Putting the employees first.

Nathalie Towner explains how a successful self-service system operates at Borax Europe

The business

Borax Europe is the European division of Rio Tinto Borax, a supplier of essential borate minerals. The global company supplies nearly half the world's demand for refined borates from its principal mine in California, and is one of the key players in the chemical manufacturing sector.

From offices in Guildford, UK, Borax Europe manages sales and marketing activities throughout Europe, India, Africa and the Middle East. More than 100 of the company's 1,500 worldwide staff are managed from the UK base, and Borax Europe has 214 employees.

The challenge

In 1999, an increasingly difficult market forced Borax to restructure.

The HR department was not spared and Pamela Denny, the European HR …