Today marks World Suicide Awareness Day and there is a desperate need for more mental health and suicide awareness in the workplace. Every year between 5,500 and 6,000 people in Britain end their own lives. This is more than three times the number of people who die on our roads. Suicide is the leading cause of deaths in men under the age of 50 and men are 3 times more likely to commit suicide than women. Women in their early twenties are more likely to try and end their lives than other female age groups. And anyone who falls into a protected characteristic group (such as race, religion, sexual orientation etc) are also more susceptible to suicide due to possible previous experiences of bullying and harassment because of discrimination. Fortunately, this is something that most employers will never encounter. However, the potential risk of suicide is an important one and can often be linked to issues such as workplace stress, bullying or harassment. Suicide and work is a growing public health concern. There are a number of things that employers can do to try to prevent any employee feeling that they need to end their own lives. There are plenty […]
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 […]
Outsourced HR is when employers choose to use an external company to look after their HR function or part of it. Much like when businesses outsource IT or marketing services. Traditionally, big businesses tend to have in house HR people, but it is thought that around one-third of small and medium-sized companies now use outsourced HR support. What Can Small Businesses Outsource? Outsourced HR is usually provided by HR consultancy practices or freelance HR consultants. Services available to small businesses are usually mediation services, advisory services, or package deals for outsourcing HR. Outsourced HR packages are generally available for a monthly fee and will relieve you of much your HR administration such as updating contracts and handbooks. Packages for small businesses usually include unlimited HR advice – one of the most valuable aspects of the service as many small business owners would not have access to professional HR advice within their own business. Outsourcing is as simple as finding an HR consultancy that offers a package or services you find attractive and that fits with what you want to outsource – whether that is some or all of your HR function. When Is The Right Time To Outsource HR? Many […]
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 […]
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 […]
Employers need to know the answer to the question of what kinds of work can children do to avoid being challenged by the authorities.
The area of holidays and furlough is still unclear. Government guidance doesn’t specifically address what happens with holidays and furlough. So what do you do if you’re asked by an employee? Does annual leave accrue during furlough? Yes, employment rights continue including the right to accrue leave. Can you make an employee take annual leave during furlough? We don’t know the answer to this because the Government haven’t answered the question. In all other areas of leave it isn’t possible for someone to have two statuses eg you can’t be on holiday and off sick, you can’t be at work and on holiday. On that basis we are finding it difficult to imagine that we will be able to put people on leave when on furlough. If you want to put people on leave whilst they are on furlough, the least you should do is pay them 100% of their normal pay give them the required notice to take leave If an employee has pre-booked holiday and now wants to cancel do I have to agree? No you don’t have to agree to this, but, see above, we think that you should pay them 100%. The legislation around carry over […]
Today is National time to talk day. It is a day that helps people to become more aware of mental health issues and how to talk about them. Mental health problems affect one in four of us, yet too many people are made to feel isolated, ashamed and worthless because of this. Time to Talk Day encourages everyone to be more open about mental health – to talk, to listen, to change lives. The need to deal with mental health in the workplace is becoming increasingly prominent. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in seven people are experiencing mental health problems in the workplace and 13 per cent of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental ill-health. Therefore, we created this guidance blog to help employers understand and learn how to manage mental health in the workplace. Encourage conversations Starting a conversation with an employee about mental health doesn’t have to be difficult. Encouraging an open culture where employees feel like they can talk to each other and/or managers will help alleviate stress in the workplace. Dealing with sick notes It is important for you to deal with a medical certificate stating mental ill-health […]
