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Public Bodies. Charities. Private Businesses.
Human Resources Management. Consultancy. Employment Law Compliance.
Across all sectors.
James Richardson is an HR and Employment Law Manager based in our Glasgow office. James’ main responsibility is to support his clients to make fully informed people decisions across their business.
James is an experienced professional in human resources and employment law compliance, and provides exceptional support by getting to know his clients well. James works closely with each client to provide advice, guidance and bespoke HR project support.
James graduated in 2016 with a degree in Human Resources Management and Marketing, and also has a CIPD Level 7 Advanced Award in Employment Law. Currently, he is developing his knowledge further through completing a master’s degree in human resources management at the University of Strathclyde. Having worked both internally and on a consultancy basis, James has a broad and generalist approach to HRM and encourages strategic, long-term thinking.
“The best way to discuss and give great HR advice is to ensure the client relationship is an open, honest, and transparent one. I believe clients expect to hear my advice from an HR and employment law perspective, but also to reflect on my balanced and genuine opinion as an experienced professional. This means going beyond what it means to be legally compliant and looking at the practical logistics which will be different depending on the particular circumstances and any additional factors relevant to the business at the time. It’s important to me that clients don’t feel pressured to make a decision they are not comfortable with, and this means being honest and discussing any potential challenges openly as a genuine partner to their business or organisation.”
“The efficiency of virtual meetings is second to none, and many of our clients have benefitted from this. I have found that many clients have taken advantage of recruiting from a wider geographical area and this means a reliance on virtual technology is key to developing our relationship. Collaborating on a strategic plan, or delivering training is much more enjoyable when carried out face to face and I think this will always have a place in the HR field.”
“Speaking with clients about HR matters can be very personal, emotive, and challenging. It’s important to me that our relationship is a positive one, even when dealing with challenges that are troublesome and sometimes overwhelming for clients. This means engaging with clients in a friendly, fun, and enthusiastic way is important to me. I want clients to want to work with me, not feel they have to, and this means getting to know one another and sharing laughs throughout the processes we embark upon together.”
“I take pride in being able to learn from others but also recognise my strength in playing a large part of the development of my colleagues. We can learn so much from one another and, as HR is one those disciplines where there are often different solutions to the same problem, taking the time to share different perspectives is invaluable.”
“I appreciate all the feedback and praise I receive from clients, and the phrase “James is a star” has been mentioned quite regularly. However, I am most pleased overall to hear that clients enjoy working with me and can see the value being contributed to their business, as I am a strong believer that work should be worthwhile and also enjoyable.”
“Sometimes HR can be perceived as a tick box exercise, and this often stems from a compliance-based approach where the main focus is keeping organisations on the right side of the law. Of course, this should be a core principle, but it is only the beginning of an effective HR function. What comes next is infinitely more enjoyable, and embracing a more holistic and long-term view of HR in any business is often a great way of overcoming some of those typically reactive challenges.”
Proud to support a diverse range of clients
SMEs.
Health & Safety Policies & Procedures. Risk Assessments. Audit & Inspections. Contractor Accreditations. Training.
SECTORS/SUPPORT
Michelle Sneyd is a Senior Health & Safety Consultant with many years’ experience working with a diverse range of business sectors. Her specialisms include fire safety, food safety, care sector, construction, manufacturing, ergonomics, hazardous and dangerous substances.
Michelle assists clients with a wide range of Health & Safety related tasks such as carrying out auditing and inspection of client Health & Safety documentation and operations, completing fire risk assessments, providing fire safety advice, supporting clients with developments and reviews of risk assessments and method statements, and providing practical health and safety advice via email, telephone, and face to face – to name a few!
”I’m open to trying new ideas and ways of doing things. I’m very confident and not afraid to challenge assumptions and I am assertive in the way I try to argue my case for H&S to win over hearts and minds.”
”Our key focus is to meet the needs of our clients as they are our main priority. The route to success is through strong communication and we aim to build a strong, open dialogue with all of our customers. We ensure that our objectives are aligned with theirs and we work closely with them to achieve positive outcomes. However, occasionally things may not go to plan and we are also on hand to get things moving in the right direction once again.
I take great pleasure in helping businesses succeed and being part of their continued growth and development.”
”People still think H&S is very difficult, keeps changing and is very bureaucratic. This is largely not true and it’s up to us to show clients that it’s easier to manage than they often think.
