Liberty’s new HR chief is to move her entire team into the heart of the Regent Street store to better interact with staff.
HR and change director Sara Edwards, who joined the luxury fashion retailer at the start of the year, said moving her team of five HR practitioners to the same building as the bulk of the workforce would help keep her finger on the pulse of the business.
Edwards has also instructed her team to dedicate at least one hour a week to walking the floors and meeting staff in various roles, from shop assistants to staff in the design studio.
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She told Personnel Today: “I’m not an HR person that stays closed away. I like to make sure my team is accessible and out and about in the business. HR should not just be there for the bad things in life – it should be a supportive function. I cannot make strategic decisions unless I know what people’s concerns are.”
Edwards joined Liberty after eight years at the Maybourne Hotel Group, which owns Claridge’s and the Connaught.
