Hands On Human Resources

Virtual HR support for small and medium companies

Virtual HR consulting based in Cape Town, South Africa, is the work of Hands on Human Resources, which serves clients both locally and remotely. Its work is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that need expert HR help without employing a full-time HR manager. The firm says its HR professionals and talent consultants are experienced practitioners. Clients can buy ad hoc advice for a single matter or sign a retained arrangement for ongoing support. Before any work starts, the team talks with each client one to one and then puts a written proposal forward, so the scope fits what the company really needs.

Senior search for specialists and future leaders

The company is clear that it is not a recruitment agency in the usual sense. Its talent acquisition work concentrates on specialists, leaders and future executives, and the aim is to find people who fit both the role and the culture of the employer. That search runs alongside the wider HR advice, so the advisers who have looked at a company's reporting lines and working habits are also the people who help choose who fills a post.

Workstyle alignment for organisations and individuals

A separate strand of the work, which the firm calls workstyle alignment, looks at how work is organised from day to day. For organisations, the aim is clearer roles and steadier working rhythms that people can keep up over time. For individuals, the process is guided and step by step, helping a person recognise the patterns in how they work and what drains or restores them. The firm links this to what it calls Human and Organisational Harmony, the idea that the structures around the work should support people rather than wear them down.

A reflective ebook and practical guides

The Work Your Way ebook helps readers understand the way they work best, and it is sold through Amazon Kindle. The firm also offers downloadable guides and coaching tools for managers and business owners who want to build their people management skills. Its blog covers HR, talent sourcing, workforce planning and labour law compliance, and it draws on what hands-on HR practitioners have learned while working with clients.