Haugen Group Opts for HR-for-Hire: It’s Important for Us to Be Challenged

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Replacing a skilled HR Director can be a time-consuming process. So what do you do if you don’t want to rush—or leave the position vacant? For Haugen Group, the solution was to hire through Aider.


Norway’s Leading Competence Hub in Food and Beverage

Haugen Group is Norway’s largest company for food and beverage imports, with a turnover of NOK 1.4 billion in 2022. They are market leaders in products such as tea, Mexican and Asian food, and are also wine distributors. With a highly complex corporate structure comes complex needs.


“We have a wide range of operations in the organization, from day-to-day operations to strategy. Therefore, we rely heavily on strong collaboration across all departments, whether it’s staff working in the warehouse, at the office, or in external sales,” says Atle Farmen, CEO of Haugen Group.


 

New perspectives

A key driver of this collaboration is the HR Director. So when she left, Haugen Group had to act quickly. Standing still was never an option.


“U2 sings about ‘running to stand still,’ and there’s some truth in that. If you stop, you’re essentially moving backward, so we wanted to keep moving until we found a replacement.”


Farmen explains that the company was also in a strategic phase, which highlighted the need for strong dialogue around organizational matters. The conclusion was that it would be sensible to bring in a third party.


“We already have good experience with hiring consultants who can provide an external perspective on the company. There’s no reason why this shouldn’t apply to HR as well. External advisors, when used effectively, can challenge, inspire, and bring new perspectives,” says Farmen.


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Valuable Fresh Perspectives


Until they had secured a permanent replacement, Haugen Group hired not just one, but two resources from Aider—at 70% and 30% capacity, respectively.


“This way, one could focus on operational HR tasks while the other contributed a strategic perspective. Having two people share one role in this way was a solution that suited us. They complemented each other well, resulting in an overall outcome that was excellent.”


During this period, Aider’s HR advisors managed all aspects of the traditional HR cycle, in addition to making strategic refinements to culture and values.


“Of course, it was also important for us to find a partner we enjoy working with. Aider shares our values, and we know and respect each other. In the end, there really wasn’t any other option.”

- It is always valuable to have fresh eyes, even when it comes to your company culture. And it’s not just that newcomers from outside think differently—it’s also that the temporary nature of the role brings a different perspective to what you do. In addition, external advisors tend to be more outspoken, which is important for us, as we want to be challenged.”


A Successful Project


Perhaps most impressive to Farmen was how quickly the two HR advisors were “up and running” in day-to-day operations.


“The fact that they integrated so quickly demonstrated to me that they brought a wealth of experience and expertise. The handover from the outgoing HR Director went smoothly, and we have planned a solid transition month for the incoming director. The result is that we are left with a successful project,” says Farmen, adding:


“Just as you would hire people temporarily within management consulting to advance a project or area, this has done the same for HR.”


The director believes HR-for-hire can be a smart solution for anyone seeking challenges across everything from systems to ways of working.


“We return to the idea of continuous development. You can’t afford to get stuck in one path. Allowing someone with experience from other corporate strategies to take a look at your operations is a great way to safeguard against exactly that.”

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