Southampton HR franchise expands into Portsmouth, forming The HR Dept Solent

By Sam Pither

6 February 2023

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The Business Magazine article image for: Southampton HR franchise expands into Portsmouth, forming The HR Dept Solent

HR practitioner Deborah Weatherell has launched The HR Dept Solent, having expanded her business to include Portsmouth along with its current Southampton and Fareham area.

The expansion comes on the sixth anniversary of for the business, which was originally started on 1 February 2017 in central Southampton, before reaching out to the east of the city and Fareham eight months later.

It has since grown an average of 30 per cent each year, currently serving 20 businesses on a retained basis with a similar number looked after on an ad hoc basis, and is forecasting a further 60 per cent growth this year.

Deborah said: "As the legal landscape changes, as employees' demands develop and our culture continues to shift, HR is becoming more widely regarded as a necessity - an investment worth making to give businesses a competitive edge.

"An increasingly transactional nature of employment is forcing businesses to change how they find and - crucially - keep their best people. Even small organisations can take steps to become great employers. It will result in higher retention, lower recruitment costs and less loss of expertise from the business.

"So, I'm excited to bring our offering to smaller businesses around Portsmouth, as well continuing to serve Southampton and Fareham."

Featured image: (L-R) Annabel Robbins, Deborah Weatherell and Emmy Janaway of The HR Dept Solent

By Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.