Strategy, Culture & Communication: CakeHR is Taking Users to Human Resource 2.0

Talent is the real competitive advantage a business has. Let’s talk about how CakeHR is taking its international client base to the summit of the infinitely better HR 2.0

“Things are never questioned any longer”

That is a word-for-word pick from one of the 130 glowing reviews CakeHR has on stalwart platforms like GetApp, Capterra  and Software Advice.

If you read through some of these feedback snippets, one thing becomes crystal clear.

Gone are the days of setting up a Human Resource department for the sake of formality.

CakeHR reviews on GetApp
CakeHR reviews on GetApp

Companies are actively seeking ways to make talent management simpler. They are not content with subjectivity and the chain of command in HR. They not only want their workers to feel appreciated and rewarded, they also want data and facts to be the new religion instead of obfuscation and jargon.

HR is no longer the grey area where important elements like compensation are decided by vague “upper management” entities. Employees should not be frustrated to the point where they want to challenge and question every decision.

In short – HR is now the glue of company culture. It is tasked with fostering trust and must be the pillar that supports productivity and innovation.

A far cry from the plodding, boring and process stuck unit that only jumped in during recruitment and exit interviews.

HR is evolving into a newer, better paradigm.

And companies that wish to be a part of this ground-breaking concept use agile, transparent solutions like CakeHR.

Big Data is the Instrument. Talent is the Medium.

Big Data is just an example.

Be it Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI) or the Internet of Things (IoT), every buzzword that a company can think of is just the instrument.

The medium through which the benefits of these instruments are realized (or squandered) is the workforce.

People shape how successful a business can be.

People turn a probable competitive edge into revenue and profits.

By choosing to stay on or quit, employees have a massive impact on the overall health of an organization.

How do we know?

Common sense. And numbers.

Check these out.

How HR could function and how it unfortunatly has to function because some employers are not willing to recognize the value of HR to an organization's success!
How HR could function and how it, unfortunately, has to function because some employers are not willing to recognize the value of HR to an organization’s success.

Disengaged employees cost organizations between $450 and $550 billion annually. – The Engagement Institute

Companies with highly engaged workers earn 2.5 times as much as competitors with disengaged employees. – Gallup

Employees with a high confidence level in their company’s senior leadership are 5 times as likely to remain with their employer more than 2 years compared to employees with no confidence. – Qualtrics

Replacing an employee costs employers 33% of that employee’s annual salary. – Work Institute

Highly engaged business units (with engaged workers) realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism, a 17% increase in productivity and 20% increase in sales. – Gallup

Though there are several elaborate definitions for the movement that is known as HR 2.0, experts and businesses all over the world agree that:

  • Human Resource in its 1980’s format is inadequate and impersonal.
  • HR deals with people and by default should have transparency baked into its policies. It needs to bring a sense of collaboration to each and every aspect of the company.
  • The next step in the evolution of HR has to include self-service for operational excellence, constant feedback for improved performance and better organization for reduced administrative burden and heightened engagement.

Working with High Impact, Global HR Teams

CakeHR’s CEO Kaspars Upmanis is famous for his almost reverential attitude towards what he does. According to him there is no greater honour than being trusted with the most valuable asset of a company – it’s people.

Over the past several years we have built an ever-expanding user base of high impact, global HR teams that call us their technology partner.

These organizations hail from 59 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Latvia, Canada, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Germany, France, Australia and India. But they are united by practices that generate Human Resource momentum.

CakeHR customers worldwide
CakeHR customers worldwide

Our users typically:

1# Take a page out of the books of marketers and designers.

They gather information about the habits, the current practices and the preferences of employees and then create strategy that enables the workforce to fulfil business objectives and maintain optimal outputs.

2# Embrace the consumerization of HR.

It is a logical by-product of thinking like a marketer or a designer. An employee experience is of utmost importance, especially to Millennials who are not solely driven by money. The HR departments that get this mind-set position their brand as an employer capable of expanding worker horizons.

3# Think outside the “people” box.

Though they are in the business of managing talent, they recognize the contribution of technology and prefer to work with solutions that can become long-term success partners.

4# Prioritize culture.

In trying times when being agile costs more than just tangible resources, high impact HR departments focus on the individual but also promote the togetherness of the team. They invest time cultivating a company culture that holds things together, even if the business is going through a rough financial patch.

5# Integrate successfully with the workforce.

