The challenge
Azzure IT provides information technology consultancy services to SMEs using Microsoft Dynamics suite. Fact3 applied their People solution to provide wrap-around HR support to assist one of the North’s fastest growing technology businesses to scale even faster.
By providing outstanding customer service and adding real value to the businesses they work with, they achieved recognition as one of the fastest growing technology businesses in the North.
The rapid scale up Azzure experienced meant the owners were heavily burdened with operational and HR tasks, meaning the core service was at risk of suffering.
The Fact3 solution
When Fact3 entered the picture in June 2016, Azzure had around 30 employees with all the transactional side of HR being managed by the Owners – A frustrating burden on their time when they wanted to focus on growth.
HR compliance
We conducted a HR audit, identifying compliance and support gaps. Using this we generated a whole new set of HR documentation including contracts of employment, induction processes and a Handbook. We assigned one of our experienced HR Advisors to act as remote day to day point of contact for HR queries combined with monthly onsite visits to work side by side with their people and managers. The people strategy was brought to life by visits from Fact3’s HR Partner.
Recruitment & Onboarding
Working in partnership with the owners we developed and delivered a recruitment programme aligned to Azzure’s business plan, bringing talented people into the business to support growth. Fact3 oversaw the process from recruitment through to the end of probationary periods for some 30+ people and along the way introduced behavioural profiling into the mix to give a more rounded view on recruitment and managed the implementation of employee benefits through liaison with our external partners for pension and private medical insurance.
Retention
Recruitment is great but retaining talent in a highly competitive marketplace soon became the next welcomed challenge. We introduced regular 9 box challenge sessions with managers, biannual employee performance appraisals with a keen focus on development and informal exit interviews for leavers – all to provide valuable insight into how we could improve retention. We started to monitor labour turnover and, with the above initiatives, reduced it significantly over 2 years meaning that time and money spent recruiting also significantly reduced – giving management their much-needed time back. Future Stars have been identified and supported with personal development through the Fact3 Academy, from a 1 day Employment Journey Workshop through to a 10 week Leadership Programme for their most up and coming people.
Company culture
Fact3 ran anonymous engagement surveys. With amazing 90%+ response rates from the Azzure Team, they were open, honest and candid about their experience of working at Azzure. Fact3 analysing and presenting the results back gave the management team reassurance about what they were excelling at, and where exactly they needed to improve. This led onto culture workshops, facilitated by Fact3, to build on the amazing culture Azzure already had and gained all level involvement to the new initiatives and made sure that the team knew they had been heard.
The #FACTS
Time
Time and growth
Azzure IT now have the time back to focus on delivery of a high-quality service, maintaining their fantastic reputation in the marketplace and driving their growth.
Support
Issues are less frequent
Azzure IT have support from CIPD qualified HR professionals and compliance is watertight so they encounter far fewer staffing issues. When the almost inevitable issue does crop up, the Fact3 team are on hand and on site to help deal with the issue as positively and proactively as possible.
Happy
A more motivated workforce
Employees are proven to be happier and more motivated since Fact3 implemented and took action on engagement surveys.
Retain
Retention of key people
Through a variety of initiatives Fact3 have supported Azzure to reduce their labour turnover significantly so that it is lower than the national average AND have boosted motivation and loyalty through appraisals and development.
Save
Cost effective solution
The service cost to Azzure is estimated to be a third of the cost of employing a HR Manager. Azzure currently employ 50+ employees in a professional service role which simply doesn’t require a full or even part-time dedicated HR resource. Azzure benefit from two distinct levels of support delivered by two different people: covering off both the transactional and strategic standpoints, which you simply wouldn’t get in employing just one person.