Background
- Location: Leeds, UK
- Size: 12 employees
Challenge
The new business, a spin-out of the University of Leeds, began with just 3 employees in October 2024. Like most early-stage start-ups, they were operating with no HR documentation in place, including contracts and employment policies.
The CEO knew that before the business could grow much further, it was in urgent need of core HR documentation to comply with employment law, along with implementing a payroll service to ensure their team members were paid correctly.
They needed to set strong foundations for growth. But, with a limited budget available and such a small initial headcount, they couldn’t justify funding a full-time, or even part-time, in-house HR resource.
This meant that the company had to find a solution that provided both administrative HR support and professional advice when required, to cover all aspects of HR that they would inevitably face during those early stages of starting a business.
Solution
Stage 1: Documentation audit to help steer immediate support priorities
Following an initial meeting with Vero HR’s Business Development Manager to better understand their specific requirements, the start-up concluded that a Vero Team option was the best route for them.
This provided them with a certain number of hours of dedicated HR professional resource – from one key contact with access to other team members and skill sets when needed – alongside an HR administration service available to them 5 days a week.
As part of the Vero Team package, a documentation audit was conducted to establish core policy and template needs, tailored specifically to the business and its requirements.
Stage 2: Building strong foundations for compliance
With the urgency to get the client up and running from a compliance perspective, the Vero HR team successfully mobilised Vero Pay and Vero Technology (our integrated HR software feeding the payroll system) within one month of the partnership start date, ensuring a smooth setup, including full pension scheme implementation.
Stage 3: Shifting focus on retention
Fast forward six months – following a transformation of the company’s existing HR set-up – the business’s needs changed. It was no longer just about building strong people foundations for growth.
The client now needed to focus on retaining the 9-member-strong team they had built, remaining mindful of their limited budget. As such, they turned to Vero Reward to investigate low-cost/no-cost employee benefit options. Some of these examples included additional leave types, salary sacrifice technology and exploring cycle-to-work schemes, along with an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
Stage 4: Bolting on additional technology for increased efficiencies
With a basic level of HR Technology now set up and running, it was the perfect time to consider the additional software modules available for the client to bolt on. As such, the team have now started a project to implement the Performance Module within their people system, to start building out further efficiencies and automation regarding performance management for both line managers and employees.
This module enables the streamlining of performance reviews with dashboards, automated workflows (with reminders and approvals), goal setting (such as 1-to-1s and continuous feedback), and intuitive and easily-accessible self-service for employees and managers.
Results
Having partnered with Vero HR for over a year now, the client has built a strong, trusted relationship with their dedicated HR contact, who is available whenever needed and acts no differently than if they were an in-house team member.
Not only that, but the flexibility of the Vero HR model means that the client benefits from a cost-effective service that scales and seamlessly adapts to their changing needs as they continue on their growth journey, with the ability to access both breadth and depth of the wider service offerings at no extra charge.
The CEO is so impressed with service levels, the relationship built with Vero HR, and the overall return on investment that the business is now looking to roll out various learning and development options through the Vero L&D service, with the aim of boosting employee satisfaction and retention levels even further.
“Vero HR helped us get set up with all the HR essentials, especially payroll, in a very short space of time, and have also worked with us on the hiring process, making sure we had all the relevant documents in place and advising us throughout. We would highly recommend Vero HR to any other companies that are thinking about outsourcing their HR function.”
– CEO, Biotechnology Sector
