HR Services
At Platinum Blue HR we’re here for you at every stage of the employee life cycle. From planning ahead to help ensure a new employee has a great onboarding experience when they join you, to talking you through what you need to do (and shouldn’t do) during an employee’s pregnancy and maternity leave, we’ll be there to help you with it all.
Services
Absence management
Sickness absence can be costly and keenly felt, particularly in smaller businesses but managing it correctly can help reduce your overall sickness absence levels.
We can review existing absence policies and procedures or help put them in place if you don’t already have them. We’ll also help you communicate and ensure you apply your new policy fairly and consistently. We’ll build in your legal responsibilities as an employer, but we’ll also tailor your policy and supporting procedures, ensuring it’s a good fit for your business.
We can also guide you through how to manage individual sickness absences, taking cognisance of your responsibilities under the Equality Act and preparing the appropriate letters along the way. When it’s time for a team member to return to work we’ll help you to help them, whether that’s simply by carrying out a good ‘return to work’ meeting or, where appropriate, looking at a phased return or reasonable adjustments to help them adjust and continue to do their job. A great return to work experience can make all the difference to how people feel about their employer and help them settle back in quickly.
Mental Health & Wellbeing
People who have felt supported by their employer during periods of poor mental health are more likely to feel a sense of loyalty and speak positively about you but what happens if you don’t know how to help them?
Mental health conditions or episodes of poor mental health have always been a complex issue but for many different reasons, it’s now more prevalent and more visible than ever before. If you are trying to support an employee who is experiencing poor mental health and you’re not sure of what to do next, we can help.
We can also help by developing a clear and proactive approach to mental health in the workplace which lets everyone know that they work in an environment that is supportive and that they can speak with someone there who can listen and help them.
Half the battle is knowing enough to feel able to support a colleague; mental health is a big subject and most of us aren’t experts however gaining an understanding of what we mean by mental health, how mental health conditions can present themselves and the support available to those who need it, can really help managers feel more equipped to provide support. If you or your team would benefit from some training on the subject, we can deliver that too.
Grievances & Disciplinary Matters
Grievances often begin as low-level issues and if dealt with correctly and at an early stage they can often be resolved quickly and to everyone’s satisfaction. Where a grievance is left to fester it often becomes trickier to resolve and can lead to workplace disputes and low morale. We can help you sort through a grievance, assess what has happened and develop the most appropriate way forward.
Dealing with disciplinary issues is, at times, unavoidable. If this isn’t something you regularly have to deal with it can feel like a minefield but don’t worry, we can brief you on what you should be doing and when you should be doing it. If you need the alleged disciplinary offence to be independently investigated and a written report provided, we can do this for you. We can also help conduct formal disciplinary proceedings if required.
We can also write bespoke grievance and discipline policies and procedures for you and prepare template letters to use in future, making these matters easier to deal with and less time consuming.
Employee Handbooks and Contracts of Employment
Employees are legally entitled to receive a written statement of employment particulars at the beginning of their employment. Many employers choose to incorporate this into a Contract of Employment, which is quite a helpful document for an employer because as well as ensuring you fulfil the legal requirements, a contract lets you set out the terms and conditions that are important to you and your business.
It’s always best to agree on these terms before your newest team member joins you; that way there are no surprises (for either of you) once they’re on board. The easiest and best way to do this is to provide them with a clearly set out contract of employment before they join.
We can help prepare bespoke Contract of Employment templates or if you already have documents in place, we can review them and let you know if they’re up to scratch. If changes are advisable, we can help you with that too.
Performance Management
Regularly checking in on your people is a good way to focus on individual performance but it also provides you with the opportunity to discuss how they are doing, whether anything is affecting their ability to perform to their best standard and whether there is anything you could do to help them to do their job.
Many companies have moved away from annual performance appraisals, choosing instead to have shorter but more regular performance conversations.
Managing an underperforming member of staff can be difficult, not to mention time-consuming. We can help you prepare for and manage these conversations and work with you to create a performance improvement plan if needed.
Sometimes an informal conversation with the person concerned is enough to resolve the performance issue(s) but where it’s not, they may need a little more help. Working through a simple performance plan, identifying where they are going wrong and, crucially, how to address this, can make all the difference.
Management Training
If you or your team would benefit from training on HR topics, get in touch and we can discuss your training needs. Some of the more popular course subjects include:
• how to manage short and long-term sickness absence
• handling difficult or sensitive conversations
• interview training and best practices in recruitment and selection
• mental health awareness
• conducting performance appraisals
• managing redundancies
Training courses can be tailored to meet your needs and can be delivered face to face, via Microsoft Teams or a blend of the two.
Refresher training can also be delivered later down the line to help keep things fresh in your mind.
Project Work
We can help you with HR projects, either working alongside and supporting your in-house HR team or by fully delivering the project for you.
We’ll work with you to gain a clear understanding of what you’re hoping to do. We’ll then outline how we think this can be achieved. Depending on the nature of the project, if you need guidance documentation prepared or policies written, we can do that for you. We can also provide training for managers and/or staff where needed.
Book a Free HR Consultation
Book your free one-hour consultation to chat through your HR needs and how we can help you.
The benefits of working with an HR consultancy.
Cost Effective Access to Expertise
Many smaller organisations employ their own staff and may need HR support from time to time. Some, depending on their size, industry and staffing numbers, will need support more often. Most however won’t have a need for dedicated in-house HR support and can avoid the cost of hiring and training permanent HR staff by partnering with an HR consultancy when they need to access HR support. This allows you to access specialist advice and services whenever you need them.
Increased Efficiency
HR consultants can streamline your HR processes and help you focus on your core business activities, freeing up valuable time and resources. Ensuring your people needs are being met and your workforce is happy generally leads to higher levels of productivity and better staff retention.
Reduced Risk
HR consultants can help smaller organisations navigate complex employment laws and regulations, reducing the risk of compliance violations and legal disputes.
Testimonials
Happy Clients About Me
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