HR Pro Solutions Limited

26/04/2024

https://hrprosolutions.co.uk/blogs/f/can%E2%80%99t-we-just-make-him-redundant

HR consultants are often asked to help exit an underperforming employee by making them redundant.

Whilst we absolutely do not advise managing underperformance in this way, we recognise that there are times when an exit decision has already been made and redundancy may be the most appropriate solution.

If you are considering making an underperforming employee redundant, this blog provides some food for thought...

It's not unusual for employers to consider using redundancy as a way to exit underperforming employees.

06/03/2024

Did you know a selection matrix isn’t the only option when handling ?

Traditionally, redundancy decisions are made using a ‘selection matrix’, where managers will list a variety of skills/experience/competencies etc. which are relevant for the organisation. They will then score employees against the criteria in the matrix to determine which roles will stay and which will be made redundant.

Although this process is legally sound, it may be challenging to justify scores in a company where there aren’t great historical records of performance and/or where the criteria are subjective.

One way around this, is to use a more interactive method of selection where the employees contribute to the process.

Here are a couple of examples of interactive selection methods:
1. Competency assessment – you could ask employees to provide examples of their use of specific competencies in their job role in the recent past.
2. Practical assessment - you might ask a group of marketeers to create content for a specific purpose and assess things like the time it took them to create it, it’s relevance company branding, creativity etc.
Using an interactive process can help employees to feel less powerless, as they have the ability to participate in the process and influence the outcome.

Whatever process you use, if you are assessing subjective criteria, you must have some objective criteria as well. Equally, you should discuss your proposals for selection during the consultation process and consider employees’ views. They may have ideas for selection which you can incorporate into your process.

If the remaining roles in the business are new jobs (and sufficiently different to existing roles), you can go a step further and ask employees to apply for the new roles. In this scenario you are using a recruitment selection process rather than a redundancy selection process, which is less restrictive.

Let me know what you think of these. Do you have any examples of others which have worked for you?

If you would like help with a process drop me a DM, or you can book a free HR diagnostic call here: https://calendly.com/elaine-hrpro/30min

Delivering HR with tangible results.

27/02/2024

Do you find candidates are dropping out during your recruitment process, or not accepting your job offers?

Here are some tips for keeping candidates engaged:
1. Spend as much energy selling the role and company to the candidate as you do expecting them to sell themselves. It is likely your role won’t be the only one they are considering, so it’s essential to show them what a great employer you are and what you may be offering that’s different to the other companies they are considering.
2. Simplify your recruitment process. I recommend no more than 2 stages (interviews or practical assessments) except for senior roles.
3. Respond to *every* application. This can be difficult to do, especially in a small business, but it’s essential for your business reputation. Candidates want to feel like you value their application and the time they are spending preparing for and attending interviews. It’s worth investing in an applicant tracking system if you are recruiting regularly.
4. Give feedback. Candidates are investing time in your business with no reward. Honest feedback could really help them in future applications and they will remember you for it, especially now when lots of employers are failing to do this.
5. Do everything in your power to deliver a fantastic , regardless of whether or not they are successful – If you do this, there’s a good chance they will look out for future vacancies and tell others what a great company you are, which will encourage more applications for future vacancies.
Let me know what you think of these. Do you have any examples of others which have worked for you?

If you’re unsure how to implement any of these drop me a DM, or you can book a free HR diagnostic call here: https://calendly.com/elaine-hrpro/30min

Delivering HR with tangible results.

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26/02/2024

We help businesses:
• Improve performance
• Reduce absence
• Reduce employee turnover
• Dismiss a problem employee
• Make redundancies or restructure
• Increase employee satisfaction
• Improve recruitment outcomes

We help businesses to get the very best out of their people. By implementing legally compliant systems and processes we deliver tangible business results.

**Contact Us today for a Free HR Diagnostic Call**

You can book a free HR diagnostic call here: https://calendly.com/elaine-hrpro/30min

26/02/2024

Are you struggling with high ?

Do you feel like you’re spending your whole working life recruiting?

It’s often said that people don’t quit jobs, they quit managers, but this is not always the case.

There are lots of potential reasons for high turnover, including:
• The job isn’t what they expected it to be.
• Lack of career progression.
• Their needs have changed and it no longer suits them – this could be the type of role, the hours/location/pay/benefits, or something else.
• Conflict with a colleague.
• They don’t agree with the strategy/direction of the business.
• Toxic culture.
• Burnout due to stress/workload/unrealistic expectations.
• Inconsistent management/direction.
• Lack of loyalty – to the company/brand/culture/strategy.
Here are three simple and effective ways to assess the reasons in your business:
1. Review the resignation letter/email – Often disgruntled employees will provide some reasons for leaving.
2. Exit interviews – It’s helpful to have someone other than the line manager conducting exit interviews. Ask open questions and get people to rate things like pay/benefits/work life balance/their relationship with their line manager/how closely the job matched their expectations/whether they felt adequately recognised/their views on training/development opportunities etc.
3. Analyse any trends in the types of employees who are leaving (gender/job level/department/age/length of service etc.) and the reasons. Consider any commonalities you find.

Introducing these three things can give you a helpful insight into the reasons for your high turnover and what you can do to address it.

If you would like help reducing your employee turnover drop me a DM, or you can book a free HR diagnostic call here: https://calendly.com/elaine-hrpro/30min.

Delivering HR with tangible results.

23/02/2024

Are you putting up with a troublesome employee? You don’t have to.

It can be challenging to address behaviours which don’t seem bad enough to warrant a disciplinary process but are causing daily frustration for the business.

