It would be fair to say that 2020 has been a challenging year, but we are not out of the woods yet. 2021 is likely to be almost as much of a challenge. Covid, Brexit, a potential recession, and the decimation of some industries will mean 2021 has some pretty unique HR challenges. Being forewarned is being forearmed, as they say, so we have compiled a list of the challenges we can look forward to meeting next year.
Are you setting up a business and looking for an HR essentials checklist? Well you have found it! This checklist details all the essential things your business needs to keep your HR function running smoothly whilst complying with employment law. It really is an essentials checklist though-there are some things that could be added to future proof your business, such as staffing plans, performance review templates, and exit interview pro formas. Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because there are a handful of staff now you don’t need all these HR essentials. You do! It is a legal requirement to have policies such as those dealing with Disciplinary and Grievance and a contract of employment. Getting the basics ready now will save you time and effort when you do expand. Do You Need Help With Your HR Essentials? Here at Metis HR, we provide outsourced HR advice and activities. Not only do we save you time and money by preparing documents for you, but we also make sure they are legal, sufficient, and tailored. Of course, you can find a generic contract of employment, staff handbook, and policies on the internet but if they don’t reflect and detail how […]
For small and medium-sized businesses, intent on growing, a discussion will likely have to be held at some point regarding what to do about HR. You know that HR responsibilities are increasing as your company grows. And that now is the time to ask, should you hire someone or outsource HR? Whether you should outsource may not be so much of a difficult decision after all – outsourcing has two huge advantages for businesses set on expansion; you free up valuable time and save money. It doesn’t stop there either…outsourced HR is beneficial in many ways for growing businesses; even the smallest of companies can benefit. Why Outsource HR? Here are five ways outsourced HR helps your growing business. 1.Free up more time Growing a business demands all your time. Being weighed down by HR issues and administration is time taken away from you. Because some HR areas can be complex, your focus will be diverted away from the bigger picture of your business because you’re trying to understand HR processes or employment law. Outsourced HR services are an instant way to free your time back up and restore focus. Let the HR specialists look after HR, and you concentrate […]
If you are thinking about working with an HR Consultant here are eight questions to ask an HR Consultant before hiring them. As with any investment, it pays dividends to do some research and ask the right questions. Here are our eight questions to ask an HR Consultant before hiring them to work with you and your business. 1. How much experience do you have? How long have you been working as an HR Consultant? What was your professional experience before becoming a consultant? Try to find someone with in-depth experience managing people and of running a business. Someone who can relate to the pressures that you, as a business-owner, are facing. 2. Who are some of your other clients? What kind of work have you done for clients like me? Can I call them to ask about your work? Some HR Consultants may be reluctant to disclose the names of their clients. But at the very least you need to know that the HR consultant has worked with companies closer to your size and industry. If they have they’re more likely to understand your needs. If the HR Consultant is reluctant to put you in touch with a client so that […]
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 […]
We have had a few of our clients ask for more information on the Good Work Plan 2020 for Agency Workers. We have tried to establish the status of the legislation surrounding Agency Workers. However, it’s still showing as a draft piece of legislation, which is likely to be in place on 6 April 2020. However, the General Election may affect this. Consecutive Contracts to be Banned Assuming that the legislation goes through, from 6 April 2020 you will be required to provide your workers with a statement of their rights on day 1 of their engagement. This means, what you will not be allowed to do is to offer a worker consecutive 12-week contracts in the same role. That is to say, this practice is expected to be banned from 6 April 2020 as an exploitative method of employing people. Same Rate of Pay Your obligation to pay temporary workers the same rate as employed staff remains unchanged if they are on an assignment in the same role for longer than 12 weeks. Agency workers can, at the moment, opt out of receiving the same pay as employed staff after the 12 weeks, this will no longer be the […]
We are asked at Metis HR for advice on how can we get better line managers? The CIPD and Simply-health’s 2019 Health and Wellbeing at Work report found that one of the major causes of absence due to stress was because of work management style. 43 per cent of employees blamed their line managers lack of empathy and support as the main stress factor. Skills, Knowledge, Behaviour The findings can show how detrimental to people’s health and wellbeing it is if managers aren’t equipped with the right level of skills, confidence and behaviour. There is much more to managing a team than just doing annual appraisals and approving holiday requests. A good manager is like a team leader, coach, trainer and psychiatrist all wrapped up into one. If managers do not possess the delicate balance of empathy, communication and leadership skills required, it’s not necessarily their fault. There appears to be a growing gap between the expectations placed on line-managers and the amount invested in their development. Not only do companies need to train managers in people management skills, the organisation’s policies and processes, we need to look at their own behaviour and competencies too. Investment in Development Management is […]
As an employer you may have looked at monitoring staff at work for various reasons. The Data Protection Act doesn’t prevent employers from monitoring workers, but you must remember that workers are entitled to some privacy at work. You must tell your employees about any monitoring arrangements and the reason for it. Why Monitor? It is advisable to have written policies and procedures in place regarding monitoring at work. Monitoring shouldn’t be excessive and should be justified. Staff should be told what information will be recorded and how long it will be kept. However, if you want to monitor workers by collecting or using information, the Data Protection Act will apply. Therefore, Any information collected through monitoring should be kept secure. Monitoring staff at work may be needed for a variety of reasons. It can be used to safeguard employees, for example to ensure workers aren’t at risk from unsafe working practices. In some sectors you may have a legal or regulatory need to carry out some monitoring. The information gathered through monitoring should only be used for the purpose it was carried out for. Unless it leads to the discovery of other things such as a breach of health […]
Wondering what to do if an employee acts inappropriately on social media? Always follow your disciplinary procedures to the letter. A recent Tribunal case about a man who was fired after seven and a half years’ employment for sharing another butcher’s ‘meat deal’ on social media has left the employer out of pocket. The employee won his case for unfair dismissal against his former employer, a small, and well-respected butcher in Wigan. He recommended a discount offer from another online fresh meat retailer to his girlfriend on Facebook. The directors dismissed him for gross misconduct and breach of contract. They believed the ‘advertising’ was for a competitor and breaching the company’s social media policy. The tribunal heard the employer had already decided to dismiss Hayward before they brought him into a disciplinary meeting. The buisness had no formal HR function snd they hadn’t taken advice. The employee did not receive a written or verbal formal warning. Even though he had requested one. The employee was denied a colleague or Union Rep to accompany him at the meeting. The Employers did not give a reason why his actions online were wrong. The employee was denied the right to appeal. And so, he lost confidence in his employers and did not follow up the matter further. The tribunal […]
A family member falling ill can be a stressful time for all involved. As an employer, you still need to know how to handle staff who take time off for dependents. Whether it’s sick children or caring for an elderly member of the family. Research shows that nearly three million working days are lost each year through this type of absenteeism. According to CIPD, more employers recognise line managers play a vital role in supporting employees. However, most employers aren’t giving them the tools they need to manage absence effectively. The 2016 Absence Management survey revealed that less than half of employers (44%) train managers to handle short-term absence. Employees have a right to reasonable unpaid time off to deal with a dependent who has fallen ill. However, this should be limited to the time needed to make other care arrangements. Usually this takes no more than a few hours or at most one or two days. Where an employee continues to take time off for caring duties, flexibility can help. Perhaps offer the option to make up the time missed. Give them the option to work from home at flexible times during the day. Other options is to offer […]
