Mediahuis

Mediahuis, a leading international media group, manages a broad portfolio of autonomous and cross-media brands. Managing these activities in Belgium in a high-quality manner requires effective organisation. With 1,100 employees spread across a large editorial team, its own printing facility, online platforms and other departments, Mediahuis faces complex workforce management challenges.

The organisation employs both blue-collar and white-collar workers, supplemented by a flexible pool of temporary staff. Many employees, particularly in the editorial department and the printing plant, also work outside traditional office hours (9-to-5).

Inspiration

Mediahuis client case study: Complex payroll administration with 188 unique pay codes

Mediahuis client case study: Complex payroll administration with 188 unique pay codes extra image 3

Challenge 1: Complex payroll administration

One of the challenges at Mediahuis is ensuring error-free and fully automated payroll administration. The complexity of this is illustrated by the 188 unique wage codes that are calculated monthly by Syntegro and forwarded to Sociaal Secretariaat Attentia for permanent employees. The rules vary considerably depending on the employee group, for example:

Compensation for overtime (through flexitime, compensatory rest or overtime accrual).
Allowances for night, weekend and public holiday work.
Shift work.
Leave calculations.
Various bonuses, such as for working on a day off.

Every week, the personnel department sends the performance data of Syntegro temporary workers to the respective temporary employment agencies.

For the printing company, the temporary employment agencies themselves enter “availability codes” via Syntegro. After planning, the temporary employment agencies receive the correct work codes from Syntegro based on a weekly automated report, enabling them to draw up the necessary contracts and confirm the hours to the temporary workers.

Thanks to this customised time registration software, Mediahuis can manage all these different groups in a time-efficient manner.

Challenge 2: Optimal deployment of permanent and temporary employees

The media sector does not operate on a 9-to-5 schedule. Although the deployment of the right employee in the right place at the right time can largely be planned in advance, the sector requires frequent adjustments based on current events and staff availability.

Syntegro's WFM tool provides Mediahuis with a complete overview of all available colleagues and temporary staff. These are created directly in Syntegro by the temporary employment agencies. Mediahuis planners can then immediately include them in their planning. Because planning and time registration are integrated, the solution guarantees correct compliance with laws and regulations.

In addition, employees also have control over their availability. They can easily access our solution at any time via their PC or smartphone. This allows them to:

Consult their work schedule online.
View their performance and holiday entitlement in real time.
Easily submit all requests (such as leave, bicycle allowances or expenses).

Conclusion: Flexibility and control

Syntegro's workforce management solution, which combines planning with time registration, helps Mediahuis achieve some of its strategic objectives – customer focus, agility and collaboration. This enables Mediahuis to respond flexibly to the needs of readers and customers in a rapidly changing world, with constant attention and respect for the individuality of each person.