Gilmour Quinn

Gilmour Quinn Financial Planning Ltd is, as the name suggests, a small financial planning company based in Staines-upon-Thames. Kim Shephard, Director at Gilmour Quinn gives a little background on the company:  

“Gilmour Quinn has been operating since the 1990’s. My husband set the business up with four other directors, but split from them back in 2003, and so has been operating on his own for almost 16 years. We deal with pensions, investments, mortgages, protection and general insurance.

Kim conducted an audit of the business which turned out to be quite revealing. In the aftermath, it became clear she required support dealing with some members of staff who were unprepared to accept necessary changes which were for the benefit of the efficient running of the business.

“I came into the business initially just to take a look and see how efficiently it was being run. I was mortified to see how things were being conducted in certain areas. As a result, I went into a lot more depth and found that there were significant issues to be addressed.

“HR was being managed in the business prior to me stepping in, but abysmally. There was insufficient concern for record keeping & monitoring. Sickness was also open to abuse beyond anything I would’ve expected. Certain terms & conditions of new contracts of employment previously introduced to all employees were blatantly ignored. In trying to change the status quo, some members of staff refused to comply. During this time I felt heavily pressured to leave the business despite being a Director, that’s how much power the employees felt they had.

“From there it all snowballed. The issues went from bad to worse and members of staff became increasingly personal in their criticisms as time went on. I joined the business with no HR background whatsoever, so it was a significant challenge to me; a lot of exhaustive googling was involved to make sure I was doing everything correctly.

“After the initial sign up with Croner I immediately felt a huge weight of responsibility had been lifted from my shoulders. I couldn’t have handled the mountain of issues so well without Croner if I’m being honest.”

“I think I’ve completely abused my membership! I’ve had Croner on speed dial ever since I knew I could get professional advice and information on the other end of the phone. The HR and employment law advice has been invaluable.”

“At the height of the issues I was facing I could be dealing with two Croner advisers on two separate issues in a single day. The employees were basically doing everything they could to wear me down to get me to back down & resign. Unfortunately for them that’s not the kind of person I am, so I just dug my heels in deeper.”

“Credit where credit is due to all the Croner staff who have helped me to get our business through this nightmare.”

“It was good to know that whatever issue arose, I would have the proper legal response ready. Having that confidence empowers you and puts the power back in the right hands. HR can be such a minefield and you need that backup to ensure you are doing everything correctly and to give you the confidence to be able to deliver the directives your business needs.”

“Things have 100% changed for the better after Croner’s assistance. The ambiance in the office is so much better these days after all these matters were addressed. It’s now a pleasure to come into work. I also now get to use my time efficiently instead of spending far too much time bouncing back & forth on one vexatious issue after another.”

“Croner has had a phenomenally positive impact on Gilmour Quinn. Without hesitation I’d recommend Croner to other small organisations who do not have a dedicated HR department. I’d happily convey to any companies how important I think it is to utilise Croner’s services, regardless of the size of their business or the industry,”