Rising Star


WINNER Jo Sims, Group Head of HR at Access


hile not having a background in traditional


HR manage- ment, Jo Sims has imprinted her personality


and enthusiasm on the role, single-handedly creating an HR department within her company and aligning it to the vision of the business. It can surely only be a matter of time before an HR director role in a large corporate beckons. Sims joined software provider Access as


customer services manager in 2007 and, within two months of joining, she was appointed customer and staff relationship manager. As Access grew and evolved, so did her role and she is now head of HR. Since stepping into the role, she has rung


the changes at Access. Last year, new employ- ment contracts were introduced for every employee. Sims took the best elements from the five separate contracts that were in place at Access and worked with the board on


hrmagazine.co.uk


contract enhancements before rolling them out to 315 employees. Sims has introduced a flexible work culture, replacing an outdated and unsuitable clocking-in system for staff. Sims brought in a preferred supplier list of


recruitment agencies that have to agree to Access’s terms and conditions and she introduced the use of an intranet jobs board, a staff bounty scheme, and the Access website to reduce recruitment costs. She has created a number of training


schemes, including a consultant skills development programme and ‘The perfect call’ programme for the support team. Last year, Access acquired an HR software


company with 36 staff. Sims oversaw the acquisition, including a change in leadership structure. She was also involved in helping five separate entities become one under the Access brand, taking best practice from each company to define the company handbook as it stands today. During the downturn, Access underwent a


redundancy programme. Before making any cuts, staff were surveyed on areas where money could be saved and, if suitable, these


suggestions were implemented. A series of consultations with 300 staff took place in eight offices over two weeks. Sims is passionate about employee


engagement and has introduced a number of schemes to enhance commitment. This includes ‘The Big Thanks’, which gave staff an option of cash, a pension contribution, a ski trip, extra holidays or a trip to Spain. Her latest major challenge was to be HR


lead for the recent £50 million management buyout project at Access. With her ability to prioritise, it is not


uncommon for Sims to have up to 10 projects on the go, with an understanding of the commercial level of importance, linking what is important to the individual sponsor to the needs of the relevant business, commercial reality and legal frameworks. Looking ahead, Sims wants to maintain


the same pace as the past two years, where Access has introduced many schemes for staff benefits and employee engagement, seen the workforce become more efficient and has continued to hit growth targets. Her strong HR input has made the difference.


July 2011 HR Excellence Awards 15


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