DARLINGTON
Top team – Members of the team at HR2day .
THE
HUMAN TOUCH
How the HR2day team keeps HR relevant and personable
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURE : TOM BANKS
It ’ s a company that provides HR with plenty of TLC – and it does so across the country and beyond from its Tees Valley base . Back in 2010 , experienced HR manager Nicky Jolley and husband Mark , a selfemployed financial adviser , set up HR2day and gave themselves six months to see if it would work .
Well , it clearly DID work . Fourteen years on , the firm has 10 staff and a loyal but still growing 70-strong client base – all attracted by its business model of providing expert , friendly and bespoke HR services for a fraction of the cost of an in-house team .
And if you think HR can be stuffy , think again in HR2day ’ s case .
Clients named the company ’ s orange and blue Smart car “ Bertha ” in a charity raffle (# beepbeepbertha ) and Nicky ’ s springer spaniel Bella regularly pops into the office .
Nicky even has a racehorse , Miss Snuggles , who ’ s become an extension of the HR2day family and has a loyal following via her own Instagram page , miss _ snuggles _ racing .
The firm also donates £ 100 each month to a good cause chosen by staff , while the fourth HR2day charity ball will be at Hardwick Hall on November 9 , in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance .
But at the heart of HR2day ’ s business is a determination to treat each client individually and personably , with HR support programmes drawn up on a bespoke basis .
Nicky told This Is Tees Valley : “ We don ’ t want to be too big – we don ’ t want to be that impersonal call centre . We offer a very thorough , comprehensive and personal service and I don ’ t ever want to jeopardise that .”
Based at Endeavour Court on Lingfield Way , Darlington , Nicky says the Tees Valley is a fantastic place to be based , especially with ongoing developments such as Teeesworks and the relocation of government offices to the town .
She said : “ We recently won a tender with one of the government departments and we ’ re always looking for opportunities that come along .
“ But we ’ re a family-run firm that wants to provide the best service by working with people . We ’ ve just had a client of 10 years renew for another three – that , to me , screams confidence in what we do .”
HR2day offers everything from retained HR packages and leadership development to employee training and one-off consultancies on a specific project or issue .
And with HR requirements constantly changing , Nicky says they pride themselves in keeping on top of what ’ s going on .
She said : “ We ’ ve just done 49 updates in our employee handbook – and as our handbooks are bespoke to our clients , that ’ s hard work . We update our handbooks twice a year and I don ’ t know any in-house HR person that has the time to do that , but this is what we do – delivering and being as current and forward-thinking as possible .”
Getting to know a client is crucial , Nicky believes . She said : “ Our ‘ onboarding ’ with a client usually takes three to six months . That ’ s so we can tailor and bespoke their policies and procedures but , more importantly , build a relationship .”
And it ’ s not only a Tees Valley operation . HR2day has clients across the UK and has worked with companies from as far afield as Dubai , Houston , Singapore and Brazil .
But when it comes to the Tees Valley , Nicky wouldn ’ t want HR2day to be anywhere else .
She said : “ Everybody wants to help each other and is so friendly and approachable . You never hear of feuds or one HR company fighting another – it doesn ’ t exist . And , of course , the Tees Valley is cheaper than elsewhere , so you can be more competitive .
“ But for me , it will always be about keeping that personal touch . I know every client and I want to keep it that way – the moment you lose that , you ’ d lose what we ’ re about .”
Visit hr2day . co . uk 23