One of the main challenges for me within my job is to overcome the stigma surrounding health & safety. Many companies are unaware of the true importance of following health & safety law within the workplace and do not see it is a priority. It is therefore my role to help business leaders gain an understanding of H&S best practices and how to apply these to their everyday business operations. Every journey with a client is one of education to help dispel myths and to assist them in navigating the complex world of health & safety.”
“I am excited for the future of the AAB People Health & Safety department. Our team is constantly expanding and breaking into new markets which demonstrates that Health & Safety in the workplace is becoming more of priority for many. I am looking forward to working with new and exciting clients, getting to know their businesses from the ground up and developing the partnerships that we have with our current clients. Our service offering is unique due to it being bespoke to the specific needs of our clients and I am confident that it will continue to be a success throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK.”
Lee Craig is the Service Lead for the Health & Safety team and manages the health and safety consultancy service working alongside her colleagues in the HR team.
Lee is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and has a NEBOSH National General Certificate, NEBOSH Fire Safety and Risk Certificate, and Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk Management.
In her role, Lee enjoys getting to know clients and finding out about their business so that she can use her wide knowledge and experience to demystify health and safety, and give them practical and sensible support that works for their business.
“We aim to be part of the client’s team and build a relationship of trust and mutual respect. Clients trust us to give them practical, sensible advice and we trust them to keep us informed of things that are happening in the business, especially where there is a health and safety-related impact.
Navigating health and safety can be tricky, so I always strive to provide a friendly approachable service delivered in plain English that is relatable, practical, and reasonable and works for their business.
I also genuinely really enjoy learning about our clients’ businesses, every day is a learning day and the challenge of working out how to make health and safety compliance fit into their business model, culture, etc. is very rewarding.”
“Our role is to do the best job possible for our clients, they are the top priority, and we want to work in a solid partnership with them. Their successes become our successes and when things sometimes go wrong, we are there to help get things back on track. Put simply we care, and everything we do is in their best interests.
There is no greater satisfaction than knowing I have truly made a difference with my advice and support. One of the greatest compliments a client has paid me was telling me how much they appreciate me for making it so much easier than they thought it was going to be and that I had lifted a giant weight from their shoulders.”
“There’s a common misconception that health and safety is just about saying “No, you can’t do that” or delivered by grey men with clipboards who frown at everyone. But this is far from what health and safety truly is about. Health and safety is an enabler. It enables businesses and people to do amazing things, create, build, innovate, grow, challenge, explore and so much more! But at its heart, it’s about people, just like you and I, and keeping them safe, healthy and happy.”
“One of the greatest challenges in my profession is the ignorance of health and safety responsibilities – you’d be surprised at the number of businesses that fail to understand the depth or width of health and safety law in the UK. So as a professional, it is my primary responsibility to help business owners understand and navigate these challenges. Every journey with a client is one of education to help to demystify health and safety and support them to understand what they need to do and how.”
“I am very proud that our Health & Safety consultancy is totally bespoke to each client, not delivered by formula like a lot of the larger providers in the marketplace. The business continues to grow and I continue to learn so much. I am excited to continue that journey of growth, without compromising the quality and professionalism of what we do. AAB provides a platform for the growth of the business but also creates a fantastic career and professional development opportunity for our team.”
Fios Genomics provides bioinformatic data analysis services to pharma companies and academia for drug discovery, development and applied research. (Bioinformatics is the science of collecting and analysing complex biological data such as genetic codes.)
Founded in 2008 and based in Edinburgh, Fios is listed among the top bioinformatics providers, with a large client base in all life science areas. In the last six years alone, its 10-strong team has grown to 46, working with top pharma companies around the world.
Fios has a specialised team of bioinformaticians, statisticians and biologists based mainly in Edinburgh, AAB People has supported the company for over six years in all things HR, excluding recruitment. In the absence of internal HR expertise, Fios sought a long-term partner who could manage, develop and advise on all aspects of workplace life, employment practice and employee relations. The ongoing brief is wide-ranging general HR expertise, guidance and practical tools, from compliance and procedures to performance management, professional development and employee engagement.
A priority since 2022 has been to provide team training across ever-evolving areas relating to people management, such as company-wide diversity and inclusion awareness, to reflect and respect the changing nature of the workplace. Also vital in the post-pandemic landscape of hybrid and remote working has been the provision of training relating to a re-distributed workforce. Pre-2020, almost all Fios staff were based in Edinburgh. Now, most work remotely or within a hybrid arrangement, presenting fresh challenges for leadership, communication and performance management.
