Following out successful launch event on 30th September 2020, we have gathered all the questions raised on the night that we didn’t get time to cover and have put these together in the following Q&A…

MEMBERSHIP

What templates are available in the Template Library?
HRi in conjunction with our partners has built and will be continuing to develop the template library which will have a mixture of commercial documents, designed to assist our members to run their businesses and also HR and People professional related documents and tools designed to help members deliver their services to clients.

Can you explain how the sickness cover works?
If you use our on-demand holiday and sickness cover you will be able to pre-purchase credits for any client issues you’d like us to deal with. We are flexible and can offer levels of support to suit the needs of you and your clients. Or we can find a suitable qualified and experienced HR & People consultant to cover your needs and specialism. If you register for our holiday and sickness cover for your retained clients, we will respond to queries from your clients via our AskHRi helpdesk. We can also put your clients in touch with an employment lawyer if they need an expert legal opinion, within the cover you have obtained.

If I use the helpdesk, what reassurance can you give me that my data is safe?
Our systems are GDPR compliant and our trusted AskHRi response team are vetted, trained and work to the highest standards. Our systems and processes have been designed to ensure that your data will be safe and secure.

Who is on the HRi Helpdesk team?
Our AskHRi helpdesk team is run by competent experienced HR and People professionals who will either respond or refer to your query. Freeths LLP provide legal support and Mazars LLP are our accountancy partners. We are also building a bank of experts to cover all bases.

How will the HRi Incubator hub work?
We have created this to support innovation. We know that SME’s are also very open to new ways of doing things. The hub works by a member completing a form with an idea they want to work up. We then find others that are interested and bring in experts to support the process.

How do you intent to promote HRi accredited platinum members to business?
We have a specific area of the website dedicated to how HRi can support businesses and within this area we will be directing businesses to the HRi directory, as well as offering brokering services where HRi can provide a matching service between businesses and consultants. We will also spotlight members from time to time through our newsletters and guest blog opportunities.

What happens if I apply to go on the site but don’t meet the standards?
We will work with you to determine the areas you need to develop further in order to meet the required standards and work with you and support you to achieve the standards. You can still join us as a Gold member whilst working towards Platinum membership.

Do you recommend that we are CIPD members as well?
Yes we encourage active membership of the CIPD but we also understand that there are some exceptional HR & People professionals who may never have done the CIPD qualification or whose membership may have lapsed.

Will members have CPD targets and will you monitor this?
Yes. Platinum members will be expected to achieve a minimum of 60 CPD credits a year. We recognise that Indies undertake various activities which help in their professional development and have built these into our recognised activities for earning CPD points. We have partnered with Actus to provide our members with access to their award winning system for logging and keeping track of their CPD.

How do you intend to get to know me as a member?
All our platinum members will have an annual review with someone from the HRi team. This is not an appraisal! It’s builds on the knowledge we gain when we sign you up and any personal or business goals you set yourself and log into our system.

Is there a community chat group or forum?
We have a private member only Facebook Group for our members. We have listened to our community and found that a private Facebook group works best for group discussions

What are you doing for L&D professionals?
We are not just about HR generalists. Far from it! Our membership is for all HR and People Professionals. We will provide our L&D members, and members across all specialisms with the resources and tools they need to grow their practices. Our incubator hub will give our L&D membersopportunities to contribute to thought leadership and white papers, helping them to raise their profiles. Platinum L&D members will be listed in and promoted through our HRi directory where businesses can search by HR and People specialism.

Is HRi just for HR generalists?
HRi is for all independent HR and People consultant, across all specialisms. Membership provides all our members with the tools, resources and support needed to grow and develop their practice profitably. Whilst a lot of this support will be applicable across all specialism, such as ensuring you are running your business in a professional manner, there will also be specific support provided by specialism. The HRi directory will list all of our Platinum members and businesses will be able to search by specialism.

PRICING

Is the early bird price for one month or the life of your membership?
If you sign up by end of October it lasts for the first year or membership.

How long does the early bird offer last for?
The early bird offer runs from 1st -31st October 2020 for reduced Platinum and Gold membership. The early bird offer providing the first month free is valid from 1st – 14th October 2020.

Is it a 12 month agreement?
Yes it is.

Can you pay monthly and is there a notice period??
Our membership is an annual subscription but you can pay monthly. You will need to give us 30 days notice in advance of your annual renewal date if you wish to cancel your membership.