If you’re trying to work around someone because they’re awkward to deal with, or you’re avoiding someone because they take up too much of your time chatting rather than getting the job done, you’re not alone.

It’s essential to address these types of behaviours before they begin to ripple across the team, or even the whole business.

The sad thing is, there’s a good chance they don’t even know they’re a problem.

Here are some tips to address these behaviours:
1. Give feedback: It’s essential to let the employee know how their behaviour is viewed and the impact. You can find more tips about giving feedback here: https://hrprosolutions.co.uk/blogs/f/how-to-get-more-out-of-an-average-performer
2. Set boundaries: Let the employee know your expectations and where there are gaps. Tell them the potential consequences of their current behavioural style.
3. Seek their input: It’s important to consider their views. There may be more to the situation than you realise. For example, they could be struggling, but attempting to cover it up, or there may be other issues impacting their ability to perform.
4. Offer training/support: Ask the employee what training or support they need to achieve an acceptable level of performance and be prepared to offer it.
5. Set a review period: Agree a time when you will meet again to discuss their progress and explain the potential consequences if their behaviour does not improve.

If you would like help navigating a difficult employee drop me a DM, or you can book a free HR diagnostic call here: https://calendly.com/elaine-hrpro/30min.

Delivering HR with tangible results.

The challenges of dealing with an employee who meets bare minimum standards but never excels.

16/02/2024

It's surprising how often HR is brought late to the table in M&A processes. It's important to understand TUPE obligations, as they may have a significant impact on the viability of a potential purchase or sale.

If you don't understand what TUPE is, this blog provides an overview.

TUPE stands for Transfers of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. It is the law which protects the rights of employees involved in a transfer of their employment to a new employer.

15/02/2024

It's so common to hear people describing difficult colleagues in terms like: 'oh that's just *insert name*, you know that he/she's like'.

It's also common for team performance to gradually sink to the lowest common denominator. It's hard to stay motivated and continue to give your best if you see a colleague who consistently does very little or is unhelpful and these behaviours are largely ignored, or glossed over with a general acceptance that that's just how they are.

The sad thing is, that person might not even know they are thought about in this way and if they did, they might appreciate the opportunity to change peoples' perception of them.

If you would like help dealing with people issues in your business, I am offering a free consultation call to discuss how we can help. DM me for details.

15/02/2024

What if that person who always seems to wind up and distract colleagues, was no longer there? Or they were still there, but they were no longer wasting time distracting others because they were too busy getting on with their job and their performance was improving as well.

What if you no longer had to worry about trying to recruit faster than people are leaving because less people are leaving?

What if your employees started working together more cohesively, achieving more as a team?

What if levels of attendance were improving and that person always seems to turn up late started regularly coming in on time.

This is what we do. We enable positive change so your employees can be the best version of themselves, and your business can thrive. We free up your time to focus on the future rather than battling to keep up with the day-to-day.

You don’t have to settle for the status quo. Message today for a free HR consultation call to discuss how we can help.

14/02/2024

Did you know you can now be fined £45k for employing just one illegal worker?

From the beginning of this year, the maximum civil penalty for employing an illegal worker tripled, from £15,000 to £45,000 for a first breach (per illegal worker). For repeated breaches, it has increased from £20,000 to £60,000 (per illegal worker).

It surprises me that despite the significant penalties, I often encounter small businesses who don’t know the steps they should be following to check a worker’s right to work in the UK.

The government guide on how to complete right to work checks is over 60 pages long, and it’s not a fun read! But it’s worth taking the time to understand the process, as if you follow it correctly you will have what is called a ‘statutory excuse’ if it later turns out that you are employing someone illegally.

There are a few different options for how you can conduct the checks, but the simplest place to start is here: https://www.gov.uk/legal-right-work-uk. This is an online service which will guide you through the steps you need to complete.

If you’re hiring a lot or simply don’t have the resources to complete the checks in-house, you can use an identity checking service who will complete the check for you. There are a number of service providers out there, but I would recommend using one from the Government’s list of approved providers which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-identity-certification-for-right-to-work-right-to-rent-and-criminal-record-checks/digital-identity-certification-for-right-to-work-right-to-rent-and-criminal-record-checks.

13/02/2024

The new Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 will come into effect on 26 October this year.

The Act introduces a duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.

Where an employer has failed in their duties under this new Act, tribunals will have the power to uplift compensation awards for sexual harassment claims by up to 25%.

So what does this mean?

Employers should:
• Have clear policies for preventing harassment and bullying in the workplace
• Have clear procedures for addressing harassment claims, including examples of harassment and a clear and secure method for workers to report suspected harassment
• Keep a log of any reports of harassment, and record how the company has responded i.e. details of any investigations/sanctions applied etc.
• Ensure all employees understand the company’s stance on harassment and the procedures for addressing harassment or suspected harassment, should it occur
• Ensure managers understand their obligations

If you would like help creating policies for harassment, get in touch today!

08/02/2024

Changes to holiday pay rules may constitute a contract variation.

There’s been lots of talk about the new rules, most of which came into effect on 1 January this year. The remaining rules will be effective for holiday years beginning on or after 1 April.

What has been less talked about is that some of these changes could constitute a variation to .

Before applying any significant changes to the way you calculate or pay holiday, it is advisable to check the employee’s contract to assess whether the new rules can be applied without changing the contract.

Where a change is required, as you are applying new legislation, there is no requirement to consult as such, but you should notify the employee in writing of the change before you apply it.

As changes to pay can be contentious, it is advisable to explain how this is likely to effect their pay.