About Us and our Testimonials

About us

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About Us: – If you would like more details of our Professional Experience please ask.

Lesley Furber is the Lead Consultant at The HR Kiosk.

Lesley chose the name The HR Kiosk as she believes this describes the service perfectly – small, precise and friendly. Lesley is by nature, and by profession, a pragmatic problem-solver who helps small and medium sized creative businesses solve theirs.About Us

Lesley is CIPD qualified and has spent over 30 years in Human Resources, working mostly in the UK TV Industry. Lesley has worked at TV-am, British Satellite Broadcasting, Morgan Grampian Publishers and spent 10 years at the BBC, working with Arts, Music, Entertainment (TV and Radio) and Childrens’ TV programme-making departments.

The current clients of The HR Kiosk are from the UK’s Film, TV & Animation production industry.

Since 2006 Lesley has managed ‘Workline’– a free employment advice service, initially for those working in the UK’s Film and TV Industries (funded by the UK Film Council).

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In 2009 Workline’s remit broadened to all UK industry sectors and its website moved to the Crunch website.

Workline was nominated as a Finalist in the Best Employment Advice Website category at the National Online Recruitment Awards 2013.


In August 2013, October Films approached Lesley Furber to ask her to appear as the ‘expert’ HR practitioner on a forthcoming Channel 4 Dispatches programme on bad employment practices. Discussing practices such as zero-hours contracts, the agency workers regulations and low pay with an Employment Law Academic and a Dispatches Reporter. Lesley declined the offer but was very honoured to be asked! The programme aired on Monday 21st October, called ‘The Secret of your Pay Packet’.

In April 2014 The UK Ministry of Justice approached Lesley with an ‘Expertise Request’ to ask for her help on a project to change the ET3 online forms (Employers Tribunal claim process).

Testimonials (About Us) – You can also see our Testimonials on our LinkedIn page here:

The Good Web Guide UK published a list of top Freelancer sites in February 2013 – and Freelance Advisor (who we write employment law articles for) got a lovely write-up. They said:

“Don’t make the cardinal mistake of thinking that just because you’re freelance you don’t have ‘rights’. There are a legion of employers out there who take advantage of freelancers, in order to profit from the ‘grey area’ covering taxes, national insurance payments and holiday allowances. Keep up to date on current legislation at Freelance Advisor”

Testimonial from Justine Cobb, Operations Director, Crunch, June 2011 –

Lesley has been amazing in helping to review and update our Company Handbook to ensure we are compliant with the latest employment law. In the process she managed to retain the feel of our company and culture throughout the handbook and it has been highly praised internally.

Lesley was great to work with and extremely knowledgeable on all things HR. Employment law can be a minefield and she has put us straight on a number of things.

It’s great to know she is there if we ever need some expert advice. Justine Cobb

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Testimonial from Tara Schiavon, Finance & Business Director, The Media Services Company Ltd, September 2011

We are a small sized company with a growing workforce and expecting to expand this year and employ more new staff. With 2 directors very busy doing the day to day work, we needed help with our HR and to ensure that we stayed legal. We came across the HR kiosk, received a very reasonable price, set out the paperwork we would need i.e. – a contract for our employees with irregular work patterns, and a Company Handbook to detail what hours someone could work and their leave, disciplinary procedures etc.

Lesley at the HR kiosk whirled into our lives with enthusiasm and absolute professionalism, I could not believe the amount of paperwork she produced for us – and things that we did not know we needed. She worked so hard for us, and I felt safe, she gave us fantastic advice on HMRC obligations. She gave us advice on how to proceed for the future as part of the original price, she is worth her weight in gold.

The HR kiosk will be our HR representatives until we require a full time HR person. But I would recommend The HR Kiosk to anyone. Their experience and knowledge is astounding. And I am forwarding their details to my business friends. I can’t recommend them enough. Tara Schiavon.

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Testimonial from Darren Fell – Entrepreneur and Managing Director of Crunch.

Lesley Furber manages Workline – which offers free employment advice to those working in the UK from the Crunch website.

Darren said: Lesley has been utterly fantastic in the delivery of perfectly apt content. More, she has been exceptionally fast responding to freelanceadvisor’s audience’s questions about employment issues which we provide for free.

All round a fantastic addition to our site and we have been so pleased with Lesley’s incredibly professional approach. 100% recommended!


Testimonial from the HR and Recruitment Manager, Crunch, February 2013 –

Lesley is fantastic. She is extremely knowledgeable, always providing sound advice on any HR questions I ask her! Further more, she is lovely to deal with. I have no hesitations in recommending Lesley.

From the Office Manager, Greenbird TV, August 2013 –

Hi Lesley. Thanks so much again for everything and looking forward to working with you again soon xxxx

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From the Finance & Operations Manager, Union Chapel, March 2014 –

Lesley – Hi there – really sorry I haven’t been in touch – I had to focus on some day to day accounts stuff and had a new employee joining the accounts department.

