As a family-owned company experiencing strong growth and a complex organizational structure, Aertssen Group needed an efficient, scalable way to grant salary increases and bonuses. For its 450 employees, the company deliberately chose Youbo: a specialized tool that supports the entire compensation process.
The existing compensation process at Aertssen Group was until recently managed through Excel files. Marlies Bots, compensation and benefits manager, stated: “For each new cycle, HR prepared separate documents for each department, which then had to be merged again. This was time-consuming and error-prone.”
HR was looking for an intuitive, standalone tool that could grow with the company structure and salary rules. The preference was for a user-friendly, stand-alone solution. Colleague Maxime Van Gestel said: “There are plenty of tools on the market, but they are usually part of an HR software package. We were specifically looking for a tool purely for the compensation process.”
For each new cycle, HR prepared separate documents for each department, which then had to be merged again. This was time-consuming and error-prone.
With these requirements, Aertssen Group chose Youbo. After a demo, the HR team was convinced. During workshops, the Youbo team and the HR team of Aertssen Group translated the existing compensation policy into clear rules within the tool. Aertssen Group had the advantage of having a well-defined compensation policy, which made the transition smooth.
Marlies Bots: “The process was intense: from formalizing compensation rules, structuring data in the correct format, to making decisions about concrete applications. You have to thoroughly review your compensation policy from A to Z to translate it into the tool. This exercise helps to critically reassess it. A compensation policy evolves over time.”
Within three months of starting, the tool was live. The department heads quickly got to work after a short training. Next year, the managers of each department will also have access to manage their budget for salary increases and bonuses themselves.
HR sees five concrete benefits of working with Youbo.
Clear tracking and increased transparency Youbo automatically tracks who makes which decision. Marlies: “You always have visibility on who has granted which salary increases and bonuses. Adjustments are recorded with date and responsible person, down to the detail level. This avoids discussions afterwards.”
Time savings Previously, split Excel files had to be merged by HR. Maxime: “That was a time-consuming, error-prone task because we have many business units and numerous departments. That task is now completely eliminated.”
Suggestions ensure more objectivity The tool provides recommendations based on the salary policy, salary bands, and performance. Marlies: “It makes decisions about salary, raises, and bonuses more consistent. It makes compensation more objective.”
Visual insight into budgets
Maxime: “If a manager exceeds their budget, they see it immediately. The figure turns red. It's a small feature, but very handy.”Intuitive to use
The user training sessions went remarkably smoothly. Marlies: “If you can work with a computer, you can handle Youbo. You don't have to wade through a thick manual. There were also hardly any questions.”The implementation followed a strict schedule: from the decision in September to going live at the beginning of December. Marlies: “The pace was high, but everything went according to plan. The Teal Partners team was always accessible and very responsive. Adjustments in the tool were made immediately.”
The collaboration consisted of workshops, weekly check-ins, and quick follow-up on questions. Maxime: “Our needs were perfectly translated into the system. Teal Partners actively thought along, for example, about deviation notifications and visual budget control. Those insights made the difference.”
Aertssen Group is a Belgian family business with more than 60 years of experience in construction and infrastructure projects, complex lifting operations, exceptional transport, trading of machinery, and logistical solutions for (agricultural) machinery.
The group is active worldwide in more than 30 countries, with branches in the Middle East and the United States, among others. With nearly 2,500 employees and an annual turnover of almost 500 million euros, Aertssen Group is a reference in its sector.
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