Founded in 1927 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Bauer Hockey has continued to develop the industry’s most sought-after products, including the highly successful SUPREME®, VAPOR®, and NEXUS® product lines seen on rinks and players worldwide. Today, they are the largest producer of hockey equipment, used globally at the grassroots level to elite athletes–both male and female.
It might not come as a surprise, but being a global leader also requires a strong HR department. Now, Bauer Hockey’s international headquarters in Gothenburg has started using Huma, so we sat down with their HR Manager, Carolina Zarate, to learn about their journey with Huma.
Carolina Zarate is the HR Manager at Bauer Hockey’s international headquarters in Gothenburg. But Sweden is not the only country she manages HR for; she also oversees operations in Finland, Germany, and China – so there’s plenty to keep track of! In a company that prides itself on offering the best equipment to hockey players worldwide, ensuring that employees thrive and grow is crucial. Bauer is passionate about their employees’ well-being, fostering an open and inclusive culture where everyone feels at home.
“I got tired of my Excel sheet! But jokes aside, I spent way too much time looking for information.”
When we asked why Bauer Hockey felt the need for an HR system, Carolina was quick to respond, “I got tired of my Excel sheet. But jokes aside, I spent way too much time searching for information”. Carolina was used to having an HR system that made it easy to find all kinds of employee information, but suddenly, the same structure was missing.
Choosing a new HR system was a big decision, so Bauer looked into several options and solutions. After a lot of research, Carolina liked Huma because of its efficiency and decided to reach out. It didn’t take long before she realized how user-friendly Huma is and how much time it could save them. She also highlights Huma’s speed of development and frequency of releases as a key factor in her choosing Huma.
This wasn’t Carolina’s first time implementing an HR system, so we asked about her experience with Huma’s implementation. She quickly replied: “I’ve been part of implementing other HR systems before, and I must say, implementing Huma was incredibly smooth compared to my previous experiences.” After all, Huma is designed to be up and running in six minutes, not six months.
Of course, there’s always some work involved in setting up a new HR system, like data migration, learning the different modules, and other tasks. That’s why they appreciate Huma’s representatives always being available and quick to assist whenever needed.
Now that Bauer has been using Huma for 1.5 years, they’ve noticed how much simpler their workdays have become. Many processes that used to take a lot of time have now been automated. This means Carolina can focus even more on what truly matters – their people. She also highlights the absence module, which has been extremely helpful. They’ve outsourced their payroll, and with the absence module, external payroll consultants can easily access the right information.
We love seeing Huma being used in a way that adds value to Employees and managers alike. We wish Bauer Hockey AB a fantastic HR journey ahead!