We spoke with the COO at Journey Agency about the importance of choosing the right HR system.“We wanted a system that could simplify and streamline the processes related to our people, and we love that we found a Nordic system that takes user experience seriously. Now, we have all employee information in one place, including payroll, follow-up, absences, and access to relevant information. The local content has been especially useful, and generally, we support buying locally when possible. And it doesn't hurt that the customer service is also better!”
Malin Maarud is the COO at Journey Agency and has ten years of experience in marketing and media. She is responsible for the company’s daily operations, including business development, strategy, operational efficiency, and financial management.
“At Journey, we emphasize varied tasks, continuous learning, and flexibility. Collaboration, personal development, and mutual respect are fundamental values in our workday. We allow our employees to influence the company’s direction and shape their workday, with freedom under responsibility, and it was important for me to find an HR system that helps employees in their daily lives.”
Needed a modern system with local knowledge
Previously, they used a system called Personio, which worked well but was not adapted to the Norwegian market or language. “Many of these systems are designed for larger organizations and can be cumbersome for small and medium-sized businesses,” says Malin. The choice fell to Huma after an extensive assessment: Huma provides a comprehensive solution that gathers everything in one place and is particularly strong in information sharing and employee handbooks. The system is user-friendly and well-designed, which is important.
“We were most excited to implement the employee handbook so that we could move it out of Google Docs and into a more structured system! The implementation went super smoothly and we were up and running after a week!”
Malin describes the dialogue with Huma as very good, "one of the advantages of choosing a Norwegian provider," she points out. She highlights the customer service as available and responsive, and that their suggestions for improvements are taken seriously and often implemented. She further explains that, in contrast to many other systems where suggestions often disappear, it is inspiring to collaborate with a Norwegian provider and a startup company, as we are a startup company ourselves. We generally think it is fun to support and grow together with other Norwegian innovators.”
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The leadership team saves a lot of time and gains valuable insights, quickly!
In her role as COO, Malin explains that she thinks it is important to have a user-friendly system that gives employees access to all relevant information about working conditions and internal guidelines, while the leadership team also gets an important management tool to work even better.
“The leadershiup team gains valuable insights for strategic and financial assessments, such as turnover, number of employees, and measuring eNPS and employee satisfaction.”
Journey Agency has used Huma throughout 2024. The absence module is highlighted as a frequently used module, which is also handled easily via the mobile app. Something very important in terms of employee experience and employer branding is to get employees quickly introduced to their roles through a good start, and that employees who leave have a positive experience. Here, the on- and offboarding module is critical and much used, which in turn allows for continuous improvement. - The personnel handbook has been particularly useful, with good templates that are easy to customize to our unique company, as well as the leadership handbook which is an important tool for new leaders, says Malin.
“We generally save a lot of time on registering and approving absences, and employees find all necessary information easily accessible and searchable.”
Focusing on the further development of employees and innovation
With Huma, Journey has an HR system that suits their needs and growth ambitions, allowing them to continue focusing on development and innovation with modern tools by their side. Whether you are a gazelle company that wants to strengthen your team with locally adapted solutions or an ambitious and established workplace, Huma will save you time, help with smarter decisions, and equip leaders with what they need to build a solid culture.
Journey is a full-service digital agency offering services in digital marketing, development, PR, communication, design, and programming. We are one of the few companies in Norway that has achieved Gazelle status seven years in a row, from 2017 to 2023, something only 0.1% of Norwegian companies have managed for several years in a row, we are very proud of this. You can read more about what it is like to work at Journey here.
Huma is the only HR system that combines modern technology and Nordic HR expertise. Easy to use and easy to like, with ready-made integrations, tools for contracts, storage of documents in accordance with GDPR, onboarding, handbooks, employee development, salary review, meetings, and insights as pegs for HR work in small and medium-sized businesses. Free mobile app and 0,- in startup costs.
