Norled optimises its operations with Mintra’s OCS HR Shift Planner

‘We, as an organisation, take our responsibility for the future seriously. Norled’s technical innovations position us as a global leader but in 2019 it became clear that the complex, tedious and time-consuming HR systems were slowing us down,’ said Norled’s HR Consultant, Caroline Selnes, the company’s Process Specialist HR/Salary.

Norled knew that to stay the course of continuous advancement and innovation, it needed to centralise, consolidate and digitise its personnel management function. To meet the future demands of the industry, the HR department had to ensure it would be able to do more with less whilst maintaining high levels of safety across its fleet.

“It was important for us to look for a solution which meets the requirements of a modern workforce. We needed to empower our crew, improve offshore to onshore communication, achieve operational efficiencies and guarantee safety.”

The ferry and express boat company’s short- and long-term goals could only be achieved by increasing its existing system utilisation and onboarding a technology which would support Norled in line with its people, environmental and automation goals.

Mintra is a partner who understands the challenges faced by the company and is a trusted long-standing provider of crew planning solutions for maritime providers in Norway and worldwide.

“We spoke with many providers but found that Mintra’s OCS HR Shift Planner technology was, and still is, the furthest along in the development of a system which suits our requirements. Mintra has the experience and is well known within the industry.”

Any solution which was going to be implemented by Norled had to meet the unique requirements of its workforce and crew input was essential. The ferry and express boat company took time to listen to its captains, crew and employees.

“We identified that we needed an automated minute-by-minute shift planning system, which reduces payroll administration, simplifies manning and empowers our internal stakeholders. In our sector, vessels have a complex manning schedule. During a single hour we could have three people filling the same position. Mintra’s OCS HR Shift Planner is essential for us to run an accurate payroll.”

“The Mintra team understood what we required. In collaboration, we managed to deliver a solution which does not only benefit Norled but any other provider in the maritime sector. In three months, Norled moved from five systems to one single system across the organisation.”

Prior to the launch of the technology, Norled worked to introduce the solution and improve digital literacy across its workforce. Eighteen classroom sessions were run for all captains and seven captains were also chosen to be trained as Super Users. eLearning was provided to everyone across the organisation, as well as voluntary Teams sessions post-roll out.

Norled also shared digital resources as well as paper copy handbooks to ensure everyone across the organisation was able to access the information. The ferry and express boat company ensured workforce engagement by developing teaser trailers and making sure everyone was aware of the process and key milestones, whilst being mindful to not overload people with information.

“The module empowers our captains to have a more active role in the daily management of crewing on board and has improved the quality of data available to make well-informed decisions. It also allows our crew to view information about their working hours, so everyone can impact their salaries.”

Norled also benefitted from workshops with other Mintra customers and maritime providers, looking at ways to further improve the solution. The sessions, facilitated by Mintra, give providers the opportunity to look at system improvements to better align with complex global legislation and payroll requirements.

“It has been beneficial for us to meet with Mintra and the other providers to understand how to best utilize the capabilities of OCS HR Shift Planner. By collaborating, we can put forward recommendations to further improve the functionality and tailor it to benefit everyone in the sector.

Even the most reluctant captain at Norled is delighted with the outcome.

‘I was sceptical in the beginning but now everything is much easier than before the shift planner,’ captain at Norled.

The new OCS HR Shift Planner functionality demonstrates Mintra’s unique knowledge in the complex field of crew planning, maritime payroll as well as other challenging areas of modern shipping.