Staying on Top of Employment Laws
When Edge, a London-based agency and architectural practice, started out they did their own HR work. But as they grew in size they took advice, as and when it was needed, from the HR director of a large blue-chip company. However, the information they received wasn’t always as timely as they would’ve liked so they outsourced HR to a consultancy. When Edge decreased in size they felt they were paying too much for the type of service they required so they signed up to Gap HR.
Louise Cann, Studio Director at Edge, had come across Carolyne a few years earlier when she asked her for a second opinion on some advice they had received from their then HR provider.
“I had kept Carolyne’s details because I had liked her approach. It was friendly and no-nonsense.”
Once engaged, Gap HR got down to work on updating Edge’s staff contracts to ensure they are appropriate for their needs.
“Carolyne and I spent some time on the phone last year going through our contracts line by line, and she told us the things she didn’t like and the things we could keep. We are currently going through a similar process where we are reviewing the staff handbook.”
For many small businesses, the benefits of having an HR company on tap, so to speak, are enormous, ensuring that they are always going to be up-to-date with the endless cycle of changes to employment laws and regulations.
“I have a good understanding of HR and out Technical Director, has a general overview of employment law. But Gap HR give us the comfort that if we are out of our depth, we are going to get good advice from them.
“Gap HR are very proactive, supportive and we feel that they’ve “got our backs”. We don’t need a full time HR department and I juggle a number of roles in the studio, which makes it difficult to absolutely stay on top of the latest HR developments. But I know that when HR law changes, which it invariably does every April, someone qualified is looking at it, reviewing and updating our documentation and advising any “do’s and don’ts” we need to be aware of.”
Louise Cann
Studio Director, Edge Architecture & Design Ltd
