How a UK Students’ Union Modernised HR with People Inc. HR

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CASESTUDY

From an ageing HR system to a modern, reliable platform:

How a UK students’ union modernised HR by moving from an older on‑premise HR system to People Inc. HR—a powerful, flexible HR platform designed to improve accuracy, reduce admin, and support future self‑service.

Delivered by PeopleFirstHR — UK HR software implementation specialists

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Results at a glance

Fast migration + go-live completed in days with minimal disruption

Full HR dataset migrated, including historical records, attachments, and custom fields

Improved accuracy and trust in core processes (especially absence management calculations)

A stronger foundation for next-phase upgrades, including Employee Self Service

Quick post‑go‑live tweaks completed remotely to maintain productivity

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BACKGROUND

Client snapshot

Organisation: UK membership-based organisation (anonymised)

Sector: Education / student services

Location: UK

Approx. headcount: ~200 employees

HR users: Small HR team

Previous system: Legacy HR system (last major development mid‑2000s)

Reason for change: Increasing reliability concerns + compatibility risk with modern Microsoft Office/Windows environments

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THE CHALLENGE

A legacy HR system that couldn’t keep up with modern platforms

The organisation had used the same HR system for several years, but the HR team had growing concerns about reliability.

The biggest issue: the platform was built on older technology, and the team was increasingly worried about:

• Compatibility risk with the latest versions of Microsoft Windows and Office
• Reliability and continuity risk as the system aged
• Time lost manually checking or validating outputs (especially where accuracy matters, such as absence calculations)

They didn’t want a long or disruptive project. They needed a stable, modern HR system that could be implemented quickly—without losing valuable data (including older records and file attachments).

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THE SOLUTION

Move to People Inc. HR (a powerful, flexible HR system)

After a short discovery process and a number of working sessions with the HR team, it became clear this was the right time to upgrade.

People Inc. HR was selected because it offered:

• A more modern, robust platform (while remaining cost-effective)
• The flexibility to support both standard HR workflows and organisation-specific requirements
• A pathway to future improvements, including Employee Self Service
• A practical migration route to preserve HR history and minimise disruption

Beyond “like-for-like”: spotting extra time-saving opportunities

During the planning phase, we also identified additional ways People Inc. HR could reduce admin effort and improve control.

For example, the organisation had a group of employees on annual hours rather than a standard weekly work pattern. We scoped a simple enhancement to make those records easier to manage—identified as part of a planned next phase alongside potential Employee Self Service.

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IMPLEMENTATION

Fast, structured, and low disruption

The migration and go-live were delivered with a strong focus on speed and continuity.

What we delivered

• Full data migration from the legacy HR system into People Inc. HR
• Migration included custom fields and file attachments, preserving the organisation’s HR history
• Initial setup + configuration so the system matched how the HR team needed to operate
• Basic training for HR users, enabling confident use immediately after go-live

Timeline

Work was scheduled to minimise impact on day-to-day HR operations.

• Data migration was completed at the end of the working week
• The system was live shortly after, with training delivered early the following week
• The HR team experienced only a short window where records couldn’t be updated—helping keep disruption low

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IMPACT

More confidence in HR data—plus a platform ready for the next step

The biggest change wasn’t just “a newer system”—it was a shift in confidence.

With People Inc. HR in place, the HR team quickly saw they could get:

• More accurate, usable information than they were used to
• Greater trust in calculations, particularly around absence management
• Less time spent double-checking and correcting manual workarounds
• A system that supports iterative improvement—delivered as focused, cost-effective mini-projects rather than a single huge transformation programme

Post‑go-live support that protected productivity

After go-live, the team identified a small number of tweaks based on real usage. PeopleFirstHR made minor adjustments remotely, helping ensure momentum stayed high and the team didn’t lose productivity.

“I couldn’t believe how quick the implementation went… and even though we were assured no data would be lost, I wasn’t expecting attachments and custom fields to come across as well.”

— HR Manager

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Why PeopleFirstHR for a People Inc. HR implementation?

PeopleFirstHR specialises in helping UK organisations replace ageing HR systems with platforms that are reliable, practical, and implemented with minimal disruption.

We focus on:

• Fast, structured implementations
• High‑confidence data migration (including historical detail where needed)
• Training + support that helps small HR teams become self-sufficient quickly
• Phase-based improvement, so you can add value without a big-bang programme

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Ready to modernise your HR system (without losing your data)?

If you’re using an older HR system and you’re concerned about reliability, compatibility, or accuracy, we can help you move to a modern HR platform quickly and safely.

Talk to PeopleFirstHR today about your migration options.

☎ 0330 223 6180	✉ enquiries@peoplefirsthr.co.uk

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