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Our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter

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WELCOME……. To our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter.  Every month we will be providing a roundup of all our blogs for the month so that should you have missed any, you will have the opportunity to catch up.  In this month’s edition we talk about:

  • HR Surgeries

  • When it gets hot

  • HR Consultancy of the year

  • Changes to ‘Fit Notes”

  • Employers urged to avoid Tokenism during Pride month.

If you wish to discuss any of the subjects within our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter further or to see how Consensus HR can help you and your company / team, why not book a 15 minute, non obligatory call to discuss how we can help you and your business?

Click Here to book a 15 minute no obligation chat..
our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter
our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter

HR Surgeries

We are holding a number of 15 minute FREE HR Surgeries where you can come and ask any HR questions whether you are a business owner or employed.

See more

When it gets hot……

When it gets hot!  The last few months of 2022 has seen a range of various weather, with the most recent being the heat wave and temperatures in the workplace being extremely high, unless of course you have air-conditioning……….. 

See more

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HR Consultancy of the year 2022…

We are honoured to have been awarded two awards for 2022 for the Home Counties for HR Consultancy of the year.  Further details and judges comments can be seen by clicking below:

See more

Fit Notes………

More healthcare professionals are to be given powers to certify fit notes

See more

our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter
our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter

Employers urged to avoid tokenism during Pride month

 

HR Inform part of our Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has written a great article this month: Employers urged to avoid tokenism during Pride month and explains how businesses should ensure that their teams are managed correctly and that the correct behaviours and actions take place continually and and are the norm and not an exception.

See more

Please contact us now, if you wish to discuss your companies HR –

Telephone: 01438 576750

Email: [email protected]

 

We hope you enjoyed our June 2022 HR Blog Newsletter

HR Surgery

HR Surgeries

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HR Surgery

 

We’ve set up a series of one-to-one face to face Human Resources (HR) surgeries with a mix of practical advice and guidance to help you take your organisation to the next level.

Research indicates that with the right HR management practices in place, organisations can significantly improve their staff commitment and performance, flexibility, resilience and adaptability. Plus equality and inclusion, which are essential for business performance and innovation, and for social justice.

 

The 15 minute Surgeries will take place at the BTC Brasserie, Bessemer Drive, Stevenage, SG1 2DX with Matthew Pinto-Chilcott & Helen Watson of  the Consensus HR team.

 

  • 10:30 am – 11:30 am

  • Thursday 14th July 2022

  • Wednesday 10th August 2022

 

If you have a HR, Employment Law, Operational Management question, why don’t you visit us for an informal complimentary 15 minute chat?

 

When it gets hot

When it gets hot!

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With the ever changing British weather and when it gets hot!, what are some of the issues and how can we deal with them?

when it gets hot!
when it gets hot!

When it gets hot!  The last few months of 2022 has seen a range of various weather, with the most recent being the heat wave and temperatures in the workplace being extremely high, unless of course you have air-conditioning………..

We have put together a list of suggestions and how to deal with them:

1. Keep everyone cool!

Whilst the law does not say how hot or cold your workplace should be, temperatures need to be ‘reasonable’.

Keep staff cool by allowing them to switch on fans and air conditioning or ‘dress down’ on hotter days if possible.

2. Remember more vulnerable workers

Some members of staff may be more affected by hot weather, such as those with a disability or pregnant women.

You can help by allowing these employees to take more breaks, move to cooler areas or even work from home temporarily.

3. Prepare for transport disruption

Hot weather can cause issues in the daily commute and you should try to be more understanding if staff are late for work. For example, trains may go slower to prevent tracks from buckling.

Employees should also be encouraged to plan ahead of their journeys and make allowances for delays.

4. Be ready for holiday requests

Everyone can’t be off at once and leave requests are likely to overlap, for instance during the school summer holidays.

It is a good idea to have a first-come, first-served system in place. That way, you can help to avoid one employee being prioritised over another.

5. Look out for unauthorised time off

Employees who are refused a holiday request may take the time off anyway. Alternatively, you may suspect a member of staff is ‘pulling a sickie’.

It is important not to jump to conclusions and conduct a full investigation into the absence. From here, it may become a disciplinary issue.

