Hot HR Update 21-25 November

Welcome to the Hot HR Update.

Not a member? Click here to join Hot HR. 

Here's a round  up of what happened in the group over the last week:

Ward Hadaway Speed Read - W/C 21st November

1. Whistleblowing – Grounds on which a dismissal is unfair

2. Racism – The consequences of a 'continuing act'

3.Government to consult on 'protected conversations'

To read more from Ward Hadaway join Hot HR.

Discussions

1. Does anyone have experience in employing EU candidates who will be based abroad? Can the standard employment contract apply? What will the TAX or NI implications be?

2.I am revamping our induction process by pulling everything that we do into a handbook. I am nearly there but does anyone have an induction handbook that they are willing to share for comparison? 

3.  Hello all. Could anyone advise on how capability policy can effectively be used within a small organisation (600+) to tackle long term sickness?

Could individual's contract of employment be terminated due to incapability to their perform job tasks outlined in job description without facing an unfair dismissal?

Please share your thoughts and experiences by joining Hot HR.

Hot HR content members:

This week content partner Jenny Cooper posted an article on stress at this time of year:

"Adding value to Christmas and reducing the cost of personal stress. " (part 1).

What does Christmas mean to you, and how can you "add value" to your experience this year?  http://bit.ly/rO4uKc

Please use Hot HR as a forum to ask the content members any questions you might have in their fields of expertise, no matter how big or small the question, our experts can help!

Hot HR continues to endeavour to add to the portfolio of content members who can add value to the group and to Hot HR members and to compliment each other's skills and expertise. If you have any suggestions for the group please contact me.

Hot HR is looking for additional Hot Spot writers and contributers and content partners, if you are interested please contact Alex via Hot HR.

Please see our blog for other articles and updates. Also follow Hot HR on Twitter @Hot_HR

Alex

Hot HR Update 14-18 November

Hello and welcome to this week's Hot HR update.

The group is welcoming new members daily and there is some great discussions happening. If you aren't a member of Hot HR already click here to join  Hot HR .

Here's a round of what happened in the group this week:

Ward Hadaway Speed Read - W/C 14th November
1. Breach of contract: Failure to follow procedure
2. Inconsistent treatment of employees
3. Payment for holidays: A sick employee's obligation to make a request

To read more join Hot HR.

Discussions:
1. I am setting up a Training Academy to support the growth of our people to include exam support and coaching opportunities. Does anyone have any guidelines or materials in this area?    
2. With toolkits, online help and the call centre approach are HR Advisors more like administrators?     
                      
Please share your thoughts and experiences by joining Hot HR.

Hot HR content members:
• Harmajinder Hayre Employment Lawyer from Ward Hadaway Solicitors
• Stephen Hart owner of Edenchanges training
• Andy Whittle from Genesys Training
• David Taylor from Data Protection Consultancy
• Mark Terry from Edenred Employee Benefits
. Jenny Cooper from Key Steps Coaching for Stress Management

Please use Hot HR as a forum to ask the content members any questions you might have in their fields of expertise, no matter how big or small the question, our experts can help!

Hot HR continues to endeavour to add to the portfolio of content members who can add value to the group and to Hot HR members and to compliment each other's skills and expertise. If you have any suggestions for the group please contact me.

Hot HR Hot Spot:
We have 4 regular writers for the Hot Spot - Michael Rabone, HR Manager for The Seafood Restaurant group owned by Rick and Jill Stein, Tim Rawson HR Manager from Travel Jigsaw, Caroline Hackney from Cape and Alison Mulholland from nef.

Thank you to Michael, Tim, Caroline and Alison for their contributions.

Please support their articles and dedcation to the group and feel free to respond, ask any questions.

Hot HR is looking for additional Hot Spot writers and contributers and content partners, if you are interested please contact Alex via Hot HR.

Please see our blog for other articles and updates:

http://hothr.blogspot.com/2011/11/hr-services-and-crb-checking.html

Follow Hot HR on Twitter @Hot_HR

Have a great weekend.
Alex

Hot HR Update 7-11 November

Hello and welcome to this week's Hot HR update.

