The client was an established SaaS business, with a loyal customer base, recent investment, and ambitions to expand. With no dedicated HR resource, however, growth had come at a pace the HR function couldn't match. Policies were outdated, the HRIS was underutilised and there were some structural people issues creating friction the leadership team could feel but were unsure how to address.
The leadership team wanted an honest picture of where they stood: what the risks were, what was working, and what needed to change.
No dedicated HR function. Managers navigating complex people situations without qualified support or documented processes.
Outdated policies and missing key documentation.
Subscribed to an HRIS platform but critical data gaps and core features unused.
No objective setting, appraisal cycle, or capability process with inconsistent and unclear annual pay reviews.
A cultural gap between the multiple locations, with staff in one feeling less visible and less supported.
Genuine strengths in onboarding but uneven delivery across departments and no standardised framework.
The engagement comprised two parallel workstreams, designed to give leadership both a documentary baseline and an honest picture of the lived employee experience, before any recommendations were made.
Full audit of all HR policies, employment contract, company handbook, and the HRIS, assessing compliance, completeness, legislative completeness, and actual utilisation against capability.
Qualitative interviews across all levels and both office locations, from C-suite to individual contributors, to surface the real employee experience and understand strengths, pain points and cultural dynamics from the inside.
Many HR engagements start with solutions. This one started with listening. The combination of documentation audit and structured interviews meant every recommendation could be grounded in both legal reality and lived experience, not assumptions about what a business of this size and type usually needs.
The leadership team were presented with both the compliance picture and the unfiltered voice of their people, making the prioritisation conversation straightforward.
The review surfaced findings across six interconnected areas, some of which were anticipated.
The findings were translated into a structured, workable programme, with each workstream directly evidenced by the review. The two highest-risk workstreams were recommended for immediate commencement.
Produce missing legally required documents; update all policies to current legislation; establish minimum HRIS usage standards and manager training. Highest priority.
Company-wide objective setting, formalised one-to-ones, appraisal cycle, capability procedure, and a reformed pay review process. Highest priority.
HR playbooks for key processes, targeted workshops, and clear decision-making boundaries to reduce C-suite involvement in day-to-day people matters.
Standardise the onboarding experience across both offices, including pre-arrival communications, 30/60/90 day plans, buddy system, and formal probation milestones.
A hybrid working policy, structured cross-office contact, career progression framework, and benefits review, protecting the culture that makes the business a place people are proud to work.
In four weeks, the business moved from partial visibility, knowing that people issues existed but without a clear picture of their severity or source, to a structured, evidenced set of priorities with a clear programme of work to address them.
Reviewed and assessed for compliance
Across all levels and offices
Scoped, costed, and prioritised
Specific prioritised recommendations across 5 workstreams
The leadership team received a written report covering all findings, and a fully scoped Phase 2 proposal setting out exactly what needed to happen, in what order, and at what cost. The most important outcome: a clear, shared understanding across the leadership team of where the business stood and what it needed to do next.
This engagement is designed for growing businesses at a specific inflection point, where the team has scaled, but the HR infrastructure hasn't kept pace, and the leadership team suspects there are risks they can't fully see.
You don't have an in-house HR lead and people issues are landing with the CEO, COO, or line managers without qualified support.
The business has grown significantly in the last two to three years and you know the people infrastructure hasn't kept up.
There are cultural or performance issues you can sense but can't fully diagnose and you want an honest, external picture before acting.
Investment secured, expansion planned, or headcount set to grow and you want HR foundations that can support that growth without creating new risk.
Every engagement starts with an honest picture of where you are now. If any of this sounds familiar, let's talk.
gaskindoddl@gmail.com | 07740 720364 | LGD HR Solutions
A discovery review that surfaced compliance risk, an underutilised HRIS, and a people experience that was struggling to keep pace with business growth.