Backing Bell Ingram's one-person HR team
Kirsty Watson, HR Manager at leading rural business specialists, Bell Ingram, joined the Scottish Enterprise HR Forum two years ago. It's proven critical to her standalone role – find out why.
"In my previous role, I was part of a large HR team - transitioning to a standalone position was a big change.
"The HR forum has been instrumental in keeping me informed, proactive, and updated on best practices and emerging trends."
Practical benefits of HR insights
“The HR Forum's impact on Bell Ingram's HR practices has been substantial. I’ve successfully implemented several initiatives inspired by our group discussions and peer sharing.
These include our:
- People's forum
Following a session on employee groups, we established a People's Forum that has achieved significant results. It's provided a stronger collective voice, making it easier to gain support for initiatives. When I present ideas as coming from the Forum rather than just myself, they tend to carry more weight with the partners.
- Well-being strategy
Our company has incorporated well-being survey questions shared through our People's Forum and is finalising a comprehensive well-being strategy.
- Policy development
Through my HR Forum connections, Bell Ingram has developed new policies including a buying and selling annual leave policy and a comprehensive bereavement policy, which includes guidance on we can support bereaved colleagues."
Employee recognition initiatives
“Forum discussions have also influenced our approach to employee recognition, and we've launched three new programmes:
- Colleague feedback awards, complementing existing client feedback awards
- Enhanced loyalty recognition, now celebrating employee milestones every five years
- Birthday leave and volunteer leave options”
Addressing industry challenges
“The forum has been particularly valuable in helping with our recruitment and retention challenges in rural locations. We've now introduced various strategies to combat these challenges, resulting in the company's lowest staff turnover rate in six years.
"We're a caring company, not a big corporate machine. We've been working hard on delivering initiatives like:
- A 'Life at Bell Ingram' booklet for job applicants
- Establishment of various support networks including carers and menopause forums
- Enhanced focus on team bonding despite geographical spread"
Looking forward
As the company continues to evolve its HR practices, I've identified line manager training as an important priority area, particularly in supporting staff well-being and development.
The HR Forum serves as a valuable resource for sharing best practices and innovative solutions to common challenges. Its blend of formal workshops and informal knowledge sharing is a great networking opportunity for HR professionals like me.
Want to get involved?
If you'd like to learn more about joining the HR Forum, speak to our team.