Appointing the right staff to install high end home entertainment systems presented challenges for Homeplay Ltd Managing Director James Ratcliffe – which is why a friend referred him to Gap HR and the human resources skills of Carolyne Wahlen.
“We need highly skilled and personable people to install our home entertainment systems and with the best will in the world people tell untruths in the interview which you only discover once they are working for you – and this is where I needed help!
“It was over two years ago we started working with Gap HR Services and we were referred to Carolyne by a friend who saw that we needed help with some staff issues. What started off as an ad hoc project soon turned into a long term relationship and we were able to put some systems in place.
“We have challenges with staff. What we do is very technical and we are often in the homes of high net worth individuals who expect a professional and courteous service and will expect us to get it right first time. Sadly not everyone has proven up to that task and they are employed by this stage – and need to be unemployed as a result.
“We have limited knowledge of employment law so it was really useful to have Carolyne and Mel at the end of the phone to ask when things went pear-shaped. They were always there to reassure us there was a solution – and provide it!
“One of our more interesting issues was dismissing an employee for gross misconduct after he punched his manager. Another gross misconduct was for stealing from the warehouse, where the guy wore a mask but used his company allocated van to transport goods – all captured on CCTV!
“We also discovered our contracts and handbooks were really not up to the task we needed, so Carolyne updated those for us and with her support we’ve changed our business model now and she is normally involved in the interview process. Crucially she is always available if an issue arises and I need quick and accurate advice before taking any action or decide that she needs to be involved more fully.
I would certainly recommend Carolyne and having her and the team at Gap HR available to help with the staffing issues that inevitably crop up is a tremendous weight off my mind and allows me to focus on the business.
James Ratcliffe, Managing Director