University of Stellenbosch demonstrates success with Oracle

The University of Stellenbosch has implemented an Oracle solution to integrate its human resources processes, manage payroll requirements and drive compliance. The University is recognised as a leader in the higher education sector and believes that the integration of Oracle technologies affirms its position as such. Going forward, the University of Stellenbosch plans to establish a progressive partnership with Oracle and serve as a test site for new versions of Oracle products.

“The relationship between Oracle and the University of Stellenbosch is a very successful one,” says Tobie de Coning, chief director: strategic initiatives and human resources for the University. “Our level of HR management has certainly been enhanced by the functionality of Oracle’s products and we have been very successful in implementing the various product functionalities as integral system elements of our HR processes.”

He explains that with the implementation of Oracle solutions the university was able to successfully solve key challenges it faced. These included integrating human resources processes across the diverse internal and external communities served by the university, manage the pay requirements of salaried academic staff and farm labourers who are paid weekly, and comply more easily with statutory higher education industry reporting requirements.

The solution to these requirements leverages Oracle applications’ fully integrated architecture and incorporates consolidated and automated university-wide HR management processes with Oracle’s Human Resources Management System. This allows for better alignment of the University of Stellenbosch’s workforce with its strategic objectives.

The Oracle system also enables centralised HR processes that provide a single, accurate view of all HR activities including recruiting, performance management, learning, compensation and real-time analytics.

There is a reduced HR-related administrative burden with Oracle Self-Service HR and Oracle Portal that allows staff to access their own banking and payslip information online. Oracle HR’s support for South African employment law and statutory reports has provided eased compliance with statutory reporting mandates and the university has gained efficient, automated management of weekly and monthly payrolls and pay cycles using Oracle Payroll.

“Our Oracle Human Resources solution gives us a single, accurate view of all our human resources activity,” says Wessel Nolte, manager of BIS for the University of Stellenbosch. “Automated payroll functionality also ensures timeliness, accuracy and good financial controls.”

With proven success in implementing Oracle solutions, the university has now expressed an interest in partnering with Oracle to test new solutions from the vendor going forward, and to establish best practices in the use of Oracle technology in higher education that can be applied at other institutions.

“The University of Stellenbosch would like to explore the possibility of gaining preferred business partner status with Oracle,” explains the university’s Tobie de Coning. “This would allow us to serve as a test site in respect of new Oracle product functionalities in the field of HR services and to transfer knowledge to other higher education institutions on how to deal with Oracle products and internal organisational phases of product uptake in the various life cycle stages of adaptation and implementation.”

“It would also incorporate offering new Oracle staff the opportunity for learnerships in terms of experiential learning opportunities in a real life organisational environment,” he adds.

Both organisations are exploring this possibility.

By effectively implementing Oracle solutions for human capital management and payroll the University of Stellenbosch has bolstered its effectiveness in HR undertakings. Oracle looks forward to expanding its relationship with the university going forward.