6. Check on your homeworkers

You aren’t expected to install air conditioning in your employees’ homes, but they should have the same rights as those working in the office. For example, more vulnerable staff should take more breaks, even when working remotely.

HRInform -June-2022

Let us, help you. Click here to contact us.......

Consultancy of the year

Wow! HR Consultancy of the Year 2022

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What fantastic news? We have been awarded two awards this year:

Well, we are extremely honoured to have been told recently that we have won two awards for 2022 from the Prestige Awards 2022 and the SME New Awards 2022 for HR Consultancy Hertfordshire and Home Counties.

The feedback from the judges at the Prestige Awards was extremely interesting and the fact that they were impressed with the personal service
provided by us.

 

Last year 2021 we were lucky to have won four awards and are proud that the HR service we offer to our clients is being recognised by external bodies who are totally independent.

SME News - 2022 UK Enterprise Awards

SME News Awards 2022 HR Consultancy of the Year 2022 - Home Counties

Official announcements are made in August 2022 but we are so honoured we had to let everyone know now!!
Consultancy of the year

Prestige Awards 2022 HR Consultancy Firm Of The Year 2022 - Hertfordshire

For further information and to see what the Judges had to say about us, click one of the headings above.

Contact Us Today If you require HR support for your company, why not contact us today to arrange a FREE HR Review?

 

About Us:   

Consensus HR are a plain speaking HR Consultancy who help businesses with the complexities and best practice in the world of HR. Whether you’re a start-up, SME or bigger business we help businesses from 1 – 250 employees, to enable successful business delivery, growth and change whilst Preventing People Problems.  We help you  find suitable people solutions whilst providing accredited legal expert HR advice. 

Whatever your HR business needs, we can help with our no obligation initial FREE HR audit. Book here and let’s get started!

Consensus HR after years of supporting local businesses, are proud to say that we are a multi award winning personal, unique HR & Employment Law service, helping employers who cannot support their own in-house Human Resources department. 

“Let us help you with your team and give you time to concentrate on your business”

Our monthly packages are designed to be affordable and scales with your business as you grow and start with our HR Foundations package.

We hold the highest Employment Law qualifications (Level 7) with our Chartered Institute and all our advice is fully professionally liability insured and accredited by the CIPD and other leading professional bodies, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board.

We have a range of experiences within all UK business sectors both front & back of house from fast footfall, high turnover retail, hotels & catering and pharmaceuticals to Postproduction & Advertising.

We are based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire and cover surrounding areas including Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire. Get in touch today to see how Consensus HR can help.

Pride

Employers urged to avoid tokenism during Pride month

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HR Inform part of our Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has written a great article this month: Employers urged to avoid tokenism during Pride month and explains how businesses should ensure that their teams are managed correctly and that the correct behaviours and actions take place continually and and are the norm and not an exception.

Within this blog we talk about how to avoid tokenism during Pride month:

  • Learn about LGBTIQ+ employment rights
  • Review your policies
  • Mind your language
  • Back up your words with training and processes

As we all know it is easy to post a rainbow flag on social media for Pride month, but this act alone isn’t going to help the fight for equality. You don’t want to make a public gesture if you don’t have a supportive environment to go with it.

To create good relations with your staff, have better retention rates and avoid legal risk, you need to go beyond tokenism. Here’s how to get started.

avoid tokenism during Pride month

Learn about LGBTIQ+ employment rights

 

First, make sure you know your legislation. There are certain laws in place to protect staff from discrimination. The main law you need to know is the Equality Act 2010.

This protects people from being discriminated against because of these protected characteristics: age, sex, race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.

This law applies – in any public and business setting – to all workers, not just employees.

It’s important that staff know their legal rights and you understand your legal obligation to uphold this legislation in your workplace. Or, you risk facing discrimination claims down the line.

The Equality Act 2010 outlines the types of discrimination that staff are protected from.

  • Direct discrimination – you are treated unfavourably because of any protected characteristics.
  • Indirect discrimination – you are at a disadvantage because of workplace policies or ways of working that discriminate against or exclude any protected characteristics.
  • Harassment – you are offended, humiliated, or degraded by someone because of any protected characteristics.
  • Victimisation – you are treated badly for making or supporting a discrimination claim.

