Keeping on top of HR matters can feel like a chore, leaving you stretched and in need of support. However, you may be thinking that seeking help from a HR company is an unnecessary expense.
While financial considerations will naturally play a part in any decision you make as an organisation, in reality, the right HR support is likely to save your organisation money in a variety of ways – from allowing you to focus on what you do best to preventing costly Employment Tribunal claims.
Looking to outsource your HR responsibilities?
Take the pressure off with fixed-fee HR support
Dealing with legal compliance, employee relations, training, engagement, compensation and benefits, and HR strategy takes time, effort and resource, all of which may be things you simply cannot spare. Nonetheless, if you employ a team, good human resources management is essential, and if you aren’t in a position to manage these responsibilities internally, external support from a HR consulting company may be an effective solution.
Ellis Whittam: Your HR function away from home
At Ellis Whittam, we help thousands of UK employers to ensure the stability of their workforce through personalised, practical HR support.
Working closely with employers and internal HR teams, we act as a trusted extension of your organisation that you can call upon at any time for honest, professional advice. No matter your size, sector, or the arrangements you currently have in place, our HR experts will provide tailored support based on their in-depth understanding of your organisation and the specific challenges you face.
If you’re struggling to keep up with changes to the law, are growing quickly or have seen a rise in the number of employee disputes, you need a HR expert to provide you with specialist advice and guidance.
This is why outsourcing your HR and employment law to a HR company can make things easier, allowing you to concentrate on all the other important tasks.
Why you might need us
There are many reasons why organisations turn to us for help.
Leaning on an experienced HR company might make all the difference if:
You find it difficult to keep up with regular changes to the law
You're not confident in handling HR matters in line with best practice
Dealing with employee relations issues is eating up too much of your time
You would benefit from the reassurance of a professional opinion
You're looking to proactively reduce your risk of an Employment Tribunal claim
You need high-level strategic help to enable you to grow and treat employees well
You're concerned about the quality or effectiveness of your existing external support
What we do
Whatever your particular circumstances, we offer everything from ongoing day-to-day assistance with all HR matters to specific HR consultancy services designed to have a direct impact on your organisation.
Our high-quality, fixed-fee service gives you instant access to extensive HR knowledge and expertise in the form of a dedicated HR specialist, who is available at any time to help you manage your responsibilities and overcome any people problems you come up against.
Their support includes:
- Unlimited practical advice and guidance on a full spectrum of employment law and HR challenges, from the seemingly simple to the most complex, including grievance and disciplinary, sickness absence, performance management and contractual issues.
- Preparing master Contracts of Employment for each category of employee and reviewing them when required to ensure they remain up to date.
- Producing an Employee Handbook of all best-practice policies and procedures to provide direction and promote a fair, consistent approach to all HR matters.
- Expert drafting of all employment-related letters and documents, including settlement agreements.
Our experienced team of advisers are well-versed in providing commercially-sound and pragmatic HR advice with your organisation’s best interests in mind. With our support, you can be confident that all the necessary groundwork is laid for HR best practice and be reassured that employment-related matters are handled quickly and compliantly.
Got a specific requirement?
We also offer a range of additional services, including undertaking consultation meetings with employees during TUPE transfers, on-site support with grievance and disciplinary investigations, and strategic exercises such as pay benchmarking and job evaluations.
Managing Director, GMG Contractors
More than just good advice
When considering external support from an HR company, you want to make sure that in addition to sound advice, you’re given the tools to manage HR tasks on a daily basis.
As part of our core HR service, you will have access to our online portal, where you can find a wealth of information to make your life easier. This includes downloadable document templates and expert-created guidance notes, plus our easy-to-use HR Software to streamline important HR functions.
HR support without the huge price tag
At Ellis Whittam, integrity is at the heart of everything we do. This includes being upfront and transparent about our costs.
With our fixed-fee service, you can lean on us for support as many times as you need, with the reassurance that you won’t be hit by unexpected costs. What’s more, the price you pay won’t change throughout the duration of your contract – even if your organisation grows or your usage increases.
