About us

Welcome to peopleknd., and thank you for visiting. I’m Sarah Jo, the founder of peopleknd. I started this boutique HR consultancy in 2016 out of a deep desire to make a real difference. Transforming people, organisations, and communities isn’t just my mission - it’s my passion. People are always at the heart of everything I do, and every step I take is guided by authenticity and a genuine drive to create positive change. When I was younger, I believed I could change the world single-handedly if I worked hard enough (oh, the innocence of youth!). But over time, I realised that true change is a collective effort. It happens within organisations and across broader communities, sparked by collaboration with people from all walks of life, each bringing their unique perspectives and shared dedication. This collective expertise and determination is what drives meaningful progress and creates lasting impact in our businesses and society at large. It’s this belief that fuels my commitment to serving people within organisations and communities that strive for positive change. Just before founding peopleknd., I worked in HR at a national charity. I was constantly frustrated by the impersonal nature of HR call centres. Every time I reached out for advice, I spoke with a different person who didn’t understand our organisation, our culture, our strategic goals, or the people we served. The employment law advice was dry but solid. However, I longed for a senior HR professional who felt like a true part of our team - someone who, despite being outsourced due to budget or operational constraints, would take the time to get to know us, visit our office, understand our strategic business goals and industry, and become a trusted HR and business partner. This is why I founded peopleknd. This company is never meant to become a large HR consultancy that outsources clients to call centres or focuses on the size of our portfolio over the quality of our personalised HR work with each and every one of our customers. That would betray the very reason I founded peopleknd. At peopleknd., I personally handle much of the work with our clients. While I collaborate with other HR consultants and enjoy being an entrepreneur, I absolutely love being in the middle of the action. I help organisations like yours grow through their people. I understand that you must stay commercially viable, expand, and serve more of your customers to achieve your mission. My work is rooted in my passion for improving lives and organisations by working closely with people in their workplaces. This allows peopleknd. to remain personal, responsive, and deeply embedded - without becoming a faceless consultancy. My focus is on empowering organisations to achieve their vision by enhancing leadership, culture, and employee experience. By strengthening these pillars, I help drive transformative and lasting change. peopleknd. supports organisations on key HR and People & Culture matters such as employment law, employee relations, policy and compliance (pan-European), staff investigations, performance management, People Strategies, staff engagement, restructuring and redundancy, workforce planning, and organisational development. I am also a qualified workplace mediator, which shapes how I approach employee relations and conflict at every level. Whether formally mediating disputes or supporting organisations through complex and sensitive situations, I bring a calm, impartial, and pragmatic approach focused on resolution, relationships, and reducing risk. The world is changing rapidly, and with it, the way we work. As society and the workplace evolve, so do HR and our people practices. A focus on personalised HR, even when outsourced, will be vital. Change is inevitable, but you have the power to choose how to respond and steer your organisation towards the vision you have for its future. Of course, having in-house HR when you are ready for it has its own benefits, and I won’t deny that. But even if you do have in-house HR, it doesn’t mean you cannot benefit from increased capacity in your HR team and the insights of someone like me, who learns from working with many other organisations similar to yours - understanding what works and what doesn’t. Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to? I look forward to meeting you and your team, and together, we can create lasting, positive change. With enthusiasm and determination, Sarah Jo Loveday FCIPD FRSA Founder