This week we welcome our 1060th member to the group. A warm welcome to all new members, we hope to see you joining in discussions and utilising the group to it's full potential.

Hot HR is looking for additional Hot Spot writers and contributers and content partners, if you are interested please contact Alex via Hot HR.

Here's a round of what happened in the group this week:

Ward Hadaway Speed Read - W/C 7th November
1. Statutory holiday rights for sick workers
2. Blowing the whistle on liability and causation
3. Fact v Opinion – An employer's obligation

To read more join Hot HR.

Discussions:
1. I'm looking into finding a provider of online Right to Work in the UK checks  
    and have had mixed responses on the availability of this
2. HR Forums

Please share your thoughts and experiences by joining Hot HR.

Hot HR content members:
• Harmajinder Hayre Employment Lawyer from Ward Hadaway Solicitors
• Stephen Hart owner of Edenchanges training
• Andy Whittle from Genesys Training
• David Taylor from Data Protection Consultancy
• Mark Terry from Edenred Employee Benefits
. Jenny Cooper from Key Steps Coaching for Stress Management

Please use Hot HR as a forum to ask the content members any questions you might have in their fields of expertise, no matter how big or small the question, our experts can help!

Hot HR continues to endeavour to add to the portfolio of content members who can add value to the group and to Hot HR members and to compliment each other's skills and expertise. If you have any suggestions for the group please contact me.

Hot HR Hot Spot:
This week's Hot Spot is 'Why can’t we all just get along? (or the art of being nice)' by Alison Mulholland from nef.

We have 4 regular writers for the Hot Spot - Michael Rabone, HR Manager for The Seafood Restaurant group owned by Rick and Jill Stein, Tim Rawson HR Manager from Travel Jigsaw, Caroline Hackney from Cape and Alison Mulholland from nef.

Thank you to Michael, Tim, Caroline and Alison for their contributions.

Please support their articles and dedcation to the group and feel free to respond, ask any questions.

Please see our blog for other articles and updates: http://hothr.blogspot.com/2011/11/hr-services-and-crb-checking.html

Have a great weekend.  
Alex

HR Services and CRB Checking

As a HR professional, in my current role I am continuously striving to find areas that bridge the gap between helping HR and making HR count towards the business.

With this in mind I had a project on the go for a few months looking at how CRB checking could add value to a business from a HR perspective.

It took some time to get off the ground, with differing ideas and service levels as well as working with IT on the best way to develop this, but we finally got there.
 
We have now combined services with Personnel Checks to create an exclusive partnership. Recognising that an increasing number of organisations utilised CRB checks as part of their recruitment process, networx have partnered with Personnel Checks; a registered umbrella body of the criminal record bureau, means clients can simply include CRB checks into their current recruitment process.

 As a highly respected organisation, thousands of companies used the CRB service of Personnel Checks last year, including large corporate organisations, health and education sectors, and financial service organisations. Personnel Checks offers Basic, Standard and Enhanced CRB checks, and promises a rapid turnaround time.

 Future plans for the partnership involves seamlessly integrating the Personnel Check’s CRB service into networx’s apoint technology. The process, which will allow for an organisation to request a CRB check on a candidate by simply clicking a button, is designed to promote speed and simplicity whilst keeping all of the client’s recruitment needs in one place.

For more information on the partnership and how it could benefit your organisation, please e-mail alex.murgatroyd@networxrecruitment.com

Hot HR Hot Spot 'Why can’t we all just get along? (or the art of being nice)' by Alison Mulholland from nef

Why can’t we all just get along? (or the art of being nice)

I work with two of the loveliest people (hi Lois and Laura) and they always make you feel that nothing is a bother for them. This, in turn, makes me want to help them. Simple. So why is this so hard for people to understand? In the course of most people’s working life they will be hassled. Shouted at and belittled and, for some customer- facing staff, there are even more serious situations. Unbelievably, at Transport for London there were 1,400 assaults on staff in 2010/11 and this is a reduction from the amount the year before!

