South Yorkshire Police trims admin work with Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, HCM

South Yorkshire Police (SYP) is the seventh-largest force in the UK, with approximately 5,500 officers and staff who serve 1.4 million members of the South Yorkshire community. The force’s on-premises finance and human resources management systems were disconnected, lacked self-service capabilities, and required too many manual steps to complete processes such as expense reimbursement and recruiting. These limitations slowed down work and frustrated employees, forcing them to spend time on clerical duties instead of focusing on police work. Using the integrations built into Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM, the force automated finance and HR processes, while also staying compliant with the UK’s strict data protection standards for government agencies.

SYP’s on-premises finance and HR systems created silos of information that caused inefficiency. Team members needed manual workarounds and spreadsheets to share information across finance and HR. The lack of mobile access to applications meant that when officers needed to complete a task, such as submitting an expense report, they had to leave their patrol area, go to an SYP station, and use an agency-owned computer.

The police force selected Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and HCM based on the stability and flexibility of the applications, along with the data security provided by the applications running on Oracle Sovereign Cloud. The agency evaluated the offerings of multiple software providers and chose Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications to address finance, HR management, and training challenges. A key factor in the decision was the built-in integration between Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and HCM applications. Additionally, running the applications on Oracle Sovereign Cloud would make it possible for the force to use continuously updated cloud applications while complying with the UK Data Protection Act.

After implementing Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and HCM for finance, HR, and performance management, SYP can now build  a common data model that helps eliminate information silos, making it easier for finance and HR teams to track key performance indicators, such as time-to-hire and employee attrition rate.

SYP officers and staff gained mobile access to Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and HCM, which simplified and sped up administrative processes. For example, it now takes about a week to reimburse an employee expense claim, down from one to two months previously. The force also increased automation in its employee recruitment and onboarding activities using Oracle Talent Management, eliminating the use of spreadsheets and a third-party application. Single sign-on capabilities in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) simplified employee log-ins to finance and HR systems.

The agency is implementing Oracle Guided Learning to use as part of its employee training curriculums. Guided Learning provides tips and guidance in the application to assist when a user has a question or hits a roadblock. SYP is also exploring how the built-in AI workforce planning capabilities in Oracle Fusion Cloud EPM  Workforce Planning could help managers better understand the financial impact of the police department’s HR policies. “If we can unlock the potential of AI within our force, we can possibly help other UK police forces replicate our success,” says Sally Briggs, SYP’s transformation lead. “That could help to solve some of the national problems facing UK policing.”

SYP is working with Oracle Consulting  and Oracle Customer Success Services to maximize its investments in Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications. “Oracle Consulting and Oracle Customer Success Services understand our challenges and genuinely have South Yorkshire Police’s interests at heart,” says Sally Briggs, transformation lead for South Yorkshire Police.