As you can see from the above, there are different ways that someone can experience discrimination. It doesn’t just happen directly. You could indirectly discriminate without realising.

For example, it could be something as simple as how your system is set up. You might not allow staff to update their details – but this might prevent trans staff from being able to use their preferred name.

 

Review your workplace policies to make sure there are no inclusion barriers. It’s key to look at your policies on parental leave and adoption, and other family policies. Make sure they’re inclusive of all gender identities and sexualities.

You should also have a policy on equality and diversity that outlines:

  • the Equality Act 2010
  • your attitude towards equality and discrimination
  • the work environment you want to create
  • your zero-tolerance for discrimination and what will happen if anyone discriminates, i.e. disciplinary action.

Make sure the language you use in your policies is inclusive too. 

Review your policies

Mind your language

The language you use is important – not just in your policies but in how you communicate at work.

People use non-inclusive language every day, such as:

  • gendered greetings – ‘hey guys, ladies, gentlemen’ – this excludes people who don’t fall into a gender binary. It’s better to say ‘hi all/folks/friends/everyone’
  • inviting people’s girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, or husbands to work events – never assume that someone is heterosexual. It’s best to say partner or spouse
  • gendered job roles and phrases – such as best man for the job, mankind, chairman or barman. Instead, say best person for the job, humankind, chairperson, or bartender
  • referring to someone’s sexual preference – never refer to someone’s sexuality or gender identity as a lifestyle choice or preference. Instead, say sexuality or sexual orientation
  • using the gendered pronouns he/she – instead, use the neutral they/them.

So, you’ve got your policies in place and are using all the right words, what now? At the end of the day, words are just words. To make a real difference, you need to make sure that staff hear and understand your policies.

It’s a good idea to back your words up with diversity training and robust processes.

Diversity training helps staff become aware of their own assumptions and prejudices. It stresses the importance of equality and diversity, and can also help you to boost awareness, build staff morale and stay legally compliant.

And if staff feel victimised, how will you help? Make sure your staff know the processes you have in place to support them and that you will back up your words with action.

Back up your words with training and processes

Let us help you with the development of your team. We at Consensus HR can work with you to write and implement a company specific development program. Get in contact now!!!!

We are here to help.

Further blogs: Over the past years we have written a number of blogs on this subject which can be viewed by clicking here:

avoid tokenism during Pride month

Employers ensuring they avoid tokenism during Pride month

Long Covid

“You are always moaning and sick!!”

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Testimonials

Recently when out and about we have been asked by a few clients whether certain conditions are covered under the Equality Act 2010 and what action should they be taking? Two of the most recent conversations have been in relation to Menopause and Long Covid and we discuss further:

You are always moaning and sick

Long Covid

Over the years, one of the most comments we have continually heard is “You are always moaning and sick!!”. The latest news is that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has responded to the discussion of the various symptoms related to Covid-19 that are often referred to as ‘long Covid’ and in particular whether they would constitute a disability under the Equality Act.

“Given that ‘long Covid’ is not among the conditions listed in the Equality Act as ones which are automatically a disability, such as cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis, we cannot say that all cases of ‘long Covid’ will fall under the definition of disability in the Equality Act” the EHRC said.

However, it goes on to clarify that this does not affect whether ‘long Covid’ might amount to a disability for any particular individual; it will do so if it has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Whether or not this is the case will be determined by the employment tribunal or court considering any claim of disability discrimination, the Commission explains.

It concludes: “To support workers affected by ‘long Covid’ and avoid the risk of inadvertent discrimination, we would recommend that employers continue to follow existing guidance when considering reasonable adjustments for disabled people and access to flexible working, based on the circumstances of individual cases.”

As with any long-term absence, employers should ensure they are conducting regular welfare meetings with affected staff members and reviewing the support measures which could be implemented to assist them in the workplace.

Employers should also keep in mind that long Covid will affect each individual differently, so adjustments must be personalised to each employee, in line with their specific needs.

Adopting a one-size fits all approach in this situation would prove ineffective for both the employee and employer.

You are always moaning and sick
You are always moaning and sick

Matthew from Consensus HR comments: “It is important that business owners never make assumptions on a member of the teams health as if not managed correctly it could result in a severe consequence to the individual, team, business and finance.

