Welcome

Welcome to the latest edition of Orion Partners’ eBriefing. This bimonthly update will give you a summary of the latest insights, research, events, news and issues affecting those managing HR transformation. To read more than the introductory paragraph, simply click on the relevant request button

'After the Deal is Done' – Article for Personnel Today

Jane Saunders, managing partner of the leading firm of HR transformation advisors, Orion Partners, shares her ‘Trade Secrets’ on making outsourcing relationships work.
DIY or buy? The decision to outsource is not one that HR functions take lightly. In some areas of HR, elements of the service have been routinely outsourced for years. Although an outsourced model may be common practice in areas such as payroll processing or outplacement, organisations will still undertake a detailed analysis of the pros and cons and a very thorough review of the potential providers.

>>> read on

Best Practice Network

Designed specifically to provide live opportunities to share and debate the experiences of other organisations and HR professionals facing the same challenges, Orion Partners’ Best Practice Network continues to go from strength to strength
The Best Practice Network was designed to answer those perennial HR questions. Who’s been here before? How have others approached this challenge? Where can I get an honest view of what works and what doesn’t and how do I translate best practice theory into reality?

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AEGON - A Policy of Continuous HR Development

In Brief:
• Orion Partners provides total project, organisational and change management service to one of the world’s leading life insurance groups
• Creates a branded, first step service desk model to serve almost 4000 employees handling over 600 weekly HR queries

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HR Business Partnering 2.0 - Delivering on the Original Promise

How HR has missed the real point of Ulrich’s work and how it can fulfil the promise of the model
Research, anecdotal evidence and first hand experience suggests that despite the introduction of the HRBP role, HR is still seen as an optional extra; not making the contribution the HRBP role was hoped to provide. Now this could be for many reasons but at Orion Partners we believe that the focus on the HRBP role is the very reason HR is being held back! Because HR as a whole has been distracted by the rhetoric and hype of Business Partnering and, in our collective haste to ‘jump on the HRBP bandwagon,’ we have missed the real opportunity offered by the Ulrich model.

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Hot off the Press - Orion Partners’ Latest Essential Guides

The latest in the company’s hugely popular range of ‘Essential Guides’ have just been published by Orion Partners and take an in-depth look, in turn, at the worlds of HR Outsourcing and HR Transformation Technology. Click here for more information and to find out how to get your copy.

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Coaching

Orion’s launch of HR Executive Coaching earlier this year has been well received and continues to grow rapidly.

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HMPS: Business Partnering Inside

In Brief:

• With over 48,000 staff and an annual payroll of in excess of £1.4 billion, HM Prison Service is a true ‘people business’
• A new Oracle HR system, regional HR shared services teams and national shared service centre provides the foundations to create a new HR operating model transforming HR support to Area Managers and Governing Governors in 130+ locations across England and Wales
• In one of the largest recruitment campaigns ever for HR Business Partners (HRBPs), over 120 HRBP and 14 Area HR & OD Manager roles were created

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Exceptional HR Professionals

Orion Partners continues to go from strength to strength and is looking for experienced senior level individuals.

Continuing success and growth means that Orion Partners is always interested in talking to experienced senior level individuals with blue-chip HR or consulting backgrounds that may be interested in joining the company. If you would like to be part of this fast growing team, and have a proven track record in delivering HR transformation solutions, please make contact via careers@orionpartners.co.uk

Orion HR Career Paths Research – emerging themes

The new HR Career Model – how the changes in HR have altered the traditional career model and the skills HR professionals need to build a career in the modern HR world. The team at Orion Partners are currently conducting an extensive research project into the changing face of careers in the HR profession. It is focusing on the critical skills individuals need to build to succeed, and what participating organisations are doing at a practical level to develop the HR talent of the future at every level; in Shared Services, Centres of Excellence, in corporate and in HRBP type roles. Interviewees have been identified HR talent at entry, mid and senior levels across public and private sector organisations.

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Myotubular Dinner 2 November

We have been doing our best to support a good cause – a cause close to our hearts here at Orion: the Myotubular Trust. While some of the Orion team sweated it out at the Cardiff half marathon, others chose a more genteel way to contribute. We were pleased to host a number of our clients and associates at the Myotubular Trust gala dinner on the 2nd of December and proud to know that the evening raised £105,000, which will help fund research into finding a cure for this devastating condition. For those who would like more information on this rare genetic condition, the following link will be of interest: http://www.myotubulartrust.com/ .

Marathon Man - and Women

As the sun rose on a cold and damp autumnal morning in October it saw a brave crew of runners from Orion Partners don their very fetching lycra shorts and team t-shirts to run the Cardiff Half Marathon.
A sterling effort was made by all achieving some very respectable times - the early morning team runs around the Victoria St vicinity clearly paid off. More importantly, the team raised over £1600 for the Myotubular Trust –a charity founded to help fund research into this rare and crippling disease. For more info go to www.myotubulartrust.com

Caption competition - please send in your ideas and win a bottle of champagne

Click here to see the photos