October’s meeting was sponsored by Opal HR Ltd in conjunction with BrightHR, who provide HR systems to SMEs around the country. (Totally coincidental that October’s birthstone happens to be opal!)

Lucy Painter, owner and director of Opal HR provided an overview of services to the members as well as presenting key benefits for using HR systems. The top 5 benefits were listed as:

• Effective decision making – holding data in a logical and reportable way means it can be interrogated to support business decision-making on key focus areas. For example, sickness absence might need to be addressed if absence is reported regularly on a Friday.
• Improved productivity – manual recordkeeping is a very time consuming task. Use of systems, particularly with self-service functionality, frees up time which can be used for activities with higher value.
• Clear return on investment – labour costs are reduced for menial processes and functions when an appropriate system is used. For example, automatic tracking of holiday calculations is far more cost-effective than a manual record.
• Supports business management efficiencies – HR data can easily be integrated with other business systems such as accounting packages, payroll systems or other reporting systems. Creating a full picture of business data aids reporting and analysis for managing business requirements.
• And finally improved security – systems reduce the need for paper files and therefore reduce the related security risks associated with paperwork. Added to that, they reduce the need for physical filing space which could be used more effectively for the business

Lucy is a BrightHR Partner, and provides access (and discounted rates) to the BrightHR system. The system is extremely well positioned for small and medium sized businesses, offering a simple and intuitive solution to managing employee data. Its self-service functionality (also available as an App) means it’s flexible and accessible to employees.

The reporting functionality aids businesses to spot potential issues, such as sickness patterns, plus the document storage facility enables secure and space-saving capacity for employee records, all for as little as £1.90 per month per employee. Try it and see – Lucy can set you up on a free 30 day trial.
Opal HR specialises in three specific areas; HR Systems and Processes is obviously one. The remaining two are Employee Reward and Recruitment.

Opal HR supports its clients in ensuring employees are motivated by the pay and benefits they receive, as well as securing good value for the business from their investment in Employee Reward. Finally Opal HR advises clients on their recruitment strategy – key skill requirements, relevant selection techniques and a marketing focus on selling vacancies to top talent.

Lucy lives locally to Newark and generally operates in the Newark / Grantham / Lincoln region. Contact her directly if you are interested in the services offered by Opal HR, including the deal for BrightHR: lucy.painter@opalhr.co.uk
 

DO MORE WITH YOUR LIFE

Members from Newark Roundtable gave a lively presentation on the merits of joining Round Table highlighting the many social and charitable events they organise.

Founded in 1927, Round Table is about having fun with a great bunch of friends and supporting local communities. Round Table clubs raise over £3.3 million a year for local charities and good causes through various events including bonfire nights, beer festivals and Santa Sleigh collections.


Scott Bower, this year's chairman of the chamber said if members were under 45 and wanted to make new friends and engage in new activities and help the community, they should consider joining the "Table".

He said that events organised included speed boating on the River Trent and the Santa Sledge fundraiser.

So if you want to make your weeknights better than your weekend text 'Join' and your name to 07961 681501