HUMAN RESOURCES
& THE LAW
FOR TRAINING, CONSULTANCY &
LEGAL ADVICE
TRAINING
“An interview is one of
the best ways to judge whether someone is the best person for the
job and to secure his or her agreement to take it. It is not just
the applicant who is being judged – a badly prepared interview can
create an unfavourable impression of the company and lead to problems
later”
ACAS
Stratus Associates is expanding our HR Arm. Organisations
often have access to a good deal of this information – but sometimes
it helps to have an external viewpoint and delegates can be more
open and honest in training sessions.
Nowadays, Employment Law can be a minefield for
employers and their staff so we offer everything from training such
as: Recruitment and Selection, Performance Appraisal, Absence
Management, Discipline and Grievance, Harassment & Bullying,
Equality & Diversity and Basic Employment Law right
through to consultancy and legal
advice.
We are currently delivering a seminar around the
North West region on Organisational Development called "Re-tooling
Your Business in a Recession" which includes a section about
people who cause you pain!
Have a glance below at the seven character types
who might cause you pain as a manager or colleague – do you recognise
any within your own organisation?
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If Only’s – are unrealistic
and spend a lot of time wishing for the impossible |
Indecisives - don’t like
making decisions and worry about getting things wrong |
Optimistic Butterflies
– flutter from task to task and make unrealistic promises |
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Blockers
– tell you it can’t be done and quote history to delay the
future |
Snipers
– pick off the vulnerable and make cutting remarks, especially
at meetings |
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Vocals
– shout a lot and don’t worry about upsetting others |
Bullies
– destroy individuals and teams and care little about the
consequences |
If you do recognise any of these characters and
feel you need to change their behaviour, contact us for a no-obligation
chat (by clicking here to email us – enquiries@stratusassociates.co.uk)
or calling 0161 904 7060 and asking for ‘HR TRAINING’
For more information on the training programmes
Stratus Associates offer under the HR banner click
here.
CONSULTANCY
Sometimes, a training solution isn’t the answer.
Maybe you just need an expert view on your particular issue – someone
to bounce ideas off – someone who has been in your position and
has tried and tested ideas and suggestions to discuss with you.
If this would be more useful for you, contact
us for a no-obligation chat (by clicking here to email us – enquiries@stratusassociates.co.uk)
or calling 0161 904 7060 and asking for ‘HR CONSULTANCY’
LEGAL ISSUES
 Most
importantly, if things go really wrong we are able to arrange with
our associate lawyer Lee Jefcott and his company “Blue Sky Law”
to help with any legal matters, from representing you in court to
simply looking at your contract to make sure it doesn’t contravene
any new legislation. We are currently delivering a seminar around
the North West region on Organisational Development called "Re-tooling
Your Business in a Recession" which includes a section about
Parting Company Painlessly.
| Blue Sky Law Can Assist You … (Examples) |
| Recruitment – Are we
getting the best people? Are we complying with the law and best
practice? |
I am not sure that our staff contracts
and policies are up to date |
| The war for talent is still raging, despite the
much talked about downturn. We can help to ensure that you are
casting your net in the right areas to maximise your chances
of getting the best candidates. Are you offering the staff benefits
people want? Recruitment and selection can be a bit of a minefield
and is a fertile area for discrimination claims by disgruntled
candidates. What questions can you still ask, and what areas
should you avoid? What documentation should we produce? We can
help you keep on the straight and narrow and minimise the risk
of claims. |
Certain “written particulars of employment” must
by law be provided, and there are now penalties for failing
to do so. However, contracts can go much further in protecting
your business and avoiding disputes and misunderstandings. Have
your HR policies and staff handbooks been sitting on the shelf
gathering dust over recent years? We can ensure that they are
fully up to date and compliant, but more than that, that they
are user friendly and that that your managers are using them
to manage. Ask us about our managers training. |
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| We have a manager on long term
sick, but we are not sure what we can do.... |
Disciplinary issues...and staff
grievances |
| Sickness absence can be a real problem for
a business, whether it is short term or long term. We can advise
on the steps you can take to tackle this, from encouraging sick
employees to keep up contact, home visits, conducting return
to work meetings and obtaining meaningful and useful medical
reports. Long term sickness can create liabilities under discrimination
legislation – we can guide you through this and help avoid problems.
Through our contacts, we can provide access to a high quality
and proactive occupational health services. |
Staff misconduct can give a business a headache.
When formal action is needed, we can guide you through the minefield
advising on the conduct of disciplinary hearings and providing
the necessary documentation. From a written warning through
to termination of employment, we can assist in ensuring that
your business takes the right action whilst remaining on the
right side of the law. Whilst we all aim to have a happy and
productive workforce, not everyone will be happy all of the
time. The statutory rules currently in force mean that employers
may face penalties for failing to deal appropriately with a
staff grievance. We can advise what steps to take. |
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| ...and where there is a claim.. |
Can we be flexible? |
| We steer businesses away from
Employment Tribunals but with an ever increasing legislative
minefield, and an increased willingness of employees to take
action, even the best managed business can face claims. Where
this happens we can represent your business in the Employment
Tribunal and ensure that you take appropriate action, whether
that be looking at a settlement, or preparing for a Hearing.
We have favourable arrangements with leadings insurance brokers
who can arrange for insurance against the costs of claims. |
With increasing numbers of employees having
the legal right to request flexible working, we can advise what
to do when a request is made. We can also advise on developing
a policy on flexible working that may bring business benefits. |
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| HR Helpline |
| We can work around your requirements, to
help your business in the best way. We can act as your “outsourced”
HR department, or we can work with your HR team. We can provide
a HR helpline both to deal with specific queries or simply to
act as a “sounding board”. |
If this would be useful for you, contact us for
a no-obligation chat (by clicking here to email us – enquiries@stratusassociates.co.uk)
or calling 0161 904 7060 and asking for ‘HR LEGAL ISSUES’
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© Stratus Associates 2006 - 2010. All Rights Reserved.