Outsourced HR

As much as you try to create a fair place of work with a friendly, co-operative environment, personalities can and do clash. This can lead to workplace disputes, and if you are a manager inside the business, it can be hard to remain neutral.

Mint HR can assist with such unpleasantries and be your impartial intermediary. This makes it easier to deal with versus trying to sort it out yourself. We can investigate any allegations and provide workable solutions for all parties on your behalf.

How Mint can help you through a grievance process

1. Offer general advice, act as a sounding board. We can lead the process as impartial investigators or offer advice to the person leading the process.
2. We’re trained mediators so we can try to resolve the situation before it gets too formal.
3. Investigate and create grievance invite letters for all parties including the alleged perpetrator(s) and witness(es).
4. Prepare briefing notes for each meeting, including pre-prepared questions – that way, if you want to lead you know exactly what to ask and how to ask it.
5. Attend the meeting — either as lead or support.
6. Review the evidence, to source where the issue stems from and who — if anyone — is at fault. Ask what learning points can be taken away and what action should be taken to resolve the matter.
7. Produce a grievance outcome letter for both parties in the grievance.
8. Follow-up with any outcomes. Which could range from mediation to disciplinary action.

For most businesses, employees are the biggest cost (as well as their biggest asset). People being absent for various reasons is unavoidable, but if left unmanaged can cause real problems for your business.

The Mint HR team have been handling issues like this for years and can safely say we’ve seen a lot of different circumstances. These can range from completely banal or deeply personal – so handling people with persistent attendance problems needs to be treated with tact and an open mind.

The process can have legal ramifications and can involve occupational health professionals and doctors, so it is important you use the right procedure to get the right result for both your business and the employee in question.

Here are a few tips on how to handle absence concerns

1. Understand the issue — don’t be afraid to ask questions.
2. Hold ‘return to work’ meetings after every period of absence.
3. Seek medical advice — via the GP or Occupational Health.
4. Advise your employee if the absence is becoming a cause for concern as soon as it is.
5. Keep in touch — especially with those off ill.
6. Take more formal action if necessary.

Unfortunately, not all businesses grow all the time and with the current economic pressures, things are harder than ever for some.

Be it market conditions or whether you’ve just changed the focus of what you’re doing, letting people go can be one of the most painful things a business has to do.

Bring Mint HR on board and we will help you plan and deliver redundancy in full consultation with the people affected, and in keeping with the fairness demanded by law – and the ACAS code of practice. We can be there every step of the way and will handle all the difficult conversations if you need us to. Remember: if redundancy is mishandled, it can lead to costly tribunal proceedings, so it’s important you dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’.

To give you some idea of the process you need to follow, the steps look a little like this.

1. Identify the roles which may be at threat of redundancy and those individuals in the roles.
2. Inform employees ahead of time if redundancies are a possibility.
3. Develop a list of selection criteria to help you decide which roles/individuals may be at risk of redundancy.
4. Arrange consultations with the people who might be affected and make sure you do listen and respond.
5. Inform the selected parties of the outcome.

If you need a helping hand through the process, then Mint can be there at every stage – chairing meetings, providing scripts and dealing with the paperwork to handle the process in line with all legal requirements and the ACAS code of practice. Just ask.

Alternatives to redundancy

It could well be the case, that redundancies can be avoided. Talk to us about a recruitment freeze, retraining your current colleagues or perhaps redeployment. Consider reducing or putting a halt to overtime, reducing hours or thinking about temporary layoffs. Voluntary redundancies could also be an option.

For a lot of people, illness is something tangible – such as a cough, a broken limb, or debilitating physical illness. But you’re probably also aware that some illnesses can’t be seen. You can’t touch depression, anxiety or an addiction, but the effects can be as far reaching for your employees and your business as more obvious forms of illness.

At Mint HR, we are fully qualified Mental Health First Aiders and offer a range of services to help you improve your employees’ mental health, promote a happier workplace, and deal with issues that can arise from poor mental health.

