Our partnership with Upperdog
“Debbie, Kim and Katie and the team at Streetwise are a fantastic company to deal with. Always professional, approachable and ready to give great advice. I highly recommend them for any HR advice or management.” - Zhara, Founder
ABOUT
Growing a business is exciting. More clients, more opportunities, more people joining the team, but as the team grows, so does the people stuff that comes with it. And suddenly, what used to be manageable between the founders and senior managers starts taking up time that could be spent actually running and growing the business.
When we started working with Upperdog, they were a small team of around 10-15 employees… as the business grew, so did our involvement.
We worked closely with the founders and senior management team, becoming an extension of their team and their outsourced HR function. We supported everything from onboarding and HR systems to management training, an office move and the everyday people challenges that come with a growing business.
We weren’t just a HR consultancy they called when they needed advice (although we were always on hand!). We were part of the team and continued to support Upperdog until they had grown to over 30 employees and were ready to bring in an in-house HR pro.
THE PROBLEM
We partnered with Upperdog for a number of years, but if we cast our minds back to the beginning, the challenge was one we see with lots of small businesses. Two incredible entrepreneurs, building a business from the ground up and spinning all the plates that come with it.
But there comes to a point where you need to call in the experts, take some of that noise away and get back to doing what you do best. That’s where we came in. We started by getting the HR compliance foundations in place, then rode the wave of growth with them, becoming more and more embedded as the business and its HR needs grew.
THE SOLUTION
We didn’t just sit at the end of a phone waiting for a question. We got stuck in and became part of Upperdog’s day-to-day operations, working closely with the founders, senior managers and wider team.
Here’s what that looked like in practice:
Building the HR foundations: supporting HR compliance and developing the people processes needed as the business grew from a small team to over 30 employees
Onboarding and induction: supporting new starters, making sure the important HR bits were covered and employees had the information they needed from day one
Management training and coaching: delivering tailored, practical workshops and coaching sessions to help managers build their confidence and navigate the people side of their roles
Managing the HR systems: operating and administering the HR information system (HRIS), including supporting a move from one system to another… and then back again! Because sometimes you don’t know what works best until you’ve tried something different.
A trusted sounding board: working closely with the founder and senior management team, talking through challenges, exploring options and helping them make important people and business decisions.
Taking the HR noise away: running a dedicated HR inbox to deal with employee and manager queries, rather than everything landing on senior managers’ desks.
Supporting business changes: from an office move to everyday challenges of a growing team, we were there to help manage the people side of things
We weren’t just giving advice; we were doing the work, getting involved and having the conversations - and that’s what made this partnership work.
THE IMPACT
When we started working with Upperdog, they had around 10-15 employees. By the time they were ready to bring HR in-house, they had grown to over 30.
And throughout that growth, we were handling the people stuff behind the scenes.
For the founders and senior management team, that meant less time getting caught up in HR admin, employee queries, and day-to-day issues, and more time running the business. They had someone they trusted to bounce ideas off, talk through difficult decisions and challenge their thinking when they needed. Not just someone who knew employment law, but someone who knew their business.
For employees, it meant having a dedicated HR contact they could go to with questions, rather than having to go through their manager.
And for the business, it meant having an expert HR function that could grow alongside their team, without needing to hire an internal HR person before the time was right.
The best bit? Eventually, Upperdog grew to the point that they needed HR on the ground and we’re proud of being part of their journey to get there.
WHY THIS MATTERS
There’s a point where HR becomes too much for the founder, when you need expert advice but a full-time HR pro doesn’t make sense yet. That’s where having the right outsourced HR partner can make all the difference.
And we’re not talking about a helpline you can call when things go wrong. We’re talking about an embedded HR function that can spot the risks before they happen.
That’s what we built with Upperdog.
At Streetwise HR, we provide outsourced HR support and flexible HR partnerships for growing businesses across Dorset and the wider UK. Whether you’re a team of 10 finding your feet or a team of 30 wondering how you’re supposed to keep on top of everything, we can step in and take the HR weight off your shoulders.
Speak to a guru.
Drop us a line in the contact form and we’ll be happy to discuss your business’s HR needs…