They do not act as a conspicuous bridge between management and talent. Instead they build up employees, offer performance consulting and in essence become invisible – known only by their positive impact on the workforce.

From Front Runners to Market Leaders: How CakeHR Takes High Impact Teams to HR 2.0

HR management software CakeHR is privileged to journey with these high impact HR teams and take them to the next level of Human Resource effectiveness. We do this by helping organizations be more:

1# Be Strategy Driven

Being strategy driven sets HR 2.0 apart from the existing model of Human Resource. Instead of relying on bias driven precedents and reacting to incoming change with knee jerk responses, HR of the future recommends:

  • Using data and analytics to identify potential risks and challenges
  • Leveraging the power of prescriptive business intelligence to come up with sound courses of action that are less likely to frustrate employees or give off the impression of nepotism
  • A steady diet of quality information from reputed sources to slowly but surely build a mental muscle of unbiased decision making. This is the art of Evidence Based HR.

CakeHR packs a lot of analytics punch in a sleek, user friendly interface. Granular and high-level reports can be run with a few clicks to review trends, spot concerns and make data driven strategy a part of the HR culture.

User Speak: Natasha McFadden says, “The “reporting” is very helpful for managers to use during our annual performance review process.”

2# Deliberately Design Organizational Culture

Culture eats strategy for breakfast. And culture is by far the most effective secret weapon up the sleeves of any organization.

Culture by default signifies transparency. Because all the employees who are a part of the workforce must know, realize and firmly believe in a single set of values and principles for culture to solidify and emerge. These values serve as guidelines to dictate healthy, conducive behaviour where hiring, onboarding, retention, general communication, brand awareness and even exits are concerned.

CakeHR doesn’t come with a module that can build strategy in a jiffy. No solution does. But it offers transparency and eliminates frustration thereby allowing HR managers and employees to collaboratively design the culture they wish to perpetuate.

  • Scheduling and timesheets ensure that flexible work hours are carefully documented. This allows employees to make the most of their time without creating confusion or having to wait for approvals.
  • Organizational charts sweep uncertainty from employee interactions. Workers know exactly whom to approach and matters of authority are no longer nebulous.
  • Centralized employee directories and database respect personal information and availability but at the same time render details easily accessible to those with the right permissions. With data comes power and ultimately engagement.

User Speak: David Basulto says, “Great tool to strength you company culture. An important part of our work culture is flexibility. CakeHR has helped us manage our time off, work from abroad, work from home, and sick days policies in a very easy way, without taking time from managers, and giving transparency inside the company.”

3# Give Priority to Organizational Communication

Communication receives quite a lot of attention in the existing HR model. After all employees are expected to turn in progress reports and request time-off or other benefits. So how is the communication in HR 2.0 different?

HR 2.0 calls for empathetic two-way communication. There should be understanding, respect and a genuine desire to assist in any dialogue that is exchanged between parties. Workers are not accountable for all the back and forth. Team leads, managers, the C suite – all parties must share relevant information, be aware of the obstacles being faced by others and should proceed with one intention only – to make matters better.

CakeHR offers:

  • A safe way to dispense advice through its goals, development plans and 360-degree feedback in the performance appraisal module.
  • Creation of specific onboarding and offboarding tasks making the critical communication over the first 6 months of an employee’s tenure succinct and rewarding.
  • Seamless integration with Slack and a robust mobile app for communication and collaboration on the go.

User Speak: Boitumelo Tlhoaele says, “Takes the hassle out of work. And literally makes it cool to care about your colleagues and let your colleagues know you care about them.”

Team CakeHR is Winning

It’s better to let the accolades do the talking.

In the world of SaaS where new applications make a debut every minute, CakeHR has managed to grab spots in the GetApp Top 10 lists two years in a row.


We have been praised by BOOMSMB. And have put the honor of an Appealie next to our name.

97% of our users renew their subscriptions.


Our blog is hand picked to be an excellent resource for small businesses. And it also happens to be one of the best HR blogs out there.


We have full confidence in our app’s features and in our company’s trajectory. But since the weight on our shoulders is the daunting task of redefining HR for users, validation is always welcome. The race to HR 2.0 is on! And team CakeHR is winning.

Would you like to join our international tribe of newsmakers?

Norberts.

Written By

Norberts Erts

HR Degen and Product Marketing Manager at Sage. Former Co-founder of HR software company CakeHR (acquired by The Sage Group plc in 2019). Keep a sharp eye on HR, marketing, business, finance, science, technology, and the connections between them.