HR Fundamentals

"At VEN Systems, three of our team had poor attendance records and two were not achieving the high performance we expect from our engineers. I write this testimonial after having worked with Yvonne Foster, of Lotus HR, over the last nine months which have involved these three members of staff being taken through disciplinary action. The bottom line has been that we have now seen two of these three staff members work much harder to recover their attendance and lateness, with one going on to achieve the best records in the latest review. The third disciplinary unfortunately led to the last member of the trio to leave, but importantly for the team, this was in recognition of his poor performance through the disciplinary procedures Yvonne had taken him through. Our engineers each work on different Microsoft technologies, and must achieve the highest certification within their discipline before working for VEN, so I was a little concerned that Yvonne would struggle to understand the highly technical work they must perform. However, before every disciplinary, Yvonne has researched the situation, and interviewed myself on key points. After every meeting, she has produced very clear minutes, and a strategised set of recommendations for us to discuss and select from. Not only has this saved myself days of work on each disciplinary, the results have always followed the strategy she laid out for us. With Yvonne, I know I have an extremely professional addition to our team, who commands respect from our staff, and is helping to drive performance as well as stabilising the business. I thoroughly recommend her."

Douglas Breaks, Managing Director, Ven Systems

"We are a global staffing company for IT and project solutions and pride ourselves on our integrity and professionalism. We seek to work and associate ourselves with similar integral businesses. With the continued increase of staff headcount and business expansion, we felt that we had a need to have more formalised HR practices and support. We wanted to ensure that our company adopted best practice in relation to HR so that our staff continued to feel valued and appreciated by Gibbs S3. We commissioned Lotus Human Resource to review and update our HR policies and to advise on good practices. Lotus work with key personnel to give expert advice when required. Over the year, Lotus’ expertise has helped us with a variety of people management issues. We have learnt about the correct approach to handling and managing staff capability issues. We ensure our company reputation stays intact by understanding the implications of poor employee relations. They deliver quality service and go the extra mile. We can certainly vouch for the team and their integrity, professionalism and prompt support."

Farida Gibbs, Director, Gibbs S3

"Lotus Human Resource have been our outsourced HR service provider for the past 12 months. We have just renewed our contract with them. They are highly responsive, in most cases resolving queries the same day. They are trustworthy, always dealing with us in an open, honest and transparent manner. I have found our consultants reliable, always delivering on promises. I have no hesitation in commending their services."

Michael Hall, CEO, Thebes IT Solutions

"I have worked with Yvonne Foster on a number of matters, one of which involved separating a particularly challenging employee from a company client. On that matter in particular, I found Yvonne to be a very accomplished HR professional who immediately gained a grasp of the overall situation and the issues which needed to be resolved in order to help move the matter towards a swift and satisfactory conclusion, which was ultimately achieved. Yvonne comes across as somebody who is sensitive to the business needs of her clients and who adopts a commercial approach to help ensure positive outcomes for those clients. Yvonne has the ability to express her thoughts and advice in a clear manner and has an aptitude for getting things done. She also works efficiently making her a pleasure to work with both from a client perspective and also from a lawyer's point of view. I have observed that Yvonne is empathetic towards her client's HR issues which makes the people for whom she works naturally well disposed towards her. I would not hesitate to recommend Yvonne to prospective business owners and managers as someone who is not only expert in her chosen HR field but also someone who is personable and easy to get along with."

Lee Gabbie, Partner, Bracher Rawlins LLP

"Lotus HR helped us to navigate safely through a very time consuming and challenging situation. As a small company we do not have our own full time HR and it was fantastic to receive such clear and objective advice."

Oliver Osmund, Director, Phoenix Training and Development

"Over the last decade Lotus Human Resource Consultancy has produced exemplary reports and undertaken a number of trainings which have been favourably received by our clients. Principal consultant, Yvonne Foster is able to combine two important consultancy attributes: a keen, research-based mind and a highly professional approach to delivery. "

Prof Chris Mullard, CBE DL Hon LLD, CEO, Focus Consultancy Ltd

"We were seeking help to draft an employee handbook and Lotus were the only company who gave us a comprehensive proposal based on what was suitable for our company and why.This extra effort and attention to detail is why Lotus Human Resource is now our outsourced HR provider. They have helped us with new employee contracts, sickness absence management and drafting policies. They provide us with friendly and expert advice and we continue to be grateful for their support."

Barney Dorman, Director, The Cast Iron Fireplace Company

"The consultant from Lotus HR, Yvonne Foster, carefully listened to our concerns, understood our problem and devised a plan of action. Her depth of knowledge combined with her professionalism inspired a deep sense of trust. The Lotus team delivered consistently excellent service and were always ready to take my calls and reassure me when I felt very anxious about issues. They provide to be worth every penny, steering us through a very complex problem."

Debbie Gilbert, Director, Silvermere Haven