Despo Englezou

• HR Framework: Reported directly to the CEO & HR Manager with responsibility for establishing a whole new HR function completely from scratch, including company policies, processes and best practice procedures.

• HR Operations: Managed day-to-day staff motivation, training and support issues, including all employee relations matters, recruitment & selection, working conditions, payroll, absence and holiday entitlements.

• Staff Performance: Conducted monthly reviews, managed questionnaires (employee survey feedback) and solved ad hoc issues (i.e. absence monitoring, staff discipline, training needs and health & safety awareness).

• HR & Legal Compliance: Advised on disciplinary, grievance and dismissal procedures, equal opportunities and best practice governance (i.e. legal requirements, employment legislation, confidentiality, documentation).

• Stakeholder Meetings: Directly engaged with teams with regular branch visits, management meetings and monthly KPI reporting to target action plans and analyse future recruitment / training needs (skills matrix).

• HR Generalist: Progressed into a HR Coordinator role involved in all aspects of human resources, including employee relations, recruitment & selection, rewards & benefits, administration tasks & monthly payroll.

• Employee Relations: Supported line managers in overseeing grievance & disciplinary procedures aligned to company policies, best practice and processes to ensure effective governance and adherence to standards.

• Recruitment & Selection: Managed end-to-end recruitment processes, including relationship building with local agencies, advertising roles, interviews, assessment methods, candidate selection and correspondence.

• HR Administration: Managed HR system (database) for new starters, existing employees, leavers, training files and confidential personal information (i.e. salary, benefits, holidays, documentation, staff contracts).

• Relationship Building: Worked at all levels across different functions to build trusted relationships with line managers, employees and colleagues by managing expectations and understanding priorities / requirements.

• Change & Transformation: Member of a team reviewing organisational structure, roles & responsibilities and headcounts through line management meetings to evaluate possible cost reduction plans (i.e. redundancy).

• Other Responsibilities: Achieved monthly deadlines (i.e. payroll issues, monthly holiday / sickness reporting) alongside salary benchmarking exercises (rewards & benefits) and internal communications to 1, 500 people.

• Employability Scheme: Worked alongside the Deputy Manager on developing an Apprenticeship Programme for school leavers to gain access to training contracts or opportunities in further education (academic study).

• Relationship Building: Built relationships between the City Collage and local employers to raise awareness of potential opportunities, whilst also advertising latest vacancies and directly matching young people to jobs.

• General Administration: Updated website with news, information and articles, managed IT database for job specifications and undertook administration tasks (updated records, files / documentation, correspondence).

• Training & Outreach: Organised training session events, workshops and presentations to directly engage young people on confidence building, skills coaching, CV / interview advice and useful careers guidance.
• Problem-Solving: Main point of contact for information provision, answering queries and customer service, including dealing with people who have low confidence / self-esteem and those unsure of future prospects.

• Customer Focus: Worked in a busy charity shop on customer service, visual merchandising, stock control, administration (staff schedules), team coordination and maintaining a friendly / welcoming environment.

• HR Framework: Reported directly to the CEO & HR Manager with responsibility for establishing a whole new HR function completely from scratch, including company policies, processes and best practice procedures.

• HR Business Partner: Built relationships with line managers, store managers and employees across a retail branch network (300+ staff) as a main point of contact for HR operations issues (escalations / key decisions).

• HR Operations: Managed day-to-day staff motivation, training and support issues, including all employee relations matters, recruitment & selection, working conditions, payroll, absence and holiday entitlements.

• Staff Performance: Conducted monthly reviews, managed questionnaires (employee survey feedback) and solved ad hoc issues (i.e. absence monitoring, staff discipline, training needs and health & safety awareness).

• HR & Legal Compliance: Advised on disciplinary, grievance and dismissal procedures, equal opportunities and best practice governance (i.e. legal requirements, employment legislation, confidentiality, documentation).

• Stakeholder Meetings: Directly engaged with teams with regular branch visits, management meetings and monthly KPI reporting to target action plans and analyse future recruitment / training needs (skills matrix).

• Recruitment & Selection: Managed end-to-end recruitment processes for hiring managers, chefs, supervisors and waiting staff, plus dealt with HR records, documentation, payroll information and management reports.