The best HR helps you to achieve what’s best for your business, by helping you get the best from your people

The way they are managed, and the way that you are supported to manage them, will determine the value they provide to your business – and your bottom line.

And remember, every employee is a potential ambassador for your company – their experience and perceptions are communicated to others, and can impact on your reputation both as a business and as a potential employer

There are six pillars to our approach:

1. Have the right people in your team, and set them up for success, right from the beginning. Give them a positive experience from day one, invest time in ensuring they have the tool, support and knowledge they need. If someone’s performance or cultural fit looks like being a potential problem, act quickly and constructively to address the issue. Strive to understand your people – given that the average workplace will now employ people across a span of five generations – all with different values, approaches and needs – this is more important than ever. All have something to offer – it’s how we recognise that and “extract” it.
2. Get the fundamentals right, from the very beginning, and for two reasons -a) because it is important from a legal and risk management perspective, and, b) even more importantly, because best practice produces best results. This includes: policies, procedures and processes that show people how and why things are done a certain way – and how to address potential challenges, as well as a culture where open and honest communication and feedback is encouraged at all levels. This also includes ensuring that Managers take the lead in being professional role models, both in the way they do their job, but also in the way they work with and encourage others. This includes ensuring that you move with the times and that your internal structures grow and change as your company grows and changes.
3. Reward, Recognise and Respect great performance, and, wherever possible, remove or reduce barriers or obstacles that can get in the way – whether that’s communication, conflict, lack of resources, process issues, or team culture/fit. It’s too easy and too obvious to think that money is the only reward that people value. Both research – and practical experience – tell us that is simply not true. There are many ways to motivate people, and the most effective are the ones that resonate with their values and passions. People are genuinely engaged in their work in a rewarding and stimulating way, will be inspired to give their best. We 100% guarantee it.
4. Create a Performance /Professionalism Driven Culture – where people take pride in what they do and are motivated to go over and above the minimum. Part of this is ensuring that people are invested in the company and its goals and understand the role they play in its success. It’s also about ensuring that people aren’t afraid to ask questions, or ask for help, (or admit to genuine mistakes) and that the focus is on “Catching people doing things right” (as opposed to always looking for mistakes).
   This also means supporting, coaching and training your managers, so that they are not only technical experts, but also expert managers, coaches, problem solvers and motivators.
5. Make work a fun place to be. This isn’t naivete or idealism, it’s pragmatism. Research (and common sense) both tell us that happy, engaged staff who enjoy what they do, do more, and do it better. We’re not suggesting that everyone take up African drumming at lunch time, but we are talking about building a culture where people look forward to coming to work and achieving things.
6. Encourage curiosity and continuous improvement.  Investing in professional development is good for staff retention, skill improvement, and therefore, by definition, your business. The trick is to invest in a strategic way, that is consistent with your business goals and strategy (including the needs of your workforce as well as your commercial goals, and market challenges).
7. Be Brave. If you are worried about something, or see something going on in your workplace that you feel is inappropriate or makes you uncomfortable, don’t ignore it – call it out, ask questions, dig deeper. Call us and we’ll be there – no judgement, just support and strategy to sort it all out. Theft, bullying, misconduct, staff conflict, health and safety issues, potential compliance gaps- there are all sorts of things that we hope will never happen, but we will stand with you and help you sort it out. We have your back.