Background
- Location: United Kingdom
- Size: Start-up less than 10 employees
Challenge
In 2024, the founders of a new healthcare technology company secured a seed investment round to kick-start their new venture. However, with the founding team consisting of just two scientists, a CEO, and a part-time CFO, they lacked the specific HR knowledge or experience required to get the new business to a basic level of employment law compliance, and therefore, successfully off the ground.
The team needed HR support from a few different angles – from professional HR advice and the creation of employee documents to a digital HR system that could hold, manage, and approve such documents along with the efficient management of employee holiday and absence. They also understood that in order to grow effectively, they would need to focus on hiring and therefore required support in managing job offers, reference checks, onboarding processes, and more.
The number one priority for the client was finding the best, flexible HR support to keep the business compliant and get them where they needed to be at each stage of their startup growth journey.
Solution
Vero HR was recommended by the start-up’s investors, after securing their first funding round. Following a demo of Vero HR’s chosen technology platform, the business partnered with Vero HR under their Vero Team model, which includes the use of Vero Technology. This provided them with three key services:
1. Professional HR support
Access to HR support whenever needed from a dedicated HR professional either in person, via a Microsoft Teams call, or sometimes through short, non-chargeable phone calls. In this case, the team received support directly from Vero HR’s CEO, Mike, due to his genuine interest and investment in getting them set up, running, and compliant with a solid HR foundation as quickly as possible before handing over the reins to one of the other HR professionals once settled. This ongoing support ensures the business remains compliant with employment law from the start in the form of an effective, tailored employee handbook and policies but also includes management advice whenever the founders need to bounce HR matters off an experienced professional – essentially using them as a sounding board in the absence of a full senior leadership team during the early stages of the business. As the company grows, the HR support provided by Vero HR flexes and adapts depending on the current needs of the business.
2. Outsourced HR administration
A full HR administration service provided by a single, dedicated point of contact based at Vero HR’s central office. This outsourced admin support manages the full process for starters as the business grows and hires new employees, including right-to-work checks, reference checks, job offers using Adobe Sign, onboarding, and copies of contracts or other employee documents. This end-to-end employee lifecycle and admin management leaves the founders free to focus on the more strategic aspects of growing a start-up company, leaving the day-today tasks to a trusted professional.
3. HR technology including employee self-service
The implementation and ongoing support of an integrated HR technology solution to store and manage all employee HR records and promote employee empowerment through a self-service app for requesting time off, updating personal details, and more. Knowing the client had to focus strongly on hiring new talent to enable growth, providing the team with intuitive and modern HR technology was a top priority. The Vero Technology team ensured the technical set-up was ready to go and all HR records and documents were organised in the background before the client began to recruit.
In addition…
Vero HR’s flexible Time Bank model meant that when the client moved into their first office premises, they could utilise some of their remaining Time Bank units to fund the Vero Health and Safety offering. This gave them access to a dedicated H&S professional who conducted a full risk assessment on their new office to ensure compliance with crucial regulations from a health and safety perspective, too.
Results
As a result, the client has gained the confidence to successfully move forward with the first phase of their start-up growth journey in terms of HR requirements, including compliance with ever-changing employment law. Tailoring various services to accommodate current business needs has enabled the Vero HR team to create a strong HR foundation that the client can build upon going forward, remaining flexible and adapting as and when those business needs change. Essentially, this partnership has enabled a new business to get airborne while keeping it safe from costly risk – getting it to where it needs to be at this stage of growth, without disturbing its natural dynamic and entrepreneurial environment. This foundation sets the client up to begin phase two of their growth journey, ramping up the level of HR support to accommodate this. Phase two will include the introduction of employee benefits and effective performance management processes to drive recruitment and retention efforts and take them from an early-stage start-up to a thriving and competitive organisation.
