STRATTON Case Study
Company: The SLC Group
Solution Type: Strategic HR review
Unite and Conquer
As SLC acquired more businesses, they asked Stratton to help them unify their operations and people strategies - without losing regional impact.
The business
Based in Northwest England, the SLC Group provides high-quality support for individuals with learning disabilities or mental health problems. Made up of three separate business entities, each operating under their own brand and in their specific regions, the SLC Group currently provides care for over 300 adults.
The challenges
After a number of acquisitions, the SLC Group realised they urgently needed to redefine their people management strategy. They were also keen to:
- Adopt a ‘one-business' approach without losing the brand impact of each regional entity
- Further centralise the support functions of the Group to drive efficiency and consistency across the operation
- Put the appropriate HR infrastructure in place to set expectations around performance - and thus deliver on its business plan
The solutions
We conducted a comprehensive review of SLC's operation to fully understand their:
- Organisational structure
- Departmental issues
- Culture
- Leadership and management
- Employer brand and employee engagement
- Recruitment and retention strategies
- HR operations
- Performance management and appraisal processes
- Training and development strategies
The method
Once we developed a thorough understanding of SLC's whole business operation, we evaluated their culture and organisational structure in the context of their business objectives by conducting:
- Confidential, one-to-one interviews with all members of the management team
- Confidential, one-to-one interviews with key individuals within the business
- Group workshops with a cross-section of staff to establish the nature of the psychological contract, employee motivation and commitment
- Reviews and critiques of all relevant HR materials
When we provided feedback on our findings, we recommended an appropriate HR strategy and action plan for implementation over a 6-month period.
The results
We are currently acting on a number of our recommendations for SLC, including
- Devising clear role and person specifications
- Defining a competency-based performance management framework
- Revolutionising the recruitment process
In addition, we have successfully sourced an HR Director on an interim basis to drive organisational change internally. At senior management level, SLC's HR Director champions Stratton's recommendations and makes sure they are put into practice.