Building better workplaces — Charlie acquires Fair HQ
At Charlie, we’ve always believed that small businesses deserve the best possible chance to thrive. We know that building a great company isn’t just about hitting growth targets — it’s about creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported and inspired to do their best work.
That’s why today, we’re thrilled to announce a major step forward in our mission: we’re acquiring Fair HQ.
Building a workplace where employees feel welcomed, valued and motivated isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the foundation of a truly successful business. But we also know that in today’s climate, small businesses are up against more challenges than ever. Economic uncertainty, rising costs, and a complex hiring landscape make it harder to scale, attract top talent, and retain great people.
With this acquisition, we want to give small businesses a powerful new advantage: the deep, data-driven insights they need to build thriving, high-performing teams.
Why Fair HQ?
Over the past five years, Fair HQ has helped small businesses measure, understand and improve the drivers of team wellbeing and performance. All in a way that's practical, actionable and deeply impactful. By combining specialist research with real-world tactics, it’s given leaders the tools to create workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
This isn’t just theory — we’ve experienced Fair HQ’s impact firsthand. In 2020, we were in the same position as many of the businesses we support today: striving to build a company where people could truly thrive. We turned to Fair HQ, as one of their first customers; they helped us uncover the strengths and gaps in our team dynamics, and guided us toward meaningful change. The result? A stronger, fairer and more resilient business — one that we’re incredibly proud of today.
Now, we’re bringing that same transformation to our customers. We’ve seen what’s possible when businesses commit to creating healthy, engaged workplaces, and we’re excited to make those insights and tools more accessible than ever before.
As FairHQ’s CEO, Kate Pljaskovova, puts it: “CharlieHR was one of our very first customers, and over the years they’ve been instrumental in shaping Fair HQ’s vision. I couldn’t imagine a better home for Fair HQ — one where it can truly scale its impact, helping thousands of businesses build inclusive, high-performing cultures. This is the perfect next chapter, and I can’t wait to see what Charlie does with it!”
What this means for Charlie customers
By bringing Fair HQ into Charlie, we’re unlocking a whole new level of support for leaders of small businesses. You’ll have access to deeper insights into your company’s health, empowering you to make strategic, purposeful decisions that shape a high-performing culture.
For us, this isn’t just about adding another feature to our product — it’s about giving small businesses a real, tangible edge in a competitive world. The businesses that prioritise fairness and inclusivity aren’t just doing the right thing; they’re building stronger, more resilient teams that will stand the test of time.
What’s coming next?
Over the next few months, we’ll be working closely with the Fair HQ team to integrate their platform into Charlie. This means ensuring that their powerful insights and tools are seamlessly woven into our product, making it super easy for small businesses to access the data they need to succeed.
We can’t wait to share more about what’s coming next. But for now, we just want to say: we’re so excited for this next chapter — and we’re thrilled to have you on this journey with us.
