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Rachel Young on resourceful business support

By Rachel Young

Co-Owner, Dazzle Business Support

After accruing a spectrum of commercial human resources experience in the manufacturing sector, Rachel Young is now applying over a decade of specialist proficiency to supporting businesses with their HR.

With a passionate, impartial, and adaptable approach, Rachel runs the human resources arm of Dazzle Business Support Ltd, a business she founded and runs with business partner and husband Doug Young. A customer-driven business model that provides outsourced back-office business support functions to enable businesses to thrive in what they do best.

How do you help businesses with their HR?

We offer a monthly subscription to clients with access to a qualified professional so that we’re available to provide support and guidance for any HR-related questions.

The subscription also includes a yearly audit of contracts – contract templates, sickness absence policies, disciplinary policies, and grievance policies – to make sure everything is up to date regarding any legislation changes or case law updates.

We can also look after policies and procedures, contracts, settlement agreements, liaising with lawyers on clients’ behalf, and training for managers in dealing with HR issues.

Dazzle has been set up as a cost-effective way for growing businesses to access the services of an HR professional without the need for a full time HR Manager.

What advice do you always give to clients regarding HR?

My advice is to be fair and consistent; don't change your mind from one case to another; follow your policies; and write everything down. Even if it’s just a quick conversation, make a note of it so that you have an audit trail you can refer to if you need to. It’s much easier to deal with HR issues when you’ve got things recorded.

Be open and honest. People often make something up because they don't want to hurt somebody's feelings by telling them the truth. It’s better to have a conversation with someone about how you might be able to help them in their role. Give them the tools to do the job, and then if they're still not able to perform the job that you need them to be doing, investigate further and start looking at the capability route.

I always say that prevention is better than cure. Don't bury your head in the sand, because problems don’t go away, they just get bigger and more expensive – so deal with them from the offset.

"My advice is to be fair and consistent; don't change your mind from one case to another; follow your policies; and write everything down."

Co-Owner, Dazzle Business Support

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You’re particularly passionate about wellbeing and mental health; how can HR help with mental health?

I’m getting a lot of enquiries regarding mental health at the moment and clients are always concerned with what they can and should say to their employees.

It’s important to have an open-door policy and let people know that there is a designated person that they can speak to if they’re feeling that there’s something not quite right or if they’re feeling down or anxious.

I’m a Mental Health First Aider and it’s an area that I can support clients and their teams. I can help find the support they need and very often I find that they just want to sit down and talk to somebody. It may not necessarily be work related; it may be that they they’ve got an issue going on at home.

There’s no harm in asking somebody if everything is okay. At least that then opens the channel, and you can start to understand what’s going on.

Even if it’s not a work issue, employers may be able to help. There could be the opportunity to make what’s called a reasonable adjustment such as moving hours; there are often little things that you can do that can really take the strain from somebody.

What do you enjoy doing most when you’re not working?

I absolutely love horses; I’ve had horses since I was a little girl. My husband Doug and I are avid horse racing fans; one of our biggest passions is to go horse racing and I have a good day out at the races.

We’ve got a dog as well – a crazy Springer Spaniel. Doug’s got two daughters, so I’ve got two lovely stepdaughters, and we like to go out and do things as a family. Doug enjoys cooking and I like baking, so we make a great team in the kitchen as well as in the office.

"I'm getting a lot of enquiries regarding mental health at the moment. It’s important to have an open-door policy and let people know that there is a designated person that they can speak to."

Co-Owner, Dazzle Business Support

What are you currently listening to, reading or watching?

We do like a good Netflix series; we enjoy documentaries and we’re quite into The Crown at the moment. We both enjoy reading when we can find time to read.

Where is your happy place?

Definitely the racecourse. Our favourites are Sandown, Ascot, and Goodwood. Don’t come to me for tips though, that’s Doug’s department! Rachel and Doug Young Old Bond Store