This is how Mint can help

1. Provide training for you and/or your team, in order to better understand and identify mental health issues.
2. We can help you support your people who are suffering with poor mental health and signpost all available help.
3. Seek Occupational Health professionals if necessary.
4. Manage absence for people with Mental Health issues.
5. Keep in contact – especially with those on long term sick.

HR can be a brilliant idea for small businesses. It provides you with access to expertise which helps to manage risk, save costs and frees up your time to concentrate on your core business. But it will only be brilliant if HR both understands your business and talks the same language as you. Plus, they have got to know their stuff and are available when you need them. Mint HR prides ourselves on our responsiveness to clients and we are constantly training and keeping up to date with changes in employment law. We are friendly and professional and you can have 100% confidence in us!

Why outsource your HR

Small businesses often have limited resources, and outsourcing HR can be a cost-effective solution — especially if you are not tied into a lengthy retainer. By using an external HR provider, small businesses can avoid the expense of hiring and training an in-house HR team. This can be particularly beneficial for businesses that only require HR services on a part-time basis or for specific projects. It can also help you avoid making mistakes which could lead to costly tribunals.

Do I get access to all Mint HR’s HR solutions?

Absolutely. All the team at Mint are super-experienced and ready to share their knowledge with you and your business. We’re experienced in dealing with anything from onboarding a new employee to complicated workplace disputes and everything in-between. We can provide support and guidance on any issue from hiring and firing to people inspiring. We have hundreds of templates at our disposal to share with you which we can personalise and populate, if required. We are always at the end of the phone/email if you want to offload a problem, bounce an idea off us or get some advice.

Is it expensive to use an outsourced HR business in Yorkshire?

It very much depends on how you look at it. If you’re on a monthly retainer with a HR company and rarely use their services, then yes – it can seem pretty expensive. But remember — Mint doesn’t do retainers for new clients instead offering HR Support Packages of varying sizes to buy as and when you need us. Whichever way you go, If you’re facing the prospect of disciplinary hearings, tribunals or improving employee performance then HR easily pays for itself. It’s completely up to you how much you use Mint — but according to our clients just knowing we are there is a huge relief.

Are HR consultants motivational?

Indeed we are! As well as all the bad stuff HR can be associated with, don’t forget the good stuff. You may need help with onboarding new people to your team, or you may need us to create staff benefits and performance/incentive programmes or help you identify and deliver bespoke staff training to inspire and upskill your team. All of which will enhance workplace satisfaction and the productivity of your people.

What else can Mint HR help with?

Here are some of the many other areas which you may not always associate with HR that Mint can support you with. Proving once more we are not your average HR consultancy.

• Support Board of Directors and Senior Leaders with operational growth and strategic developments
• Provide one to one support and guidance with senior leaders
• Support with workplace pensions regulations and employer obligations
• Support with Payroll
• Support with holiday pay and calculations
• Culture and people initiatives
• Recruitment supporting — including CV screening and interview support
• Non-employee rights such as contractors, associates, freelancers, consultants.
• Compliance and accreditations support
• Connections with other sector professional’s — we’ve got a huge book of contacts

If you’re looking for a HR consultancy in Yorkshire then you’ve come to the right place. Even if you are not based in Yorkshire we are here for you and have clients based all over the UK. What we do bring is our Yorkshire sense of humour and value for money. Please drop us a line for more details or to arrange a no-obligations chat.

Mint HR offers bespoke people-related training that’s right for your company. We understand our clients’ needs and ensure that the content is delivered in a style to suit you and is relevant to your business and the industry you work in. With over 50+ years of combined HR experience between us, Mint’s training courses – be it in person or online — are always up to date and meaningful with a dollop of Yorkshire humour dropped in for good measure.

Examples of training we have already delivered include

• Making the leap from peer to manager
• How to be an effective manager
• Communication skills including listening and questioning
• Delegation
• Handling disciplinaries
• Handling grievances
• Performance management
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Recruitment and selection
• Monitoring and managing absence
• Motivation and delegation
• Wellbeing and resilience