Consultant Donna ran training workshops for all 46 Fios employees, including management team training. They included performance management and appraisals guidance for new and established managers, where sessions were created for managers to learn how to manage processes relating to performance management and employee feedback.
Also vital was awareness training in several continually evolving areas: diversity and inclusion, the importance of emotional intelligence in a highly technical, analytical, often ‘black and white thinking’ environment, giving sensitive feedback and having difficult conversations, building resilience and the challenges and practicalities of working from home and here-to-stay hybrid working.
AAB People also provided employee relations guidance, featuring end-to-end process education on all aspects, from mediation, casework, performance management issues to annual leave, maternity leave, absence management, occupational health referrals and disciplinary procedures. In addition, a benefits review and set of recommendations was conducted for Fios in 2022.
Turning to company culture, AAB People ran a Values workshop for Fios in 2020. The outcomes have since underpinned all workplace behaviour, outlook and recruitment, as well as approaches to everyday challenges and problem-solving. An adapted version of AAB’s own ‘Ways of Working Charter’ was introduced, covering mindful, respectful communication with colleagues, people development, time management and overall company culture guidance.
An employee engagement forum was established, in which six representatives of different departments meet voluntarily every six weeks to discuss workplace incentivisation schemes, any emerging team issues and ideas for all-important team social activities, many of which happily include AAB People!
Ensuring robust policies, procedures and compliance is another key part of the brief, including a Right to Work audit to ensure that correct documentation is supplied for every employee in every circumstance.
Ongoing support and a ‘listening ear’ is central to the AAB People-Fios Genomics relationship. CEO Sarah Lynagh has weekly calls with Donna to discuss emerging HR issues and challenges. These might include retention challenges, performance management or specific cases relating to individuals. As testament to her trusted role as senior advisor and HR Lead, Donna is regularly invited to internal leadership meetings where people strategies and decisions play a significant part. She is also first port of call for any employees with HR questions or concerns.
CEO Sarah Lynagh particularly values the advisory role that AAB People play over and above the practical support and guidance of everyday HR issues:
“We have the ideal arrangement, where AAB People are part of our team but act as a slightly independent, neutral source of knowledge and expert guidance. They also ‘keep us right’ in negotiating the teething problems associated with business growth.“
“As CEO of a growing business, you can sometimes get lost in the weeds and the trees. It’s great to have a sounding board in Donna, who can help us decide what to sometimes let go and what to pursue. It’s also beneficial for our business to have access to her wider team and all their client experiences. It takes away the typical pain points of running a company.”
“Before we found AAB People, we had academic processes in place and legal support, but we lacked the ‘softer touch’ expertise needed to nurture a growing team. We needed to take stock and professionalise our HR!”
“We’ve had several new managers facing new scenarios – people whose roles are very technical and who’ve benefited from AAB People’s management training, having never run teams before or been responsible for the development and wellbeing of other colleagues. The training around diversity and inclusion and emotional intelligence really opened our eyes.”
“The emerging issues around post-Covid hybrid-working have been particularly challenging to navigate. It was like a grenade being thrown into our working practice, leading to several new flavours of contract and with them, new types of policy and new people management issues!”
“The world has changed; the levels of flexibility that new recruits, especially younger ones, are demanding, is brand new territory. It’s a fine balance between encouraging office-based working to suit the needs of the job Vs. alienating the discerning talent you’ve worked hard to find. The ‘Monday-to-Friday in the office’ culture is simply no longer an option for some recruits.”
“The values workshop that Donna ran for us was terrific and very worthwhile. We apply the outcomes to our daily practice and stick to those values in our comms, our marketing and in recruitment interviews.”
Glasgow-based managed cybersecurity and IT consultancy incovo provides vital support services to companies large and small. Founded over 20 years ago in 2002, its 9-strong core specialist team, led by dynamic entrepreneur Chris Thomas, helps Scottish and global firms of all shapes and sizes manage their tech needs.
In 2022, incovo acquired IT services provider, RGB Solutions. The move cemented incovo’s position as one of the leading cybersecurity and IT consultancies in Scotland, boosting the group’s turnover to over £1.5m and bolstering incovo’s presence across Scotland’s Central Belt.
