THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26 2019 YORKSHIRE POST SME TOOLKIT SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT /3 TO BE THE BEST: Investing in a strong human resources presence can be key to building and maintaining a successful business; inset below, human resources expert Kate Appleyard, left, and colleague Janet Schofield. Your people are the power HUMAN RESOURCES: Kate Appleyard from apple hr support shares her thoughts on what to think about when launching or developing a business, by describing the five points to success. successful business requires a happy and motivated workforce. Building the right team and developing them to meet the needs of your business requires professional guidance – Kate Appleyard from apple hr support shares some thoughts on what to think about when launching and growing a business. SMEs may not have the need to employ a full-time Human Resource (HR) function, but will need occasional advice and guidance. In such cases it’s important they can find a partner they can trust, whether it be ongoing assistance, project support or one-off advice. Kate describes the five points to success as: 1. Consider HR to be a routine part of your business A good approach is to create a check list to ensure your new employees feel welcome while at the same time, your business remains legally compliant. Managing a team requires that contracts, policies and procedures are in place and this will be mandatory A on the first day of employment from April 2020. Other considerations are: ■ General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR); require you to protect employees’ personal information and have transparent processes in place to protect and process their data. ■ Pension Scheme; employers must provide a scheme for employees. ■ Right to work; ensuring the employee has the legal right to work in the UK. 2. How flexible do you want to be? Flexibility in the workplace allows employers and employees to agree arrangements about working conditions that suit them. This helps employees maintain their ‘Culture is something that will define your business as you grow.’ work-life balance and helps employers improve the productivity of their business. 3. A healthy workforce = productive workforce Health and wellness has become a priority on the business agenda. A safe and healthy working environment is essential for a happy and productive workforce, there are many business benefits to having a focus on positive mental health at work. 4. Build strong relationships – check-in regularly Culture is something that will define your business as you grow. Treat your employees as you would your customers. Design an employee experience around the needs, wants and aspirations of your team, treating them all as individuals, grown-ups and human beings. 5. Find the right support For many SMEs in-house HR support isn’t feasible or necessary, but when focusing time and efforts on growing a business, it can be difficult to maintain the requirements of managing a team. The best way to get the level of support you need, when you need it, is to find an outsourced HR specialist. Consider what you want from them; what level of support do they provide and does it cover your requirements? Are they qualified and have the right experience? Have they worked in your sector? How they keep up to date with changes in legislation? What legal support can they provide? Finally, ask for at least three referees. Whoever you choose to work with will be an extension of your business; make sure you like and trust them. Having a trusted partner will give you peace of mind and release you to focus on growing your business. Director at Fox Lloyd Jones, Paul Fox, said: “In today’s compliancedriven world Kate has brought a sense of order to tackling our challenges in both setting targets and achieving them. Kate’s high-quality people skills and discretion have created a calmness and confidence amongst staff that they have somewhere to turn when they need someone independent to listen and advise.” ABOUT APPLE HR SUPPORT ■ apple hr support was launched in 2015 by Kate Appleyard. Kate has worked in HR within a variety of sectors and businesses. Aware of the challenges facing business owners, Kate created an outsourced HR support company that provides practical, bespoke advice to help solve problems and support business growth. They are dedicated to improving mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. ■ Working alongside Kate is experienced HRprofessional Janet Schofield and employment law partner, Emma Hammond. Based in Headingley, they offer business support across Leeds and West Yorkshire. ■ Visit the website www. applehr.co.uk