Looking for an Interim HR Director?

You’ve got a gap in the HR Director role, or you need some senior HR capability. History says you need an interim. We believe there is a better way to outsource your HR services, with access to the very best HR talent and expertise, for a fraction of the cost.

We believe there is a better way to outsource your HR Services  

At People Puzzles we provide part-time, strategic, short and long-term People Directors who are hand-picked to hit the ground running. You may also have heard them referred to as fractional HR Directors. Chosen for their commercial acumen, people expertise and business focus, they take the time to understand the big picture, then quickly get started on solving problems and moving your organisation forward. 

The beauty of People Puzzles is that you aren’t just getting a lone practitioner. You’re getting one expert, chosen for background, fit, skills, and personality, reinforced by our wider team resource and the collective experience of our extensive network of people experts.

What’s more, a fractional HR Director gets to work from day one for maximum impact, saving you time and additional investment in traditional onboarding processes. Our People Directors have earned a trusted reputation for getting to work fast and delivering measurable impact right from the start.

Before you write this off as simply marketing noise, consider:

Is a career interim HR Director REALLY best for your business?

Career interims specialise in moving around from one project to the next. On some occasions they are involved in a whole project, end to end. In other cases, they do a slice of the work, but are often not there long enough to measure, or oversee – the long-term impact of that work.

They are not really incentivised to deliver your long-term growth, profit, or cost savings. They typically earn a day rate for a project, regardless of the success or failure of that project. Additionally, you are reliant on a single person, rather than having a more comprehensive framework and proven methodology to help your businesses succeed.

How could a part-time HR Director deliver better value for your business? 

As a strategic HR Consultancy, we specialise in providing People Directors with a particular talent for aligning your people with your business strategy and planning. Often, our clients are so busy with the day-to-day operation of the business, they simply lack the bandwidth to focus on longer-term strategic people planning. Addressing major concerns like recruitment, retention, multi-generational workforce, ESG, Diversity & Inclusivity, succession planning and culture, to name but a few, is complex but critical for every business.

Our People Directors are selected from the top 1% of senior HR experts across the UK, and all have elected to work with a portfolio of clients, rather than full time with one employer, to most effectively share their considerable experience.  Working anything from a couple of days per month, up to three or four days per week with our clients, they ensure that each client gets exactly what they need, without paying for time they don’t want, or can’t afford.

We love getting stuck in with the leadership team to help develop the future plan and then build an aligned People Strategy. Equally, we love getting our sleeves rolled up to deliver a change programme to get you through a business challenge.  

 Adrian Bates joined People Puzzles in 2022 after several years as an interim HR Director as he was attracted to our forward-thinking way of working and longer-term client partnerships. One of the key differences from being an interim is working on more than just the short term. As Adrian says, “I am passionate about helping companies scale, in the medium to long term, not just the short term, as is often the case on an interim assignment. I want to go on the journey with the client.”

The People Puzzles model

The People Puzzles model enables Adrian to use his strategic planning skills and experience, which are not often required on an interim people assignment.  

Adrian adds, “I joined People Puzzles because I want to work with businesses, as an integral member of the leadership team, helping the business achieve its long-term strategic objectives. I want to be part of the success and feel I have made a real impact to that business. When I first engage with a client, I know I can hit the ground running and make an immediate difference, quickly assessing a company’s problems and issues and putting into place immediate solutions that have an impact.” 

One of the other differences that Adrian highlights on an interim capacity is the complexity of organisational politics. As a part-time HR Director working within a client in the longer term, he gets the opportunity to shape culture and introduce better communication and ways of working to get to the heart of a business’ people problems. “I prefer to keep things simple,” he says, “I just want to design and implement solutions to organisational and people issues. That gives me a real buzz.” 

The People Puzzles model also enables our part-time HR Directors to utilise their best-in-class business and people experience, supplemented by our team of over 85 People Directors. As Adrian says, “What I don’t know, I can call upon the help and advice from my colleagues because collectively we have more than likely faced every conceivable business and people challenge.” It’s that powerful collective of experience and resource that sits behind every individual People Director, giving your business a huge competitive advantage, for a fraction of the cost of a full time director.

Find out how we can help

If you have been considering an interim HR Director, it’s worth setting up a no-pressure, exploratory conversation with your local Regional Director to see whether a part-time or fractional HR Director could be a better option for your business.  You can also check out the team bios here. With people pressures at the root of many organisational challenges in today’s business world, you need to be confident you have the best possible toolkit at your disposal.

Why not take 5 minutes to complete our free HR Healthcheck? In return, we’ll send you a detailed report which helps you to gauge your current people strategy and identify where you might benefit from some expert support.

You can also call 020 3633 6830 or email [email protected] for a no pressure chat to see if we might be a good fit for your needs.

 

 

 

Adrian Bates, Portfolio People Director