The acquisition increased incovo’s need for a solid HR infrastructure with strengthened systems and processes for recruitment, onboarding, compliance, performance management and everyday team management. Before AAB People came on board, there were no formal systems in place at Incovo.
Since September 2022, AAB People have become an integral part of incovo’s team. Working closely with CEO Chris Thomas and COO James Myles, AAB reviewed every aspect of people management activity and introduced a range of features to manage current and future HR planning needs.
Formal job descriptions were created for all incovo positions ahead of a recruitment drive for two more positions in Spring 2023. But before the current recruitment process could begin, employment policies and procedures, compliance procedures, an employee handbook, onboarding procedures and a long-term HR management system were all introduced by AAB People. A maternity cover process was formed and shared too– a first-time need for incovo!
It was important to incovo not only to be recruitment-ready, but to feel more equipped to serve the employment and development needs of all the current team members and ensure that they feel listened to, supported and nurtured. An HR Mailbox was introduced to enable individuals to come to AAB People with any HR issues, challenges or information requests. AAB People work hard to understand each team member’s aspirations, offer support on any emerging issues and give all team members a voice.
The result is a strong sense of reassurance across the business, coupled with on-tap best practice advice and a reliable solid infrastructure to handle ‘all things HR’.
CEO Chris Thomas is clear about the value of having more formalised ongoing HR support in place, and always-there guidance on a ‘right’ way of doing things:
HR-wise there’s so much to think about in a growing business. Once you have the kind of help that AAB People have given us at incovo, you realise – and you’ll be surprised by – what you were missing before! If a company is serious about growth, then having an HR company like this is a must-have. I don’t think we realised just how much support we needed, especially now that we have more people since the acquisition.
“Our relationship with AAB People flows well and the team is easy to work with. They’re good at understanding the needs of our people, they get on and get things done, and they have a great human approach – it’s not a corporate feel, and that suits us. We have weekly catch-ups and there’s always plenty to cover, which proves just how much there is to be aware of and that there’s a right way to do things!”
“It’s comforting to have AAB People there to manage all things HR for us as we grow. It’s a great investment and actually it’s one we can’t afford not to make. The entire team is looked after and that’s important to me. People can stay in companies for a long time, and we only have one life, so we should look after those people. It’s good to give individuals that added touch and extra degree of empathy by listening to and responding to their needs.”
“The recruitment help is huge for us. It’s really hard to find good people in the current climate and AAB People helps us perfect the job descriptions, work with the agencies, place the adverts and review the CVs.”
“We’ve also now got a system in place now for proper performance reviews. AAB People have done the big work in designing the questions and providing the documentation. Now we’ll conduct reviews for every team member. We just couldn’t have done it before. And performance management isn’t just about pay and job descriptions; it’s about setting targets with everyone and reviewing them properly. It’s that level of performance management that gives us the real opportunity to grow the business. It’s not just about sales. It’s great performance that creates sales!”
“The legal support is important too – the contracts, the handbook, the processes for recruitment and dismissal, the ‘correct’ way of doing things. We had everyone’s holidays on an Excel spreadsheet before; now we have a proper system in place with a tool called Breathe HR.”
“All of this is essential for the owner of the business, not just the team. A lot of people believe that HR is just about keeping people happy at work. It’s about so much more than that. Working with AAB People, we’ve got to see the whole picture. It also helps us relate better to the challenges facing our own hyper-growth clients.”
Platinum Informatics, a Dundee University spin-out company, provides cloud-based informatics solutions which lay the foundations to manage big data and ensure reproducible results for laboratories. Their solutions enable process optimisation, remote working, improved regulatory compliance and enhanced data quality, with a focus on application in early-stage drug, vaccine and biomarker discovery in the growing area of precision medicine. Their vision is to build a world leading laboratory informatics company that transforms scientific experimentation by bringing the digital laboratory of the future to the research laboratories of today.
With ambitious plans to build a world-class global business and create multiple new high-tech jobs based in Dundee, Platinum Informatics wanted to establish themselves as an employer of globally recognised life scientists and software talent.
To achieve this, their experienced leadership team recognised the value of investing in strong and inclusive HR infrastructure and practices as early as possible in their growth planning. They needed a strategic HR partner to support their growth, improve their organisational effectiveness and enable the business to scale effectively.
Key to them was selecting a business partner who had recognised experience of working with scaling technology businesses and who understood the start-up environment, culture and local talent market.