These two articles explain some recent cases and what action employers should be doing to be seen as an employer of choice who works with and manages their team accordingly.  Failure not to act appropriately could result in unlimited awards at an Employment Tribunal (ET) such as Disability Discrimination.”

To ensure your company always acts to best practice and the law whilst also being an employer of choice, contact us now to discuss how we can work with you…

You are always moaning and sick

Menopause

Our blogs ‘Workplace Menopause’ – 4th February 2022 and ‘World Menopause Day’– 6th October 2021 discussed this subject in full with key benefits of providing support for employees and a recent case titled Best V Raw Ltd where menopause was seen as a contributory factor which ruled in favour of the women claimants.

This case also explained how cases to date had been brought to an Employment Tribunal (ET) under the Health & Safety Act 1974 due to there currently being no protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2020 such as Age, Sex, Disability.

pexels-christina-morillo-1181722

“Banter”

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“Banter” instigates soar in Employment Tribunal (ET) Claims

 

This is an extremely interesting article written in HR Inform recently and is something at Consensus HR we have had to support clients within the past.  “Banter” to one is not “Banter’ to another as failure to adequately address inappropriate actions and creating a culture which does not facilitate diversity and inclusion can proved detrimental for organisations.  An article in the Mail Online, also written recently discusses further.

 

Banter” is too often used as an excuse to cover up unlawful attitudes and behaviours. Failure to adequately address inappropriate actions and creating a culture which does not facilitate diversity and inclusion can prove detrimental for organisations. Indeed, the number of employment tribunal cases in which workplace banter was cited rose from 67 in 2020 to 97 in 2021 – a 45% increase, highlighting the need for employers to do more to prevent situations turning nasty.

In some cases, an individual may not mean to deliberately cause harm. But, under the Equality Act 2010, unlawful harassment occurs where a person engages in unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic, and this has the purpose or effect of –

  • violating their dignity, or
  • creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.

Banter can include jokes and comments made both in-person and virtually, and verbally or in writing, through conversations, emails, instant messaging platforms and pranks. However, what one employee sees as a joke can be extremely damaging to another. Therefore, employers should be conscious of inappropriate remarks being utilised in the workplace and ensure that the “banter” does not create an uncomfortable or offensive environment for any staff member, as this will likely instead be seen to be harassment.

pexels-christina-morillo-1181722

Some examples of employment tribunal cases whereby respondents have unsuccessfully tried to plead that bullying or harassment was merely “workplace banter” include:      

  • An employee of Indian origin who was called a “cheeky monkey”, during a business-related round of golf (Basi v Snows Business Forms Ltd).
  • An employee who was teased that if he didn’t like football, he “must be gay then” (Austin v Samuel Grant (Northeast) Ltd).
  • An employee called “half-dead Dave” due to his age (Robson v Clarke’s Mechanicals Ltd).
  • An employee who was called a “dinosaur” due to her age and sex. (A v Bonmarche Ltd).

But, if the employee engages in the “banter” or there is a workplace culture whereby comments are regularly made and accepted, a tribunal claim is less likely to be successful. This was seen when a sales rep who was taunted as being a “fat, ginger pikey” in respect of his weight and Traveller background, failed in his claim partly because the tribunal ruled that the office culture normalised banter and the claimant had engaged in similar behaviour himself. This being said, businesses should not adopt an “everyone thinks it’s a joke and takes part” attitude to normalise inappropriate behaviour. Instead, they should actively discourage banter and set clear boundaries and expectations for what is acceptable in the workplace.

Having clear policies and zero-tolerance communication on workplace bullying and harassment can help protect organisations against claims, as can regular staff training and a culture of professionalism. Organisations might need to consider establishing clear standards of practice to remove any element of improper behaviour and make clear that the workplace is an environment of respect and equality – ‘HR Inform 6-May 2022’

Why don't you contact us today, to see how we can help you with your HR? Click here

mental awareness

Mental Health Awareness Week

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Mental Health Awareness Week

This year the Mental Health Awareness week takes place from 9th May to 13th May 2022 and its theme is Loneliness.

