Context
A Biotech company with 50M in funding had grown to 40 people without an HR leader in place. They had recently lost four key employees, and they were starting to see signs that engagement was low across the company.
Haven Approach
An HR leader from HAVEN was hired to spend one day per week getting a handle on the dynamics and advising them on the most critical people issues.
HAVEN’s leader met with key leaders 1:1 and conducted a series of focus groups to hear from employees. This research led to a recommendation for the leaders to focus on three critical vulnerabilities:
- providing context and managing expectations during periods of change,
- comprehensive onboarding and relationship-building opportunities for new employees, and
- equipping and empowering more junior managers to own and lead their teams.
The engagement was measured in 6-month intervals and improved steadily over the next 18 months. The organization grew in a healthier way and reached 60 employees before hiring a VP of Human Resources. HAVEN’s consultant still meets regularly with the CEO and serves as a strategic resource to the new HR leader.
