The Challenge

Following the mass redundancy of the entire European executive leadership team, Bibliotheca faced significant HR and compliance gaps across its European operations.

With a UK-centered HR team that had limited knowledge of European employment law, the company needed urgent, expert support to ensure legal compliance, rebuild local HR structures, and restore operational stability across eight countries.

Key challenges included:

• Ensuring labor law compliance in multiple European jurisdictions.
• Rebuilding policies, employment contracts, and HR documentation.
• Managing downsizing and reorganization processes.

Providing strategic guidance on leadership and organizational design during a period of transition.

The Solution

Europe HR Solutions was appointed as Bibliotheca’s external HR Business Partner (HRBP) for Europe to stabilize, restructure, and professionalize the HR function.

Our multi-year engagement included:

• Conducting comprehensive HR audits across all European entities.
• Updating and standardizing employment contracts, employee handbooks, and HR policies to meet local compliance requirements.
• Managing recruitment and reorganization processes, including compliant downsizing activities.
• Designing organizational structures to support efficiency and clarity post-leadership transition.
• Delivering leadership development and HR capability-building programs for the UK-based HR team.
• Acting as a strategic HRBP for European operations, ensuring alignment between local practices and global HR strategy.

Over the course of several years, Europe HR Solutions worked side-by-side with the UK HR team to transfer knowledge and build internal competence, enabling Bibliotheca to operate with a self-sufficient European HR structure.

The Results

• Full HR compliance restored across eight European countries.
• Updated handbooks, policies, and contracts implemented regionally.
• Reorganization and downsizing completed legally and smoothly.
• UK HR team upskilled and now self-sufficient in managing European HR operations.
• Ongoing partnership maintained — Europe HR Solutions continues to serve as retained external HRBP for strategic and complex cross-border matters.

This case demonstrates Europe HR Solutions’ ability to rebuild and professionalize HR operations after major organizational disruption — turning instability into long-term capability.