Case Study HRIS Implementation

Young London Today: Centralised HRIS for a Fast-Growing Non-Profit

Young London Today (YLT) partnered with SkyliftAI to implement a centralised Human Resource Information System designed specifically for fast-growing, multi-location non-profit organisations — replacing fragmented manual processes with automated, role-based workflows across all care homes.

HRIS Implementation 40% Faster Hiring MigDB Migration 600GB in 2 Hours Zero Downtime

SkyliftAI · Pioneer in DB Migration

Young London Today
HRIS & Database Migration

Legacy On-Premise → AWS RDS London

40%

Faster Hiring Cycles

600GB

Data Migrated

2 hrs

Database Migration Time

30%

Operational Cost Reduction

Summary

One Platform. Every HR Process. All Care Homes.

The solution unified recruitment, workforce management, shift and leave management, and several other features into a single platform — replacing fragmented manual processes with automated, role-based workflows that scale with the organisation.

👥

Centralised HR Platform

A single, role-based HRIS replacing paper records, email chains, and isolated Excel spreadsheets across all YLT care homes — giving every team member a unified source of truth.

⚡

~40% Faster Hiring Cycles

Automated recruitment and onboarding workflows replaced manual resume screening, interview coordination, and induction processes — enabling quicker placement of staff across care homes.

📊

Real-Time Workforce Visibility

Live dashboards replaced manually compiled spreadsheets, giving management real-time visibility into attendance trends, staffing gaps, shift coverage, and performance indicators.

🔒

Zero Missed Compliance Expiries

Automated tracking and alerts for contracts, visas, and employment documents eliminated the risk of missed expiries that previously exposed YLT to legal and operational risks.

💰

40% Operational Cost Reduction

Improved payroll accuracy reduced overpayments, corrections, and reconciliation effort. Eliminating reliance on paid external shift and workforce management tools delivered additional direct savings.

🚀

Scalable Without Headcount Growth

Time savings for HR and managers allowed teams to manage a growing workforce without increasing administrative headcount — reducing overall operational cost by 30%.

40%

Reduction in hiring time through automated recruitment workflows

600GB

Legacy employee data migrated to AWS RDS London with no latency

2 hrs

Complete database migration — full end-to-end in just half a day

Downtime during application and database migration to AWS

Problem Statement

Manual Processes Holding Back the Mission

YLT operates multiple care homes across London, supporting young people transitioning from local authority care into independent living, education, and employment. As the organisation scaled rapidly, its internal HR and workforce processes struggled to keep pace — relying on paper records, email communication, and Excel spreadsheets, all operating in isolation.

Manual & Time-Consuming Processes

Attendance, shift allocation, and leave management were handled manually through spreadsheets and paper records, leading to frequent timesheet errors, inconsistent clock-in/out tracking, and delays in payroll reconciliation.

Inefficient Hiring & Onboarding

Recruitment was manual, with time-intensive resume screening, repeated interview coordination, and no structured induction process — slowing hiring and onboarding in a fast-growing organisation where care home staffing cannot wait.

Data Duplication & Errors

Employee data was entered across multiple systems, leading to duplicate records, outdated details, and a higher risk of salary errors and overpayments — creating payroll reconciliation challenges and unnecessary costs.

Poor Visibility & Reporting

Management lacked real-time workforce visibility, relying on manually compiled spreadsheets that made tracking attendance trends, staffing gaps, and performance difficult — delaying critical operational decisions.

Compliance & Contract Risks

Manual tracking of contracts, visas, and employment documents increased the risk of missed expiries. Without automated alerts and compliance follow-ups, YLT faced significant legal and operational exposure.

End-of-Life Legacy Platform

YLT's application and database on a legacy hosting platform was reaching end of life, requiring a secure and efficient migration to AWS with zero downtime to protect ongoing care home operations.

HRIS Features & Business Impact

A Centralised, Role-Based Platform for Every HR Function

The implemented HRIS provided YLT with a unified platform that streamlined HR operations across all care homes — with each module delivering measurable business impact and quantifiable ROI contribution.

