Southampton HR firm expands into Portsmouth

Significant growth during and since Covid has prompted an ambitious HR practitioner to expand her territory of operation across the Solent area. New Forest-born Deborah Weatherell has launched The HR Dept Solent, having taken on Portsmouth as a new area of operation in addition to Southampton and Fareham.

The new venture starts on the sixth anniversary for the business. It was set up on 1 February 2017 to cover central Southampton, growing into the east of the city and Fareham eight months later.

Providing in bespoke, outsourced HR and recruitment for local SMEs, The HR Dept Solent has grown on average by 30% each year since incorporation. It is forecasting a further 60% growth this year alone. Particular target sectors are the company’s current areas of specialism – legal, care homes and defence engineering. But Deborah said the time was ripe for all smaller businesses to appreciate the benefits that sound human resources advice and support can bring.

“As the legal landscape changes, as employees’ demands develop and our culture continues to shift, HR is becoming more widely regarded as a necessity – an investment worth making to give businesses a competitive edge,” she said.

continuing to serve Southampton and

Fareham.”

The HR Dept Solent currently serves more than 20 businesses on a retained basis, with a similar number looked after on an ad hoc arrangement. To facilitate the company’s growth Mrs Weatherell has taken on local expert Annabel Robbins as her new human resources business partner, as well as Emmy Janaway as administrative support. The team is based out of offices in Whiteley and Totton for two days a week, with the rest of the time spent working remotely at their homes around the new Solent-wide territory.

“An increasingly transactional nature of employment is forcing businesses to change how they find and – crucially – keep their best people. Even small organisations can take steps to become great employers. It will result in higher retention, lower recruitment costs and less loss of expertise from the business. So I’m excited to bring our offering to smaller businesses around Portsmouth, as well

Deborah said: “Hybrid working took some getting used to during the Covid period, but we’re all used to it now and we have got really good at it, not only for client meetings but also as a tool for business development. Even though we’re able t o get around our new territory fairly easily, having internet conference calls as a tool makes life a lot easier for us and our for clients. However, I’ve always felt that face-to-face time with the team was really important, so we can collaborate, have some fun and establish relationships. And it won’t change the fact that the key differentiator of our business is the bespoke element of what we do, working hands-on with our clients, as a business partner. And as a small firm ourselves, we understand their pain points and can help them find solutions. Alongside my two permanent employees I have a part-time freelance consultant available when required. It’s a solid team and I’m expecting significant future growth, with 60% turnover increase expected in the next year alone.”

Deborah added that she expected much of the company’s imminent growth to come from recruitment, which was a particular focus. “We have our own recruitment process which enables us to undercut the majority of agencies,” she said. “Recruitment and HR work hand-in-hand together so it’s key service and one which I think will continue to generate plenty of new business for us.”