As lockdown measures have eased, clients have been asking us ‘How do I get staff back to work after Lockdown?’ There are some considerations you must make and health and safety guidelines you must adhere to safeguard their health and wellbeing. Instead of the government telling people to work from home, they are giving employers more discretion. You are able to make decisions about how your staff can work safely. This could still mean continuing to work from home, or it could mean making workplaces safe by following COVID-secure guidelines. The Government have updated the working safely during coronavirus guidance, but there may still be regional differences in restrictions. Some workers may be concerned and anxious about being in the workplace or travelling there. What 3 key tests do I need to do before bringing employees back to the workplace? Is it essential? If people can continue to work from home employers you may wish to consider doing that for now. If they cannot work from home you will need to make the relevant risk assessments and implement the correct safety measures guided by the government. Is it sufficiently safe? You may wish to do gradual returns to work […]
The worst thing a manager ever has to do creates the popular question how to tell someone they are redundant. During this pandemic, while businesses across all sectors have been hit, we’ve seen a growing trend of companies using furlough or making employees redundant. How a company communicates its decision when thinking about redundancies is critical to how the news is received. It makes headline news when companies haven’t thought carefully how to tell someone that they are redundant. We hear quickly enough when companies don’t handle the communication of redundancy well. The company that tells people by text that they’re being made redundant, the employees who simply turned up for work to find the doors locked. It’s always how the news is communicated that creates the grievance, not what’s being communicated. People can usually accept business change; they often know it is coming. But how they’re told is how you’ll be judged. When you’re thinking about how to tell someone that they are redundant there are some communications issues to consider Sow seeds early about what’s happening in the business. If you’ve kept employees in the loop that the orders are not coming back as quickly as you’d hoped, […]
Metis HR was established by our MD and owner, Alison Driver, in 2011 to provide professional, commercially aware outsourced HR services for employers in the North West and beyond. Although our consultancy services are primarily for business in the North West, we work with businesses all over the UK to give our tailored, reliable and informed advice. The two main HR consultants in Metis HR are Alison Driver and Ali Penney; two very well known and respected professionals in their field. Find out more about Metis HR and our services below. About Alison Alison Driver has over 35 years of experience in managing people in an HR capacity. She Is a Chartered FCIPD and MBA qualified HR Consultant. Being a Chartered Fellow of CIPD means Alison is considered a role model for the HR industry. It recognises Alison’s commitment to shaping the industry by contributing to key CIPD research and shaping their policies. Alison draws on her vast experience and knowledge to do this. A background in the NHS managing 105 unionised staff gave her a solid grounding in management, human resources, redundancy, and unions. Since then, she estimates she has been directly responsible for over 400 employees, carried out […]
Is there a right to accompaniment in workplace mediation? If you are planning a workplace mediation between two or more of your staff, you might have been asked if one of them can have someone in with them. The answer is far from straightforward. There is no right to accompaniment in workplace mediation, unlike in a disciplinary or grievance process, where it is a statutory right. Some mediators actively discourage it unless a disability or mental health issue renders it essential to the process. What Is Workplace Mediation? Workplace mediation is a way of settling workplace disputes. It is usually done before having to start the disciplinary or grievance process or instead of. However, it is not always appropriate and each case should be judged on its own merits. It involves both sides talking openly in a constructive environment to reach a compromise and enable both parties to move on from a workplace dispute. The process usually involves an external person finding out the details of the disagreement and working with both parties to find a solution. The solution is often a compromise that both sides commit to upholding. You can read more about using an external workplace mediator here. […]
One of the questions that we feel we must always keep at the front of our minds is “How does an HR Consultant add value to your business?”. One of the questions that we feel we must always keep at the front of our minds is “How does an HR Consultant add value to your business?”. We understand that you’re quite rightly focused on the results we produce for you and how we help you with the challenges you have in your business. As HR Consultants we put our all into the projects we do for you. We understand that you won’t automatically appreciate the technicality of the work that we’ve done or propose to do but we’ll work hard to explain ourselves. How do Metis HR Consultants add value to your business? 1: Understand your world We spend time understanding what you’re trying to achieve and why you’re trying to achieve it. We need to understand what your challenges are. We’re like doctors, until we know all of the symptoms and have done tests, we can’t make an accurate diagnosis. To do this we have to go a layer deeper than most people usually go. To do this we […]
