| | DECEMBER 2023MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8In MyOpinionWhen I joined RSK 15 years ago, it was a UK engineering and environmental business with around 700 employees with ambitious plans to expand internationally and through strategic acquisition. Fast forward to 2022, and we have successfully grown RSK into a global group of more than 175 companies (and counting) operating in nearly all sectors of the economy. Our workforce has surpassed 10,000 people, based in more than 200 offices across 40 countries.RSK is a very people-centric business, so HR has always been an integral part of our growth strategy, which really hit its stride about seven years ago. Ultimately, we acquire businesses for the skills, passion, and experience of their people, so it's crucial that we retain as much of the workforce as possible. Early engagement in due diligence, the embryonic phase of any acquisition, is incredibly valuable, as you'd expect, but I'd say it's paramount for RSK. For an acquisition to be successful, not only does a business have to be a good fit for the Group in terms of its sector experience and expertise, but it must also be the right cultural fit. This is especially true when the leadership team is retained ­ something that we seek to do in almost all of our acquisitions. We want authentic leadership at all levels of our organisation. Managing directors need to be able to demonstrate they really do care about and engage their workforce because there are no ivory towers at RSK. HR's due diligence contribution helps to ensure that this strong cultural fit is not overlooked, helping to avoid potential conflicts further down the line. This is a strategy which has evolved over the years, but certain aspects of the HR skill set have remained constant. A degree of flexibility is required, there can be no one-size-fits-all approach, but a framework is needed to sensibly navigate the process. We value mutual respect and prioritise remaining open-minded and collaborative to build trust. We work hard to make sure any concerns the seller has are aired and addressed quickly - we definitely don't want to wait for the post-acquisition survey! And, above all else, we are open and honest. We at RSK have been involved in a great many acquisitions, but for those selling their business, this is often a new experience, a period of significant change that we need to be sensitive to. Offering support through this period is part of the service when welcoming them into the RSK family. For an entrepreneur, selling their business can be daunting, Mirroring RSK's growth, my own team has seen significant change and investment ­ growing from an original small team of two back in 2007 to a Group resource of 125 people. In a significant step change for HR, we have restructured this year, shifting from what had been a mainly centralised HR function to a divisional HR structure modelled on our wider business structure. It made sense for me to introduce an embedded HR operational structure aligned to the divisions. Our acquisition strategy had developed at such pace that I felt a centralised function was at risk of becoming something of a barrier to the service delivery and decision-making process. Embedding operational HR teams in this way has helped us achieve better ownership and engagement at a divisional level, and I can remain close to the process with a truly fit-for-purpose structure which gives me the big picture overview of our progress. The divisional approach is also helping us achieve the flexibility which is so important to us. Small businesses, which often do not have much HR resource, if any, find the HR service offered by the Group a welcome relief. For those larger organisations where HR structures already exist, more time and attention must be spent on establishing how the teams will THE PIVOTAL ROLE HR PLAYS IN A RAPID ACOUISITION STRATEGYBy Zoe Brunswick, Group HR Director, RSK Group Zoe Brunswick
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