Excellent value for money, better budgetary control.
A different kind of HR company
We offer a unique combination of:
- Fixed fees
- Unlimited support
- High-quality, tailored advice from dedicated, legally-qualified HR and Employment Law Advisers
- Bespoke drafting of all employment-related documentation
- An online portal of HR management tools
- Access to a range of additional services, including HR consultancy support and expert-led HR training
- The added protection of Legal Expenses Insurance
Let’s work together
To talk through your specific requirements and find out how our we can take your HR support to the next level, call 0345 226 8393 today.
Quick-fire HR Guides
What’s the purpose of an investigation report?
When conducting a disciplinary procedure, it’s important to ensure you establish all the relevant facts before taking action. This means speaking with witnesses and gathering evidence that both supports and challenges the allegations made.
Once the investigation has concluded, the findings will need to be presented to the disciplinary officer in the form of an investigation report. The purpose of the report is to present the facts gleaned from the investigation and decide whether there is a case to answer. Importantly, it is not intended to offer any evaluative conclusions as to whether the employee is guilty of misconduct. This is a job for the disciplinary chair. The report itself is a tool to help the disciplinary chair draw conclusions and decide on appropriate sanctions if the allegations are upheld.
When might it be reasonable for a redundant employee to turn down an offer of suitable employment?
In theory, it would never be reasonable to turn down an offer of suitable alternative employment, and if someone did, they would potentially forfeit their redundancy pay. However, there are often arguments as to whether the offer is reasonable or suitable if, for example, the place of work or other contractual terms differ slightly. Often, these differences can be difficult to judge, so advice should always be taken in these situations.
Between FY18 and FY19, our Employment Law team handled over 22,000 individual activities relating to redundancy. Of those, we received just nine redundancy-related Employment Tribunal claims, all of which were successfully defended at hearing.
Is it legal to hire someone who is disabled or from a minority group for the purpose of increasing diversity?
If you reasonably believe that there is a need to increase diversity in your organisation, it’s important to go about it the right way. Hiring someone purely because they are disabled, a woman or from a minority ethnic group may leave you exposed to discrimination claims from individuals who don’t share the relevant protected characteristic.
When making any hiring decision, a person’s ability to do the job should be the foremost consideration. If candidates are of equal merit, employers are legally permitted to select a candidate from a group that is under-represented in their workforce in a bid to promote diversity. What you cannot do, however, is hire a candidate solely on the basis of a relevant protected characteristic, regardless of their ability to do the job, as this will amount to positive discrimination. This is a fine line to tread, so proceed with caution and take advice before acting.
What is employee burnout?
Burnout is a workplace phenomenon that has gained considerable attention in recent years. As the name suggests, burnout refers to a state of physical and mental exhaustion brought on by prolonged stress and overwork. This manifests in employees who are unmotivated, disengaged and mentally checked out.
For employers, burnout can mean absences, mistakes being made, reduced productivity and staff who are overwhelmed to the brink of resignation. Brought on by numerous stressors, including an unmanageable workload and a lack of support, burnout can cause even the most enthusiastic high-performers to become anxious, irritable and overwhelmed. Fortunately, there are practical precautions employers can take to reduce risk in their workplace.
What are the benefits of flexible working?
Nowadays, some degree of flexibility over where, when and the hours people work is commonplace – in fact, it’s often number one on candidates’ lists of demands when looking for new opportunities. However, it’s not just about giving employees what they want – flexible working also offers some tangible benefits for employers.
Chiefly, despite fears that productivity may take a hit, flexible working has been proven to make employees more productive by reducing unnecessary distractions and allowing employees to cultivate their environment in a way that allows them to work more efficiently. In addition, a better balance between professional and home commitments is likely to reduce absence rates, and can also be a powerful incentive to remain with an organisation for the long haul. All of this means less time and expense for employers.
