As a small organisation employing ten people, we recognised that we needed professional HR advice to help us through transfer of our operation to a larger organisation. We engaged Elaine Fisher of Eagle HR to guide us through the TUPE process involved in the transfer of staff and to also provide the staff with support during what we knew would be a difficult time for them.

Although we were familiar with the TUPE regulation and had access to a wide range of advisory documents, there is no doubt that without Elaine’s support, the transfer would have proved challenging for us, particularly as we were also deeply involved in agreeing the detail of the transfer at the same time.

Elaine ensured we met our responsibilities under TUPE and did not leave ourselves open to claims under the regulation. She developed a programme for us to follow and continually prompted us about the steps and actions we needed to take. She also drafted documents and letters for us where they were needed, including the schedules of staff information we were obliged to provide as part of the contract.

A major concern to us was our employees and Elaine provided support to them throughout the process. She worked with the team as a whole and individually, ensuring they understood the transfer process and what it meant for them.

Throughout the time working with Elaine and Eagle HR, it was notable that rather than simply tell us what we could and could not do, they spent time understanding what we wanted to achieve and then helped us to achieve it.

Ian Savage, director, The Elgar Birthplace