HR Dept North Birmingham

05/10/2023

It's National Work Life Week!

During this week, we encourage employers and employees to engage in conversations about well-being at work and finding that perfect work-life balance.

Creating a company culture that prioritises a healthy work-life balance can lead to numerous advantages, like boosting staff morale, enhancing productivity, and ultimately, keeping your valuable team members around for the long haul.

So, why not set up some time with your employees this week for an informal chat?

04/10/2023

Managing staff sickness in cold and flu season

As the sound of sneezes ring out around the office, the weather closes in and it’s still dark when your alarm clock goes off in the morning, it means one thing: cold and flu season is upon us. And to that we must add COVID-19.

If the past year is anything to go by, that means you are going to experience heightened staff absence over winter – unless you do something about it. On average, workers took 7.8 days sick leave in the last 12 months. That is the highest since 2008!

As a proactive employer, there is a good deal you can do to head off staff sickness absence.

Contact us today for help and guidance.

As the sound of sneezes ring out around the office, the weather closes in and it’s still dark when your alarm clock goes off in the morning, it means one thing: cold and flu season is upon us. And to that we must add COVID-19. If the past year is anything to go by, that …

02/10/2023

Managing Annual Leave 😀

A policy covering all the rules of your business will give clarity to both you and your team.

Your policy can also explain other details such as a “first come, first served” principle which will help you manage peak times of year, like Christmas, where you may have everyone asking for the same days off at once. Or conversely it may explain a Christmas or summer shutdown policy, where you close the workplace and require everyone to take annual leave at specific times.

For help with reviewing or writing an annual leave policy, or to find out more about HR software that will massively simplify your HR administration including managing holiday leave, please contact us today.

27/09/2023

💥 Managing the holiday not taken in your business 💥

Unless you have got some HR software (which we would highly recommend), managing the holiday requests within your business can be hassle enough – making sure your business is fully staffed at key times, dealing with conflicts, and just keeping track.

So what about the holiday NOT being taken, surely you can just let that slip? Well, not really, unless you want to run the risk of problems storing up in your business and striking when you least need it.

Don’t worry though, with a bit of proactiveness, and a clear policy, you can keep everything under control. Contact us today for help and guidance 😀

25/09/2023

When you hire someone with limited or no workplace experience, you will be well-aware that you are making a trade-off. Inexperienced staff will be cheaper, and easier to mould into your working ways whilst having a hunger to learn and impress. On the flip side, they require more supervision, with mistakes being more likely...

For a full explanation of different factors that could ensure a new starter successfully adapts to working in your company contact us today 😀

22/09/2023

There have long been penalties for employing illegal immigrants, but they are about to get much tougher. Currently, the first offence of employing an illegal immigrant can land a £15,000 fine, with repeat offences rising to £20,000. In an attempt to crack down on this practice, these fines are set to triple to a first offence fine of £45,000, and repeat offences rising to £60,000.

We discuss how to comply with UK right to work checks in September's edition of People Matter. Our monthly newsletter shares some of the latest news stories and advice to SMEs from the world of HR. Read on to learn about other HR topics, increased demand for fancy job titles, employees behaviour outside of work, employment tribunal claims, personal dramas in the workplace and the case of a pay blunder in a Hungarian business... Read the newsletter here:

Up to £60,000 fine for employing an illegal immigrant There have long been penalties for employing illegal immigrants, but they are about to get much tougher. Currently, a first offence of employing an illegal immigrant can land an employer with a fine of £15,000; with repeat offences earning fine...

20/09/2023

When you hire someone with limited or no workplace experience, you will be well-aware that you are making a trade-off. Compared to experienced staff, they will be cheaper, and should be easier to mould into your ways of working. The best ones will have a hunger to learn and impress.

We all recognise that everyone has to start somewhere. If you are noticing a trend that although good enough to be hired by you, new employees are falling short in some ways. Investing in training for new employees is an investment in employee satisfaction, retention, and overall business success.

Contact us today for help and support

When you hire someone with limited or no workplace experience, you will be well-aware that you are making a trade-off. Compared to experienced staff, they will be cheaper, and should be easier to mould into your ways of working. The best ones will have a hunger to learn and impress. But on the flip....

18/09/2023

It can be easy to equate flexible working only with working from home however flexible working can be a whole variety of solutions 😀

Alongside working from home, it could be taken to mean:
▪ Reduced hours
▪ Compressed or annualised hours
▪ Flexi-time
▪ Amended start and finish times
▪ Hybrid working
▪ Job shares
▪ Term-time working
▪ Shift swapping
▪ Part-time working
▪ V-time working (a voluntary reduction in hours with the promise of a return to full-time hours at an agreed point)

From this list, there a lots of options to cater for a change in personal circumstances like a child starting school, or indeed any other reason for requesting flexible working.

Call us today for support and guidance on flexible working hours 😀

13/09/2023

September is a prime time of year for employers receiving flexible working requests.

As the new school year starts, family life may return to normal for many employees after the disruption of the summer holidays; but for some, with children starting in reception, weekly schedules may be turned on their heads.

For them, gone are the days of being able to place a child in nursery from 8am to 6pm. Now there are school hours to contend with: approximately 8:45am to 3:15pm. What’s a working parent to do? And their employers!

For help and support please contact us today 😃

September is a prime time of year for employers receiving flexible working requests. As the new school year starts, family life may return to normal for many employees after the disruption of the summer holidays; but for some, with children starting in reception, weekly schedules may be turned on th...

12/09/2023

Did you know it is National Pension week! 🙂

National Pension Week can be a time to highlight the retirement benefits employers offer to their employees and encourage individuals to save for their retirement.

Employers can play a crucial role in helping their staff with pension funds by offering retirement benefits and providing support and resources to ensure that employees can effectively plan for their future financial security.

Providing support and benefits to your employees can enhance employee satisfaction and retention 😀

If you would like to discuss staff benefits, please contact us today 😀

11/09/2023

At The HR Dept, we specialise in preventing people problems for SMEs.

Whether you need help with a one-off project like the September surge, or would like to explore our excellent value retained Advice Line service, we can deliver you the HR expertise of a large corporate company, but at a fraction of the cost 😀

All our clients are served through local offices so you can rest assured you will receive a personal service. For more information, contact your local office today 😀

06/09/2023

💥School closures over concrete safety 💥

When the physical infrastructure of schools begins to crumble, parents can find themselves with new challenges that can leave them stressed and struggling to balance work and family life.

Supporting employees with their children’s education can face challenging times in these situations, especially with working parents.

🔊 If you have staff that are struggling to get into work, please contact us today 🙂