Cork HR firm an ‘effective outsource’ for multinationals

Peninsula said an increasing number of large organisations are using its services through non-disclosure agreements as outsourcing HR may be seen as 'taboo'

Peninsula chief operating officer Moira Grassick: 'Some of the challenges that we have at the moment is definitely around recruitment.'

Cork-based human resources (HR) firm Peninsula said an increasing number of multinationals are using its services through non-disclosure agreements as outsourcing HR may be seen as “taboo”.

Peninsula declined to comment on what sector of multinationals in Ireland is seeking its services but global headwinds including inflationary pressures and rising interest rates have hit a number of large firms in the last year which have led to thousands of redundancies, particularly in the tech sector.

“The Irish market has a lot of large US organisations that don’t necessarily have local expertise when it comes to local employment law,” said Raj Singh, CEO of Peninsula’s Irish arm.

“We are now starting to work as an effective outsource for large organisations.” 

Peninsula traditionally works with smaller companies in sectors including hospitality. 

Growth plans

Mr Singh made the comments while Finance Minister Michael McGrath visited Peninsula’s office on South Mall in Cork City to discuss the firm’s growth plans in Ireland.

The Peninsula Group has another office in Dublin as well as offices in the North, Australia, Canada, London, Scotland, England, and New Zealand.

The company is a family business which was founded by two UK brothers, Peter and Fred Done, in 1983. 

It opened its first Irish office in Dublin in 1997 before opening its second in Cork in 2020.

The company has around 7,000 business clients across Ireland.

It said its focus for Ireland is on growing its business out of Munster as there are fewer firms that provide HR services in the province compared to Leinster. 

However, a tight labour market has hindered expansion.

“Some of the challenges that we have at the moment is definitely around recruitment,” said Peninsula Ireland COO Moira Grassick.

Employment law

This recruitment drive by Peninsula is also to ensure it has a sufficient number of employees to deal with queries relating to employment law.

A range of employment-related laws have either been introduced or will come into effect this year.

These include the EU Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions, which outlines a range of minimum requirements to protect workers, as well as the Sick Leave Act 2022 which was signed into law in July. From January 1, employers have a legal obligation to pay up to three days of paid sick leave to any staff member who is medically certified as unavailable for work due to illness or injury.