“We chose AAB People for their deep knowledge and understanding of fast-growing technology spin-outs and start-ups.”
Following an introduction to the CEO via another Board member, AAB People conducted a comprehensive audit and review of Platinum Informatics’ business, existing HR documentation and practice, to identify gaps and needs. We held discovery sessions with the management team to fully understand the company ambitions and growth plans, culture, people plans and HR support requirements.
We then provided recommendations and an indicative timeline for a fully tailored HR and people management strategy. In addition, a supporting framework and HR plan to improve working practices and align strategy, people, resources and processes. This was presented to their Board by our Managing Director, Lisa Thomson.
In line with the company’s short and longer-term strategy and goals, we outlined the key areas of priority. These included: a refresh of policies and an Employee Handbook; a recruitment and onboarding strategy; salary benchmarking; a performance management system; a bespoke and fully tailored manager training programme to support the implementation of new toolkits and processes; and learning sessions for the wider team to support working practices and employee engagement.
Additionally, a regular ‘bank’ of ongoing HR support was agreed, giving Platinum Informatics responsive, hands-on support and access to HR expertise as and when required. This has been scaled up over time aligned to needs and budget as their team continues to grow.
Platinum Informatics now have an effective and fit for purpose HR strategy and supporting framework embedded in their business to allow them to grow and scale sustainably from a people management perspective.
Their tailored toolkits and processes are fully reflective of the company culture and suited to the needs of an early stage and high growth technology business.
The organisation benefits from clarity and consistency across all key documentation, enhanced operational efficiency through the implementation of a HR system, a professionalised recruitment process coupled with strong employer branding, as well as a robust performance management framework.
A bespoke programme of training for managers has empowered and upskilled the leadership team to implement and deliver on all new people management systems and processes, ensuring maximum value across the business.
Platinum Informatics continue their growth journey, confident of being fully compliant and with the reassurance of having a trusted and culturally aligned HR partner embedded in their organisation who understands their vision and purpose.
“The AAB People team are highly responsive and flexible to our business needs, are honest and agile in their approach and are a great cultural fit. We really value their expert advice and are now confident in the knowledge that we have a robust HR framework in place to support our growth. I would highly recommend AAB People as an excellent business partner and a strong asset to entrepreneurial businesses.” Mukesh Moorjani, CEO, Platinum Informatics
“The AAB People team are highly responsive and flexible to our business needs, are honest and agile in their approach and are a great cultural fit. We really value their expert advice and are now confident in the knowledge that we have a robust HR framework in place to support our growth. I would highly recommend AAB People as an excellent business partner and a strong asset to entrepreneurial businesses.”
Exizent are an innovative, Glasgow-based technology firm, with a strong purpose – to improve the bereavement experience for everyone involved. Their platform aims to transform the way the legal and financial services industry deals with bereavement and make the process far less stressful for family members experiencing loss. Collaboration, trust, empathy and fairness are at the heart of their mission and business.
The Founders had recently launched the company, both having previous experience of building successful businesses. They had plans to scale rapidly and knew the value of early investment in strong HR practice. They had secured funding to support their ambitious growth plans and needed to build a strong team and culture and implement HR framework and infrastructure.
In selecting a HR partner, reputation was important, cultural fit had to be right, expertise and credibility a given.
“We chose AAB People as we felt they had the best operational, practical and cultural fit. They weren’t corporate which wouldn’t have been right for us, but really understand the tech market and challenges.”
AAB People conducted a full review of Exizent’s existing HR setup and processes, held scoping 1:1’s with the Founders and conducted a needs analysis, planning and prioritisation session aligned to their business and growth plans. This allowed us to gain a real understanding of the company’s ambitions, culture, people plans and future HR support needs.
We then identified the key short and medium term strategic and operational HR requirements which would enable the business to achieve its aims linked to rapid expansions and rollout, as well as being able to support the company values and culture. Key requirements included contracts and documentation, onboarding processes, compliance, a HR management system, an employee handbook and the ongoing development of strong organisational culture.
The outcome was a tailored and prioritised HR plan with indicative timeline to support the business to scale rapidly over a 24-month period.
Our approach was designed to provide an effective and fit for purpose HR strategy, putting in place solid foundations to allow Exizent to grow and scale sustainably from a people management perspective.
