TSHRC Has Been Transformational - Alice Williams

March 21, 2023 

Written by TSHRC

Supporting Disadvantaged Women 

Social and economic disadvantage is a problem that plagues many women around the globe. Approximately one in every three women and girls experience gender-based violence in their lifetime. Moreover, women and girls are disproportionately affected by socioeconomic inequities.  

Alice Williams, the Founder and CEO of Luminary Bakery, created the organization as an innovative response to these problems.  

Luminary Bakery is a social enterprise that supports women who have experienced gender-based violence and disadvantage to gain work. The social enterprise trains women to bake and work in the hospitality sector, creating job opportunities for them so they can earn a living and build a future.  

Together with The Small HR Company (TSHRC), Alice and the Luminary Bakery team have been able to improve the lives and experiences of the amazing people working in the organisation. 

Partnering With TSHRC 

Alice partnered with TSHRC when her company was looking to outsource support around various elements of HR. This included recruitment and employee relations.  

“The Small HR Company have been really able to help us look after our people; how we structure and diversify our team to be more inclusive and what processes we have in place. It’s been phenomenal working with them through various stages like our HR restructuring and some really complicated employee relations issues,” says Alice.  

While creating processes that didn’t exist before, TSHRC has made everything smoother, provided expert perspectives that have guided Luminary Bakery as they grow, and brought a lot of hope along the way. 

Why Did Alice Choose TSHRC? 

Luminary Bakery was a small business that cared about its people. They knew that even though it wasn’t yet time to build an internal HR team, they still needed an HR partner that shared their values. So, outsourcing was the best option.  

As a small business, we couldn’t afford to have internal HR support, but we did need a specialist to guide us through HR issues. Our people are so important to us and we needed someone with a wealth of expertise,” explains Alice.  

When it came to choosing a partner, TSHRC came highly recommended by other charities Alice knew.  

Speaking about the initial chat they had with TSHRC consultants, Alice says, “We felt that they understood our business and how we wanted to treat our people. They also brought that specialism to how we function as a business.”  

Was the Partnership a Success? 

The partnership was definitely a success and all the objectives that were set out at the start were met.  

One of the goals Luminary Bakery set out at the beginning of the partnership was to set up a recruitment pack, which would act as a resource for all hiring managers to use during recruitment.  

“That was created beautifully and exactly how it needed to be,” says Alice.  

The organization also received training for all the managers to talk through how to carry out the managerial and hiring processes seamlessly. This was particularly important since Luminary Bakery is in the hospitality sector, which recruits all the time.  

TSHRC also integrated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into all of Luminary Bakery’s processes and systems. “Although we didn’t necessarily brief them about supporting us through diversity, equity, and inclusion, it’s in The Small HR Company’s DNA. In all the processes we built and the conversations we had, they were advising on how best to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation for everyone we come into contact with,” explains Alice.  

DEI is not just a part of what TSHRC does, but it’s built into every single part of the interaction with the client.  

The Before and After of the Partnership  

“Before working with The Small HR Company, we didn’t have specialists with knowledge in HR. We were kinda trying to do our best using common sense and a bit of research. Getting them involved empowered us to build our own internal HR function,” says Alice.  

Now, Alice knows what the role of HR role and what they need in that role. TSHRC has equipped Alice and the Luminary Bakery team with the tools and resources they need to run HR without daily assistance from them. However, Luminary Bakery will be going back to TSHRC for some guidance.  

How has TSHRC Helped You Along Your Personal Journey as a Founder?  

“Having someone in your corner that you can talk to about some very complex, detailed, and often personal, people issues around running a business has been extremely valuable,” explains Alice.  

TSHRC came in, understood what Luminary Bakery needed, took everyone’s perspectives into account, and equipped them with the right tools to incorporate HR on their own. They also brought in some best practices.  

Alice’s Favourite Thing About Working With TSHRC  

“They understood us,” says Alice.  

TSHRC managed to work with a small business with limited resources and created effective solutions.  

One Word to Describe the Partnership With TSHRC 

Transformational.  

TSHRC changed a lot about how Luminary Bakery is run.  

The other word is fun. TSHRC has managed to bring a lot of lightness, empathy, and humanness to what can be tricky situations.  

Would Alice Recommend TSHRC?  

Alice would recommend TSHRC, and she already does so frequently.  

Explaining why she recommends TSHRC, Alice says, “A lot of businesses need someone who has the expert knowledge to integrate with their business and support with what they want to achieve. The Small HR Company have done that so brilliantly for us”  

We would like to thank Alice Williams MBE, founder of Luminary Bakery for allowing us to pick their brain in regards to working with us. Thank you, Alice! 

You can find Luminary Bakery's website here.