A Washington Post Top 5 Book for Business Leaders
Roberta Chinsky Matuson
Creating Exceptional Workplaces and Extraordinary Results
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Examples of How We Deliver Results for Our Clients:

Case Study No. 1

Situation

We were engaged by a NYS exchange company in the beverage industry to help the organization dramatically decrease costly turnover in their national sales force. Our work included the following:

  • profiling the ideal sales recruit to ensure proper job fit
  • providing recommendations to reduce costly turnover in the sales organization
  • and improving the recruitment process for the hiring of junior sales representatives, in particular the college recruitment program.

Approach

On behalf of our client, we designed a strategy to determine the root cause of employee turnover. We conducted one-on-one interviews with employees and former employees across the country to gather feedback for our client. We contacted individuals who chose to leave within the first 90 days, as well as candidates who had declined job offers, to gain a thorough understanding of why people were either leaving or choosing to take employment elsewhere. As part of this project, we interviewed the directors of the college placement offices to identify ways to improve our client's positioning on campus.

We customized a behavior-based interviewing program for our client and personally trained over 100 hiring managers across the country. This program ensured the organization was hiring for fit and that all managers were on the same page.

Return on Investment

Within the first six months, turnover dramatically dropped. The company estimates an annual savings of over a million dollars as a result of our work together. The intellectual property for the interviewing program was immediately purchased by the organization for a company-wide roll-out of this process.


Case Study No. 2

Situation

A highly respected retail player in the Boston area recognized the need to continually improve their people and processes in order retain their number one position in the marketplace. The company was concerned that high turnover in the retail stores would lead to the loss of customers for life, as their business relies heavily on reputation.

The company specifically sought our expertise to:

  • Create an exceptional experience every time a customer interacted with one of their employees
  • Deliver consistent customer service throughout the organization
  • Decrease the amount of time it took for a new hire to become productive
  • Reduce costly turnover
  • Provide retail managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to hire, train, engage and manage performance of their employees

Approach

We reviewed and analyzed the current recruitment process and made recommendations for improvements. We spoke with employees who had recently left the organization to determine what corrections to put into place to avoid future turnover. We designed and implemented a behavior-based interviewing program to teach hiring managers how to effectively select high caliber employees.

We worked side by side with the owner, the director of human resources, the director of client relations and the district retail manager to design an onboarding program to dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes for new employees to become productive. The program begins the moment the offer is accepted and smoothly assimilates into the organization's employee training program.

Return on Investment

Immediately following the training, hiring managers reported feeling significantly more confident in their hiring abilities. Newly hired employees reported a smooth assimilation into the company, which resulted in reduced turnover among newly hired employees and an increase in employee referrals. Stress among new hires has dropped significantly as people know exactly what is expected and where to find answers to any questions they may have. The company has been able to maintain their top position, even in a tough economy.


Case Study No. 3

Situation

A CEO of a high-growth international company was spending much of his time managing turf wars on the home front. The stress was compounded by his need to spend fifty percent of his time overseeing their China operations. His investors suggested he bring us in to provide him with perspective and advice surrounding organizational issues that were preventing him from moving the company forward.

Approach

We immediately entered into a coaching relationship with the CEO. Together, we established objectives and helped him identify what was keeping him from moving forward. Shortly after we began our work together, it became apparent that he needed to remove several of his key hires. We coached him though this process and provided him support, as he began the lengthy process of rebuilding his team and re-establishing his leadership position in the company.

Return on investment

The CEO no longer feels stressed whenever he has to leave the country to take care of business. His time is now spent building his organization, rather than playing referee. The investors report growth is once again heading in the right direction.


Case Study No. 4

Situation

The owners of a transportation company were planning a series of acquisitions across the United States. The company went from zero employees to over 3,000 overnight. Our firm was engaged to create an infrastructure to support this rapid growth.

Approach

We immediately assessed what needed to be merged (e.g., insurance plans, employees handbooks, etc.) and assembled a team to assess best practices, from the organizations being brought into the fold. We created a strong HR foundation to support the newly formed company, while working directly with senior management to ensure nothing fell through the cracks during this tumultuous time. We hired a group of temporary employees and oversaw the transition of all administrative items related to HR compliance.

Return on investment

Our management of this process allowed the senior management team to remain focused on the initial public offering (IPO), which immediately followed the roll-up of these companies. The IPO was a success.

Satisfied Clients Say:

"Roberta was able to clearly define our project objectives and the methodology that we needed to reach those objectives. Roberta helped us pinpoint the root cause of our problem by using in-depth probing techniques that gave her access to important data we did not have..."
Amy Waryas, Director, HR
The Boston Beer Company

"Roberta worked with us to create a comprehensive onboarding program. With her guidance, knowledge, and expert HR advise we have successfully launched our company-wide training initiative. We now assimilate new hires into the company more effectively than ever..."
Ted Winston, Co-Owner
Winston Flowers

"When it comes to management of people, Roberta sees through all the noise and gets right to the heart of the matter..."
Mark Spitzer, President
Photonic Glass Corporation

"As we have grown, Roberta has provided continued support to help us work through complicated personnel issues while allowing us to focus on other areas of our business. Our employment practices truly support our business goals..."
Paul M. Zavracky, Ph.D., Former President and COO
MicroOptical Corporation

"Roberta has saved us time and energy on situations we may have needlessly wrestled with. We consider her a partner and look for her guidance often. Roberta has provided a welcomed service to Six Red Marbles..."
Sarah Smith White, President
Six Red Marbles

"Roberta was tenacious about keeping us focused on completing our project on schedule. The finished project was comprehensive, professional and passed the scrutiny of legal experts. I would definitely use Human Resource Solutions again..."
John Blake, Former COO
Advanced Results Marketing

"It's a real pleasure working with Human Resource Solutions. They understand how small businesses operate and have been very responsive to our needs. As a fast growing company we knew we quickly needed to put sound HR practices into place..."
Curtis B. Bean, Former President
Gazelle Systems, Inc.

"Roberta Matuson was our answer. She met with us, developed a plan, walked us through the process to record our policies and procedures. She helped identify areas where policies were non-existent. She then developed and produced our employee handbook. We still use it today..."
Tim Slattery, CEO
CFSmail.com

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