If you’re going through a process of redundancies then the question of what is suitable alternative employment is key question. To dismiss an employee fairly on the grounds of redundancy, there are two things you need to do as an employer: You must establish that redundancy was genuine, it was the real reason for the dismissal. You must act reasonably throughout the redundancy process and any ultimate dismissal. What is reasonable? The test of reasonableness comes from case law. You can’t act reasonably if you haven’t considered the question of suitable alternative employment (amongst other things). You must search for and, if it’s available, offer suitable alternative employment within your organisation. What is suitable alternative employment? Whether a job is suitable or not usually depends on: how similar the work is to the employee’s current job the terms of the job being offered, eg how much you’ll pay the employee and what benefits they’ll get the status of the job where the job is – if it’s further to travel it may not be suitable the employee’s skills and abilities in relation to the job When should the offer of suitable alternative employment be made? You need to make the […]
Should you bother using an HR consultant? Every business needs some HR function. Outsourcing that function to an HR consultant gives you the flexibility that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Some of the benefits of using an HR consultant are: You can get the best out of your employees Your company will be compliant with employment law Their expertise will benefit your business and help you improve productivity The recruitment process will be smooth and fair You will receive absolute impartial advice and total confidentiality You can find out exactly what an HR consultant does in this blog here. Let’s have a look at each benefit of using an HR consultant in more detail. Get The Best Out Of Your Employees If you use an HR consultant, one of the big benefits is you will be able to improve the effectiveness and efficacy of your staff. An HR consultant can help you with performance management and reviews, whether in response to a problem or as part of the annual appraisal process. An HR consultant can draw up the appraisal documents, write and distribute the letters, and ensure the appraisal process is fair. They can even attend the meetings with you or […]
With the fallout of COVID 19 lockdown, we are now getting asked, ‘How to conduct a Redundancy Consultation meeting?’ You should meet with employees who are potentially at risk of redundancy for individual consultation meetings. These will usually take place after you have provided the affected employees with general information, such as the reason for the proposed redundancies, and information about the selection process. At the individual meetings, it is recommended you ask the employee for any suggestions that they may have to avoid redundancies. It is important that as the employer, you do not prejudge the outcome of any consultation meeting. You should give serious consideration to any suggestions that the employee makes. What if the Employee Objects? You will need to give the employee the opportunity to raise any objections to the basis for their provisional selection. For example, by discussing the application of the selection criteria. It should discuss whether or not there is any suitable alternative employment for the employee. You will be expected to explain what support is on offer if redundancy is confirmed, such as a reasonable amount of paid time off to look for new employment. It will be essential to also explain […]
What does an HR Consultant do? That depends on what needs doing! Providing it’s legal and relates to HR we’ll help clients work through any people related issues. An HR Consultant working with employer clients often responds to requests for help with people related issues. These requests might be urgent problems that need solutions now. Or they’re proactive enquiries of the “If we want to do X what should we do?” kind. What does an HR Consultant do at Metis HR? Well just last week we …… Provided Advice On redundancies furlough sickness absence stress risk assessments COVID19 plans for returning workers flexible working requests probationary period termination training and development opportunities for employees termination of an Apprenticeship changing contracts of employment introducing revised HR policies an appeal against a dismissal Provided Practical Support With grievances made by 2 employees chairing a Disciplinary Hearing note-taking at a Hearing letter writing settlement agreements to mutually terminate an employment relationship Acted as a Trusted Adviser to clients by being a sounding board for plans to change organisational structures listening to clients’ concerns. They’re thinking about painful decisions in their businesses to cope with the current situation and worrying about their employees. listening […]
If you have a dispute between a number of your team you might be considering whether you should use an external workplace mediator to settle it. Mediation is a great way to bring harmony back to a workplace if your staff or managers have a disagreement. You might bring in a workplace mediator if: Your employees cannot settle a disagreement themselves. It is affecting the productivity or culture of the workplace. The issue does not require a disciplinary or grievance procedure. On these occasions, mediation can work wonders by helping both parties reach mutual understanding and acceptance. Can you mediate a workplace disagreement yourself or should you use an external workplace mediator? Do You Have To Use A Professional Workplace Mediator? You don’t have to use a professional workplace mediator. You can carry out the mediation yourself or have a colleague do it. However, mediation is a skill in which a professional workplace mediator is trained and experienced. We have been to workplaces where well-meaning managers have had a go a mediating a disagreement and it has actually made things worse. Your staff may not want to share their personal thoughts and feelings with another work colleague. If their level […]
