Watan Dynamics 365 HR Project

WATAN, an independent non-governmental organization operating in Turkey, automated its HR processes and saved time with data-driven solution, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Human Resources. The first NGO customer of the platform in the MEA Region, the organization started to benefit from the platform’s smart capabilities, including performance measurement, updating employee data, and monitoring its teams anytime, anywhere.

Established in Turkey in 2012, WATAN is a leading Civil Society Organization delivering emergency relief, third-sector support, and long-term international development projects, especially in providing economic recovery to refugees, women, and child protection. Committed to helping people and reviving communities with its 100 employees in Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Jordan, WATAN sought effective and cost-friendly ways to modernize its HR processes and save time.

WATAN HR Manager, Abdulhadi Dele, explains the process. “In WATAN we used to carry out every HR process manually, which takes time and effort. In case we needed an employee’s personnel information, we had to search for it by hand, sign some papers, and try to gather other documents physically. It is not easy to follow the HR operations manually, as the information and regulations are updated. That’s why we were in need of an effective automation system in HR to save time and energy.”

Automating HR with data-driven insights
With the supervision and continuous support of Microsoft solution partner Pargesoft, WATAN decided to use Microsoft services due to its capabilities and cost-effectiveness. Dynamics 365 Human Resources was seamlessly installed and became live, immediately after. The platform began to help ensure WATAN get the workforce insights to build data-driven employee experiences across compensation, benefits, leave and absence, compliance, performance feedback, training and certification, and self-service programs. Moreover, the platform enables better reporting and greater transparency towards donors.

According to Müge Kisaalioğlu, Dynamics HRM Manager at Pargesoft, “We succeeded in implementing Dynamics 365 Human Resources to Microsoft’s first customer in the region with WATAN, and we are looking forward to enhancing their new system with smart features.”

Better collaboration, improved agility
Now, WATAN is able to closely monitor the yearly and monthly targets that all employees need to achieve. “We manage the performance measurement and employee surveys on a single board,” Abdulhadi continues. “We can submit the employee leaves in one minute. It is now easy to see how our employees carry out and accomplish their multitasking jobs. Through the platform, we follow what our teams are doing and see what they need. Also, job interviews are scheduled via Dynamics 365 Human Resources effectively.” He adds, “Better collaboration is enabling our team to innovate and improve agility at critical times.”

Time-saving capabilities
“We make analysis quickly and enter new employee data into the system with one click. Also, employees can enter, change, or update their data, and we approve afterward. That is one of the most beneficial skills of the platform. With its capabilities, we save a lot of time, especially in this challenging COVID-19 period,” says Ahmed Alelewi, WATAN IT Manager.

By implementing new features, WATAN will begin to use the platform’s mobile app to enhance the communication with its employees. Other features like payroll, compensation, and benefits management, will be put in use, too. These sound steps will bring more customization to WATAN’s HR management processes and make the whole operation fully automated. The organization can now further focus on ongoing projects and improve its sustainable impact in the region. With a more enabled workforce, WATAN is able to serve target beneficiary communities more effectively.

“Using Microsoft’s solution provided us more than we imagined about the modernization of our HR function,” concludes Dele.

Using Microsoft’s solution provided us more than we imagined about the modernization of our HR function.

Abdulhadi Dele:
HR Manager
WATAN