The HR Dept Ltd which provides employment advice and support to Small to Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) across the UK and Ireland, has announced that it has launched 10 new UK offices in its present financial year, taking its total to 57.
The HR Dept is now the UK’s largest outsourced HR company and works with thousands of smaller employers – from micro businesses taking on their first member of staff to organisations with several hundred employees.
The Bristol-based family-owned company is also celebrating the next generation entering the business: Gemma Tumelty, daughter of Founder Sue Tumelty and Finance Director Mike Stevenson, joins as Development Director.
Gemma, who has relocated from London to Bristol to be part of The HR Dept, joins the company having worked in several high profile roles in stakeholder management, campaigns and communications within the TUC and Labour Party. Previous to this, she was President of the National Union of students (NUS).
“It’s an exciting time to join The HR Dept, and to play a part in taking the family business forward,” says Gemma. “I’ve watched it go from strength to strength over the last 11 years and now is the right time to come on board in support as its growth and development continues.”
She added, “We are now looking at further expansion and innovation and don’t plan to give away our crown as the market leader in the UK and Ireland anytime soon!”
The company’s rapid growth, says Sue Tumelty, has in part been helped by rising confidence in the economy – especially amongst small to medium size businesses – leading to more start ups and more skilled people being taken on by this sector. Now, she says, they plan to take advantage of further growth in the coming 12 months to continue expanding.
“All the evidence emerging recently has shown the importance of enterprising, innovative small businesses to the national economy and certainly we see that in our clients; these firms are competing on quality, pursuing innovation and investing in their people to attract and retain skilled workers”.
“Our service is designed to help these SME businesses grow,” says Sue, “providing them with the quality of HR support that corporate businesses enjoy from in-house HR specialists, but at a fraction of the cost.”
“There has been a rapid growth in SMEs in the last few years as the economy recovers and behind each of these there will often be an owner or manager tearing their hair out trying to juggle managing staff and keeping up to date with legislation with the needs of the business. That’s where we come in!” explains Sue.
Each of The HR Dept’s 57 offices is owned and managed by experienced HR professionals working in specific territories using The HR Dept brand under licence. In the last 12 months alone the operation has seen three new offices opened in Scotland (Stirling and Clackmannanshire, East and Mid Lothian, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Fife), four in the North (Liverpool North, Wilmslow, York and Leeds South and Castleford) two in the Midlands (Wolverhampton and Solihull) and four in the South East (covering Chichester, Bognor Regis and Arundel; Andover, Winchester and Salisbury; Islington and Farnborough, Aldershot and Farnham).
The company has also helped others to build their own family businesses. Husband and wife team Chris Burgess and Judy Crickmer who run The HR Dept in West Hertfordshire and South Bedfordshire are the company’s longest-serving licensees, whilst father and daughter partnership Jim and Fiona Leaver who run The HR Dept Burnley, Pendle and Hyndburn have been with the business for around a year.
The HR Dept is now planning more growth in the year ahead with more offices to open and new products and services to support its SME clients being introduced.
Ends
The HR Dept: www.hrdept.co.uk Twitter: @thehrdept
For further information, please contact:
Jacqui Southway / Tony Watts Gemma Tumelty
Crackerjac PR Ltd. The HR Dept Ltd.
Tel: 01454 201869 / 07747 804703 0845 180 1120/07980 003154
Date of issue: 11 July 2014
