Gravity Media

Established in 2000, Gravity Media is a new company with a 30-year pedigree, formed by the coming together of four established broadcast and production houses: Gearhouse Broadcast, HyperActive Broadcast, Input Media and Chief Entertainment.

Offering broadcast packages which are both modular and integrated, the company can flex its offering to meet diverse requirements – ranging from providing a single service, to a complete end-to-end solution.

Having grown in expertise throughout its tenure, the business has fine-tuned its offering to focus on a range of key markets and disciplines. Today, this sees the team work with clients in sectors such as sport, film and TV, corporate and commercial, and live event production.

Upon creating a single centralised UK HR function which had responsibility for HR across our different acquired businesses, the next step was to align HR business processes.  With a series of disjointed HR processes in place — including the use of spreadsheets and different HR systems across these businesses — Gravity Media was met with an unnecessarily complicated, time consuming, and inaccurate HR and payroll procedure. The resulting administrative burden was preventing the team’s skills from being utilised effectively, and in the areas that truly complemented their people management expertise.

Faced with a high volume of employees deployed on project-based work, keeping track of fluctuating holiday allowances due to time off in lieu was proving problematic, as was maintaining oversight of staffing levels throughout the multi-sited business.

The fragmented approach to HR and payroll, and the resulting difficulties in relation to accuracy and the time-consuming nature of related processes, created an unfavourable impact for existing employees and those being onboarded by the business.

Seeking an HR system that would streamline processes, improve payroll accuracy, and help with the management of time in lieu accruals and annual leave oversight, Gravity Media explored the HR software marketplace – selecting Natural HR due to its cost-effective, agile, and scalable credentials.

Complementing the features which were deemed essential, the team has access to a whole host of additional functionality which has not only reduced the administrative burden felt by the HR team, but also created a more seamless approach to HR across the entire business.

Since implementing the system in 2018, Gravity Media has come full circle — now boasting an HR system that not only serves the company’s needs, but significantly exceeds them.

Alongside the features deemed essential — including payroll integration and visibility of staffing levels and leave entitlements across the business — Gravity Media now has access to an array of functionality which has helped standardise and streamline practices across its 5 UK sites.

The applicant tracking system, which is linked into the recruitment module of the software, has helped created a seamless hiring process — with features such as CV processing and an option to notify unsuccessful candidates. The team can also give new hire visibility to the IT department, who can then manage any equipment requirements to ensure that new starters are fully equipped from the day they join the business.

Natural HR’s feature suggestion function has enabled Gravity Media to influence the evolution of the platform so that it continues to meet with its changing needs. As a result of this capability, the teams have collaborated closely to formulate a solution to tracking time accrued in lieu – something that, due to the company’s make-up, was significant for the Gravity Media HR team.

Additional benefits include the automation of workflows, enhanced security for employees’ personal details, and an improved pay review process.

Having factored scalability into their software selection process, Gravity Media can continue to utilise Natural HR for many years to come — adapting and customising its many features to fit with the business’s unique growth journey.