We chat with Belinda from The B Hive about her journey to self employment, the importance of employee engagement, and gifts.

Hi, Belinda! Let’s hear a little bit more about you

Hi! I’m Belinda, and I’m a self-employed HR and Business Consultant. I fit the niche for small businesses that would love an HR and Office Manager, but don’t need a whole one.

Why did you set up The B Hive?

I’d been thinking about going self-employed on and off, but my job was secure, and it was too scary! Then the choice was taken out of my hands when the company I worked for was sold to a national brand, and I was made redundant.

As part of the package, I helped transfer the original company into the new company and realised I had more transferable skills than I thought. Could I see a gap in the market for companies looking for HR or Admin help ‘when they needed it’? I could! With a bit of money behind me, I bought a desk, put it in the lounge, and started B-Hiving! Six years later and I have an office in the back garden and I’m loving (almost) every work day!

What is your approach to employee engagement?

Shut mouth, open ears. Give people the time to speak about themselves, and they will tell you how they really are and what they really want.

More often than not, those needs can be aligned with an employer. An employee wants to be heard, and an employer wants to hear new ideas. It sounds idealistic, but given time and space to talk, employees and employers give you their own solutions. I’m just there to do a bit of poking and prodding.

With more teams working across different offices and remotely, how has that changed your role/the role of HR?

Ah, the Zooms and the Teams. Even being on there every day, I still have tech bumps and annoying no-shows. However, it does mean I can look after a vast array of SMEs without travelling, which is great for mileage and the environment. So I’m happy to take the awkwardness of the virtual call.

There are some things I won’t do remotely though. Handling late-stage disciplinary, redundancy, or management development needs to be face-to-face for me. The H in HR stands for ‘human’, and it’s important not to ignore that just because it feels easier to jump on a video call.

We love that you’ve used us to buy Christmas and reward gifts for employees. What is it you’re looking for from workplace gifting?

I love using DBHF because of the personal touch. I’ve had crappy Christmas hampers for years, sometimes three from different suppliers with the same mincemeat and rubbish biscuits that sit in the cupboard for months before I guiltily recycle them. I can motivate employees with a monthly ’employee of the month’ and know that when they open their gifts (in front of the team, of course!) they will be chuffed with their IPA, sleep mask, or smellies. For them, it feels like they have been ‘seen’ by the Operations team and the CEO, and that means buckets to a staff member working minimum wage. You could look at it transactionally – the company invests a minimal amount and gets back staff loyalty and good feeling – but it’s a lovely transaction that works for both sides!

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’ve enjoyed working with DBHF, and I love working with SMEs anyway. But the team goes the extra mile to make things easy for me. The process to order gifts, even multiple options to various addresses, is easy. I feel supported and special, and it’s lovely to think that when I order, Hannah is at the other end giving me a little invisible wave (or so I imagine!).

Thank you, Belinda – it’s been lovely chatting with you! If you’d like to find out more about The B Hive then take a look at the website, or follow Belinda on LinkedIn.

If you think we can help you with corporate, client or colleague gifting, we’d love to have a chat. Get in touch with our team here.