Allegro at Lombard Odier - An interview with Maxime Morand, Head of HR

Established in 1796, Lombard Odier is one of the oldest private banks in Geneva. Lombard Odier is active in 14 countries, with a headcount of around 1'700. It serves private and institutional clients with a wide range of wealth management services.

In carrying out this HR project, what were your objectives for the partners, managers and staff?

Our initial goal was to give each staff member access to their own data as well as to all the HR tools they needed. We therefore created five different user areas (or profiles): the Employee area (for thier personal data), the Manager area (for data on all of one's subordinates), the Partner area (for critical data on the whole firm) and finally the HR area (for all of the firm's HR data)

For Human Resources, we wanted to improve the quality of the data as well as to offer tools which were better adapted to our needs.

What were your selection criteria and why did you choose Allegro ?

Three criteria were deemed essential: flexibility, independence, and speed of implementation. The solution had to be flexible enough so that we could introduce new services at no extra cost. Moreover, it had to be easy to use that is to say within the reach of non-IT professionals. Allegro's built-in form builder enables us to create new forms and new workflows on our own. Allegro is a tool which we control and not the another way around. Another key factor was the speed of implementation. Once our choice was made, it took us five months to launch Allegro across the Firm.

Staff have direct access to all their personal data including CV, performance evaluations and absences. What are the advantages of such an employee portal?

There are many advantages. Firstly, since each staff member has permanent and safe access to their data, they can insure that it is accurate and up to date. Secondly, employees benefit from a variety of tools in their personal area (vacation balances, accident reports, perfomance appraisals ...). Thirdly Top and Middle management get to know their teams and individual personalities much better. Lastly, HR benefit from the unification of processes and can add a light management touch.

How did Top and Middle management react to Allegro and to the fact that they could access staff data at all times?

With just a few mouse clicks, we moved from the 18th to the 21st century: it was a huge culture shock. Going from a dusty paper-based system to a collaborative approach to knowledge at first raised a lot of objections. Luckily Allegro's user-friendliness overcame these objections quite easily. Now Top and Middle middle management have a tool which increases their knowledge and recognition of the people who contribute to the Firm's vitality.

Has Allegro really improved the HR processes?

The employee portal has faciliated the formalization and the systematization of all processes. To change processes, you need a tool which shapes them to the desired outcome. Follow-up is easier now that the processes can be monitored in real time. Administration is streamlined and we can put information to better use. In a nutshell, the quality of our services has increased. On the other hand, the solution demands more of us since the slightest error is immediately visible to all.

As head of HR, could you do without Allegro now? Is it an essential tool or just a trendy gadget?

There is an expression which says: "Once one reaches shore it is difficult to go into exile again". Allegro may be essential but it is above all necessary. Allegro clearly shows that HR is everyone's business. Allegro has also facilitated the harmonization between HR and the Firm's structure. It is a mirror which enables everybody to see the Firm as it enables the Firm to see everyone.

How did your collaboration with Adequasys turn out? What did you expect from them?

We have been working with Adequasys for a long time and have an excellent working relationship. All our requests were taken into consideration and studied in a pragmatic ways. Our main requirement was our independence: in particular, we wanted to be able to create and modify forms within the portal ourselves. In this regard, the product met our expectations, since Adequasys introduced a form builder.

Was your investment in Allegro a luxury that only private bankers can afford?

Close collaboration between our IT, HR and Adequasys enabled us to achieve a quality project, at an advantageous price and within a short period of time. Far from being a luxury, introducing Allegro has been a tremendous investment for HR and our Firm which is finally realizing the value of the tool.

What about the future?

Several modules are currently being introduced such as Training managment, Absence management and Dashboards for top management. Allegro will therefore continue to grow within Lombard Odier and HR can continue growing thanks to Allegro.