People Systems & Automation
Less admin.
More room to grow.
We help growing companies choose the right People systems, optimise existing tools and build smart automations, from connected workflows to AI agents.
When People teams are lean, the admin doesn’t disappear. It lands somewhere else.
Here’s one new joiner, itemised, with who usually ends up doing each bit.
ONBOARDING
One new joiner · admin, itemised · illustrative
- Re-type offer details into the HR systemOperations25 min
- Email IT for a laptopLine managers10 min
- Chase the signed contractFounders30 min
- Remind the manager about day oneOperations10 min
- Copy the start date to payrollFinance15 min
- Answer “Where’s my laptop?”IT15 min
- Fix the details typed wrongFinance25 min
- Operations0 min
- Line managers0 min
- Founders0 min
- Finance0 min
- IT0 min
Operations is shown net of the 15-minute people review.
How we build
Different problems. Different solutions.
No two businesses work quite the same way. We look at your existing tools, processes and priorities, then design the right solution, whether that’s connecting systems, building AI agents, automating workflows or simplifying how work gets done.
Illustrative example
The problemDetails are copied by hand between recruitment, HR and payroll.
Help your existing tools work together.
Where people stay involved: Mismatches are flagged to a person, never silently overwritten.
The approach is tailored to your business, technical environment and agreed project scope.
Time back
Time back for the jobs they were hired to do.
- Onboarding admin this year, as it is
- 21 h 40 min
- This year, with the better workflow
- 2 h 30 min
- Illustrative time potentially saved
- 19 h 10 min
10 joiners × 2 h 10 min = 21 h 40 min today. 10 × 15 min = 2 h 30 min with the better workflow.
The assumptions behind these figures
- 130 minutes of manual admin per new joiner, as itemised on the receipt.
- 15 minutes of people review per new joiner after automation.
- 115 minutes potentially saved per new joiner, split by who did each task.
An illustration, not a measured client result. Every company is different, and your figures will be too.
- Finance back to month-end6 h 40 min
- Founders back to customers and growth5 h
- Operations back to running the business3 h 20 min
- IT back to keeping everyone working2 h 30 min
- Line managers back to their team1 h 40 min
What we do
We don’t just recommend automations. We build them.
- 1
Map the workflow
We trace every hand-off, who does it, and where the same details get typed twice.
- 2
Design and build it
We design the workflow and build the integrations, automations and AI agents in your systems.
- 3
Test and hand over
We test with real-world cases, then hand over with documentation. Ongoing support can be agreed as part of the project scope.
We work with the tools you already use, and help you choose what else, if anything, you need.
- Personio
- Remote
- ADP
- Sage
- Xero
- Greenhouse
- Ashby
- Leapsome
- Slack
- Notion
- Airtable
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Linear
- Jira
- Confluence
Examples of tools we work with. Not partnerships or certified integrations: what can be connected depends on your systems and access.
AI handles the routine.
People make the judgement calls.
We design automation around human judgement, keeping sensitive decisions and exceptions in the right hands.
Your situation
Your tools, your stage, your needs.
Every business is different. So is every project.
We assess your needs, agree the scope and provide a tailored proposal. People Systems & Automation is priced separately from our ongoing People Advisory service.