use in reporting and analytics.

“We spend far less time on administration – and far more on development. That’s incredibly valuable. On a personal level, the system enables me to take greater responsibility because our processes are now more robust and transparent,” says Susan Jane Barker.

A close partner in digital transformation

PlanBørnefonden is far from finished developing its People & Culture function. Future plans include activating the learning module included in their Emply package, further developing the career site, and making even greater use of reporting capabilities.

“We’ll continue evolving and using Emply to improve the employee experience. The more we can digitalize and optimize, the more resources we can channel into the world – where they truly make a difference.”

PlanBørnefonden uses Emply for:

• Recruitment and career site
• Onboarding and contract management
• Master data and absence tracking
• Mandatory time registration via app and web

About PlanBørnefonden

PlanBørnefonden is one of Denmark’s largest development and humanitarian organizations. With more than 100 employees, the organization works to secure the rights and opportunities of children and youth – especially girls and women – in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions. Their work is grounded in local partnerships and funded by thousands of private sponsors, foundations, and institutional donors. PlanBørnefonden is part of Plan International – one of the world’s oldest and largest child rights organizations.