People: Risk Management for People: dedicated to protecting your most valuable asset

Under our People pillar we focus on two key areas: health & safety and HR. We want to ensure that a business supports its employees in the best way possible, including keeping them safe from harm in the workplace. We also want to protect our clients to ensure that either ⁽¹⁾ there is less reason to submit a claim in the first place or ⁽²⁾ if they are submitted, these claims can be robustly defended. A business that demonstrates it looks after its people is an attractive one – not only to customers and suppliers but also to insurers.

Simon, Head of People, brings a background in sales and finance, together with a wealth of experience in managing employment law and health & safety businesses in the consultancy sector. Having served as a managing director for several organisations, he founded his consultancy in 2007, which evolved into AHR Consultants and is now the basis of Howden Risk Management’s ‘People’ pillar.

Following the acquisition of AHR by Howden this year, Simon continues to take his place in the driving seat, steering the enterprise forward. He’s excited to continue growing the business, providing clients with a fully comprehensive blend of HR, health & safety, plus risk management services.

Empowering you, protecting your people

Protecting your people is crucial to the success of any business. It fosters a safe and supportive work environment, which boosts morale, productivity, and loyalty. When employees feel valued and secure, they’re more engaged, motivated, and committed to delivering their best work. This, in turn, reduces turnover, enhances team cohesion, and improves overall performance. In addition, prioritising employee wellbeing builds an authentically positive reputation for the business, attracting top talent and customers who value ethical and responsible practices. Ultimately, protecting your people is an investment in the long-term success and sustainability of any enterprise.

And this is true for businesses across all sectors, as you’ll create a strong foundation for long-term success. A safe, inclusive, and supportive work environment is universally critical when developing greater wellbeing, productivity, and retention. Regardless of industry or location, businesses that prioritise their people, foster trust, reduce risks, and build resilient teams are capable of adapting to almost any challenge. In any context, people remain the beating heart and soul of any business.

The ‘People’ pillar: What does it cover?

The ‘People’ pillar covers two fundamental business areas: health & safety and HR. Both of these directly impact employee wellbeing, compliance, and overall productivity. HR ensures that the right people are hired, trained, and supported, fostering a positive workplace culture, and driving engagement. Health and safety is essential for preventing workplace accidents and illnesses, ensuring that employees can perform their roles without risk. Together, these key priorities reduce turnover, minimise legal liabilities, and enhance the company’s reputation. By prioritising HR and health & safety, a business is better placed to create a secure and motivating environment for all employees to thrive and contribute to the company’s success.

Howden HR: At your service

Effective HR support benefits every business, ensuring your most important asset - your people - are looked after. Whether you have an in-house HR team that needs additional support in certain areas or you’re looking to outsource the whole function, we can tailor our HR services to meet your company’s specific needs.

We offer three packages, each providing varying levels of support. These range from ‘Consult HR’ which is advice only, up to ‘Perform HR,’ which provides hands-on support from our qualified HR specialists and trainers, as well as our external partners.

HR packages: Discover the size to suit your needs

Consult HR provides you with advice and guidance on HR matters through our dedicated helpline. You’ll also receive insightful newsletters and email updates.
Services included:

• HR and employment law advice line – accessible Monday to Friday 09:00- 17:30, with an emergency helpline outside these business hours
• Quarterly Commercial and Risk Management newsletter, with updates and insight on the latest HR and employment laws and regulations

Review HR is the mid-tier package. This choice ensures you remain legally compliant with employment legislation and helps you to prevent employment disputes. It also keeps you up to date with the latest employment law changes that could impact your HR policies and procedures.

Services include everything in the ‘Consult HR’ package, plus:

• Access to an online portal, which includes useful templates and documents for your use
• A review of your existing employment documents with recommendations
• Employer defence service, which covers employment tribunal representation costs and awards, subject to t&c’s
• Annual service review, which is your pre-renewal meeting

Perform HR is our most comprehensive package, and is designed to understand your business needs, organisational culture, and current HR practices and procedures.

We’ll identify any gaps and areas for improvement and help you implement seamless HR processes. We’ll also assist you to manage absenteeism, annual leave, and your employee data, and help you build a resilient and agile workforce while improving productivity for your business.

Services include everything in our ‘Consult HR’ and ‘Review HR’ packages, plus:

• Employee Assistance Programme
• Breathe HR (holiday management system)
• Consultancy/leadership training
• Call management reports
• Mini HR audit

The HR Audit: Small package, big results

The Howden HR audit is a review of your business’s HR capabilities and, where necessary, provides recommendations to improve them. The audit is undertaken by one of our specialist HR consultants and covers the key aspects of your HR procedures. We’ll provide a personalised report which highlights gaps in your HR processes with recommendations to close those gaps, a timeline of suggested actions and an explanation on how we can support you with those actions.