SkyliftAI Target-Side Relay Architecture Diagram

HRIS Feature	Business Impact	ROI Contribution
👤 Recruitment & Onboarding	Faster hiring, reduced admin effort with automated workflows	~40% reduced hiring time
📅 Shift Management	Accurate scheduling with real-time shift planning and attendance tracking	Eliminated paid external tools
🗓️ Leave Management	Centralised leave tracking with policy-based approvals and balance visibility	Reduced errors and admin time
📁 Document Manager	Secure centralised storage for contracts, visas, and employment documents	Avoided compliance risks
🔔 Notifications & Alerts	Automated reminders for expiring documents, pending approvals, and tasks	Zero missed expiries
📊 Dashboards & Reports	Real-time visibility into workforce, attendance, and staffing levels	Better, faster decisions
✅ Task Manager & Tickets	Structured workflows for HR tasks and employee support queries	Reduced follow-ups by team
⭐ Appraisal & Supervision	Performance visibility through structured reviews and development tracking	Improved staff engagement
🔑 Role-Based Access	Data security and accountability with granular permission controls	Reduced data errors

Data Migration from Legacy Systems

600GB Migrated in 2 Hours — Zero Downtime

A critical part of the HRIS implementation was the migration of historical and active employee data from multiple legacy sources into a single, reliable AWS-hosted system using SkyliftAI MigDB's unidirectional architecture.

Legacy Data Sources

Excel spreadsheets maintained independently by different teams across care homes, with no central consolidation or version control.

Paper-based employee records including original contracts, ID documents, and manually signed forms held at individual locations.

Email attachments and shared folders used informally to distribute HR documents, creating inconsistent version histories.

Basic Leave System exports providing limited data in non-standardised formats requiring significant clean-up before import.

Scope of Migration

Employee master data — all active and historical employee profiles, personal details, and employment history.

Employment contracts and supporting documents including visas, certifications, and compliance records.

Leave balances and historical data across all leave types to ensure accurate entitlement tracking from day one.

Shift allocations and attendance information providing historical workforce planning data for reporting continuity.

Migration Architecture & Outcome

The SkyliftAI MigDB unidirectional architecture migrates data securely and one-way between a legacy hosting centre to AWS RDS. An initial data load provides a baseline and ongoing change data capture maintains target synchronisation — all operations carried out via MigDB components. MigDB's user-friendly UI/UX and cost efficiency compared to industry alternatives made it the ideal choice for YLT's migration.

Migration Challenges

Due to years of manual record-keeping, data quality varied significantly — duplicate employee records, inconsistent formats, missing documentation, and outdated information required significant validation and clean-up.

ROI & Business Outcomes

Measurable Impact Across Every Dimension

The HRIS delivered quantifiable returns across cost reduction, operational efficiency, compliance risk reduction, and workforce management — directly enabling YLT to scale its mission without scaling its admin overhead.

✅

Reduced administrative costs by automating recruitment, onboarding, leave, attendance, and HR workflows — eliminating manual paperwork across all care home locations.

⚡

~40% faster hiring cycles enabled quicker placement of staff across care homes, directly supporting YLT's mission of continuous care for young people transitioning to independent living.

💳

Improved payroll accuracy reduced overpayments, corrections, and reconciliation effort — bringing 40% operational cost reduction and eliminating the risk of salary discrepancies.

🚫

Eliminated reliance on external shift and workforce management tools, delivering direct cost savings by consolidating all functions into a single integrated HRIS platform.

⚖️

Lower compliance risk through automated tracking of contracts, visas, and employment documents — with zero missed expiries replacing a previously manual and error-prone process.

📈

Time savings for HR and managers allowing teams to manage a growing workforce without increasing headcount — reducing overall operational cost to 30% below pre-HRIS baseline.

📊

Improved operational visibility through real-time dashboards, reducing time spent on manual reporting and enabling leadership to make faster, better-informed workforce decisions.

🌱

Better workforce planning and decision-making supporting sustainable organisational growth — with structured data enabling YLT to forecast staffing needs across its expanding network of care homes.

Conclusion

Technology Enabling the Mission

Beyond measurable cost savings, the HRIS delivered significant strategic value that directly benefits the young people YLT exists to support.

Beyond measurable cost savings, the HRIS delivered significant strategic value to YLT. By automating core HR and workforce processes, the organisation was able to scale its operations without increasing administrative headcount, allowing existing teams to manage a growing workforce more effectively.

The system also improved the overall staff experience and accountability by introducing structured workflows, transparent approvals, and clear ownership of tasks — replacing the ambiguity of email chains and shared spreadsheets with defined, role-based processes.

For leadership, real-time dashboards and reports provided better visibility into workforce performance and staffing needs, enabling faster and more informed decision-making across all care homes.

Most importantly, by reducing time spent on manual paperwork and follow-ups, YLT's teams were able to refocus their efforts on their core mission — supporting young people transitioning to independent living, education, and employment. Technology, deployed thoughtfully, amplified the human impact of every team member at every care home.

Scalable

Workforce growth without headcount growth

Compliant

Zero missed expiries, full audit trail

Impactful

Teams refocused on the mission that matters