Top 10 benefits of a retained HR service

Whilst many businesses are continuing down the road to recovery following the Covid-19 outbreak, what the pandemic has provided is an opportunity for their HR provider to shine and to demonstrate the invaluable impact a great HR function can provide.

This applies not only at the day to day level of the organisation in making sure the right people are in the right places at the right times, but also in contributing to the strategic direction of the business in terms of ensuring that people are engaged, onboarded and supported in order to deliver the goals of the organisation.

With every aspect of the business being held under the microscope, ensuring it is in the best possible shape to deliver and achieve a healthy return on investment, HR must throw off its image of being pink and fluffy – also dubbed the ‘tea and tissues brigade’ and it must be able to demonstrate its positive effect on the bottom line.

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With this in mind, here are some reasons why you may want to consider an outsourced retained HR service to support the delivery of your business goals:

1. HR department without the overhead

With a mixture of skills and experience across all industries at all levels, our team are on hand to seamlessly provide whatever support is needed at whatever level.

This might be at board level, contributing to the plan for growth, sale or investment, operationally dealing with recruitment, on boarding, performance management or disciplinaries, or from an administrative perspective implementing a new HR Information System.

Our friendly and professional team can support you however, whenever, at a fraction of the cost of a full time, fully resourced HR department.

2. Tailored to your needs

Every business is unique, has its own way of doing things, with its own challenges. With a retained service, this gives us the opportunity to really get under the ribs of your business, to understand and appreciate how it works, who works there and what needs to happen to make progress. We can create and deliver a bespoke plan which meets the needs of the business, focusing on areas of priority, which can be reviewed and amended to continually deliver solutions which will Make A Difference.

3. Plans are made and delivered

Having full transparency of what your HR function is planning to deliver, vs what it actually delivers, can provide great comfort that not only are they providing a great return on investment but also that the business and your team are progressing in terms of performance, reputation and customer satisfaction. Accountability is key to delivering and agreeing the priorities for the business and delivering these projects whilst also efficiently dealing with the day to day will ensure the business moves forward, rather than running to stay still.

4. Learning and Development

Training is sometimes seen as a “sticking plaster” to solve performance issues or discharge an organisation’s obligations to provide “support” to a team member. We have all sat in great training sessions whereby we leave motivated and enthused about all the great stuff we are going to implement when we get back to base, and then we look at our emails and suddenly our focus is dealing with them and all of our best intentions get put on the back burner.

Having an integrated retained HR service means that bespoke learning and development plans can be created to bring the training back into the workplace and meet the aims of the business and its people.

The training can be delivered in a way and at a time which suits the commitments of the business and follow up support can also be scheduled in with the team in order to ensure all of that great learning is put to good use.

5. Compliance

With a great retained service, your HR support will ensure you are one step ahead at all times when it comes to compliance with the ever-changing employment laws and regulations, not only in building your capability and confidence, but also keeping all of your policies, procedures and documentation up to date, so you don’t have to worry of falling foul of the law.

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6. Passion and energy

We genuinely love what we do and are as passionate about delivering great HR solutions as we are about our clients’ businesses. Through our retained service, our team build strong, fun, respectful relationships with our clients and we stand shoulder to shoulder with them, through the highs and lows, with an unwavering commitment to finding and implementing solutions to achieve the business aims.

Always acting in the best interests of the business, we are able to be that critical friend, offering an empathetic yet objective view to help move the business forward and overcome any obstacles that get in the way.

7. HR Expertise

Running a successful business and keeping all of those plates spinning is hard enough without having to make difficult decisions about the team that have helped you along the way. Whilst it is often these decisions which can have the greatest impact on the business in relation to someone’s performance, ability and conduct, these decisions are commonly left to fester for fear of “rocking the boat” or “opening a can of worms”.

Having a skilled HR professional that not only can navigate the requirements of employment law but can also deliver an outcome in line with the values and tone of voice of the organisation can help minimise risk and damage both internally and externally, whilst getting the job done.

8. Give you more time

With a comprehensive retained HR Service, we will be fully accountable for HR within your business. We are your outsourced, in-house HR function, taking full responsibility for delivering all aspects of HR, from recruitment and onboarding to employees exiting your business and everything in between, allowing you to focus on what you are good at, whilst we do the same. With regular updates and reviews, you remain in control and confident things are being done, without having to spend the time doing it yourself.

9. Support when you need it

With a retained service, you have the peace of mind of working closely with your lead consultant, whilst also having the back up support of the rest of the MAD-HR team, enabling you to have confidence that you will have the support whenever you need it, without the worry of sickness or holiday cover, time off for professional development or any other events which life seemingly throws into the mix. You will have seamless support without any of the headaches.

10. Support that grows with your business

Our retained service offers the flexibility to deliver what the business needs not only right now but also in the future. In year one, it may be about getting your house in order from a compliance perspective, year two may be about getting the right structure and people in the right places doing the right things, year three may be about building capability and internal resilience ready for the management buy out and year four may be about managing the exit. With experience in all of these areas, you can shape your retained service to deliver whatever your business needs.

If you would like to explore how you can benefit from retained HR support for you and your business, please speak to a member of our friendly experienced team today.