A regular ‘bank’ of HR support time was agreed, allowing Exizent a full hands-on HR service and access to expert HR support when needed to help them develop, implement and maintain their people strategy. This would also ensure that ongoing guidance and manager support was available to their team from a very early stage in their organisational development.
Exizent now have in place robust, fit for purpose, effective and compliant HR and people management systems and documentation, optimising their organisational effectiveness by aligning strategy, people, resources and processes. Team development sessions led by AAB People support effective business relationships, collaborative working practices across the organisation, and a strong and positive culture.
The company operate best practice, are confident in being fully compliant and know that any issues which arise will be resolved quickly, saving them valuable time and hassle.
Exizent continues to grow rapidly, confident in the knowledge that they have a trusted and flexible HR partner embedded in their business. A partner who understands their values and culture, supports their growth journey and strategic aims, and, most importantly, adds value to their business.
“We engaged AAB People for their recognised expertise with growing technology-led businesses. They are a trusted extension of our management team and we value their depth of knowledge and professionalism. AAB People are very well aligned with our business, share our values and are a great cultural fit. Their flexible support is responsive, cost-effective and saves us valuable time. I would highly recommend AAB People for their cutting-edge, hands-on and people-centric approach – perfect for scaling businesses.” Aleks Tomczyk, Founder & COO
Founded in 2010 by CEO Ben Panter, Edinburgh-based Blackford Analysis (“Blackford”) provides an independent platform for the effective selection, deployment, management and use of best-in-class medical imaging applications and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The team grew to 25 staff in its first 10 years to 2020. Since then it has more than tripled in size to over 80 employees.
In its early years, Blackford hired AAB People’s services to develop and introduce an HR policies and procedures handbook, and help with ad hoc queries as required. As its needs increased, it turned to AAB People in July 2020 for more regular, continuing, multi-level HR support. The management team sought an ongoing partner who could help them retain and nurture the rapidly increasing team and enable the company to grow smoothly by providing tactical, everyday HR help and longer-term strategic people management support.
“Having AAB People supporting us in such a wide range of everyday HR needs, as well as helping us plan for the future, gives us the essential space we need to step back and reflect on how we want to grow and how we can best retain and develop all our talented people and recruit the best talent into the company.” Amy Mohr, HR Manager, Blackford Analysis
“Having AAB People supporting us in such a wide range of everyday HR needs, as well as helping us plan for the future, gives us the essential space we need to step back and reflect on how we want to grow and how we can best retain and develop all our talented people and recruit the best talent into the company.”
Amy Mohr, HR Manager, Blackford Analysis
An urgent priority was to help Blackford manage how its team worked during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. We provided advice on how to run operations with a mostly remote workforce, progressing gradually to a structure that combines remote, hybrid and on-site working. AAB People then helped to transform Blackford’s recruitment and on-boarding processes during its remarkable rapid growth phase. This involved building job descriptions, engaging agencies, hiring and training new staff, and creating professional development plans. A robust structure is now in place for all aspects of on-boarding, both for employees and their line managers. A new HR system has been introduced to manage sickness, holidays, parental leave and other core staff needs. AAB People also advised on any employee relations case management that arose, and undertook a salary benchmarking exercise to support the management team in its salary reviews.
As a result of Blackford’s growth, AAB People’s recruitment support extended to helping Blackford find and recruit its own dedicated HR Manager in 2022. AAB People have remained an integral part of the team, working with the HR Manager, as the firm continues to grow and to require solid people management and development processes to support its fast increasing headcount. Weekly check-ins explore the changing levels of input required and emerging HR-related topics for collaboration. The AAB People team are known to the majority of Blackford employees and remain a touchpoint for all staff on all HR issues when required, proving particularly useful when the HR Manager is absent or on leave.
AAB People also designed and delivered for Blackford a company-wide exercise (involving focus groups with every member of staff) to capture the core values that guide all company activity, decisions and internal culture. Every employee was asked “What is Blackford to you?” and as a result of the project, the company now seeks to embed its core values of being adaptable, robust and collaborative in all that it does.
A new feature has been the introduction of the People Forum. AAB People helped to involve employees from across the Blackford business in regular discussions around a variety of topics, including employee engagement, processes and social activities. A key outcome was the creation of an employee engagement survey and subsequent recommendations on review of the survey results.
