Challenge: Slow, Manual, and Hard to Scale
Before digitalizing their onboarding, MERKUR’s L&D team faced challenges common in retail:
Manual paperwork and scattered training materials
In-person onboarding sessions required across multiple locations
Delays caused by scheduling, HR workload, and inconsistent delivery
Difficulty tracking who completed which training
Long onboarding cycles—up to six months for a full retail workforce rollout
As Robert Rajterič, Head of Merkurjeva Akademija Znanja, explained during the webinar:
“Onboarding used to take months. We needed a system that would help people start faster, not wait for the next training cycle.”
This was the turning point.
The Transformation: Digital, Automated, and Scalable
MERKUR introduced two connected systems:
1. Gecko HRM — HR & employee data automation: Used to register new employees, trigger tasks, and synchronize employee details.
2. Smart Arena — Learning management & training delivery: Used to assign onboarding paths, digital courses, and track completion at scale. Together, they created an end-to-end onboarding experience that eliminated manual steps.
From Six-Month Cycles to Minutes
Thanks to this integration, MERKUR shifted from slow onboarding cycles to instant, automated workflows.
✔️ Training materials converted into digital formats: Safety instructions, compliance modules, and role-based knowledge were turned into short, accessible e-learning modules.
✔️ Automated learning paths: A new employee is assigned the correct courses automatically based on their position.
✔️ Real-time progress tracking: Managers can see exactly who completed what and where support is needed.
✔️ No more manual reportin: HR receives automated insights without spreadsheets or follow-ups.
Result: New employees can now begin training from day one—no waiting for group sessions or manual onboarding steps.
🤝 Gecko HRM + Smart Arena: A Unified Onboarding System
The power of this approach is in the integration:
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A new employee is created in Gecko HRM
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The system immediately triggers onboarding tasks
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Smart Arena assigns all required courses
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All training data flows back into HR records
This ensures:
✨ Consistent onboarding across all stores
✨ No missed compliance requirements
✨ Smooth collaboration between HR, managers, and store teams
✨ Scalable training even during peak hiring seasons
What used to require weeks of manual coordination now happens in minutes.
