SQUAKE

😮‍💨 The challenge

SQUAKE implemented its first HRIS at a very early stage. At the time, the setup was comprehensive, but designed for a very different stage of the company. But as the company grew beyond its founding team, that early configuration began to work against them.

What was once designed to support growth introduced unnecessary complexity into everyday HR tasks. Simple updates required disproportionate effort, and routine processes became harder to manage over time.

We were spending way too much time just executing tasks and not focusing on people.

The impact was felt quickly across the team. Time spent navigating HR systems meant less time supporting employees, managers, and the business itself.
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At the same time, the company was entering a new phase. Reviews were happening informally, driven by individual managers rather than a shared structure. SQUAKE wanted to introduce more consistency without losing autonomy or adding process for process’s sake.

💜 Choosing Leapsome

When SQUAKE started looking for a new HRIS, they were trying to solve a very practical problem. Too much effort was being spent on everyday HR tasks, and the existing setup no longer fit how the company operated.

We wanted something simple, something straightforward — something we could mark a new chapter for the company with.

The team needed a system that didn’t depend on heavy HR administration. It also had to be something managers and employees could use without extensive onboarding or constant support.

From the first interactions with Leapsome, the focus was on supporting the team through the change and making sure they could get started quickly.

We really liked that with Leapsome, you could be flexible. We could start with something very simple — something even the managers enjoyed using.

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Absence management was one of the areas where the difference became visible early on. In the previous setup, managing time off had been a recurring source of friction. With Leapsome, requests, approvals, and visibility were easier to handle, giving the team a clear overview of who was off and when.

Beyond everyday workflows, SQUAKE also valued having a single system that could host both core HR data and payroll preparation. That made it easier to maintain accurate information and support the operational setup they were working toward. Together, these considerations shaped the decision to move to Leapsome.

🎯 The result: less time spent on HR, more ownership across the team

SQUAKE significantly reduced the time spent on everyday HR work. Processes that had previously required ongoing manual effort, including maintaining employee data, managing absences, and preparing payroll, now take far less time.

We cut down the time we spend on HR-related tasks by about 50%.

Running people processes at SQUAKE takes around four to five hours per month, including payroll. This marked a clear improvement for a team that had previously spent disproportionate time handling basic HR tasks.

Leapsome was introduced to the entire company in a single 30-minute session. That was enough for employees to understand how to use the platform and start working with it independently.

Importantly, responsibility for HR processes shifted closer to where decisions are made. Managers now handle routine tasks such as updating employee information, approving absences, and contributing to payroll preparation themselves. This reduced the need for central coordination and made HR processes easier to maintain over time.

🔜 What’s next for SQUAKE and Leapsome

With a solid HRIS foundation in place, SQUAKE is now turning its attention to performance and feedback.

Reviews were one of the original reasons the team began rethinking its HR setup. Until now, managers had been running their own individual processes, which made it difficult to build consistency or capture feedback over time.

We want to move away from managers doing their own individual process and bring more structure to the workflow.

The plan is to start with a first review cycle that works well for both managers and employees, and then adjust it based on how it works in practice. Feedback will live in one shared place, making it easier to refer back to over time.

Leapsome will support this next step by giving SQUAKE a consistent workflow for reviews, while leaving room to adapt it over time.
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🪄 Start transforming your workplace today

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