26.04.2010

Compensation & Benefits

beststart HR has completed a compensation and benefits project for Vets Now, a national out-of-hours veterinary care provider. beststart HR has also since performed a follow up project for Vets Now on location allowances.

"We engaged the services of beststart HR to undertake a full Compensation and Benefits review across our company. From the start, their service was professional, timely and well thought through. We asked beststart HR to complete an internal staff survey alongside a benchmarking activity within the profession. From this, they were able to provide recommendations for our reward packages. Deciding to then launch a flexible benefits programme, beststart navigated us around external suppliers and helped us choose the right provider. This part of our project together was invaluable and really allowed us to focus on the needs of our business while having the expertise of beststart guiding us through what could have been a minefield of suppliers and choice. Constant updates and contact with us filled me with confidence that we had engaged the right consultancy for this job!"
Fiona Dewar, HR Director of Vets Now 

Redundancies

beststart HR advised and facilitated the last restructure of ARC International plc's UK operation and ARC International subsequently requested beststart HR continue to support the remaining UK-based staff on a retained basis.

"Thank you for such a reasonable proposal [for retained HR support]. We have been very pleased with your support through our redundancy process and would very much like to continue with your guidance and support. Your action oriented, professional and collaborative style and can do attitude has been a pleasure for us all to work with, even in these most difficult times. The results will show in the graceful exit of those impacted and the retention of those that remian."
Sandy O'Gorman, Vice President, Human Resources at ARC International plc

beststart HR initially facilitated a retirement for a well-known not-for-profit organisation with 100 employees. After the successful completion of this project, the client later asked beststart HR to oversee a redundancy of a valued employee who's position no longer existed after a modernisation of some of the organisation's facilities.

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your help. I have spoken to the lady concerned and she is very happy and I think this is largely due to how you handled the whole situation.  You have a very good manner with people and are fair in every respect. This comes across strongly and I am so glad we used you (beststart).

I hope that if we need your services again that you will be available and willing to do so."

and from the lady being made redundant, we received a 'thank you' card, which read:

"Thanks for all your help... you're a star! Just want to say thank you so much for your help and support you gave to me".

HR Health Check

beststart HR completed a HR Health Check and its accompanying report for GTS Ltd, a ventillation equipment specilaist firm and subsequently they have become a retained client.

"Thanks so much for the review. I have read it a couple of times now and the recommendations are most interesting and thought provoking.

The thoroughness of the review is such that we could take those recommendations and implement them without no further input from beststart and even your own opening comments state that we are under no obligation. But, what has struck me most is that small companies, employing a few people, can no longer 'wing it' with regard to HR, such is the depth of knowledge, experience and understanding required to have good HR procedures, policy and enforcement.

On that basis I would like to talk further with you about how beststart can assist GTS in getting the best from its staff and offering the best for its staff. Certainly, I am finding HR to be more and more of a headache, as well as more and more time consuming, and I just don't have the time, knowledge or even inclination to really bother with it. So beststart sound like just what I'm looking for!!"
Graham Taylor, Director and Founder of GTS Ltd

beststarter Pack

GTS Ltd followed up their beststart HR Health Check with a bespoke beststarter Pack. Graham Taylor commented:

"We've been in business 22 years and took advantage of the beststarter Pack to update our human resources procedures. We now have documentation that we know is right for our company and the knowledge of how to implement this correctly. It has certainly given us peace of mind."

HR Policies & Procedures

beststart HR created a bespoke employee handbook for Cupaz Ltd, an office interior designer and office furniture supplier, and also updated their employe contract.

"We found beststart to be a very professional and organised HR provider. They have helped us through the HR minefield offering clear advice. They have certainly taken the stress out of updating our company policy and contract."
Vanessa Bryant, Office Manager of Cupaz Ltd

beststart HR offered general HR advice to Blackmores, a firm that implements and develops bespoke management systems to meet International (ISO) and British (BS) Standards.

"I thought your professional response to my enquiry was superb and I shall definitely be recommending your services."
Mel Blackmore, Managing Director of Blackmores

HR Heads Up

HR Heads Up is distributed to a fast growing and wide readership. beststart HR's monthly publication builds into a quick reference library to act as a starting point to direct owners and managers of any small or medium sized business/not-for-profit organisation on where to begin to tackle HR issues in a constructive and correct manner.

"Excellent content and layout... I see quite a few circulars from small management support businesses and yours is up there with the best, if not the best in terms of clarity, content and presentation."
Tony Duke, Regional Director of Sovereign Will & Probate (Home Counties)