PuzzleHR

BACKGROUND

I am the Partner + COO of GROWL

GROWL is a revenue operations and revenue architecture consultancy. We build the systems underneath our clients' revenue — CRM architecture, data infrastructure, sales operations, and full HubSpot implementations — mostly for mid-market companies in banking, manufacturing, associations, and professional services.

We started as a traditional marketing agency. We moved into operations because that's where our clients' real problems turned out to be: not a lack of leads, but a lack of infrastructure to do anything with them. We're a HubSpot Platinum Solutions Partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Run our HR function end to end without hiring internally
• Handle employee relations with judgment we could defend
• Build and maintain Colorado-compliant policy, not a downloaded template

SOLUTION

Referral

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

2-5 Employees

PuzzleHR served as our outsourced HR department, covering the function end to end rather than advising an internal team we didn't have.

Employee relations. They handled our personnel matters directly, including several genuinely difficult situations. What we needed was judgment — someone who could tell us what position was defensible, not just what was comfortable — and that's what they brought.

Live training. They delivered real training sessions rather than recorded modules, and split delivery by audience so leadership and junior staff each got content pitched appropriately. This was a deliberate ask on our part and they built to it.

Colorado compliance manual. They built our compliance manual from the ground up. Colorado employment requirements are complex and they change, so the value wasn't just the document — it was having it maintained by people whose job is tracking those changes, instead of us working from a downloaded template and hoping it covered us.

Ongoing HR operations. Day-to-day HR administration ran through them, which is why we never had to stand up an internal function. As our business changed, we moved to their Comply plan — a lighter engagement focused on keeping our compliance current. They initiated that conversation rather than letting us keep paying for services we'd outgrown.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The clearest outcome is what didn't happen: we never built an internal HR function. Through the entire early phase of our business we operated without an HR hire, HR software of our own, or the overhead that comes with either — and we were never exposed for it.

On employee relations, the measure is that every difficult personnel situation they walked us through was resolved without escalation. No claims, no complaints, no legal exposure. For a company our size handling those situations without professional guidance, that outcome is not the default.

On compliance, we've stayed current with Colorado requirements throughout, including through changes we would not have caught on our own. Our manual has never been out of date.

On the engagement itself: when our needs shrank, our spend shrank with it. They moved us to a lighter plan rather than letting us keep paying for services we'd outgrown — which is the reason we're still a client through a second phase of the business rather than a former one.

Responsive and low-maintenance. We never had to chase them.

The rhythm was ours to set. When an employee relations issue came up, we brought it to them and got a real answer back. When we needed training delivered, they scheduled it and showed up.

The compliance manual arrived built, for our review and personalization.

The thing that mattered most for us was that they adapted their engagement to where we actually were rather than to what they'd sold us. When our business changed and we no longer needed the full scope, they moved us to their Comply plan. A vendor who tells you to spend less is telling you something about how they intend to work with you long-term.

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

The quality of judgment on employee relations. Plenty of HR providers will tell you what's comfortable. PuzzleHR told us what was defensible, which is a different and more useful thing when you're in the middle of a difficult personnel situation and don't have an internal HR function to fall back on.

Nothing significant.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the HR of a booking services company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mobile application software to book wellness and beauty appointments

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Puzzle HR to accomplish?

• Create a Handbook
• Job Descriptions
• Document our processes
• Compliance Training
• Many more

SOLUTION

How did you find Puzzle HR?

Former US General Manager

Why did you select Puzzle HR over others?

I have no idea why they were selected we have a HR Team that was fully capable of handling it.

How many teammates from Puzzle HR were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Title: A Nightmare Experience with an Incompetent Consulting Firm How do I begin? Our encounter with this consulting firm has been nothing short of a disaster, marking it as the worst experience ever in our dealings with external partners. From the outset, it was clear they should never have been brought in, and their performance was an utter disappointment. The primary task we entrusted them with was updating our employee handbook, a crucial document for any organization. 

Shockingly, it took them a staggering five months to deliver, and when it finally arrived, it wasn't even accurate. The handbook spans a whopping 91 pages. They insisted on a separate CA Handbook and we only have two California employees, raised questions about their understanding of efficiency. Instead of creating separate addendums for state-specific information, they opted for a convoluted approach, wasting both our time and money. 

The firm seemed to forget a fundamental principle – that we were their clients, and they were supposed to work for us. The team exhibited condescension, rudeness, and a constant undermining of our HR team. This toxic dynamic reached a point where we were compelled to cease communication with them altogether. They consistently veered off course, focusing on tasks we hadn't requested, such as performance appraisal documents and time-off procedures already managed by our HRIS system. 

Despite our repeated reminders that the handbook was our top priority, the promised deadline was repeatedly pushed back, citing the personal schedule of their team member as an excuse. This unprofessional behavior is inexcusable, especially when considering the hefty $24,000 investment we made with them resulting in absolutely nothing of value. To add insult to injury, they refused to provide us with the training records for compliance training we had paid for. 

Their mishandling of the layoff process for our outside sales team reached a point where a disgruntled employee had to escalate the matter to our CEO. Fortunately, our HR team had to step in and correct the mistakes made by the consulting firm, salvaging the situation. 

In conclusion, this consulting firm not only failed to deliver on its promises but also exhibited a complete lack of professionalism, respect, and competence. Their services were not only a waste of our financial resources but also a drain on our time and energy. We strongly advise against engaging with this firm for any consulting needs, as their performance is a far cry from what any client should expect.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

There were no useable outcomes we had to redo the handbook due to its inaccurate state-specific data and the sheer length it. Their unprofessional demeanor and behavior towards our team and their client was inexcusable.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

No they did not they focused on items we didn't request assistance with items already handled by our HRIS system.

What was your primary form of communication with Puzzle HR?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Nothing at all. I've worked with many consulting firms in my 20 year career and have never seen a group so rude, condescending and undermining, not to mention no results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Puzzle HR could have done differently?

Everything from top to bottom. You don't tell your client not to respond to emails.

BACKGROUND

I am the CEO of Carbon Performance

Carbon Performance is a Fitness Club in 5 locations in the US.  We offer everyting from strength training, cardio, Yoga, HITT classes, Pilattes and Personal Traning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Manage our HR process and Payroll.

SOLUTION

Referral

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

2-5 Employees

HR Puzzle provided us HR consulting and Payroll services

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

HR issues reduction and proccessing payroll 

The team did a fantastic job and would strongly recommend them to other businesses.

Virtual Meeting

I really appreciate their follow and level of details.They have done a very professional job handling our account.

None