A HUMAN resources company which has grown and relocated during the coronavirus crisis is offering free practical tips on dealing with the fallout from the pandemic.

The HR Dept Solent has taken on staff and moved to new offices in the New Forest.

It is running a series of vlogs and social media campaigns providing tips on how to manage furlough, redundancies and “bouncing back”.

Its team are working from home and socially distanced from their base in the New Forest Enterprise Centre in Totton.

Managing director Deborah Witcomb – who started the business in 2017 – said a growth in clients had allowed her to invest in the business and appoint a new senior HR adviser.

She said: “I’m very proud of what we have achieved over the past three years. Our client base has continued to grow which has allowed me to continually invest in my team and operation.

“It’s a very challenging time for businesses and for some of our clients it has been a difficult period of consolidation, with furloughing and redundancies being their best option. But others have been able to re-evaluate, review their operational structure and turn adversity into an opportunity to re-focus their business and drive forward for future success.”

She started the business from home in Totton when she bought a franchise licence form the HR Dept to cover Southampton East.

She moved offices to Eastleigh and expanded her operation 12 months later by acquiring her second and third HR Dept licences, widening her patch to cover Fareham and Portsmouth.

She now works alongside two senior HR advisers and one apprentice HR administrator, who is completing her level three business administration.

She said: “I feel incredibly passionate about training new talent through the HR apprenticeship scheme.

“This is the second time I’ve supported an apprentice and I plan to take another one on from September. The apprentices learn on the job, receive mentoring, are tasked with providing front-line support and building their own portfolio of clients. It’s a focused way to becoming a skilled and experienced HR practitioner.”

The business covers all the areas around the M27 between Portsmouth and Romsey, including Southampton, Whiteley, Fareham, Segensworth, Eastleigh, Chandlers Ford and the Waterside area of the Forest.

Deborah has more than 25 years of HR experience in organisations including professional services firms and blue chip defence and engineering companies.

“I very much enjoy solving and preventing people problems. There are so many businesses struggling with issues and it’s affecting their revenue and overall performance,” she said.