HR Generalist - London

Department: Human Resources
Reports to: Regional HR Director, EMEA
Location: London
Contract type: 6-month fixed-term contract

Passionate about people? Ready to make an impact? We're looking for a proactive and people-focused HR Generalist to partner with employees and managers, delivering expert support and guidance across the full employee lifecycle while helping to create an engaging and high-performing workplace.

About Side

Side is a global video game development and services provider, working with many of the world’s leading developers and studios.

Founded in 2009, and drawing on more than 30 years of experience from our parent company in Japan, Side now operates across 15+ studios in North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Our services include game development, art production, audio production, QA, localisation, localisation QA, player support, community management and datasets.

We help bring stories to the world. To do that well, we need strong people support behind the scenes - practical, human, consistent and close to the business.

The Role

We are looking for an HR Generalist to support our London team on a 6-month fixed-term contract.

This is a hands-on, people-focused role covering HR advisory, employee relations, onboarding, HR administration, performance management, employee engagement, policy implementation and workplace culture.

You will be a visible and approachable point of contact for employees and managers, providing clear guidance, practical support and sound judgement across day-to-day people matters. You will work closely with managers to help them apply policies fairly, handle employee relations issues confidently and create a positive, inclusive and engaging employee experience.

The right person will bring a strong understanding of UK HR practice, employment legislation and employee relations processes, balanced with empathy, credibility and a genuine interest in creating a workplace where people feel supported, valued and connected.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Supporting employees and managers across the full employee lifecycle, including recruitment support, onboarding, employee changes, performance processes, engagement activity and exits.
• Providing HR advice on absence, health issues, conduct, capability, grievances, organisational change and other employee relations matters.
• Partnering with managers on employment law-related matters, including complex investigations.
• Giving accurate, timely guidance in line with UK employment legislation, company policies and HR best practice.
• Supporting onboarding for successful candidates, including contracts, Right to Work checks and inductions.
• Maintaining accurate employee records, HRIS data and HR documentation, including regular checks and audits for compliance and accuracy.
• Advising and coaching managers on company policies, people processes and effective people management.
• Supporting performance appraisal processes, performance improvement plans and employee development activity.
• Helping develop, implement and improve HR policies, procedures and ways of working.
• Identifying opportunities to improve the employee experience and the efficiency of HR delivery.
• Supporting HR reporting, metrics, queries and people-related systems activity.
• Acting as the primary backup for payroll processing, including payroll updates.
• Supporting employee engagement initiatives, culture programmes, internal communications, HR updates and employee events.
• Championing a positive, inclusive and collaborative working environment.
• Promoting employee wellbeing, trust, inclusion and a strong sense of connection across the business.
• Upholding company standards around confidentiality, security, IT, HR procedures, Health and Safety, ethical behaviour and professional conduct.

What We’re Looking For

You will need previous experience in an HR Generalist, HR Advisor or similar HR role, with a strong track record of supporting managers and employees across a broad employee lifecycle.

You should bring:

• Strong knowledge of HR principles, employment practices and UK employment legislation.
• Experience handling employee relations matters, including absence, disciplinary, grievance, conduct, capability and performance management processes.
• Experience supporting onboarding, employee engagement, retention activity and HR administration.
• Familiarity with HR systems, HR reporting and Microsoft Office.
• Good understanding of employee wellbeing, workplace culture, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to build trust and credibility with employees and managers.
• Good judgement, empathy, emotional intelligence and discretion.
• Strong organisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• A proactive, practical and solutions-focused approach.

The Type of Person Who Will Do Well Here

You will thrive in this role if you are people-focused, approachable, adaptable and commercially sensible.

You care about employee experience, but you also understand the need for fair, consistent and practical HR delivery. You can build trusted relationships, handle sensitive matters professionally and support managers without overcomplicating things.

You are proactive enough to spot issues before they escalate, confident enough to give clear advice and thoughtful enough to bring the human element to HR.

Why Join Side?

This is a broad HR Generalist role in a global, creative and fast-moving business connected to the video games industry.

You will have real visibility across the employee lifecycle and the opportunity to make a direct impact on employee experience, manager capability, engagement, culture and HR consistency across the London business.

If you enjoy hands-on HR, practical problem-solving, trusted relationships and creating a better experience for employees and managers, this is a strong opportunity to do meaningful work in a global organisation with a creative, people-led environment.

For more information, visit www.side.inc.