how we help…

Larger Businesses

Enabling a more inclusive, productive and engaged culture

A larger organisation comes with its own unique set of problems. No longer dealing with the workforce on a personal level, staff relationships may be side-lined, the company vision can become lost, and productivity suffers as a result.

We can help you to turn this around with new systems for communication and engagement with all your staff and stakeholders, and more confident and capable leadership and people management.

You might need help with…

Employees not engaged with your organisation’s success and motivated to perform

Workforces today want a very different working culture to what has gone before, or to how your business may have traditionally operated. Modern employees thrive under a more collaborative culture and can be turned off by rigid systems and information silos. We can help you design job roles and internal practices to connect your people with your organisation’s ambition and purpose. After all, having a sense of purpose encourages people to work hard to accomplish it.

Managers not able to manage people effectively

Line managers who can mentor and inspire are more important than ever, and critical to your bottom line. But not all managers are created equal – some might be world-class engineers and highly proficient technically, but are they actually good at managing people and suited to leadership positions? We can help to restructure your team, and give managers the resources and confidence to become great at managing people. With Gen Y growing up in a world of instant gratification, the days of the annual appraisal are disappearing. We can help you to consider how you can better evaluate, motivate, recognise and reward your employees.

Structures not fit for purpose

A company that has grown and established itself nationally or internationally over a period of many years may still be operating under legacy management systems or corporate structures that were created to suit the original business, but may not be appropriate for a large, modern organisation. Out-dated practices can turn off your workforce as well as having legal and commercial ramifications. We can help to rationalise your corporate structures for maximum efficiency and compliance.

Pay gaps

Equal pay for work of equal value is a legal requirement (and a costly one to breach), but with the increased public awareness and potential visibility of an organisation’s gender pay gap, there is an internal and external motivator for addressing this. There is also a growing push to publish and address racial pay gaps in the same way. We can work with you to identify areas for action and strategies for closing gaps that may prove costly and damaging to your performance and reputation if ignored.

Giving your employees a voice

While it may be a myth that all employees want to be heard, it is true that most want the opportunity to provide input. We have had experience in successfully developing and embedding modern, effective tools for engaging with teams and giving them a voice in various organisations to great effect. After all, asking questions is less about being disruptive and resistant, and more about exploring solutions and being invested in the success of your business.

Helping you walk the walk

Research has shown that honesty and authenticity are often cited as the most important quality for being a good leader. With our years of experience in multiple organisations, coaching skills and inbuilt integrity, we can help where there is a disconnect between talking the talk and walking the walk. We work with senior teams or individual leaders to help develop strategies around their communication and actions, so what they say matches what they do.

Strategic people projects support positive change

Whether implementing an employee voice programme, creating a survey and assessing feedback, supporting a change programme or assisting an internal HR team, our interventions will ensure you are properly placed to make your business more efficient, productive and profitable through creating a culture to succeed.

We have been brought in on:

Mergers and acquisitions

These can be times where staff might see changes to their roles, priorities and working culture while two different companies work to align together. Sometimes pay and conditions also need to be harmonised. Communication and leadership are key to maintaining engagement and morale during a transition to ensure the new culture and purpose are promoted, and all staff feel they have a stake in the business’s success.

Changes of direction and philosophy

When the landscape in your sector has changed, working practices from years gone by are no longer relevant and your service users might now expect a different approach. You may need to pivot your offerings, change the shape of your organisation and develop new staff roles to adapt to new demands and a new way or doing things. We can partner you in developing and implementing the changes that are needed as you evolve.

Reviews of working methods and structure

Middle management is where the magic (and many of the issues) can happen in any company. We can study how your managers communicate, work with their teams and handle conflicts or high pressure situations, and then help them to develop their leadership and mentoring skills so you get the best out of your workforce. Obtaining further feedback after development work can reveal priceless insights into how your business can be optimised and improved.

HR team coaching and mentoring

Heptagon HR is adept at working with your internal HR team as an experienced consultant, mentor, coach or additional expert resource. We can share a wealth of HR experience gained from our impressive track record of successfully building capability and confidence within in-house teams through specialist coaching and delivery. Ensure your people management, resourcing, communication and information processes promote a dynamic, inclusive culture within your business.

Accountability and reporting

Corporate governance regulations require by law a greater level of reporting into many aspects of your people agenda, leadership, effectiveness, remuneration and accountability. Is your gender pay gap embarrassing? We can help with unconscious bias training solutions for your teams and developing workforce initiatives to improve outcomes for underrepresented groups of staff. Some shortcomings may have been accepted up until now, but you may no longer feel comfortable when they are publically available.

Company culture change

Ensuring employees are engaged with your organisation often means updating how you work, offering flexible approaches and providing a clear line of sight between your workforce and your corporate purpose and objectives. We have experience modernising practices in areas such as flexible working, neurodiversity and connecting teams with your strategic narrative, for happier, engaged staff.

This is not an exhaustive list. For advice on how we can tailor our service to help your business to succeed, email or call us today.

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“We were looking to work with an HR consultancy which could provide both insightful strategic HR vision and practical hands on, operational support; Jo from Heptagon HR has been invaluable in delivering both.

Jo has helped us in clarifying what we want to do and making excellent recommendations on the best way to do it. She helped us take a step back and take a strategic look at what we wanted to achieve. She is a very effective listener, able to follow different strands of thinking and plans from multiple stakeholders and voices, and pull them together in clear written documents, reports and presentations.

Once the strategy or plan had been agreed, Jo provided wise counsel on the best set of action steps and plans to implement initiatives, helping us course correct along the way as appropriate. She is action orientated and makes things happen and come together with ease and grace, always delivering as agreed.

We have an experienced in-house HR team and Jo’s approach was respectful of internal roles, taking direction and feedback from the team while working independently to deliver consultancy projects.

She has a great depth of expertise and know-how to draw on to help her clients, she offers advice from her own bank of experience and is able to offer tried and trusted do’s and don’ts. She is also a great research resource, knowledgeable about current and future trends and practices.

In summary, Jo makes things better, makes things work and makes things happen.“

Sally Coleman

HR Manager, Bloomsbury Publishing plc

Did you know?

According to a study by McKinsey, organisations with greater race and gender diversity on their boards out-perform less-diverse competitors by up to 30%, and are less likely to be involved with scandals and cover-ups.