Although most of us won’t face anything as bad as being physically assaulted it can be easy to remember that, in HR, we are dealing with real people with real problems. For example, I have often seen managers complain that people are getting stroppy over the fact that their pay is wrong, forgetting that is how people pay their bills and, of course, you can never really know people’s financial situation. One particular time sticks out for me where I had one senior HR manager mess up on someone’s pay which saw them get only half of what they should be getting. The manager’s feeling was that the member of staff should be able to cope on half pay which would mean the manager not having to confess her mistake and instead just adjusting next month’s payroll. Had she spoken to the person concerned (as I did) they would have discovered that the staff member had just moved house, was flat broke after stumping up a large deposit and really needed the pay she was owed.

I try to work with a customer service mindset, not just treating others how I would like to be treated but using the phrase “what sort of person do I want to be” to influence how I work. In HR we often have to deal with difficult and sometimes heartbreaking situations and dealing with these issues in a sensitive manner can make all the difference to the employees involved and often results in a better outcome all round.

The other side of being a nice person is that people will want to work with you – we all know horror stories about people who have had bad service in shops and won’t go back to them – we in HR must make sure we give the customer service to all our customers (and that includes those that are off with bad backs but posting pictures of themselves on Facebook doing somersaults, those caught stealing red handed).

So try and be a Ms or Mr Do-As-You-Would-Be-Done-By and see what happens.

Hot HR Update 31 Oct - 4 Nov

Hello and welcome to this week's Hot HR update.

This week we welcome our 1030th member to the group. A warm welcome to all new members, we hope to see you joining in discussions and utilising the group to it's full potential.

If anyone has any ideas or recommendations for the group, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Here's a round of what happened in the group this week:

Ward Hadaway Speed Read - W/C 31st  October
1. Failure to alleviate loss – an employee's refusal to transfer roles
2. Employee status – establishing the element of control
3. The importance of deciding the appropriate grounds for dismissal
To read more join Hot HR.

Discussions:
1. A simple appraisal plan
2. Public and private sector, is there a difference to a good HR professional? 
    People are people wherever you go, but the business infrastructures and  
    cultures can undoubtedly be different. Thoughts?     
3.  Not every objective is SMART
               
Please share your thoughts and experiences by joining Hot HR.

Hot HR content members:
• Harmajinder Hayre Employment Lawyer from Ward Hadaway Solicitors
• Stephen Hart owner of Edenchanges training
• Andy Whittle from Genesys Training
• David Taylor from Data Protection Consultancy
• Mark Terry from Edenred Employee Benefits
. Jenny Cooper from Key Steps Coaching for Stress Management

Please use Hot HR as a forum to ask the content members any questions you might have in their fields of expertise, no matter how big or small the question, our experts can help!

Hot HR continues to endeavour to add to the portfolio of content members who can add value to the group and to Hot HR members and to compliment each other's skills and expertise. If you have any suggestions for the group please contact me.

Hot HR Hot Spot:
This week's Hot Spot is 'Keeping it Simple' by Michael Rabone, HR Manager for The Seafood Restaurant.

We have 4 regular writers for the Hot Spot - Michael Rabone, HR Manager for The Seafood Restaurant group owned by Rick and Jill Stein, Tim Rawson HR Manager from Travel Jigsaw, Caroline Hackney from Cape and Alison Mulholland from nef.

Thank you to Michael, Tim, Caroline and Alison for their contributions.

Please support their articles and dedcation to the group and feel free to respond, ask any questions.

We are looking for additional Hot Spot writers, if you are interested please contact Alex via Hot HR.

Have a great weekend and bonfire night.
Alex

Hot HR Hot Spot 'Keeping it Simple' by Michael Rabone, HR Manager for The Seafood Restaurant

Keeping It Simple 

Michael Rabone, HR Manager for The Seafood Restaurant

Reading Chris Rooney's topic about a simple appraisal process got me thinking about a recent story that I read in People Management ('Can HR keep it simple?') This article included an example of a large company with a business plan that was simply defined on an a3 document, which I would be intrigued to see!

Things have undoubtedly become more complicated with the raft of legislation that shapes the way we work, however, we also recognise that the more complicated our approach gets, the more likely we are to suffer challenges with engaging our people. 

I’d be interested to understand more about experiences from fellow HR professionals where processes or policies have been overhauled with a view to simplifying the approach and the benefits (where applicable) of taking this course of action…