It has been proven that it can be difficult to talk about yours, your colleagues or families personal mental health and the Mental Health Foundation and Mind have written some great articles whilst providing some very useful information which we hope you will find interesting and helpful.

Please click below to obtain further information:

 

Contact Us Now for further information and to see how we can help your company and team.

Working from home

Work from home for 20pc less pay!

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Work from home

Work from home for 20pc less pay, says top law firm Stephenson Harwood City law firm said the policy will apply to its London headquarters and most of its international offices

An recent article in The Daily Telegraph discusses a Law Firm in London who will allow its people to work from home for 20% less pay!!

As written in one of our last blogs dated the 4th April 2022, choices in relation to employees returning to the office and their place of work prior to the Pandemic are continuing to change with many businesses now offering alternatives.

In this recent case a top Law Firm is allowing its team to work from home full-time as long as they take a 20% pay cut!  This is aimed at its London based and international employees and states staff must work in the office for at least 60 per cent of the year, which works out to around three days a week, or face a salary reduction.

This is a prime example of how the Pandemic is changing the way people work and where and is vital that companies ensure it is managed correctly with the flexible working policy or as shown with this company working permanently at home with a set company HR policy.

If your company is currently experiencing issues with the team since returning from the Pandemic and you now wishing them to return to the office or introduce a more flexible policy where members of the team can work from home permanently but visit the office as and when needed.  Contact us today.

Dotting the I's

Dotting the I’s and Crossing the T’s

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HR Surgery

One of the many things I have learnt since I have been fortunate to be in employment within a wide range of sectors and roles prior to moving permanently to HR is the importance of Dotting the I’s and Crossing the T’s.

Many of our clients have very successful businesses who have had to adapt in some cases drastically over the past two years with the Covid situation, drop in sales and bottom-line profit, team members working from home, high sickness levels and more than ever as the need to dot the I’s and cross the T’s been more apparent.

 

Human Resources (HR) is made up of what we call within the business, the HR Employment Life Cycle (ELC) from the recruitment, development, reward and termination which affects all members of the team.

We always say that your team within your company is one of your most important assets and need to be treated as such with the correct tools in place when recruiting the right candidate to ensure the relevant development, salary and benefits are provided whilst remembering the Rome was not built in a day!

Now, probably more than ever time and planning are crucial if your business is going to be successful.  Although many business owners know their products and services extremely well, when it comes to employing people, they fail to ensure that the correct Policies and Procedures are followed to ensure best practice and adherence to the law.

Experience has shown us that many business owners are extremely reasonable and, in some circumstances, too reasonable but fail to keep a note of what action they have taken to demonstrate how reasonable they have been as an employer.  As I have commented many times, HR is covered by Civil Law and the ‘Balance of Probabilities’ and the word reasonable is used continually.  Business owners have to be able to demonstrate that the action they have taken is reasonable and should it come to an Employment Tribunal (ET) they would be the one answering the claimants Barristers / Solicitors questions whilst justifying why the action taken was what a ‘reasonable’ employer would do.  You may ask ‘what would a reasonable employer do?’  This is where you come in and explain the actions you took and why you as an employer / manager believed they were ‘reasonable’.  The ET Judge will then decide if they agree or not and if not why?

When I thought about the title of this blog, I wanted to emphasise that in the world of HR, it may seem to some business owners that we are all paperwork and policies and procedures, but it is vital that the correct, professional systems (ACAS) and documents are put in place from the start. One of our previous blogs titled ‘HR Foundations” highlights this.  If business owners are spending time being a reasonable employer, then they need to ensure that they gain the benefits from it.  We always suggest that managers / business owners keep draft bullet points on a team members strengths and development needs for use when needed such as in a performance review (Appraisal) as the bad points are generally remembered more than the good points and both are needed to ensure a successful review takes place. (General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) must be adhered to.) Success in this area can result in businesses receiving the benefits such as better employee retention and sales to name a few but it is vital that this is not kept as a secret or used in a negative way or it could result in the opposite of bad motivation, retention, sales and a breach of the GDPR and law.

