Personnel Today Awards: HR Consultancy Of The Year 2024

In the second part of our profile of employers that have been shortlisted for the Personnel Today Awards 2020, we feature the HR Consultancy category.

Eleve HR

Eleve HR was hired in 2022 by Peterborough City Council to develop a strategy for people that would support the new corporate direction of the council, which aimed at transforming the organisation following its special measures. Eleve HR conducted diagnostic exercises with the council’s HR team to develop a two-year comprehensive change programme. This programme was created to align the workforce and the council’s mission, while ensuring all aspects of people management were addressed.

The key to the success of the programme was engaging the staff in defining their shared values and connecting their roles with the council’s larger mission. Eleve HR developed a new employer proposition, a pay and benefits system and career paths as part of its approach. The programme was confirmed by a survey of the workforce conducted at the end of 2023, which showed high levels pride and alignment to the council’s core values.

The program significantly improved employee engagement. It reached the 82nd per centile, making it one of the best programs in local government. The Independent Improvement and Advisory Panel hailed the program as the best in its class, recognising that it played a key role in enhancing council effectiveness. Eleve HR’s collaborative, integrated approach to transformation has enabled the council to deliver better services to its public.

Ena HR & Training

Kate Coulson, who has spent over 20 years working in HR and management in corporations, founded Ena HR and Training in 2022. The company provides leadership and management development, HR audits and policy creation for various industries. Ena HR, which was founded in 2010, has steadily grown, gaining clients and increasing its turnover. It also won awards, such as the Best New Business Award at the Northamptonshire Business Awards 2023. Kate hired Caroline McDonald, a highly experienced HR professional who has been a significant influence on the company, especially in terms of recruitment and employee engagement.

Ena HR assisted Thrive Occupational Therapy in converting 10 associates into employees, and implemented policies like Enhanced Maternity Payment. The result was improved teamwork and employee relations. A high percentage of employees reported job satisfaction and mental support. Thrive OT won awards for its positive impact and enterprise thanks to the company’s efforts. Ena HR implemented an effective time-tracking solution for Silverstone Composites. This improved the accuracy of payroll and allowed staff absences to be managed effectively. Leadership training resulted in improved performance management and employee growth.

Ena HR implemented a Human Resources Information System for Telent. This system streamlined HR processes, and the number of queries was reduced by 50%. Kate’s experience ensured a successful project and strong collaboration between senior stakeholders at Telent.

Innecto Reward Consulting

AQA’s roots are in the university sector. This meant that it faced difficulties in retaining and attracting talent because of outdated reward and recognition systems. The system was rigid, limited in progression and inconsistent in terms of pay. In 2015, AQA asked Innecto Reward Consulting to help it revamp its rewards program.

Innecto performed a thorough review of AQA’s current practices. Staff were engaged through workshops and interviews to ensure widespread buy-in. Together they developed a three-year roadmap for reward and recognition that aligned AQA’s business strategy and vision. Innecto’s Evaluate job levelling framework was implemented as a key part of the project. It provided clear distinctions in roles and aligned to market benchmarking.

Staff focus groups were involved in the development of the new pay policy. The pay policy was then rigorously tested to ensure fairness and equal pay. The new structure was implemented successfully in April 2023, despite delays caused by changes in leadership, negotiations with unions, Covid-19 and other organisational changes. Innecto supported AQA throughout the project by providing coaching and tools for pay insights.

AQA was able to compete better in the market for talent with a transparent, fair and competitive reward system. This improved employee satisfaction, and helped them understand how their pay progressed.

Let’s Talk Talent

Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, an independent innovation organization dedicated to the advancement of cell and gene therapy. It collaborates with over 400 experts from academia, industry and healthcare in order to develop new technologies and innovations. The organisation realised in 2021 that it needed a structured talent-development programme to stay relevant and support stakeholders.

