E-Gaming: Human Resource and Company Secretary Set Up
E-Gaming: HR and Company Secretary Set Up
We have recently undertaken a project with an Asian facing e-Gaming company which decided to set up on the Isle of Man. Having obtained its GSC license, the company needed support, as being based overseas, they were not familiar with the Island, the employment law, relocation procedures and all of the other basic requirements when setting up a business on the island. Basically, they needed the Human Resources and Company Secretarial processes and procedures to be set up from scratch.
In order to do this, our role included liaising with Directors and investors to;
- Set up the HR Department
- Draft and implement all Employment Contracts, HR policies and procedures
- Set up efficient and compliant HR processes
- Manage staff planning and recruitment
- Investigate and implement appropriate reward and benefits packages, including insurances and pensions
- Liaise with a multi-national team to ensure the effective set up of the business and staffing needs
- Manage the Visa and relocation project including immigration, relocation and ongoing support to the relocated employees
This gives you a brief insight into the work that we do and value that we can add to your business.
Human Resource support: Retained Basis
HR Support: Retained Basis
We have been supporting a local business which has around 150 staff with all things HR. We initially worked with this client on a project basis, agreeing key priorities for the business and a workable roll out plan – such as updated Contracts of Employment, the introduction of a companywide pension scheme and wellbeing initiatives.
This then developed to us working with them on a retained basis. We now assist this client with everything from Covid-19 related staff management, appraisals, H&S procedures to People Training for the Management Team, disciplinaries, redundancies and recruitment. We continue to support the onsite HR staff at a strategic level to help drive business growth through better HR and people practices.
While this role initially started as Zeal providing HR support, it has evolved into us supporting other elements of the business such as assisting the CEO with ad hoc queries and support, helping plan and resource for new projects and brands, as well as supporting established businesses across a range of sectors and jurisdictions. The role has further developed into Zeal providing advice and practical support to business leaders across all aspects of the business from HR, recruitment, Company Secretary and contract negotiations.
This is what is special about Zeal Consultancy, our service is responsive and adapted to suit the needs of your business.
Client testimonial
“Julia has been invaluable in my role as HR Manager, she has provided ongoing coaching, support and mentoring over the past year, she is always on hand whenever I need advice on staffing issues or implementing new processes and procedures ensuring these are dealt with legally and professionally. She is so passionate about her subject and brings the topic of Human Resources to life. We have developed a great working relationship, not only because she is great at her job with extensive knowledge but also because she has such an approachable personality”
Company Secretary: Support
Company Secretary Set Up
We worked with a business who were paying a law firm to manage their Company Secretarial function on a retained basis, which was extremely costly. We liaised with the client, initially on a project basis, to get their Company Secretarial records and processes up to date. We then helped them put systems in place which would allow them to manage the function in house, giving them more control over the Company Secretarial function and their business records.
We set up the board reporting systems, oversaw governance improvements and helped the business understand how to manage the function in-house at a fraction of the cost, with support on hand should they require additional assistance. As a result of this, the Company was able to save £3,500 per month in retained legal fees.
“As a business, we lacked the expertise to effectively manage the Co Sec function so this had been outsourced. Initially outsourced to a law firm, this was costly and inconvenient as our statutory records were held at their office. Zeal was able to move the Co Sec function in-house and develop processes and procedures which meant that our records were clear, decisions minuted and all statutory records maintained. This not only saved our business time, it also resulted in significant financial savings. Zeal was efficient, knowledgeable and responsive to our business needs and ensured that the support was tailored to our needs.”
Minute Taking: Internal Meetings
Minute Taking
Minute taking can be time consuming, it is one of those jobs that can only be undertaken by key individuals due to the often sensitive nature of meeting discussions, thus meaning it often falls to a member of the meeting. This presents a number of problems – it makes it more difficult for the minute taker to contribute effectively to the meeting, there are often delays in the turnaround of the minutes and quite honestly, it isn’t the best use of their time.
We have a number of clients who use our minute taking services. For one client we take minutes at their quarterly board meetings, for another we attend four internal meetings a month (including board meetings, management meetings and shareholder meetings). We have developed a process to ensure that their minutes are taken accurately and succinctly. With the meeting minutes, we also provide an actions register detailing agreed actions which helps ensure that they are followed up on after the meeting. As well as board minute taking, we can do HR minute taking for sensitive HR meetings such as redundancies, disciplinaries and grievances. Our aim is to achieve a turnaround time for the minutes of 24 hours which frees the management up to focus on delivering on agreed outcomes of the meeting.
“We use Zeal for their minute taking services and the service is exceptional, saving our Directors precious time and effort. Put simply – Accurate, intelligent, courteous and efficient. Highly recommended.”
Business Support: COVID-19
Business Support: COVID-19
Often we are approached by clients who just need an extra helping hand – this is why we developed our Business Support Service.
In 2020, when lockdown happened, we were approached by a local personal trainer who didn’t know how to sustain her business during the lockdown period. We had to be very reactive to the situation given the restrictions which a lockdown brings, therefore we needed to quickly come up with ways to adapt the business and make it accessible to those who would have usually accessed the fitness sessions face to face. The Client didn’t know what to do, but to Zeal, the obvious solution was to move the classes to an online business model in the quickest and most cost-effective way possible.
Being an owner operated business, this was a challenging and concerning time for the business owner, so having us on hand for advice, guidance and practical support during this time was invaluable. The project was such a success that the online business continued after the lockdown was lifted and has become one of the fastest–growing elements of the business. Having supported the business through this testing time, she is now at the stage where she is able to run it mostly independently, meaning that we now only need to assist on an ad hoc basis when support is required.
“When we went into lockdown, I was so grateful for Julia’s input into adapting the business. As a group exercise leader, it was challenging and time consuming working out how to move my business online. Julia helped immensely with all aspects of this from the technical side of moving things online to the ‘time saving’ element of administration. I had been spending most of my time wading through admin and Julia’s guidance has freed me to focus on my clients and class preparation, which is the core of my business.”
Immigration and Relocation Project
Immigration and Relocation Project
Whilst working with the Asian facing e-Gaming company, and once the core elements of the HR function were established, the focus shifted to a large immigration and relocation project. We were heavily involved in all stages of this from initial candidate identification stages to settling the employees on the Island – all this managed against the backdrop of the many complications brought about by Covid-19.
The key elements of the project included;
- Identifying transferring staff
- Isle of Man/UK visa application support processes created and rolled out
- Liaising with key stakeholders on the staffing needs
- Assisting staff with immigration and relocation queries
- Travel, Isle of Man Entry clearance, quarantine accommodation
- Employee integration – everything from bank accounts, tax office, accommodation to many other weird and wonderful queries that one may have when moving to the other side of the world!
“Julia effectively managed the relocation of a number employees which during the Covid pandemic and various restrictions was no walk in the park. She was efficient, organised and knowledgeable about the process and went above and beyond to support the staff once they arrived on the Island to provide them with the best experience and increase staff retention. She managed everything from assisting with Visa applications, employment contracts, Government support applications and even finding accommodation and assisting with employee queries. She saved our business time and money in the process while keeping up updated and confident that the process was being well managed.”