I AM A
BUSINESS OWNER
HR CONSULTANCY FOR SMALL BUSINESS
I specialise in creating HR functionality in small businesses, adapting processes and practices which reflect the needs of your business and team, whatever your industry - without you having to employ a full-time HR professional.
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I'm passionate about proactive, people-centric HR and I help small businesses harness the skills, initiative and enthusiasm of their team so that, together, you can achieve greater business success. Working with the ebbs and flows of your business, mindful that every process needs to work with your business and not make work for your business.
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Every business is different so I offer a range of services that can be tailored to your individual needs.
No doubt, you’ll have important questions buzzing through your already overcrowded mind right now ... skip through to my FAQs.
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PAPERWORK: Contracts, Policies and Procedures
You’ve muddled through but now, you want to create the infrastructure your business needs to make day-to-day people management quick, easy, and efficient. You want clarity for your team and peace of mind, for you!
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Starting with an HR Audit to review your existing paperwork - What records you’re keeping and how. The contracts you use. Where all these documents came from (usually cobbled together from various sources). Are your policies and procedures loosely based on what worked before. Is it time to do HR better?
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TEAMWORK: People, Appraisals and Performance
You know your team could be performing better, but you don’t know how to make that happen.
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When your team was smaller, everyone worked off their own initiative because it was everyone’s job to do everything all the time - which is totally normal in a start-up company.
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But the make-do, improvised people and performance management systems that got your business this far are not sustainable, helpful, or reliable, and it’s time for an upgrade.
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Do annual appraisals feel awkward for your company? Do you want them to reflect the dynamics of your team, and business?
It’s time for professional help, so let's harness the skills, initiative and enthusiasm of your team members so that, together, you can achieve greater business success.
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CONFLICTS, DISPUTES & PROBLEMS
A people management crisis will quickly suck up your time and energy, and eventually your money too. If you’re already embroiled in a sticky situation, then you’re well aware of the cost and impact, so I won’t go on about it.
Here are some examples of situations I can help with:
Employee Grievances & Disciplinary - Your employee must be heard and the situation adequately investigated. More than just a tick box exercise, it's vital that you get this right, as soon as possible. I help build clarity into these difficult situations.
Dismissals – I’ll help you follow the legally required procedures, prep you for meetings (and be present if you wish), make the dismissal, manage the departure and make it as easy for you as possible.
Performance Issues – I’ll help you address an employee's performance or conduct, in a sympathetic way that reflects your business’s values.
Complaints of Discrimination/Harassment - We’ll need to have difficult conversations, in a sensitive manner, in a way that reduces the liabilities you (the employer) are facing.
Redundancies, TUPE, Business Exits – Your business needs an experienced HR Consultant to navigate you through this period of uncertainty, your future depends on it.
Mediation – Helping you reach a resolution all parties are comfortable with, alternative dispute resolution can save you time and money and build trust back into your team.
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All of these situations are difficult to navigate and issues are easily exacerbated. You, and your business will benefit from the support Help with HR can offer.
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BUSINESS OWNER SUPPORT & COACHING
If this is the first time you’ve led a team it can feel like trial and error. As if all you can do is guess the right response in any given moment, and hope it works out for the best.
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But for me, there are no firsts. I’ve provided HR consultancy to so many different businesses, in so many different industries that I can help you make informed choices no matter what situation arises.
Being the boss can be lonely. There’s no need to go it alone, we can have weekly or monthly meetings to help build your strategy, understand your decisions and plan for the next phase of growth. No crazy tie-ins, just help and support as you need it!
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WORKPLACE MEDIATION
Settle your issue before it takes any more of your precious time and energy.
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As a trained Workplace Mediator, my role is to ask questions that encourage both sides to express themselves clearly (and calmly); then bring the parties together to facilitate a resolution that works for everyone.
​Mediation can be used at any stage of a dispute, even in the middle of formal procedures (they are set-aside in order to reflect the facilitative nature of mediation).
