HR Consultancy

Human Resources Consultancy
Email: louised@graffhamconsulting.com

We invest time into the development of exceptional HR services to organisations throughout the UK. Strong systems and processes are the hallmark of the organisation's work ethos, establishing the smooth running of HR departments within our client's organisations. Our HR services are available on a project basis, as a retainer relationship or on an hourly or daily charge.

Louise Douglas BA (Hons), MA, Chartered MCIPD, MCIPR
HR and Training Director

HR Services

• HR strategy
• Policy creation
• Recruitment and selection
• Training and development
• Volunteering, contractors and secondments
• Personal development
• Job evaluations
• HR systems
• HR manuals
• Staff Handbooks
• Line Managers’ Handbooks
• Other staff publications
• Quality standards
• Staff consultation
• Internal communications
  
• HR department development
• Terms and conditions
• Contracts
• Employee relations issues

HR Support for Organisations
Areas for possible inclusion

HR strategy against Association business plans
Linking HR activity to the organisation’s overall business planning processes and creating appropriate strategy and plans. Agreeing KPIs for the in-house HR staff.

Policy creation
Ensuring HR policies are up to date and have been properly communicated to staff. Advising on amendments to policies and changes to ensure adherence to prevailing law and regulations. Undertaking an annual updating session of all policies. Ensuring, where possible, best practice in personnel management and employee-related innovations, such as buying/selling annual leave entitlement. See also Staff Handbook.

Data management
Ensuring clean data is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act and undertaking data audits on a six-monthly basis. Ensuring the senior management team is provided with appropriate information on a regular basis, such as sickness absence trends and leavers’ rates.

Recruitment and selection
Overseeing the implementation of best practice in recruitment and selection, including adherence to prevailing employment law and other regulations. Offering training to recruiting managers and monitoring adherence through tools such as equal opportunities returns.

Training and development
Creation of an appropriate training model and training plan for the Association. Advising on training and development issues, including budgetary considerations and the monitoring of the implementation of the plan.

Volunteering, contractors and secondments
Creation of relevant policies and input into work agreements and contracts. Advice on employment-related issues. Monitoring of the involvement of, for instance, volunteers and an annual audit of all such workers and related practices.

Personal development
Developing a plan for the encouragement of staff personal development, for instance, a personal development plan or a cross-staff flexible working entitlement to undertake volunteering opportunities.

Job evaluations
Undertaking, along with one other, job evaluations. Preparatory work to include ensuring that the job evaluation system is appropriate and that all essential paperwork is in place prior to evaluation (such as job descriptions).

Intra-Association Service Level Agreements
Where appropriate, the development of SLAs between the in-house HR team and internal client departments.

Human Resources systems
Ensuring that the HR database is an appropriate one and where not, to make recommendations for replacement. Working to integrate all aspects of the personnel administration function into the HR knowledge management system to provide a smooth administration service.

Human Resources manual
Creating or adapting an up to date procedures manual for the in-house HR team, including quality standards and calendars for cyclical work.

Staff Handbook
Ensuring the creation and provision of an updated and easily updatable handbook for staff, incorporating HR policies and procedures.

Line Managers’ Handbook
Producing a handbook for all line managers giving them frameworks within which to operate and guidelines and standards as well as procedures. Potentially also training for all line managers in the contents of the handbook.

Other staff publications
Creating internal communications for staff on either a planned or ad-hoc basis, depending on need.

Quality standards
Developing quality standards for the HR team, for staff and also for line managers to encourage best practice in employee relations.

Staff consultation and information systems
To ensure adherence to new law, the creation of a programme for consultation and monitoring of its implementation.

HR department development
Planning training and development opportunities for the in-house HR staff to ensure best practice in continuing professional development

Terms and conditions
Writing and re-writing contracts and other elements of terms and conditions of employment including advice on remuneration levels (see also job evaluation).

Employee relations issues – advice and intervention
Advice and counsel helplines or attendance in support. Attendance at disciplinary and grievance meetings to hear cases, where appropriate.

CRB Disclosures
Overseeing application for and receipt of Disclosures and dealing with any issues or irregularities that arise.

NB these form the possible basis of a work plan for Graffham Consutling Ltd, based at our offices

Suggestions for a way forward
1. Undertake a scoping exercise for the Association concerned
2. Provide an intense 3-4 days at the beginning in auditing and sorting out contracts etc
3. Give one day a week at the Association to do the HR work
4. Offer an additional telephone assistance service to provide counsel and advice

Outstanding questions and issues
Were one of the HR team to go over to F&CC, how this would work in practice / how payment for that person and for other HR services would be covered.

Were more than one other association to be taken on, there may be a need to have another half person in our HR team to undertake HR management.

Louise Douglas BA (Hons), MA, Chartered MCIPD, MCIPR

Director

Case Study #1

A Graffham Consulting Ltd proposal for HR consultancy, along with a suggested list of contents of your organisation's Staff Handbook.

As you will see, I have listed items that I believe are important for you to have as the basic documents for employment. I have therefore also included some time for reviewing your existing employment contract. In addition, I have suggested the development of a Code of Conduct for staff that could, if you wished, form part of the Terms and Conditions of Employment, although this does not have to be the case and we can talk about this at some stage.

The capacity for two meetings is also included; I would anticipate coming to see you at the beginning of the project and possibly in the middle or towards the end, to make sure we have covered all aspects. I will, of course, be available at other times by phone or email.

I have incorporated a recruitment and selection protocol and a performance management protocol into the project; these would pull together existing strands of work and would inform the contents of the Handbook to some degree

Staff Handbook Development

Contracts overview to ensure compliance with legislation with suggestions / proposals for amendment by client (unless agreed otherwise)

Staff Handbook development and execution, to include key policies (proposed) and to ensure linkage between all aspects of the handbook and also the employment contract

Employee Code of Conduct development
To form part of Staff Handbook

Recruitment and selection protocol and documents to link into existing job descriptions

Performance management protocol to link into existing appraisal system and Staff Handbook

Two meetings during course of project

Corporate and Individual Coaching

• Fully-qualified Life Coaches
  
• Individual and group coaching
• Using systems such as GROW
  
• Creating strategies
• Setting goals, moving forward
  
• Confidence building
• Overcoming obstacles

Louise Douglas BA (Hons), MA, Chartered MCIPD, MCIPR

Director



For more information:

Tel: (01992) 787242 or email: louised@graffhamconsulting.com

Graffham Consulting Ltd Client Testimonials

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