In summary, AAB People provide comprehensive help and support in managing the full employee lifecycle at Blackford, from recruitment through to succession planning. The two companies work closely to review and implement HR best practice and initiatives that work best for Blackford as a company and their employees.
HR Manager Amy Mohr, who joined Blackford in 2022, particularly welcomes the mentoring provided by AAB People as much as the creation and delivery of HR and employment policies, processes and procedures. As the day-to-day handling of HR processes is increasingly handled by Blackford in–house, AAB People’s coaching, strategic guidance and future planning support has now taken a front seat.
“AAB People clearly care about our people and how we nurture them. We feel that they are part of us. They want to make a difference. They add value constantly, not only with recruitment, on-boarding and professional development, but also by acting as a proactive, bigger-picture adviser on company culture. The company-wide values and purpose project was fantastic.”
“Our relationship has evolved as the company has matured. I see huge benefit in the role that AAB People plays as our trusted adviser, sounding board, our coach and our mentor on all HR, people management and professional development topics.”
“They keep us on our toes, they keep us in touch with what’s working well in other firms, and most of all, they bring a consistency that is vital to our ability to look after our people well. The team provided great guidance and role development advice in particular to our Office Manager, who has less experience in HR and is now exploring a career in this field.” “In our weekly sessions it’s valuable to be able to discuss the best timing for new initiatives and how best to ensure that HR priorities are balanced, for example, how best to manage a new recruitment drive if our line managers are already busy training new hires or managing existing employees and busy workloads.” Amy Mohr, HR Manager, Blackford Analysis
“They keep us on our toes, they keep us in touch with what’s working well in other firms, and most of all, they bring a consistency that is vital to our ability to look after our people well. The team provided great guidance and role development advice in particular to our Office Manager, who has less experience in HR and is now exploring a career in this field.”
“In our weekly sessions it’s valuable to be able to discuss the best timing for new initiatives and how best to ensure that HR priorities are balanced, for example, how best to manage a new recruitment drive if our line managers are already busy training new hires or managing existing employees and busy workloads.”
This 16-strong team of ‘smart security’ experts has grown quickly since launch in 2019. Best known for its DIY smart home burglar alarm battery-powered system, the Edinburgh-based consumer security hardware and software start-up has big plans to grow over the coming years as it develops and manufactures more new smart home security products.
The team sought ongoing HR expertise to help them navigate a growing team and all that comes with needing to introduce people management processes, policies and procedures. With 11 staff and growing in Summer 2021, they hired AAB People for guidance, advice and practical support.
Keen to engage experts who would do more than assist with transactional HR tasks, they were looking for structure, rigour and deeper insight into all things HR. The company has been supported by Scott and his colleagues not just in everyday HR operations, but in more advanced, strategic, often complex and sensitive areas. With a management team who are largely tech specialists, the firm had no internal HR expertise on board and had previously relied on an impersonal call centre support system. They sought a more human, ongoing partnership and a proactive approach that would reach far beyond helping meet ‘legal minimums’.
“We now understand far more about HR. Often in larger firms, people see HR advisors and departments as ‘blockers’ to getting things done. Our experience is quite the opposite. Working with AAB People has helped us learn more about nurturing, motivating and managing employees. We’ve even come to enjoy forming a structure for organisational development! And the monthly Pulse surveys – so simple yet so effective – are one of the best tools we’ve gained. We wonder now why we never did something like that before!” CEO of the Smart Security Firm
“We now understand far more about HR. Often in larger firms, people see HR advisors and departments as ‘blockers’ to getting things done. Our experience is quite the opposite. Working with AAB People has helped us learn more about nurturing, motivating and managing employees. We’ve even come to enjoy forming a structure for organisational development! And the monthly Pulse surveys – so simple yet so effective – are one of the best tools we’ve gained. We wonder now why we never did something like that before!”
CEO of the Smart Security Firm
AAB People has focused on bringing ideas and suggestions, reducing stress and helping the firm make people-related decisions that rely on a deep knowledge of employee needs, workplace relations and professional development. One of the most powerful new tools introduced by AAB People has been the concise monthly one-minute Pulse Surveys, which help the board to ‘take the temperature’ of the team around job and workplace satisfaction and work life balance. Other solutions introduced by AAB People include:
AAB People has brought far more awareness to the board of “when people problems are there”. Beforehand, there was less management information and general HR acumen to be able make pivotal decisions. Robust processes are now in place to identify people-related issues and to know how to approach them. The team reports more confidence and more visible infrastructure – for the company and its investors – to enable the business to scale up.
