Liberty
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Sage HR Advice Case Study
Established in 1875, Liberty has long been a fashion leader –
fusing fashion and the decorative arts like no other. The Liberty
store in London’s Regent Street is an emporium where great
designers have a unique showcase or their talents, delivering the
best in contemporary design.
The company employs 340 staff, 120 in Head Office and 220 in
Retail. HR Adviser Natasha Pittman is responsible for Head Office
employees, working closely with her opposite number in Retail,
Sarah Leavett. Here Natasha explains how Sage HR Advice complements
her management role. “Even for experienced HR managers, the area
has become so complex that there are times when you need additional
support,” she says. “We do have employment lawyers, but their time
is expensive, so we use them only when we have to rather than for
everyday queries. What we needed was a reliable, readily-accessible
resource to fill the gap. That’s where Sage HR Advice came in.”
The telephone advice-line, which Natasha uses on average about
once a week, has already proved its worth: “I’ve been incredibly
impressed by the advice-line team. They’re unbelievably
professional,” she says. “They have a high level of knowledge,
they’re very swift and efficient and there’s good follow-up after a
call.” She likes the fact that although she has one main point of
contact, the advice-line is backed up by a team of professionals
whose experience can be drawn upon when needed: “Even if
an adviser can’t give a definitive answer on the spot, they’ll
always come back to me after consulting with colleagues. I find
that reassuring.” Natasha says that as much as anything, the
service provides a sounding board for problematic issues: “Each
situation in
HR is so different, according to individual personalities and
circumstances,” she points out. “So you can’t expect to have a
blanket solution that will fit every time. It’s good to be able to
run my ideas past one of the Sage HR advisers before I make a final
decision.”
Natasha also makes full use of the webbased elements of Sage HR
Advice: “Everything on the website is really clear and easy to
follow,” she says. “The document templates are brilliant and the
flow charts are an easy way to check you’ve followed the key points
in a process.” Visits to the website are often in response to one
of the Sage HR email alerts, another facet of the service that
Natasha finds useful: “The alerts flag up all sorts of interesting
HR developments,” she notes. “For example a recent email prompted
us to look at re-vamping our staff handbook. You also get alerts
reminding you of legislative changes. It’s a more efficient way of
keeping up to date with legislation than sifting through pages of
official information.” The bottom line, concludes Natasha, is that
she has complete confidence in the service: “I totally trust the
advice I’m given. What’s more, it’s practical and to the point
rather than just preaching bestpractice. Overall, I find it
invaluable.”
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Email snowdropkcs@sage.com