We define the HR, human resources, function as the process of dealing with the people you employ in a fair and reasonable manner whilst ensuring they are productive and carrying out their jobs effectively. We are there to take away the worry and hassle of employing other people and to give business owners the peace of mind, and time, to run and grow their businesses.

A happy, healthy and well motivated workforce is the most valuable asset any company can have, and rather than being fraught with dangers and difficulties, achieving and maintaining this goal is a positive and rewarding process.

As a “virtual HR department” we find ourselves working on either a proactive or reactive basis.

Proactive – secure foundations
The first step in achieving the goal of a “happy, healthy and well motivat ed workforce” is to ensure that all the foundations are in place for a mutually beneficial, fair and reasonable relationship between employer and employee. This does mean preparing some documentation [link to services page], and yes, this documentation is legally binding, but that doesn’t automatically make it onerous or one sid ed. We believe in using this documentation to put an employer in control of the workplace and using it to make sure everyone understands what is expected and what will happen in particular situations, for example if the employee has a grievance or a manager ne eds to address performance issues.

An important part of our proactive work with employers is coaching and training [link to services page]. We work with managers to ensure they know how to handle disagreements between employees, how to address performance or behaviour issues, how to conduct appraisals, how to go about recruiting new staff etc. We do this on a one-to-one basis, or in small group seminars and workshops. This training empowers employers and managers to deal with issues within the workplace without fear of reprisals, which can take many forms from simple grumbling and complaining from the employee to the threat of a claim to the Employment Tribunal.

Reactive – “what should I do about...?”
However well a business is prepared, eventually a situation will arise that could not be foreseen; after all, we’re talking about people here, and sometimes people do unpr edictable things. It is in such a situation that we usually get a phone call from a worried employer that starts with the words “what should I do about..?”

In such situations we assess the situation and provide quality, up-to-date advice on how to proce ed. We will explain the different courses of action open to the employer and the likely consequences of each, allowing the employer to make an inform ed decision and keeping him in control. Our recommendations are based on the outcome sought after by the employer; for example, however you may feel in the heat of the moments it is not always desirable to manage poorly performing employees out of a business, it may be far more advantageous to address the issues and keep the employee. We provide advice tailored to the situation, the business and the desir ed outcome.