NEWS
Alchemists are
HR heroes
Jo Davies and her team at human
resource specialists HR Alchemy have proved invaluable to many Teesside businesses since Covid lockdown changed our daily lives .
When the crisis hit , the Middlesbroughbased firm faced a deluge of calls from clients needing guidance on how best to look after their staff .
“ We had to become experts on Covid and the furlough scheme very quickly ,” admits managing director Jo .
“ Keeping my staff safe and happy was a priority for me . Luckily , the business was built on the team being able to work flexibly , so it was quite natural to establish a routine of working from home and communicating via Zoom .”
HR Alchemy has gained clients as more and more companies have realised the value of good HR support .
“ I can ’ t put into words how amazing HR Alchemy have been ,” says Wander Films ’ creative director Chloe Clover .
“ They updated us every day during
Covid and we felt so lucky to have their support through some very scary months .”
Mabo Media managing director Lee Mableson has been equally impressed , saying : “ I couldn ’ t rate them any higher .
“ I see HR Alchemy as a massively valued extension to Mabo ’ s own personnel , which is very reassuring when you need to know what your options are and where you stand as an employer - and quick !
“ Their response times are great and they ’ re always on hand to answer any of the many questions that can pop up - their experience is invaluable to us .”
Of course , it ’ s not just the bad times that HR Alchemy are there for .
“ They are exceptional during the good times too ,” says Chloe .
“ They have helped us double our team and given us the strength and support to grow during such uncertainty - they are
Rising to the challenge - HR Alchemy ’ s Jo Davies .
next level !” Jo is humbled by the praise from her clients and is convinced that , as a region , we can emerge from what has been a devastating situation .
“ HR Alchemy just needs to keep offering great customer service , support and value for money and hopefully we will bounce back and go from strength to strength ,” she adds .
hralchemy . co . uk
Revealing Stockton High Street ’ s human side
An innovative new project
designed to highlight the importance of our high streets has been unveiled in Stockton .
Humans of the High Street aims to document in real terms the thoughts and feelings of business owners during the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown .
The project , which took inspiration from a famous initiative in New York , is made up of a series of emotive videos filmed with the people who own and run shops , cafes and premises along the famous wide high street and surrounding area .
Running across multiple digital platforms including YouTube and social media , the videos document the business owners ’ thoughts and feelings about the current situation and just how they have coped with it .
Stockton Business Improvement District ( BID ) is behind the project , which was developed by Stocktonbased creative brand agency OOK . Together , they have been promoting ‘ The Future is Local ’ project to encourage more people to come and see what Stockton High Street has to offer .
The Humans of the High Street project is part of that and will help shine a spotlight on the wealth of independent shops , businesses and services in Stockton .
Jason Maxwell , Stockton BID manager , said : “ This campaign should act as a catalyst to encourage us all to act and invest in our local businesses in the future .
“ As a BID , our focus is on encouraging long term-use of the High Street and to do that we have to look at innovative ways of responding to an ever-changing landscape . We have some amazing businesses right here on our doorstep and we urge everyone to come and take a look at what Stockton has to offer .”
OOK managed a multi-disciplinary team on the project , collaborating with companies including Middlesbroughbased Wander Films to produce and edit the videos .
The list of businesses taking part includes Drake The Bookshop , Review , Hickson ’ s Motors , Stockton Modeller , Who-Ray , The Golden Smog , Jill ’ s Flowerbox , Slave to the Grind , Wags and Whiskers and Lu Lu ’ s .
Search for Humans of the High Street on YouTube “ Stockton BID – The Future Is Local ” to watch the videos and follow the progress of the project via stocktonbid . co . uk and Stockton BID ’ s social media channels .
54 | Tees Business