HR start-ups are currently bringing a lot of fresh wind into the personnel scene. This series of interviews introduces some innovative solutions designed to make human resources work easier, more effective and more efficient in times of digitization. In my interview series “Start-up HR”, I speak today with Reza Madjidi of kiwiHR, a human resources management software developed specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.
What is the idea behind your start-up and what was your personal motivation with which you (co-) founded the company?
The idea of kiwiHR is to offer small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) up to a size of about 100 employees the simplest possible access to digital and efficient personnel management. As part of a small business with more than 10 years of HR experience, I know first-hand the needs and challenges of small and medium-sized businesses. I wanted therefore simplify the time-consuming and daily processes of human resources. The time and importance of this topic are often underestimated. Here, smart HR software can help optimize processes, divide work better and also make it safer. This benefits all HR managers who can profitably bring in their working time in the future.
Personnel managers can contribute their working time profitably elsewhere in the future
In short, with kiwiHR we want to offer a solution from which all companies can benefit, in particular through a higher efficiency in their daily work.
Which concrete “Need” of your customers do you speak to and which strategic and / or operative added value does your customer offer?
Since kiwiHR itself was developed by a team of about ten people, we knew very well what the needs of our software should be in the future. Often smaller companies have a very small HR team, or an employee from another department acts as a human resources manager and practices HR activities “on the side”.
In both of these cases, care should be taken to ensure that the activities involved are carried out efficiently in order to counteract resource shortages. And that’s where kiwiHR comes into play. Our range of functions is designed to save you time-consuming and error-free day-to-day administrative HR tasks. Be it a request for leave at the touch of a button, which a supervisor can approve just as quickly, or is it the finding of specific employee information that is still stored in folders in locked cupboards in many companies. Simple timekeeping with automatic overtime account allows clear time management. At the same time, we are providing important impulses for the digitization of small and medium-sized enterprises.
What exactly sets you apart from other providers in the market?
There are now several HR software on the market that promise to respond well to the needs of small and medium businesses. But few providers fulfill this promise. kiwiHR focuses on the day-to-day processes of SMEs, enabling companies to effortlessly optimize their own human resources – from the first day of an employee’s employment to leaving the company.
HR-Software: Not everywhere, where “easy” is on it, is also “easy” in it.
Not everywhere, where “easy” on it, is also “easy” in it. Unlike some competitors, kiwiHR does not require weeks of preparation for a costly configuration. kiwiHR is available within seconds and simplifies the HR nature of our customers from the first day. At this point, I would like to assure you that data is securely and DSGVO compliant hosted on ISO-certified data centers in Germany (Frankfurt am Main).
What are concrete purposes / use cases for your product in practice? Can you describe a short success story?
The motivation to be supported in the form of HR software has different causes among our customers. Some companies are growing steadily and want to reduce the rapidly increasing administrative burden as easily as possible. Other companies are beginning to question their own processes as digitization becomes more important, and are looking for ways to optimize them. However, most of our needs are shared by our customers: resource-efficient, efficient and transparent work that permeates the entire corporate structure.
One of our customers, who has been using kiwiHR since our private beta phase, approached us as their number of employees more than doubled within one year. Created Excel spreadsheets for vacation planning, as well as the self-created folder structure with employee information were increasingly confusing. Errors piled up, while the workload increased steadily.
Thanks to kiwiHR’s calendar view, holiday planning can be carried out conveniently and clearly. The digital personnel file stores all employee information in a secure system in accordance with DSGVO regulations and thanks to employee self-service employees can ensure that information is always up to date. The workload for HR managers has been drastically reduced, and the employees themselves are also thrilled with the transparency of kiwiHR. Through constant exchange with our customers could incorporate valuable feedback directly into product development and be fully satisfied.
What prerequisites must I create as a company in order to use your product / service in a targeted manner? What pitfalls lurk in your experience in practice and how can these be solved?
Technically, they only need a stable Internet line, as well as a common web browser to meet the requirements for using kiwiHR too guarantee. Otherwise, you do not need any prior knowledge of HR software, because kiwiHR can be used intuitively. Since it makes most sense to make kiwiHR accessible to all employees, a short discussion with the staff should first be held, in which the intention of implementing an HR software is explained. Often the fear of change is a hurdle that needs to be overcome first. However, when employees are aware of the opportunities offered by smart HR software such as kiwiHR, employees will be grateful to effortlessly increase their own efficiency.
About Reza Madjidi
Reza Madjidi, co-founder of kiwiHR, is responsible for business development and is responsible, among other things, for sales and marketing activities. With over 10 years experience in HR software, he wants to build on kiwiHR’s previous track record in this industry and share its expertise with its customers. The goal of kiwiHR is the personnel management of small and medium-sized enterprises.