Northwood Reading – Case Study

As you become successful and grow your business and your team, there are many queries that can take away from your core task. Managing your staff properly can be a minefield, especially for the small business owner to ensure legal HR compliance, as well as maintaining a happy workplace. That was getting to be the issue for Mitch Mitchison who runs the Reading & Newbury branch of Northwoods Estate Agency as a franchisee. What he was looking for was someone he could establish a working relationship with – like an HR person from the regional office, as he says.

“When I first started the franchise, I dealt with the queries myself, though we do get a lot of support in some areas of the business that is not the case with HR. Generally, with HR queries they suggest we speak to one of the larger HR providers. More recently legislation has got a lot stronger, and I wanted to make sure I was not laying myself open to problems down the line.”

“I had met Amanda at my BNI chapter and had been impressed by the way she had answered some ad hoc queries I had had, so when the time came, I felt like having someone providing HR on a retained basis there was only one place I was going to go for that, and Amanda & I came to an agreement.” But letting go of control can be hard; “Handing over the reins was mentally very tough, but one of the things that helped was that I already had confidence in Amanda from the way she had handled the earlier queries.”

“Plus, I still have an element of control as I work closely with her and she will always run things passed me but handles all the HR admin and everything. It is great now, I have someone who not only has the legislation side of HR that she can keep control of and she is a single point of contact for staff members who have a query. They know who they will be speaking to as outside of Covid restrictions she comes into the office about once a month, it isn’t like an anonymous voice in a call centre.”

How have you and your staff found this arrangement? “I think one of the best benefits, aside from someone who knows HR and all the rules and legislation like Amanda, is the independent voice. Amanda has a very relaxed and pleasant manner and has a relaxed chat with any staff member who wants to talk. That gives a level of anonymity when Amanda comes to me, she speaks to everyone, so nobody knows who said what. But perhaps more importantly she is not a random nobody at the end of the phone If someone has a query, Amanda is someone who a member of staff knows and has maybe spoken to so even a phone call they know who they are talking to and can respect.”

Would you recommend Amanda and AJ HR? “I have recommended her to both my fellow Northwood estate agent franchisees in the region, also my friends. Recommending someone is something I do not take lightly as my reputation is also at risk. But I know through the advice she has given both within my company and to others within my BNI chapter that Amanda is knowledgeable about all aspects of HR and puts her experience at my disposal.”

We understand that each business is unique and that your HR provider needs to support and work alongside your business strategy to get the best results. Be assured, from us you will receive a fantastic level of support at the key times when you need it. Why not contact us today for a free initial consultation, and for every new client, we make a £50 donation to charity.