​ ​	Introducing our new Community Partner David Mellard, Tooting resident and Director of Bedrock Human Resources. He’ll be writing regular blogs on everything HR and employment-related over the coming months. Welcome to Tooting Daily PRSS David!

I started Bedrock HR in 2014, following over twenty years experience in HR management. I live in Furzedown with my family, and we love the vibrant, diverse community here in Tooting. I’m now happy to provide Human Resources services to Tooting and beyond!

Myself and my colleague Rosie have many start-ups and SMEs amongst our clients and really enjoy getting to know business owners and their teams. As a result, we've been thinking about what businesses at any age and stage can learn from their younger cousins. These are some thoughts which we hope you find useful.

Consider different employment types
Zero-hours contracts can come with a bad reputation, but in some cases they can really help fill a gap in your team, particularly with professionals looking for flexible employment, or local parents with young children who need a few hours a week. Timewise is one example of a marketplace matching businesses seeking part-time talent, or try local Facebook groups or Gumtree for local resources.

Grow with direction and purpose
Don’t fall into the trap of hiring just when things are busy and your team seems too small to cope. Make sure each new-hire fits with your longer-term strategy, your team shape and skills that you already have. Also, consider the paths for promotion for the people you already employ – what future do they have in your company?

Demand flexibility but give people some boundaries
People need to be flexible in their roles, but clarity on their responsibility is still important. As a minimum, make sure each employee has 5 key responsibilities, a long-term goal, a short-term goal and clarity on what they deliver themselves and how they deliver through others.

Be innovative with your support functions
When you’re small, you don’t need in-house HR, IT or accountants, and there are lots of people offering outsourced professional solutions to save you money. But you’ll also be surprised by the other favours you might be able to pull in from your networks, like PR, marketing or events management. Local business networking groups like BNI, Athena and Business Biscotti are a great place to start.

Have an ideas culture, but also know when to make decisions
One of our clients gets this just right. They have an open-dialogue in workshops that involve the whole team, but at other times they’re clear that some decisions are made just by the senior leadership. Your team will thank you when they’re not asked for an opinion on everything!

Don’t neglect development
It’s tempting in start-ups to run as fast as you can for as long as you can. But to be sustainable, you have to stop and give energy to training and team-work. And this isn’t just for junior staff – CEO’s need development too. Consider using a coach or mentor if you’re a CEO, and find someone who you trust to challenge and support you when you’re feeling frazzled. 

Bedrock HR Ltd works with businesses at all stages, typically with between 5-50 employees to provide a cost-effect outsourced HR solution. Talk to us if you’ve got any questions, we’d love to hear from you. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Call me on 07887 800 215 or email david@bedrockhr.co.uk. During June, I have set aside time to meet in the Tooting area (free of charge) for 20 minutes and have a coffee.