News & Events
Highroads Global Data Management Solution
Corporate HR Departments Finally Gain Insight to Global Benefits Programs
BOSTON (July 24, 2006) - HighRoads, the leader in benefits management solutions, today announced the immediate availability of the most comprehensive solution designed to help companies manage employee benefits on a global level. The HighRoads Global Data Management solution eliminates the major obstacles - time and distance - to gaining actionable insight into the costs, scope and effectiveness of benefits programs for better visibility and control.
For most Fortune 500 companies, benefits strategies are set at the corporate level, but programs are typically negotiated and managed at the local level. This highly decentralized approach makes it extremely tedious and time-consuming to gather, organize and analyze data for global and regional views needed for holistic management. It's this challenge that the HighRoads Global Data Management solution addresses: putting comprehensive information into the hands of HR executives quickly, easily and immediately for audits, reviews and other critical processes.
"As the global economy continues to expand, companies are finding it more difficult to maintain the levels of visibility and control needed to uphold world-class operations," said Michael Byers, Chief Operating Officer of HighRoads. "Our solution is designed to give them what they need to get back in the driver's seat: concise, complete information in global and regional views that can help them do business better while achieving greater control and purchasing power."
Available today, the Global Data Management solution includes advanced features that close the gap between diversified plan offerings and geographical distances:
- A central data depository constructs a one-stop database of all documents and data, where information is uploaded, stored and analyzed with just a few clicks of the mouse.
- Document workflow ensures full user control and audit trail updating changes to plan information and data.
- Comprehensive analytical tools and reports, conducting side-by-side comparisons between benefit plans and suppliers among different countries, yields further opportunities for boosting efficiency and cutting costs.
- Advanced search functionality provides instant access to stored data, which can be sorted by user-defined criteria.
- Role-based access forms a secure, robust collaborative environment, where internal and external users can share and update plan information.
- Sarbanes-Oxley section 404 compliance is addressed for Global multi-nationals by aggregating all material contracts and benefits information to ensure proper internal controls have been applied and have not materially changed.
"As we have operations in 70 countries, excellence in global benefits management requires two key elements: having a centralized view of all programs to ensure optimal performance, and providing our local and regional stakeholders the tools to manage their programs efficiently while meeting the needs of the business and the needs of our employees," said Joanne Armenio, director of international benefits for Kraft Foods, Inc. "HighRoads' Global Data Management solution is helping us further extend our corporate benefits vision - to deliver quality, cost-effective, and competitive benefits programs - with a streamlined approach that facilitates our ‘best of local and best of global' philosophy."
This is the latest enhancement to HighRoads' Benefits Lifecycle Management () solution, which revolutionized the management of employee benefits - from an inefficient, manual-based model to an automated, more cost-efficient process. solutions streamline tedious benefits processes, including procurement, plan design and supplier management to employee feedback mechanisms and contract renewals - yielding more opportunities for key strategic initiatives, bottom-line savings and added shareholder value.
HighRoads' solutions are used by more than 100 of the world's largest organizations including manufacturers, retailers and government agencies.
HighRoads' Global Data Management solution, and other technology offerings, are available as a fully hosted solution and supported by a comprehensive suite of business process outsourcing (BPO) services.
ABOUT HIGHROADS
HighRoads, Inc. (www.HighRoads.com) is the only company offering a system of record for managing HR program and supplier information to improve the employee experience while dramatically reducing costs for large, complex organizations. HighRoads has automated HR processes for more than 100 Fortune 500 employers along with 700 of their suppliers, consultants and outsourced administrators in 75 countries. Clients include some of the world's largest companies, such as General Dynamics, Honeywell, IBM, Kraft, Staples and Toyota. Founded in 1999, HighRoads is a privately-held company headquartered in Woburn, Mass.
HighRoads Company Contact:
Lori Dustin
(781) 503-4030
ldustin@highroads.com
HighRoads Media Contact:
Michael McDonough
(617) 969-9192
mmcdonough@corporateink.com