Founder invests £120,000 in her new app for employees
A Scottish entrepreneur has launched her first app after discovering pent-up demand from distressed employees needing access to advice.
Stephanie Robinson is on a mission to empower employees with instant HR and legal advice with her first app, HR Solver, which connects employees with qualified HR experts and provides them with a raft of free resources and articles.
Since its beta launch in October last year, the bootstrapped app has already made HR advice accessible to more than 2000 users.
As a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), she spotted a gap in the market for a platform that employees could reach out to for quick, clear and impartial advice tailored to their situation.
The 38-year-old, who lives in East Calder, West Lothian, said: “For me, it’s all about enhancing employees’ dignity and knowledge and ultimately improving their experiences at work – when this is achieved, both employees and employers win.
“Employment issues are hard to handle and fraught with emotion for employees and employers. The key to resolving these issues fairly is following procedures, adopting a non-judgmental approach, and helping employees get to grips with all of the employment rights available.”
No stranger to the Scottish start-up scene, HR Solver is Stephanie’s second foray into business, following in the footsteps of her first successful company Solve., which provides commercially sound, ethical HR guidance to employers.
She added: “I realised just how many employees are in desperate need of discreet and accessible advice, and very few have any options besides costly lawyers, citizen’s advice or unions.
“I’m passionate about building a platform which empowers people and helps them with any HR issues they might have.
“It’s extremely rewarding to see instances where we’ve helped someone achieve a positive outcome for someone who’s not being treated fairly – especially in situations where they’re worried about losing the job which supports their family.”
A graduate of International Relations and Management from Aberdeen University, she has a Masters’ in HR and Employment Law and more than 16 years’ experience in the industry – including working for global corporations in New York, Japan and London.
Her app has an in-built glossary of HR terms, an FAQ section for answers in an instant, and calculators for everything from statutory holiday entitlement to maternity pay.
The live chat connects employees with one of HR Solvers real-life certified HR experts, usually in less than 15 minutes. The chat is available between 7am-10pm Monday to Friday, and 2pm-9pm on Sundays.
Stephanie now employs a team of qualified HR experts. They have been carefully selected for their empathy and years of experience in the industry. All are members of the CIPD, with a deep understanding of HR issues – from grievances and bullying to disciplinary meetings and redundancy situations.
The chat feature costs a small fee of £9 for the first week of unlimited support, followed by a monthly subscription of £4.99 per month for six months of ongoing support.
HR Solver also provides updates on industry news and the most recent HR decisions, using only straightforward language to explain the sometimes complex terms of employment law.
HR Solver is free to download and available on iPhone and Android.
For more information about HR Solver, please visit https://hrsolver.co.uk/
