“Birchwood help us and lift work from us, rather than creating more work for us to do, and are very easy to get along with.”
People Development Team has been quick to make its mark in the fields of leadership and management development, career management and outplacement.
Since it was founded in 1998, the Hertfordshire-based company has gone from strength to strength, attracting clients as diverse as Colchester Zoo, HM Revenue & Customs, Humberside Fire Service and Young’s Brewery, and winning a National Training Award in 2007 for work with higher level teaching assistants in Essex schools. In delivering its outplacement services, the company’s goal is simple: to empower and motivate employees by providing emotional and practical support – including financial advice – through what is potentially a very difficult time.
It has found an ideal partner in Birchwood Investment Management, which provides financial workshops and one-to-ones as part of their outplacement package. The success of the relationship is underlined by the fact that Birchwood now also works with some of People Development Team’s partners on personal financial issues.
Managing Director Heather Butler explains: “We first became involved with Birchwood in 2004, when we were supporting Diageo in closing a Guinness brewery in London. Birchwood were recommended to us by an accountant, a member of staff who had used them previously and another business we had worked with – when we put those three recommendations together, it seemed a good idea to talk to them.”
Since then, the two companies have built up a productive relationship that is based on partnership working, sometimes in challenging situations. Ellie Hughes, head of career management at People Development Team says: “Birchwood are always very professional. We have worked with some organisations that have been very demanding, but Birchwood don’t place demands on us and they don’t complain.”
Heather agrees: “Birchwood help us and lift work from us, rather than creating more work for us to do, and are very easy to get along with. They deliver a caring element in the way they work that fits in with our own culture, while their approach is one that builds trust and instils confidence.”
While redundancy can signal an end to one way of life, People Development Team prefer to see it as an opportunity for a fresh start, which is why independent financial advice from professionals like Birchwood can be vital in shaping a new future.
Heather says: “Individuals need to think about what they are going to do with their money. With Birchwood, they can look at their options for lump sums, pensions or anything else they need to be doing.
“Although their employer may have in-house resources, most employees want a second opinion – and if someone has been in employment for a long time, they may want to cut their ties with the people who are making them redundant. Birchwood’s advice can help them to move on.”
