When I spoke to Carolyne we really were worried about this issue, but she was very pragmatic. There was no panic and no drama. She brought a calming influence to everything.”
HMG Law is a highly respected law firm with a long history and reputation for its integrity and professionalism. For many years, internal HR issues were handled in-house by an employment law solicitor at partner level. But then the company hit a particular problem. It was very sensitive and complicated issue, and the lawyers realised they needed external support to deal with it. Practice Manager Kirsten Phipps-Get takes up the story.
“I can’t go into the details, but it was a particularly difficult issue and it was something we had to make sure we got right first time. It was the kind of thing where you only get one shot, and if we had got it wrong it would’ve had far-reaching consequences.”
So the search was on to find a skilled HR consultancy. Fortunately, Kirsten didn’t have to look too far. A trusted business contact told her she needed to get in touch with Carolyne. She is glad she did.
“Carolyne was a voice of reason in a situation that otherwise we would have found quite difficult to manage in a pragmatic and non-emotional way. And nothing she said caused any angst to the solicitors here, who come at things from a legal angle.”
The original intention was only to use Gap HR for this one problem, but other issues started to crop up. So, the Oxford-based law firm continued to pick up the phone to Carolyne.
“Carolyne and her team have become the “go-to person”. We trust them, and trust is a huge thing. We’re an old firm with a long history and a reputation, and so you want to make sure the decisions you make are the right ones for the business, but also the right ones for the staff.”
Carolyne and the team are currently working on HMG Law’s employment contracts and company handbook. It was felt the time had come to update them because of the firm’s mix of long-serving staff and newer employees. In this, as with the initial reason for contacting Gap HR, Kirsten enjoys the collaborative way of doing things, something she finds hugely beneficial.
“What works so well is that I can be quite open in my questions. Then we work out the best solutions between us. So I’ve got some sort of ownership over the outcome. They’re never imposing things on us. We talk it through, which works for us and seems to work for them from the feedback I’m getting.
“And the fact that we can outsource all of this while we’re all doing our other fee-earning work is also very helpful.”
Kirsten Phipps-Get
Practice Manager