So many thanks for all your hard work last week and for doing it in a short space of time.

We have discussed the work that you have done and agree that the XXXX should be on a casual contract as you suggested and that XXX should be on a permanent contract, as you also suggested.

Many thanks for all your assistance. Kind regards.

From the Director, Knowles-Wilkins Engineering (KWE) Ltd, May 2014 –

Hi Lesley, good news ref the contract, thanks. Please go ahead and make the amendments to the contract & handbook where necessary.

Thank you for capping the costs for us, it is much appreciated. Being one man down (even if he didn’t do very much) will affect our cash flow for the next couple of months, but I’m so pleased that I’m not paying someone for doing nothing!

The atmosphere here now is much improved. We’re all off to lunch in a few minutes to celebrate XXX’s birthday (belatedly) and new beginnings. I’ll raise a glass to you! Best regards

From the Company Secretary, Geotechnical & Environmental Associates, August 2014 –

Hi Lesley. Thanks for your help with XXX’s letter. We have given it to her now. We will definitely know whether or not it is working in this timescale. Thanks

From the Finance & Resource Manager, BRAC UK, May 2015 –
Dear Lesley

Many thanks for your time earlier on today I do appreciate your advice. Find attached the contract of the secondment which we need to renew ASAP. Grateful if you could kindly make suggestions as discussed.

Many thanks

 

From Angela Mead Accountants June 2015 –
Hi Lesley
Just keeping you in the loop. XXX has resigned. There is nothing I should advise the client of in respect of this matter is there?
Best
I can’t tell you how great it is to have you in the back ground to ping these things over too!
Angela
From the Director, Little House of Science, June 2015 –
Hi Lesley

Thanks for your email and yes all has been resolved quietly thankfully!
Thank you for your great assistance (I sure it wasn’t the only time:)).

Many thanks, Best regards,

From the Managing Director, Soben Contract and Commercial, October 2015 –
Hi Lesley,

Thanks for your help. Your clear advice really helped. Please see responses below.

Regards,

From the Director, KIBOUsushi Ltd, October 2015 –

Thank you very much lesley; I will read through everything today.

You have been brilliant.

OK this is great. How to be an employer? Surely it’s just a case of shouting louder 🙂 We can run the list of HR admin duties past our admin lady and discuss what she’s not comfortable with. I think you’ll be a perfect fit!!!!!!! Executive Producer, Itasca Films, March 2016
Hi Lesley,
Thanks very much indeed for all your help, I’m extremely grateful, and very impressed with the service you provide. I will certainly come back to you if I encounter any further HR issues.

All best regards, Barney (Booksellers) May 2016

From the Operations Director, Sound Environment Ltd, June 2016.
Thanks Leslie, yes it is kind of laughable really isn’t it!

But so reassuring to have you at the end of an email telling me I’m not totally mad…Take care ;-),Thanks.


From the Secretariat Manager, The British Pain Society, July 2016.
“Dear Lesley, Many thanks for your time on the phone this morning and for such a through summary of the main points discussed. It has been very helpful. Kind Regards”

From the Director, Lumi Power Yoga, November 2016 “Professional, quick, knowledgeable and easy to work with. Recommended!”
This is great, Thanks you. Can you start building these into the handbook and I’ll come back with other points / shortly. Tender went in yesterday… fingers crossed. Head of Production, Pacific TV, November 2016 .


Hi Lesley, Email the invoice to my other email address. Thanks for all your help especially as it was Easter. x. Executive Producer, DogDuck Media, April 2017.
Thanks Lesley – that makes perfect sense and your help has been invaluable. x. The Talent and HR Executive, Greenbird TV, May 2017.
Hi Lesley, Thank you so much for talking with me and also for sending the various attachments. Your advice was very helpful and much appreciated. Kind Regards, Finance Manager, Hungry Gap Productions Ltd, May 2017.
Thanks Lesley that’s brilliant. I’ve sent the link to my boss and I think he is going to tweet it! (Hope that’s ok?), With kind regards, Company Secretary GEA, November 2017 (in relation to this article on mental health at work)
“Hi Lesley. This is very thorough – and clear. Let me have a check with XXX and I’ll get back to you asap.” Creative Director, Factory Films UK, April 2018

“Hi Lesley, Below sounds great and it looks like we have lots of work to do. How is it best to move forward? Shall we have another call?” Director, StudioXAG, August 2018
“That’s great, thank you Lesley. I will have a look over these today and tomorrow and let you know if I have any questions. Thank you for turning them around so quickly.” Director, MADE Workshop, May 2019 
“Thanks Lesley, all your advice is much appreciated and all seems clear to us. Communications Consultant, Morton Waters, October 2019 

 

2022