Driven by economic circumstances to implement radical changes

Context

Krëfel, part of the French retail conglomerate United.b, is currently undergoing a major transformation and restructuring phase to counter ongoing financial losses and fierce market competition. An aggressive turnaround plan had been rolled out, set to run until 2028.

HR challenges

• Due to a lack of knowledge and cost control, HR vendor costs were skyrocketing.
• The collective dismissal and restructuring created an immense workload for the local HR and payroll teams
• There was a complete lack of segregation of duties; even local heads of non-HR departments were making HR decisions.
• The HR department became the focal point of a company blame-culture.

Intervention

• The immediate launch of a payroll vendor RFP resulted in a yearly cost reduction of 40%
• The implemetation of HR process descriptions helped the HR teams and non-HR teams in understanding their roles and responsibilities
• Launching new HR policies—such as managing and tackling absenteeism and structural overtime—helped convince the other workstreams of how HR can be a valuable asset

Result

By establishing strict cost controls and restructuring vendor agreements, we successfully stabilized HR expenditures and brought spiraling vendor costs back under control. Replacing the former blame culture with clear ownership had significantly boosted trust and alignment between HR and the broader business.

Deliverables

• Governance rhythm + implementation HR roles and responsibilites
• Vendor comparison overview
• Risk register + mitigation plan
• One-page status reporting template

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