Andrea Farrell and Nickie Verheijen took their combined 50 years of HR expertise and launched Authentic People in Liverpool – and they tell of the thrills, and fears, that come with self-employment. Tony McDonough reports
Going into self-employment for the first time can feel both empowering and liberating – and, at times, it can be a lonely place.
Both Andrea Farrell and Nickie Verheijen decided to take that plunge, having reevaluated their work-life balance post -COVID. In 2021 they both set out on their journeys of being independent people / human resources (HR) consultants.
However, they both found that one of the challenges of not working for a larger organisation was that you no longer have an immediate support network. There is no colleague on the next desk to bounce ideas off.
Andrea and Nickie met through workplace mediation training with Pragmatism UK and realised they had a similar outlook on life and work, as well as sharing similar life experiences.
Around 12 months ago, they started working together and then in November launched their joint business, Authentic People.
“We sat down and had a coffee, and hit it off immediately, we had so much in common and really wanted to work together.” said Andrea.
“Working alone after so long working with other people can feel isolating. You miss that opportunity to discuss and share ideas with someone understanding what you are trying to achieve.
“Nickie and I have definitely found that two brains can be better than one. However, with each client we try to make sure one of us is the primary lead. That offers continuity and allows us to build trusted relationships with our clients and their teams.”
Between them, Andrea and Nickie bring 50 years of combined experience in the People/HR field. Andrea has forged a career in global People and HR management and has a particular interest in working with the not-for-profit sector.
She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), an accredited workplace mediator, executive coach and mentor and a qualified mental health first aider.
Nickie is also a CIPD-qualified independent people consultant. She spent 22 years of her 25-year career with a top 100 law firm. During her tenure, people engagement was rated ‘world class’ and achieved status within the Top 100 Best Companies to Work for.
She is also a qualified and registered workplace mediator and is an associate of a leading UK mediation business where she regularly works with a diverse range of businesses from global brands to SMEs to support the resolution of workplace conflict.
Authentic People is based in Liverpool Film Studios in north Liverpool. The business works mainly with SMEs, some of whom may have a small People/HR function and others who don’t have one at all.
Their clients are across multiple sectors including manufacturing, professional services, events, healthcare, hospitality and digital.
They might go into a business to work on a specific project or provide a more long-term People/HR function. Authentic People is not a business that just works in the UK. One client, for example, has offices both in the UK and the US and Authentic People provide their full People/HR support.
“Working together means we can both capitalise on our separate strengths,” said Nickie. “Although we are both skilled generalists, we do also have our own individual skillsets
“One of the areas I really enjoy working in is people relations. I like to encourage clients to operate an adult-to-adult relationship with their people, moving away from the aged parent child model.”
This challenges the traditional workplace model of the boss and subordinate that so many people have experienced as the norm in their workplaces.
“We encourage a culture of compassionate leadership, mutual trust, shared values, and respect where everyone in the organisation can be themselves and deliver their best at work,” explained Nickie.
“This is where the magic happens. It’s about making people accountable and giving them ownership – it is a more outcome-based focus,”
Andrea added: “So often the culture of an organisation is driven from the top. When we first start working with a client, we will carry out an audit of their organisation in terms of people practices and culture.
“What is very important is that we meet and get to know team members at all levels.
“I prefer to talk about ‘people’ rather than HR. We want them to see us as part of their business, not just some detached external resource that swoops in when things aren’t going well and difficult situations arise.
“So it is essential that we start to build relationships within an organisation and add tangible value from the outset.”
Nickie explained that it was important not to offer feedback too soon into the relationship with a client and their team. She said: “Building that relationship first is vital. We need to lift the bonnet up and have a good look at what is underneath.
“We don’t just go in and tell them where we think they are going wrong because they might not be.
“Their culture is part of the DNA of their organisation and how they are operating may work for them, the best part of our job is showing a client how they may develop what they are doing from a people perspective that will bring positive change.
“Although it is natural to get some pushback on change from time to time, we have also found SMEs to be quite malleable. They are so often open to change and taking their journey forwards. And we go on that journey with them. We become part of their team.”
One of the more challenging aspects of working in HR, whether in-house or as consultants, is having to implement painful changes such as redundancies. Advising people their job may be at risk is never easy and how it is done is hugely important.
Nickie explained: “Understanding the business rationale to these decisions is critical, then thinking about what alternatives have been considered.
“For me, it is about taking a holistic approach. We have to think about how redundancy, impacts those at risk directly but also how it touches people at different corners of an organisation, including those who have to make those tough decisions.
Communication is key here – employers need to be mindful also of the experience of those who remain in the organisation after the process is complete.
“Ultimately, you must treat people with compassion and dignity. You may not be able to change the outcome but keeping peoples’ dignity and wellbeing at the forefront of what we do is so important.
Andrea agreed, adding: “I try to approach situations like this by thinking about how I would like to be treated if I was in a similar situation. It is about having empathy and treating people fairly, being sympathetic to the situation is key.
“If a commercial decision has been made that a reorganisation must take place, then ultimately that is what needs to happen, however the way it is carried out is really important.”
Both are ambitious to grow Authentic People but, of course, like any business that depends on the expertise of individuals, they are constrained by capacity. Andrea and Nickie only have so many hours of their time available.
They have taken a decision, for the time being, not to hire any new employees, although they are steadily building a network of other trusted experts and associates who they can bring in as and when they are needed.
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They have also created a local networking group, the HR Club Northwest, which they started about 12 months ago. It is an informal group of professionals from all areas and levels within the people profession who come together as a support network.
Andrea added: “We are working in a very competitive sector, particularly in the Liverpool city region. Every day we hear of someone else who is offering People/HR support to businesses.
“But our ethos is that there is enough work for everyone, and we are not all doing the same thing. I think our USP is our values, and our aim is to work with organisations that are aligned with our own professional and personal values. That is vitally important to both of us.
Job satisfaction is key though, and there is nothing better than seeing that lightbulb moment with a client when they realise what we have achieved with them is going to make a real positive difference to their business.”