Applaud partners with Smith+Nephew to enhance HR services

Applaud, a player in Human Resources (HR) technology, has announced a significant partnership with Smith+Nephew, a global medical technology firm. The partnership aims to revolutionise HR services for Smith+Nephew’s extensive workforce. The collaboration involves the deployment of Applaud’s AI-enabled employee experience platform, which is expected to enhance the HR services for approximately 18,000 employees spanning multiple countries.

The Applaud platform aims to consolidate and personalise HR resources by integrating information from various sources such as Workday and Service Now. This unified knowledge hub seeks to simplify employee access to crucial information, supporting them in their roles and career development. Key benefits anticipated from this initiative include the creation of a seamless, consumer-like experience for employees, streamlined HR processes, and the empowerment of HR teams to focus on strategic activities instead of routine administrative tasks.

Michele Martin-Taylor, Vice President of HR Solutions and Employee Experience at Smith+Nephew, expressed excitement about the partnership. She stated, "We’re excited to partner with Applaud to redefine the employee experience for our people. We want everyone at Smith+Nephew to feel empowered, productive, and supported by technology that caters to their needs. That's the future we're building with Applaud. By simplifying HR processes and freeing up our HR teams, we can truly focus on what matters most: our culture of care, collaboration, and courage.”

Ivan Harding, Co-Founder and CEO of Applaud, echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the importance of the partnership. “We’re honoured to partner with Smith+Nephew, a company that prioritises putting employees first as much as we do. Together, we're pushing the boundaries of the employee experience, not just in medical technology, but across all industries. This partnership is a game-changer, and we can't wait to see the positive impact it has on Smith+Nephew employees.”

The new platform is designed to address some of the common issues associated with traditional HR systems, such as inefficiency and user frustration. By integrating various HR resources into a single, intuitive interface, the platform aims to save employees valuable time and remove the frustrations associated with navigating multiple systems. Additionally, empowering HR teams by reducing their administrative burden allows them to focus on more impactful, strategic initiatives.

Smith+Nephew operates in more than 100 countries and has an annual revenue of USD $5.5 billion as of 2023. The company’s mission, encapsulated in its ‘Life Unlimited’ initiative, focuses on leveraging technology to enhance the quality of life for patients. By collaborating with Applaud, Smith+Nephew aims to bring this mission into its organisational structure, ensuring that its employees also benefit from advanced technological solutions.