Mediation is focused on finding an acceptable way forward for both parties while maintaining a productive working relationship.
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If you would like know more, click here.
GET HELP WITH HR IN YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
STEP TWO
The Way-Forward Meeting (IRL or Zoom) so I can gain a complete understanding of the situation. Allowing me to provide you with suggestions for the best way forward
STEP THREE
I’ll send you a proposal based on your preferred way forward, outlining the support I can provide, and the fee for that. You are under no obligation to continue working with me at this point.
You may not know exactly what you need or you're unsure of what will actually work.
Get in touch and together, we can make a plan.
CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDY - SAVVY NAVVY
Savvy Navvy app is Google Maps for boats. Charts, tides, weather, and everything you need for sailing and motorboat navigation in one place! The boating app that brings all essential marine information together in one place.
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The Problem
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We needed help with recruiting in a way that reflected our culture, supported our growth and complimented the existing energy in our team.
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The Approach
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Lorna helped me untangle my thoughts on the function and responsibilities of the new role, so that we could go to the market with a clear brief.
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She brought clarity to the process, aligning our recruitment with our strategic growth plans.
This allowed us to move fast, quickly securing the right candidate for our team.
The Outcome
Working with Lorna on this helped me claw back time from my busy days.
For anyone thinking about hiring Lorna to help with recruiting, and especially to those (like me) who hate the concept of recruiters, I can not recommend Lorna highly enough. Predominantly because what she does isn't so much recruitment. Instead, she asked all the right questions and helped me clarify what we actually *needed*. And that was priceless!
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CASE STUDY - RAW LONDON
The Social Impact Creative Agency: Governed by B-Corp principles, we are famous for advertising campaigns that matter.
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The Problem
We understood how important it was to formally recognise the contribution of our team, especially after the pandemic. We knew we'd benefit from a formal approach to performance management and we wanted our appraisals to be more than an annual admin task to be endured.
The Approach
Stepping back from the formality of traditional appraisals, Lorna helped me understand the power of communicating my objectives for the company. This allowed our values to lead us and our strengths to guide us. Lorna directly supported each team member, helping them understand how their role, and their skills, connect us as a team, and as a business.
The Outcome
Working with Lorna on this, helped to empower my team to manage their own performance, and to value their contribution.
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She empowered our management team to take control of appraisals and identify areas of their roles that they could delegate. This has helped free up time across the senior team enabling us to get on with leading the business.
The following year, Lorna came back to refresh, and train our new team members. I regularly reach out to Lorna for any people management or HR requirements.
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FAQs
HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST?
It depends on a few things. It depends on the size of your company, the paperwork, and the processes you already have in place, and whether you have any existing conflicts you need me to iron out first. After our initial Get-To-Know-You call, I will pull together a proposal, which includes a price. You’re not obliged to accept it, so having that initial meeting with me is totally risk-free. Help with HR Ltd charges a flat rate of £125 an hour, rising to £175 an hour based on more complex employee issues.
ANY BUSINESS? ANY INDUSTRY? REALLY?
Yes. As long as it’s legal. As an HR manager for an investment firm, it was my job to parachute into the HR department of the acquired companies so I have a wealth of experience across dozens of industries. The principles of people performance management are the same whether you’re selling ice-cream cones or software solutions. Regardless of the industry, people are people, and we all need to feel valued, respected and successful in whatever we do.
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CAN WE WORK WITH YOU LONG-TERM?
Of course! We can take a look at your next 90-days, anticipate where I can be helpful to you, and agree on a plan.
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CAN'T WE JUST MUDDLE THROUGH AS WE ARE NOW?
Sure you can. I won’t stop you. I will, however, ask you a few questions to help you make your decision:
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1 - How do you feel about managing your team right now? Are you enjoying it? Is it satisfying? Do you feel like you’re maxing out the potential available to you?
2 - How does your team feel about the current system?
3 - If you have slick, effective, efficient people management systems and processes that enabled your team to perform well, what would that free you up to do? What could you, and your business achieve?