The CEO is clear about the impact AAB People has had on operational life:
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised at how positive the impact has been. Working with an HR consultancy in this way is a great model for business of our size with a limited budget for hiring HR specialists in-house. A challenge for start-ups like ours is to introduce some structure but not so much that it constrains innovation and growth. Together we enjoy a consultative approach to designing new HR processes and tools and a healthy exchange of ideas where we can challenge each other.”
“It’s really invaluable knowing we’ve got someone in Scott who understands what we need and has the in-depth knowledge to ‘catch us’ in areas we’re uncertain in, and in challenging and sensitive times that require deeper knowledge than we have of a complex legal system.”
“Thanks to AAB People, we have a reliable, pragmatic, insightful, professional HR capability. Before this partnership, we were rather under-structured in terms of people management. We value the knowledge, rigour and vital flexibility that they bring.” “As a result of having AAB People on board, we have peace of mind that all things HR are guided by advisors who know the industry, can advise frankly on risks and implications, and help us motivate, inspire and look after the employment needs and challenges of our growing team.” COO The Smart Security firm
“Thanks to AAB People, we have a reliable, pragmatic, insightful, professional HR capability. Before this partnership, we were rather under-structured in terms of people management. We value the knowledge, rigour and vital flexibility that they bring.”
“As a result of having AAB People on board, we have peace of mind that all things HR are guided by advisors who know the industry, can advise frankly on risks and implications, and help us motivate, inspire and look after the employment needs and challenges of our growing team.”
COO The Smart Security firm
Mostly SMEs and start-up businesses that do not yet have an internal HR function and require assistance implementing HR framework.
Providing HR support including onboarding, recruitment, salary benchmarking, HR-related documentation, employee rewards and much more.
All sectors, particularly Technology, Engineering, and Life Sciences.
Based in Glasgow, Rhona Mcleod is a Senior HR Consultant. Rhona works alongside the HR Consultants to provide HR support and advice to our clients.
Her role varies day-to-day but her main responsibilities include onboarding and induction process coordination, monitoring client HR inboxes, preparing documentation on behalf of clients, pre-employment checks, and collating and preparing salary benchmark data and reports.
“Creating an ideal relationship with a client starts with open communication. It’s crucial to understand the client’s needs and ensure the client is aware of all the services we can offer. Being able to communicate effectively and consistently helps to build rapport, which ultimately results in trust between both parties.”
“Our clients come to us when they require HR support which can sometimes include sensitive information – our clients expect trust. They need to trust that we will focus on their business needs and, ultimately, help them to succeed.”
“Externally, it is great to work with innovative clients and be able to add value to their business through providing HR support. Internally, it is great to work with a team who are so collaborative and supportive. Everyone is happy to help each other and share the workload.”
“One of the biggest challenges for our clients is recruiting talent, particularly in roles that require technical expertise. The current market is extremely competitive, and the talent pool is small. We have helped our clients to reach out to specialist recruitment agencies and assisted clients in applying for a sponsorship license to help grow the talent pool further afield than the UK. However, it certainly remains one of the challenges for SMEs looking to scale up quickly.”
“AAB Group is on a growth journey, and it is great to be part of this. The Group helps its employees to reach their goals and supports them with personal development. I’m excited to progress within my career at AAB and grow alongside the firm!”
“My team is given the freedom to choose when to work at home or in the office, which has created such a positive work-life balance. There is a clear trust within the whole team and I’m very grateful to be part of a company that operates a hybrid working pattern.”
“I am a very collaborative individual and work well in a team environment. This is especially important within AAB People as we work closely together every day. Within my role, I support HR Consultants with client delivery work, so being able to collaborate clearly and concisely is essential, especially when the workload is high!”
“It is extremely rewarding when a client is thankful for the work you have put into a specific project, even if it is just a simple email! Clients have thanked me previously for responding quickly to urgent tasks – we work towards ensuring all client queries are acknowledged promptly, so it is great that clients notice this also.”
“HR functions can often be viewed in a negative light. There’s sometimes this idea that we just follow strict or outdated policies by the book; we are often seen as the ‘bad guys’ or ‘work police.’ This is the opposite of AAB People! We provide our clients with specialised HR support to allow them to achieve their goals. We are genuinely passionate about helping their businesses succeed.”