SHOP

Can I just sell my services in the shop and not be a member?
Whilst anyone can apply to sell their services in the HRi shop, members receive a preferential commission rate for doing so with members only paying 10% versus non-members paying 20% commission. Anyone wanting to sell services in the shop would need to share details of their product or service and we would then assess these in terms of whether it fits within one of our curated collections. It’s all about having services and products that are of a high quality with a strong positioning.

What is the difference between a member, seller in the shop, expert and assessor?
A member has a paid HRi membership subscription. We promote our accredited platinum members through the HRi directory. Anyone can sell in the shop (if we approve their product) but (Gold and Platinum or silver as well?)members & approved experts pay 10% commission and non members pay 20%. The shop is not a work around to membership. We need tight products and prices. An expert may be an HR or People professional but they are more likely to be non HR and is someone that works with us to run events etc to upskill our members. An assessor, assesses applications for platinum membership.

Where did the lovely mug come from?
From the HRi shop! We love our mug of Inspiration. The mug has an inspirational word (up to six letters) stamped in it. You can choose your own inspirational word or select from the list we have put together. They are available in blue, blush pink, sage green, lilac (not pictured yet) and turquoise. Take a look at them here. There are many more products to come in the HRi shop so make sure you keep checking in to see what catches your eye..

HRi EVENTS

What events have you got planned and how do I sign up to attend one?
We have a variety of events planned for the year. There will be a mixture of webinars and training events. These include employment and commercial law events, marketing and business development training, social media training, monthly partner webinars and many more. Our events plan is continuously evolving and aimed to support an inspire HR and People professionals across all specialisms. You can sign up via our website and our Eventbrite page.

Are the events open to everyone?
There will be a combination of free and and paid events on offer. Members will have access to these at a discounted rate. In addition, there will be a monthly member event included in the cost of membership.

POSITIONING OF HRi

What does the CIPD do that HRi doesn’t do?
We have made it a priority from the get go to keep CIPD closely informed. They will continue to do many things that benefit the whole HR community including research and publishing reports. They have also negotiated a great insurance deal for members. We are in constant contact about what we can work together on to benefit our members.

IS HRi the ‘HR’ version of IPSE?
No. Whilst IPSE has a comprehensive offering, it offers a broad membership to independent professionals and the self employed across all sectors and professions. At HRi, we have developed a specific and tailored offering that focuses purely on the needs of independent HR and People professionals. Everything we offer has been developed and created to support and enable our members to profitably grow their business, recognising the obstacles external HR and People professionals face, as well as the opportunities out there that we are voicing and lobbying for.

Is HRi an alternative to other membership services such as HR Inform and Simply Docs?
HRi is not claiming to be an alternative to offerings such as HR Inform or Simply Doc. HRi is positioning itself as the HR Indie Head Office in the same way a franchise head office supports their franchises, the difference being we are helping to develop your own independent business, and providing this support to our members at a much lower price point.

ABOUT US

What do you feel most proud about?
We didn’t just jump into this. We have planned, discussed, debated, disagreed, compromised…. it has been a blood, sweat and tears and is an adventure which is only just beginning. We all love the fact that we spent the time at the beginning working on our vision, our values and really talking about what mattered to us. This is where ‘Success Together’ comes from. Whilst we may have changed direction a few times along the way, this has always been at the heart of everything we’re doing. Knowing that everything we have, are will continue to create is going to make a difference to the independent HR & People community is incredible, and we know it will make that difference, because we’re Indies ourselves.

What will HRi’s legacy be?
External HR will have a name and a value! It will be recognised as a valid and aspirational career path and not the dead end it has been seen to be. External or Independent HR will be recognised as improving lives in the same way that In-house HR is now. If we can use our influence and passion, in partnership with the CIPD to get the ERA 1996 amended – it will have a massive impact on many lives and be a total game changer.

What aspect of the pre-work has created the most headaches?
At the debrief we all concluded that it was simply the breadth and scale of what we set ourselves. We’re nothing if not ambitious! Working on any one part at a time, such as the legal side of things or developing the processes behind the helpdesk for example were all perfectly doable. Throwing everything in the mix at the same time was the headache – thank goodness for the Asana project management tool which we have been using to keep us all on track!

If there are any questions not covered in the Q&A please send them through to us at: hello@hrindependents.co.uk

Katy, Ruth and Mary.