Member Article

Birmingham Royal Ballet refines HR process with cutting-edge technology from Cascade

Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) – one of the world’s most prestigious classical ballet companies – has invested in new HR software from Leeds-based Cascade.

Located in the heart of Birmingham – with Her Majesty the Queen as their royal patron – it is one of the UK’s largest centres for dance development and performance, alongside The Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet.

Spearheading the company’s excellence in artistic innovation is a 185-strong team, including dancers, musicians, technical crew and corporate departments. However, prior to investing in Cascade’s technology, BRB did not have a designated HR platform in place, which proved to be a major drain on the firm’s resources.

HR manager Claire Owen explained the driving force behind the investment: “To obtain the information needed for our reports, we had to pull data together from numerous sources, which was an admin-heavy – and sometimes unreliable – approach for our employees.

“We wanted a solution which showed us a single version of the truth, to improve the efficiency of our HR system, but – in light of the recent legislative changes – one that also ensured complete compliance with the GDPR.”

Opting for the Core HR, Workflow and Self-Service modules will help mitigate time lost on redundant administration tasks, as well as give HR staff a platform where they can easily manage KPIs and produce strategically-driven reports.

Shedding further light on why the arts centre chose Cascade, Claire said: “We opted for this system because its flexibility and easy-to-understand interface will allow us to support our – often mobile – workforce more effectively.”

HR staff at BRB have been trained in using the new software, and there’s a planned roll-out to wider office personnel for the new holiday year commencing in September.

With regular productions at London’s Royal Albert Hall and Hyogo Performing Arts Centre in Tokyo, the dance establishment’s esteemed reputation within the theatre world spans both nationwide and internationally.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Mallinson .