Strengthening HR processes in a growing business
Background
The client’s business provides locally made home furnishings. It’s a family business with a small team, based in the West Country.
The MD received funding from a local college to cover the cost of working with an HR expert to set up the processes she needed.
Challenges
The MD had started her business because of her passion for local crafts. However, she knew that she needed clear forward planning and HR processes if her business were to grow successfully.
She was aware she needed to write a strategy and a business plan for growth. And working with the HR expert, the MD also identified that she needed support with HR contracts, job descriptions and performance reviews, all aligned with the business plan.
Unfortunately, she was also facing the pressures of running her own business, getting bogged down in day-to-day tasks. This meant she struggled to prioritise the steps she needed to take to help the business grow.
Solutions
We immediately saw the managing director’s vision for her business and felt that a more structured approach to both HR and the wider business would be beneficial.
We helped the MD to prioritise recruiting a general manager who would cover the admin and regular demands of the business. This freed the MD up to concentrate on business growth and make the HR improvements she needed to achieve it.
With the new manager appointed, the HR expert supported the MD to put a number of processes in place that would empower the staff and deliver the high standards the business deserves.
The HR expert supported the MD to map staff strengths and weaknesses. This demonstrated the MD’s faith in her team and encouraged them to take ownership of their work.
With the HR expert’s advice and support, the MD also booked one-to-one meetings with each staff member. She used these meetings to issue formal job descriptions and contracts and also carry out a performance review. The reviews covered not only capability but also general wellbeing, helping her to get more from her staff while understanding any outside pressures they were facing too.
To improve the organisation of everyday tasks, the HR expert suggested adopting a project management tool like Trello. This enabled the team to easily keep track of projects and orders, taking pressure off the MD.
Outcomes
Setting up clear HR processes had great outcomes – both productivity and morale improved! The job descriptions and performance reviews meant that each team member knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing, as well as how and why. This benefited the whole business: the staff could work more independently and not have to take every question to the MD; this meant the MD had more time to concentrate on business growth too.
Support with HR processes and business planning helped the MD to take her business to the next level and realise her vision.