Let’s Talk Talent and the organisation created a project to build skills and competency. The project was focused on creating a competency model and career maps in order to facilitate internal talent development. The project was challenged by the diverse roles in the organization and the need to keep momentum for several years.

A pilot program was implemented covering 20% of an organisation’s staff. The Playbook was successfully launched with a framework of competencies and a career map that linked directly to talent management. The initiative resulted in a significant decrease in attrition, better career advancement opportunities, and increased employee satisfaction.

After the pilot was successful, the method was implemented across all business divisions. This initiative has now become part of the company’s DNA. It promotes diversity and inclusion and ensures a positive experience for employees. Let’s Talk Talent collaborated closely with the team in order to develop a programme which drives employee retention, growth and transformational changes.

The Affable Partnership

A UK company was in a difficult situation due to a dispute over pay increases. The future of the company was at stake, and it could have been a national issue. Affable Partnership helped resolve the problem. The issue was resolved by collaborating with the management, meeting the employee and union, and effectively negotiating. This prevented redundancies and the closure of the company. The company was able to continue operations and position itself for a possible sale.

In another instance, the client was faced with a severe conflict between senior managers that caused division and demotivation amongst staff. The conflict was not resolved despite the involvement of ACAS and board level interventions. The root cause of conflict was addressed through neutral meetings, creating a safe working environment and addressing the issue. This led to a resolution which prevented dismissals and restored harmony in the workplace.

In a third case, a large corporation was struggling with a toxic workplace and segregation of teams. The situation was worsened by the new senior management, which prompted the chair of the company to seek outside help. After a thorough evaluation, mediation sessions and strategic discussions, a toxic workplace was transformed into one with a better morale. The intervention reduced the risk for employment tribunal claims, strengthened the HR function and ensured long-term success and stability for the company.

The TCM Group

Since more than two decades, the TCM Group is a leader in conflict resolution and culture change. The TCM Group works with clients to develop person-centred workplace cultures and transformative management practices. TCM has worked with FTSE100, Fortune 500, and public organisations and government departments. TCM, led by CEO and Chief Consultant David Liddle addresses the changing world of work where traditional HR processes contribute to toxic cultures. Acas and CIPD have released reports that highlight bullying, harassment and low job satisfaction.

TCM developed the Resolution Framework to help resolve workplace conflict. This tool combines procedural justice and restorative practices. The open-source framework has been adopted by a number of organisations including Bath University and Next. These organisations have experienced significant improvements in workplace culture and conflict resolution.

TCM also launched an International People and Culture Week that attracted more than 3,000 attendees, and a Culture Catalysts program, which promotes cultural transformation in the workplace. The UK Resolution brand is a great initiative for SMEs, charities and leaders. TCM is committed to improving its own practices. It has achieved IIP Silver, and enhanced employee wellbeing by implementing training and wellness days.

Vero HR

Vero HR, founded in 2005 by Mike Kealey and Shirley Kealey was designed to provide a personalized alternative to the existing HR outsourcing and consultancy services. Vero HR offers a wide range of HR services including payroll, technology and health and safety.

A UK manufacturer with over 100 employees was faced with a challenging period in November 2023 after the unexpected departure of its HR director. Vero HR provided two HR professionals to help with the day-today operations and more complex employee relationship issues. The client was able to maintain operations and re-evaluate their HR needs. Vero HR provided them with extensive resources to help them hire a part-time HR advisor instead of another senior HR professional. The HR costs were halved, and they saved over PS30,000 per year.

Vero HR also assisted another large UK manufacturer in relocating their operations overseas. This required 270 redundancies. Vero HR set up a team of experts to oversee the redundancies. They ensured compliance and offered emotional support to employees affected. The project was a success, resulting in minimal disruption and a reduced risk to reputation. Vero HR was later hired by the client to provide additional services including payroll processing. Vero HR has a client retention rate of 96% and high levels of satisfaction, with all clients who were surveyed expressing satisfaction.