Matthew

Employers when having the opportunity to employ should ensure that their Policies and Procedures within the world of HR cover all areas of the Employment Life Cycle and are written in plain English, user friendly, properly implemented, followed and documented with the team, whilst ensuring they Dot the “I’s’ and Cross the ‘T’s’.   Employers must ‘practice what they preach’ and ‘walk the talk’ as failure when dealing with any performance, conduct or capability issues to name a few, could result in a negative, rather than a positive outcome. 

Too many times we see new employees dumped with a barrage of paperwork on their first day of employment and it is known from experience that a new employee will sign anything on their first day as they want to make a good impression and not ask questions that they believe will make them look silly.  New members of the team should be welcomed to the business and given a tour of their new business environment whilst ensuring a briefing / induction session takes place on the companies Policies & Procedures, Health & Safety and where to find a copy if needed in the future.  We use Breathe HR for our clients and ensure that all members of their teams have access to the business Policies & Procedures as and when needed through their portal whether this be on their mobile or computer.

Dotting the I's

Contact Us Now..... For further information and HR support.

Consensus HR are here to help companies within all of these areas and ensure companies of all sectors Dot their I’s and Cross their T’s


ACAS – Arbitration, Conciliation, Advisory Service.

Drafting and Implementation

Are your Company HR Foundations Stable?

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HR Foundations

Our company mission statement is ‘Taking the pain out of managing people whilst preventing people problems’ and we are always known to say be ‘Proactive rather than reactive” in your processes / systems.  We believe based on previous experiences with our clients, past and present that what goes around, comes around and it may take a long time to occur or may never occur, but it is best to have your business in a positive position where you can comfortably deal with it and prevent any unwanted financial expenditure.

Did you know that the average Employment Tribunal cost are: £8,500? (British Chamber of Commerce)

So, what does this have to do with ‘Foundations?’

When we go to see a prospective client, we always ensure that an audit of their current HR processes and documents is carried out which includes everything from their current Contracts of Employment, Policies & Procedure such as GDPR, Absence and Disciplinary & Grievance Policy and the teams last Appraisal.  This helps us to then produce a detailed proposal to the client outlining what we propose they need to ensure they are working to best practice and the law.  Should they take our advice what the anticipated costs would be, whether this would be Pay As You Go (PAYG) or a set twelve monthly payment/ agreement.  By doing this, it allows us to see what HR foundations are currently in place and how they are being used for the benefit of the employee and businesses profit and bottom line.

So, what are the Foundations in relation to HR?

All businesses must now ensure that a new Employee has a Contract of Employment from day one of employment and a copy of the companies Disciplinary & Grievance is also suggested so as to ensure the main mandatory foundations in HR are in place for the successful management of the employee and business. 

Employers should ensure when taking on their first employee and working onwards that they obtain all the fundamental foundations required for the employees HR.   Personal HR areas are covered under the General Data Protection Regulations such as Name, Address, Date of Birth, sex, marital status etc but in order to ensure your company looks professional, this information should be obtained once offered employment via the application / recruitment process.  This can be through the use of a comprehensive Application Form either written or electronic and correct questioning when interviewing and collecting of data and a comprehensive ‘Starter Form’ that contains all the HR & Payroll data needed.

Failure to do this can result in companies wasting large amounts of time seeking the relevant information when needed and when the new employee has started and is beginning to settle into the business.  Employers should obtain all this information within their first week of employment or it can result in not being able to gain the information quickly due the new employee now being in the work atmosphere.   This is also why we suggest the use of an IT package such as Breathe HR (other systems are available) to collate all the information needed for HR & Payroll that allows in the year 2022 to be able to maintain an easily accessible IT system for the team to gain access to a copy of their HR documents such as Contracts of Employment and company HR Handbook whilst also requesting holidays and sending messages individually or to the team as a whole.

