Rob's first interim assignment with CG Interim Search was at Staffordshire Housing Group (SHG).  He had just completed a consultancy project in a property business – and, when we discussed this new interim opportunity, he was not familiar with CG.

 

Our earlier work at SHG had been a collaborative project with the executive team to review the performance of HR.  The joint conclusion of that work was that it needed stronger leadership and a more strategic overview.  A fresh approach was required – applying disruptive HR practices and working more closely with people.  Numerous staff changes and a lack of continuity were affecting some key projects.  We recommended that an Interim Manager would get things back on track, improve performance and kick start a wider initiative to change the culture.  There was a desire to ‘reposition’ HR from a traditional ‘back-office’ service to one with a more proactive engagement with the business.  Rob, who had a wealth of relevant experience was an obvious candidate.

 

The Interim Head of HR post was authorised initially for six months.  The diagnostic work of the prior consultancy assignment had highlighted key priorities and challenges – saving valuable time and enabling Rob to hit the ground running.  As a senior HR executive, he had the ‘know how’ to implement new strategies, change the focus of the team and improve results. Early projects included an HR self-service facility and launching two new platforms for on-boarding and reward.  It created a more effective ‘settling in’ period to support new starters, which is a much less threatening process than a more traditional ‘probation’.  Additionally, he took responsibility for a wider review of policies and procedures, making them engaging and aligned with the SHG ethos.  The excellent progress made by the reinvigorated HR team under Rob’s direction presented the opportunity for a full review of reward and benefits.  This was a key element of SHG’s commitment to the Group’s employee value proposition.

 

Rob's background and skills were an excellent match for this interim position, and he made an outstanding contribution to the business.  He engaged the leadership team, implemented key changes and ensured that outstanding projects were prioritised and completed to deadline.  A measure of his success was that the initial assignment was extended for six months, and after that Rob was working with SHG on a consultancy basis.