From Compliance to Commercial Partnership at HVDS

“I initially needed People Puzzles to keep the business compliant and give reassurance that HR was in hand. What we have with Rachel’s support is so much more – a great sounding board and strong commercial acumen to help set us up for growth.” Mark Stevens, Managing Director, HVDS

The end result

What began as a compliance-focused appointment has developed into a long-term strategic partnership, helping HVDS move beyond reactive HR support and build the organisational capability needed for its ambitions. The business now has:

• Employment contracts and documentation comprehensively redesigned, reducing legal risk while better supporting operational requirements
• Clear performance management, objective-setting and pay frameworks that support fairness, accountability and development
• Stronger leadership capability through key senior appointments and clearer management accountability
• Payroll processing time cut from several days to less than half a day, while avoiding unnecessary software costs
• Strategic support on organisational design, workforce planning and operational restructuring, preparing the business for future growth
• A trusted ongoing partnership with the MD and management team, providing commercial advice and practical support across people, organisational and business challenges

About HVDS

HVDS is a specialist provider of clean air, filtration, dust extraction and ventilation services, supporting over 100 leading food manufacturers across the UK and Ireland. As the business continued to grow, Managing Director Mark Stevens wanted confidence that the company remained legally compliant and that its people practices were fit for purpose, and brough in fractional People Director Rachel Humphreys from People Puzzles.

The challenge

As HVDS expanded, informal ways of working were becoming harder to sustain. While strengthening compliance was the immediate priority, the management team also recognised the need for clearer structures, stronger management practices and a more scalable approach to supporting continued growth.

The journey so far

Working as HVDS’s Fractional People Director, Rachel became a trusted extension of the management team, combining strategic thinking with practical delivery across organisational design, leadership, employee relations and operational improvement.

1. Establishing compliance and firm foundations

The initial focus was to strengthen employment compliance through updated contracts, policies and people processes, while providing the leadership team with specialist support on complex employee relations matters, organisational change and employment risk.

2. Building consistency and accountability

With these foundations in place, support evolved to include clearer role structures, performance management, annual objectives, pay frameworks and senior recruitment, helping build greater consistency and accountability across the business.

3. Designing for growth

More recently, the focus has shifted towards organisational design and operational effectiveness, including redesigning management structures, workforce planning and resource planning to ensure the organisation is aligned to future customer demand.

Looking ahead

As HVDS continues to grow, the focus has shifted from establishing strong people foundations to building an organisation capable of scaling sustainably.

Current priorities include strengthening resource planning, improving workforce data and performance insight, developing management capability and ensuring organisational structures continue to evolve alongside customer demand.

Rachel’s view

“Working with HVDS has been incredibly rewarding because the business is always looking for ways to improve. My role has evolved from providing reassurance on compliance to helping shape how the organisation grows, develops and prepares for the future. That’s exactly what a successful Fractional People Director partnership should strive for.” — Rachel Humphreys, Fractional People Director, People Puzzles