HR Foundations
HR Foundations

The Process we propose to business is:

  • Identify if there is a need for the role
  • Write a detailed Job Description which includes all the skills required for the role.
  • Decide on salary and location role and who it report into or who reports in this role
  • Arrange a set recruitment process. How are you going to interview?  Where?  Facilities? Who?  Where will the role be advertised?  Internal and External?
  • Arrange an interview to take place that has a clear procedure with relevant questions based on their past experience and qualifications whilst also where they see their future.
  • Obtain ALL personal / role data using a comprehensive Start Form such as those mentioned before and all emergency contacts, who should you ring if there is an emergency involving the employee, who does the role report to? What is the Salary, Days, Hours?
  • Draft a Contract of Employment for the employee
  • Arrange for an induction to take place on the employees first day of Employment with somebody present to check that the company has all the data needed and that a Starter Form has been completed and a signed, read and dated Contract has been received. Ensure at the Induction that you cover Company Policies & Procedures and where to find them.  Health & Safety, an office / site tour, introduction to team members, location of toilets, where to eat, and take a break, fire evacuation points along with many other areas which should be detailed in a specific company induction pack full of information about the company, its products / services and Policies / Procedures.  A master of this pack should be created and updated on a regular basis as and when needed and at a minimum all documents should be checked once a year to ensure they are still working to best / company practice and the law.

This induction should also include how the company ensures the team are given the skills to perform their roles such as specific development and regular performance reviews whether this is monthly, six monthly or yearly.

  • Ensure all company Policies and Procedures are made easily accessible for all members of the team whether this is printed and in folders located around the business which are fully accessible areas or on an IT system that allows members of the team to access / read easily on mobile devices or an office computer.

Our six proposed initial HR Foundations:

HR Foundations

When companies join us, we work with them to ensure the minimum drafting and implementation of the initial key HR Foundations:

  1. Contract of Employment
  2. Job Descriptions
  3. Performance Management (Appraisal) process
  4. Introduction of user-friendly employee and management HR IT system
  5. Audit of current HR systems and files
  6. Company HR Employee Handbook – set company Policies & Procedures such as Absence, Appraisals, Disciplinary and Grievance etc, Induction and welcome to the company.

Companies that ensure these HR foundations are put in place will if managed correctly mean a successful team / business that never ends up in an Employment Tribunal (ET) but can fail if all members do not ‘practice what they preach and walk the talk!!

We work with businesses of all sectors with 1 – 250 employee.

Telephone: 01438 576750

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Click Here

HR Foundations
Flexible Working

Flexi / Hybrid Working

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Flexible Working

Is this the new generation of Flexible & Hybrid Working?

The past two years since the arrival of Covid-19 has seen many changes to what people call ‘The Norm’, but what is the ‘Norm’ or the new ‘Norm’ when working?

As I write this on the 4th of April 2022, the Government last week stopped the issue of free Lateral flow tests claiming that the money can now be better spent elsewhere but what is this going to mean in the world of the average business and HR in general?

The past few weeks has seen a major change in our daily HR support to our clients with many enquiries on Hybrid & Flexible working, a subject that in the past was not a major issue with the current law and one request per annum only allowed whilst also ensuring the applicant clearly sets out what they was requesting whilst giving suggestions to the company based on their knowledge of their role how this could be accommodated.

What questions should employers be asking themselves? We have written twelve questions an employer should ask themselves when considering a Flexible / Hybrid working request.

  1. Do you have a detailed, best practice Flexible Working Policy?
  2. Has this person applied in the last year to work Flexibly, and it was managed correctly i.e., Accepted, Turnt down? (Employees can apply once every twelve months)
  3. Would the requested amended changes assist the employee and help to ensure they are more efficient at their work and focusing and all times whilst working?
  4. Have you noticed that the employees current situation is causing them problems with attendance or time keeping at work?
  5. Is there enough work for the employee to do during the periods they are requesting to work or could tasks be redistributed so that they do have work?
  6. If you accepted their request would the employee be able to finish all of their tasks with their new hours, working from home or could any of their work be redistributed to other members of the team?
  7. Do you need them to attend team or individual meetings outside the hours they wish to work? Can you arrange for them to attend these meetings as and when required?
  8. Could the employee miss out on any training or development opportunities through the new working arrangement? If so, are there any arrangements you could make to enable them to benefit from this, such as online training courses?|
  9. If you accepted their request to work flexibly, would the business be able to continue to meet customer demand?
  10. If you accepted their request, would there be any additional cost to the business i.e. if the employee was to work from home, would they need to be provided with computer hardware or software of can they use personal computers?
  11. If the hours are not acceptable to your business, are there any other suggestions / alternatives from the employee?
  12. Could an alternative arrangement be reached such as job-sharing with another employee?
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Flexible Working Request
Flexible Working Request

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