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Networking has key role for all business


In the third of a regular feature to introduce the newest members of the ABCC executive committee, Philip Parkin profiles Omar Rashid of The HR Dept, who believes that networking is one of the most important areas that businesses, particularly smaller ones, should pay attention to.


lecturer at university managed to put him off that. However, accountancy’s loss became human


O


resources’ gain, as he then found himself in front of a lecturer who did inspire him, but it was to focus on another area of professional life. So much so, that when he finished his degree,


he took a masters’ in HR, and followed that by joining Coventry City Council’s HR team in 2007. A year later he switched to the NHS, and


spent the next six or seven years in HR with various trusts, before moving on briefly to the charity sector. Finally, in October 2017, he went to Bristol, to


the headquarters of The HR Dept, which is a franchising business. After passing the company’s due diligence procedures, he signed up and took on his own franchise, based in Birmingham, launched on 1 January last year.


‘Businesses need to plan their strategy to attract talent and then accept that they may not end up with the finished article’


Now he is running his own business – and is


“just loving it”, he says. He adds that he is getting “the best of both worlds” and said: “You would class me as a one man band, but I am also part of a large team. “Once you buy a franchise, you get the


support from another 70/80 licencees, as well as in-house solicitors and a marketing team. So it is the best of both worlds.” Omar reckons that one of the biggest issues


facing businesses today – particularly smaller one – is high turnover of staff, partly caused by the attitude of the owners themselves. “They might be aware of all the legalities, but


some take a risk by not following them, thinking that there will be no comeback. “But through things like social media, people


are aware of their rights these days, so there is a comeback, and it can be quite costly when they get it wrong.” That’s where Omar is often asked to step in – but he thinks that firms should not get into that


54 CHAMBERLINK September 2019


mar Rashid’s original career path would have led to him becoming an accountant – but unfortunately, an ‘uninspiring’


Committee Profile Name: Omar Rashid


Company: The HR Dept Bham NE&SW


Social media handle (Twitter): @omarrashidHR


Position: Managing Director


How long have you been a member of the ABCC? Since November 2017


Why did you want to be a part of the executive committee? I firmly believe in what the ABCC stands for and how, being part of the GBCC can help businesses grow. Since being a member, I have benefitted


from the ABCC in the form of opportunities and profile. As a new start up the platform is there for me to flourish and grow. I wanted to share my experiences to other new start ups or businesses feeling lost with their membership and offer my support and advise on how to best utilise the ABCC and GBCC.


What do you hope to achieve as an executive committee member?


position in the first place, by planning their recruitment procedures properly, and also ensuring that any staff they have are given the right opportunity to develop their skills, which will help when it comes to retaining employees. “Businesses need to plan their strategy to


attract talent and then accept that they may not end up with the finished article,” he said. “They need to give them commitment and support, and help them become the finished article.” Another area which Omar would like to shine


a light on is networking, something he is keen to persuade businesses to adopt in much the same way he did after launching his franchise. “The Chamber has opened a lot of doors for


me in the past 15 months, but it is because I have done a lot of networking, exhibitions and so on in order to raise my profile. “It’s all about networking – and I want


other people to experience this and get the benefit. I want to show them that if I can do it, surely they can?” Omar is keen to get this message


across during his time on the committee, and says he hopes people will seek him out to benefit from any advice he can offer on the subject. His plea to other businesses is:


“Please utilise me!” And it’s a plea that is certainly going be answered in the coming weeks and months.


To offer my experience of a new start up on how to continue supporting businesses like myself. Also, to continue to champion and support existing initiatives like the Diversity in Leadership pledge as well as any new initiatives.


How can the ABCC help support businesses, and why should they join? The ABCC can help by providing a platform for businesses to connect and network with other businesses. However, I must stress it is a two-way process, businesses need to invest time in attending events and have the patience and perseverance that the opportunities will come.


What do you think is the most important issue facing businesses in Greater Birmingham? Dare I say the ‘B’ word, but the unknown of Brexit is an issue. From a HR point of view, having the right talent and retaining/upskilling that talent further is also a key. Businesses need to embrace all options


available to them, including being flexible, outsourcing where possible and utilising technology as much as possible.


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