How Did ZALAVÍZ Zrt. Digitize its HR Processes?

HR operations have been built on NEXON’s solutions for over ten years.
 

The operation of a water utility provider is inconceivable without well-organized human resources. ZALAVÍZ Zrt.’s workforce of nearly 350 employees operates across 60 different locations and 14 distinct work schedules to ensure 24-hour drinking water supply and wastewater treatment services. These services cover the northern and central parts of Zala County, as well as a total of 162 settlements across Vas and Veszprém counties.
In such an environment, HR operations must be precise, fast, and flexible all at once. Consequently, the company opted for NEXON’s solutions as early as 2012 and has since systematically expanded its digital HR system to align with its business needs. An interview with HR Manager Gábor Fókás. 

We digitized our HR processes step by step..
 

The challenge: diverse work schedules, continuous operation

For ZALAVÍZ Zrt., managing a wide variety of work schedules has always been one of the greatest challenges for HR. Ensuring regulatory compliance, tracking shift changes, and standardizing diverse management practices required a significant administrative workload. In addition, supporting digitalization and fostering collaboration across different generations became key priorities for the company.

The first step of digitalization: a solid foundation for payroll processing

The collaboration began in 2012 with the implementation of the NEXONbér system. Subsequent developments built upon this foundation, enabling HR, payroll, time and attendance, and self-service processes to operate within a unified system today.

The pandemic accelerated the adoption of self-service HR

The COVID pandemic created a new situation in 2020. The company sought a solution that would allow employees to access their documents, payslips, and HR-related information without needing to be physically present.
With the introduction of NEXON_PORT, the use of paper-based timesheets, leave requests, and payslips has now virtually disappeared. After some initial difficulties, both administrators and employees have come to appreciate the application. Mobile notifications are the favorite feature among administrators, while leave planning is the most popular among employees.

Real-time time and attendance management

The introduction of NEXONtime marked the next milestone. Previously, various organizational units managed schedules using their own spreadsheets, and up-to-date working time data was unavailable. Today, managers can view shift schedules, leave, on-call duty, and working time data on a single interface, enabling them to respond more quickly to changes.

The system automatically supports capacity-based scheduling while maintaining a real-time data connection with the electronic timesheet system. As a result, only the staff members actually assigned to specific tasks appear against them, hours worked are automatically transferred to related processes and applications, and the need for duplicate administrative work is eliminated.
 

The leaders also benefited from it.

Naturally, the implementation of the system also involved a learning process. "Initially, they placed more trust in Excel spreadsheets, but by the end of the first year—with the right mentoring—they had learned to use the program," said Gábor Fókás.
Today, managers use the reports on a daily basis, plan leave more easily, make faster decisions, and have constantly up-to-date information available regarding their subordinates.
 

Measurable business results

Digitalization has made HR operations not only simpler but also more efficient.

Short turnaround times, automated processes, and continuous regulatory compliance characterize the HR team's work.
 

• Paper consumption in HR and payroll was reduced by 80%;
   

• approximately 80 working hours per month were freed up for manual workers due to the reduction in administrative tasks;
   

• monthly savings of 192 working hours were achieved in the payroll process, enabling the reassignment of one employee to higher value-added tasks;
   

• manual data handling and data entry errors were significantly reduced, and real-time data is now available for monthly closings, shortening the payroll process by 2.5–3 days.
   

More than a software: long-term partnership

According to Gábor Fókás, the most important values ​​of this collaboration—spanning more than a decade—are predictability, security, and professional support. The secret to the project's success lies in the full commitment of both the client and the service provider..

The automation of standby scheduling at the company has just been completed, serving to improve planning capabilities as well as the accuracy of data and payroll processing. Currently, developments related to pay transparency are underway involving the competency module, alongside the implementation of Analytics—a module supporting background processes—in connection with other technical systems.

The company’s goal is for the NEXON system to serve as the primary record for all HR data, providing a reliable source for other corporate applications.
"Time spent on administration—especially paper-based administration—represents a waste of money, efficiency, and manpower in today’s world. A modern time and attendance management system offers value far exceeding its cost. Another key benefit the software provides is enhanced employee well-being and access to information," highlighted HR Manager Gábor Fókás.

Notable results