How BetterUp rapidly transformed headcount operations via headcount365 + Greenhouse.

BetterUp is a multinational B2C organization with a mission to help people live with greater clarity, purpose, and passion. As the business scaled, its Talent and Finance teams faced significant challenges in managing financial tracking for individual roles, maintaining a consistent and accurate headcount plan, and forecasting recruitment capacity and demand reliably.

The rapid implementation of headcount365, completed in just one week thanks to its seamless integration with BetterUp’s Greenhouse applicant tracking system (ATS), played a pivotal role in transforming their HR operations.

“From the moment I joined Betterup, it became immediately obvious that we were struggling with position management. At one point we we’re transacting on 20-30 positions in Greenhouse that weren't real, and Finance didn’t know they existed. headcount365 created a single source of truth that created hundreds of hours of efficiency by automating the flow of all headcount data between hiring teams, executives, finance & recruiting.”

WILLIAM ROONEY
TALENT OPERATIONS, BETTER UP

Challenges

BetterUp struggled with fragmented financial tracking, inconsistent headcount planning, and unreliable recruiting forecasts, leading to inefficiencies in staffing and budget management.

Solution

headcount365’s robust integration with Greenhouse allowed for the rapid deployment of the platform, providing BetterUp with a unified system for financial tracking, headcount planning, and recruiting capacity forecasting within one week.

Impact & Results

BetterUp significantly improved resource allocation, achieved 98% plan attainment, and saved hundreds of hours by eliminating manual processes—all made possible by headcount365's fast implementation.

Table of Contents

    Challenges

    Before partnering with headcount365, BetterUp’s HR operations faced a series of critical challenges:

    • Financial Tracking for Individual Roles: The company struggled to accurately allocate costs associated with different roles, leading to budget discrepancies. Manual methods made it difficult to assess the true financial impact of roles, complicating resource allocation decisions.

    • Unified Headcount Plan: Without a centralized system, BetterUp’s headcount planning was fragmented and inconsistent across departments. The absence of a single source of truth created challenges in coordinating hiring needs, leading to over- or under-staffing in various areas.

    • Recruiting Capacity and Demand Forecasting: Relying solely on historical data, BetterUp found it difficult to accurately forecast recruitment needs, resulting in missed opportunities and longer time-to-fill vacancies.

    The Solution

    A key element in BetterUp’s success was the rapid implementation of headcount365, enabled by its seamless integration with Greenhouse, BetterUp’s applicant tracking system. The entire implementation process was completed in just one week, allowing BetterUp to quickly start leveraging the platform’s capabilities.

    Key aspects of the solution included:

    • Financial Tracking to Unique Requisition IDs: headcount365 introduced a cost allocation module that attributed financial data to individual roles for both in-year and annualized spend. This allowed BetterUp to assess the financial impact of each role and make data-driven decisions about hiring and budget allocation.

    • Single Source of Truth with Unified Cloud-Based Headcount Plan: headcount365 centralized BetterUp’s headcount data into a unified cloud platform, enabling departments to collaborate on a single, consistent headcount plan. This system eliminated silos and improved financial decision-making while enhancing the overall hiring experience.

    • Reliable Recruiting Capacity and Demand Forecasting: headcount365’s predictive intelligence tools allowed BetterUp to forecast recruiting start dates accurately. The platform considered factors beyond historical data, such as industry trends and project pipelines, giving the company more reliable hiring projections.

    Impact

    Since adopting headcount365, BetterUp has experienced substantial improvements in HR operations:

    • Rapid Implementation: headcount365’s robust integration with Greenhouse allowed BetterUp to implement the platform in just one week, accelerating the time to value and ensuring the business could quickly benefit from the new system.

    • Enhanced Financial Insights: With accurate financial tracking tied to unique requisition IDs, BetterUp can make informed decisions about resource allocation, optimizing its budget management processes.

    • Efficient Headcount Planning: The unified platform eliminated discrepancies in headcount planning, allowing BetterUp to scale staffing in line with business demands. This agility saved the company hundreds of hours previously spent on meetings, reconciliations, and financial audits.

    • Strategic Recruitment: headcount365’s predictive intelligence capabilities allowed BetterUp to accurately forecast recruitment capacity and demand, reducing time-to-fill positions and costs associated with prolonged vacancies.

    • Hiring Manager Experience: The hiring manager portal provided transparency and ease of use, allowing hiring managers to view, request, or modify requisitions with real-time updates, reducing ad-hoc communication and confusion.

    Results

    By implementing headcount365, BetterUp saw a remarkable transformation in its HR operations:

    • Cost Savings: The system-enabled tracking of start dates and salaries allowed BetterUp to manage OPEX more effectively, particularly during a macroeconomic downturn.

    • Improved Resource Allocation: The unified headcount plan led to a significant reduction in staffing inefficiencies, allowing BetterUp to reallocate resources to more strategic business areas.

    • Plan Attainment & Hiring on Time: BetterUp achieved 98% plan attainment by leveraging headcount365’s recruiting forecasts and capacity planning tools, enabling effective workload distribution and timely hiring. In cases of missed goals, the company used the platform’s data to diagnose problems and drive accountability.

    Customer Experience

    BetterUp's rapid implementation of headcount365, made possible by its strong integration with Greenhouse, was a game-changer for their Talent and Finance teams. The platform’s speed, combined with its comprehensive features, allowed BetterUp to quickly transform fragmented processes and gain clarity and control over headcount management.

    Conclusion

    The success of BetterUp’s partnership with headcount365 highlights not only the power of the platform’s capabilities but also the speed with which it can be implemented. By addressing financial tracking, headcount planning, and recruitment forecasting challenges in record time, headcount365 empowered BetterUp to make strategic, data-driven decisions, contributing to sustained business growth.