The Howden HR audit is included as part of our ‘Perform HR’ package or can be provided as a standalone service for a fixed fee of £750 + VAT.

Tee Aujlay, Head of HR, has over two decades of sales experience and has achieved Level 3 and Level 5 CIPD Diploma in Human Resources Management. Tee’s enthusiasm to contribute to the success of our business growth is evident in her strong work ethic and the relationships she builds with clients and colleagues, thriving on delivering excellent service from the start of their journey. Tee ensures her team is fully equipped with the skills and tools to implement a specifically designed service which meets the needs of the business, irrespective of size or industry.

Howden’s health and safety services

We know a business’s most valuable asset is its people, so it makes sense that their employee safety and wellbeing while working is a priority for any employer. Our carefully designed health and safety packages offer a protective barrier through reviews, audits, assessments, and support from our specialists.

Health and Safety services protect employees, customers, and stakeholders from harm, creating a safer work environment. By implementing these services, businesses reduce the risk of accidents, injuries, and illnesses, which can lead to costly downtime, legal liabilities, and damage to reputation. Prioritising health and safety ensures compliance with regulations and demonstrates a commitment to employee wellbeing while boosting morale and productivity at the same time. Additionally, a strong health and safety culture can attract and retain top talent, improve operational efficiency, and build trust with clients and the community, ultimately supporting long-term success.

Health and safety services: Protection in three packages

Our Health and Safety service offerings are set across three packages, designed to help any business, regardless of your size or sector.

Our starting package, ‘Protect Online’, aims to fulfil your ‘competent person’ legal obligation. It also provides a baseline level of compliance for low-risk businesses and delivers peace of mind. We do this by conducting an initial health and safety compliance audit on your documentation and premises, with the output being a clear action plan. We’ll also install a health and safety management system covering your key risk areas including policy, risk assessments, training, and a review of existing documents.

You’ll also have access to our telephone and email support line. The result from this is that, having identified your key risk areas, we’ll work with you on installing the health and safety management system and implement our recommendations, via a combination of on-site and remote support to achieve acceptable compliance levels.

Here is a full list of services included in the ‘Protect Online’ package:

• Competent person support
• Health and safety audit
• Policy and risk assessment review
• Health and safety management system
• Unlimited email and telephone support

Moving up in risk, our middle package, ‘Protect Standard’, provides compliance for medium-risk businesses and delivers peace of mind. As well as everything in the ‘Protect Online’ package, we’ll conduct a PAS 79-compliant fire risk assessment. You’ll also have access to on-site support from our specialist team. We’ll provide a health and safety homeworking package if and when needed. We’ll review, update, or help create key defensibility documentation such as policy and RAMS.

Businesses will also have access to an array of eLearning modules and training in key areas such as first aid and fire safety, as part of Howden Safety Systems, plus continued access to our telephone and email support line. Having identified your key risk areas, we’ll collaborate with you through on-site support to achieve acceptable compliance levels of legislation and best practice.

A full list of services include:

• Fire risk assessment
• On-site support
• Health and safety homeworking checklist
• Howden Safety Systems, which includes a range of eLearning modules

Finally, our top package, ‘Protect Plus’, includes all services from ‘Protect Online’ and ‘Protect Standard’ but with an extra helping hand. It aims to provide compliance for medium to high-risk businesses and ensure peace of mind. We’ll give enhanced on-site support, so you get the tailored attention you need. We’ll also deliver bespoke training based on business needs, delivered by our specialists. And of course, you’ll enjoy full access to our telephone and email support lines as well as access to health and safety lawyers. Having identified your key risk areas, we’ll work with you directly, through regular on-site support, to achieve acceptable compliance levels for meeting legislation and best practice standards.

Additional services in this package include:

• Enhanced onsite support
• Bespoke training

Head of Health and Safety Laurence Begley brings a wealth of experience and expertise. He has a background in accountancy and almost 20 years dedicated to business and product development within the health and safety sector.

Laurence oversees every aspect of our health and safety services, including strategic and resource planning, operations, and service implementation. He’s committed to delivering proportionate, tailored, and unique solutions which enable him to establish long-term relationships with his clients, achieving a high level of customer care.

If this has left you wanting to know more about our ‘People’ solutions and anything else in the “risky business” world, stay informed and up to date by signing up for the latest news from Howden Risk Management and details of any upcoming events, webinars, and podcasts by emailing us on [email protected] 

You can also reach out to the team below:

Tee Aujlay, Head of HR
[email protected] 

Laurence Begley, Head of Health and Safety
[email protected]