Terry Ebert

Managing Director

Tel:  212.889.7788    terry.ebert@ayers.com

From mid-market to the FORTUNE 1000, companies are turning to HR interim staffing as a response to rapidly changing business conditions.  The Ayers Group’s human resources consultants—highly qualified, experienced senior executives—have worked with clients in widely varying situations.  The following case studies of recent or ongoing assignments provide a sense of the scope of our experience in this increasingly active arena.

Case study #1:  Facility Consolidation
Situation:  An international insurance company decided to consolidate three large claims-processing centers into two over a six-month period to take advantage of automation and work-flow-process improvements. Corporate HR management and local line management agreed that the HR team in the facility to be closed would need experienced support in handling the transition and closing.

The Ayers Solution:  During the first phase, Ayers provided a team of consultants to work with the on-site HR staff and senior line management  in reviewing the situation, defining work-transfer schedules, planning WARN notifications, and coaching management on how to communicate with employees.

After the closing was announced, the consultants remained in place to provide leadership coaching to managers and outplacement counseling to the first wave of departing employees. The consultants’ final assignment was to work with the employees who would remain in place throughout the transfer process.  This involved conducting a series of focus groups and one-on-one sessions designed to help these employees deal with their ultimate departures while continuing to perform critical claims-processing and customer-service functions.

During the second phase of the project, one of our lead consultants assumed the role of senior human resources manager to guide the facility’s HR team through the transition process and provide ongoing guidance to line management.

To date, the reactions of employees and local and corporate management and HR have been excellent. The turnover rate among remaining employees is significantly lower than anticipated, and ongoing metrics for claim processing and customer service have shown an improvement.  Private career fairs have been held for departing employees. As a result of this success, the client has asked us to adapt this model to a similar situation in a different part of the country.

Case study #2:  Division Sale
Situation:  Four months before a global publishing conglomerate announced that it planned to sell a high-profile division, the HR director of one the division’s major facilities resigned. Anticipating that a new owner would eliminate this position as redundant following acquisition and integration, the parent company determined that it would be inappropriate to recruit a replacement.

The Ayers Solution:  The Ayers Group was asked to replace the director with a consultant who would act and be perceived as an employee of the company with the authority and ability  to deal with employees, unions, state and local government, and the acquiring management team in all HR issues.

Our consultant met with corporate and regional management to assess the situation  and begin planning for the sale. HR issues that needed to be addressed included    

• WARN notifications to employees whose jobs would be eliminated in an integration
• Negotiation with government agencies with regard to tax concessions that had been granted when the company established the facility
• Negotiation with the two unionized work units

The sale was announced and consummated on a delayed timetable, requiring the consultant to remain in place nine months.  All negotiations and notifications were completed successfully.  There were no work stoppages, turnover was limited after the announcement, and productivity remained steady.

Case study #3:  Manufacturing Turnaround
Situation:  A light manufacturing company had gone through a leveraged buyout and was in financial distress. Manufacturing costs had spiraled, reject rates had climbed, OSHA issues had become a problem, and plant-floor turnover had spiked.

The Ayers Solution:  Ayers was called in to assess the situation. Our purview included shop-floor management, OSHA and safety issues, hiring practices, compensation and benefits plans, and manufacturing-process control. We provided a human resources professional with experience in manufacturing and process control to replace the existing personnel manager, evaluate and upgrade the HR team, and develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures that would help the company return to profitability.

Our consultant engaged HR staff, shop-floor supervisors, line employees, and management in discussions to clarify expectations and concerns.  Evaluating tasks and roles alongside policies and practices, he performed a gap analysis and presented recommendations to senior management for realigning policies and practices. He became directly involved in operational issues, managed the resolution of all open OSHA and EPA issues, and arranged the sale of two commercial properties.

The realigned staffing, payroll, and employee relations functions created a more positive impression of the services and value received from HR. As a result, HR was reintegrated as a true business partner, able to play an active role in resolving organizational issues and helping the business take advantage of opportunities.