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HR |
Click on the folders below to see videos and other content.
 General
In less than 10 years Michael Whitfield and his team have build a high growth, high profit business delivering employee benefits packages over the web.
• Why have they been so successful?
• What does the success of Michael’s business imply for outsourcing the core operations of mid-sized businesses?
Business Case Study: Thomsons Online Benefits Michael Whitfield, CEO, Thomsons Online Benefits
Rob Elvin, a Partner with Hammonds LLP, explains directors’ responsibilities relating to health and safety. In this interview Rob talks about:
• Why directors should be concerned about H&S
• What can happen to directors of a company that breaks H&S regulations
• What should boards do to fulfil their H&S responsibilities.
“Directors can be imprisoned if their company breaches H&S law”.
Directors’ responsibilities: health & safety Rob Elvin, Partner, Hammonds LLP
John Marrin is an experienced HR expert who has also had management roles. He now specialises in the area of management performance. Here John looks at what training is essential during a recession, covering:
• What are the types of training intervention that companies should focus on during a downturn?
• Why are these important?
• What are the most cost effective ways of delivering these to the business?
What training is essential in a recession? John Marrin, Director, Marwel
Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.
In this interview Phil discusses:
• What a competency framework is
• What the benefits are of implementing a competency framework
• What stops it being successful
How to successfully implement a competency framework Phil Brown, Managing Director, Youmanage LTD
Nigel Lack, senior partner at Westminster Compliance, provides an overview of the Health and Safety obligations of tenants in commercial properties.
In this interview Nigel covers:
• Under what circumstances tenants become responsible for H&S
• Why you need to have a H&S policy
• Implications of ignoring your H&S obligations
• How can SMEs meet their H&S obligations cost effectively.
Health and Safety obligations of tenants Nigel Lack, Senior Partner, Westminster Compliance
About this Knowledge Centre
Absence
Ozlem Kulle, Solicitor of Fox Williams LLP, talks about dealing with the different types of absence from work.
In this interview Ozlem describes:
● the different forms of absence
● how to deal with unauthorised and sickness absence
● how to manage absence effectively.
Managing authorised, unauthorised and sickness absenceÖzlem Kulle, Solicitor, Fox Williams
Catherine Parsons, Director of 360 HR Ltd, gives ideas for dealing with potentially excessive amounts of absence.
In this interview Catherine explains:
● the different types of absence and how to manage them
● how to record absence effectively
● using sick pay as a lever to manage absence.
Tackling absenceCatherine Parsons, Director, 360 HR Ltd
David Whincup, Partner of Hammonds LLP, talks about how to tackle absence effectively.
In this interview David explains:
● the different forms of absence, and how to tackle them
● the importance of recording absence
● using sick pay as a lever for absence management
● changing staff contracts.
Tackling absence David Whincup, Partner, Hammonds LLP
Audio Podcasts
In this audio podcast Karl Ellis, HR consultant with Smith & Williamson’s benchmarking unit, explains the benefits of pay benchmarking and how you should go about doing it.
Smith & Williamson has also kindly provided some salary data for Chief Executives of companies with £5m to £25m turnover, which you can view in the Notes section of this interview.
PODCAST: Benchmarking of executives’ pay Karl Ellis, HR Consultant, Smith & Williamson
Compensation and Benefits
Andrew Pullman, managing director of People Risk Solutions, advises on the practical aspects of implementing a revised pay structure for executives. In this interview Andrew covers the main reasons for restructuring of pay, good practice during the implementation phase and the pitfalls that you should watch out for.
Restructuring of executives’ pay: how to implement Andrew Pullman, Managing Director, People Risk Solutions
Karl Ellis, HR consultant with Smith & Williamson’s people management team, explains the benefits of pay benchmarking and how you should go about doing it.
Smith & Williamson has also kindly provided some salary data for Chief Executives of companies with £5m to £25m turnover, which you can view in the Notes section of this interview.
Benchmarking of executives’ pay Karl Ellis, HR Consultant, Smith & Williamson
Mark Gearing, Senior Associate with Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, discusses the key features of EMI share option arrangements.
EMI share option arrangements Mark Gearing, Senior Associate, Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP
Marianne O’Rorke, senior lawyer with Hammonds LLP and specialising in pensions, advises on employers’ obligations regarding direct contribution pension schemes.
In this interview Marianne covers:
• employers’ obligations in relation to providing pension schemes for their employees
• the risks to employers when setting up such schemes
• the areas that employers can focus on to manage costs of these schemes
• whether employers can reduce their contributions to these schemes
Employee pension schemes: employer obligations in a downturn Marianne O'Rorke, Senior Lawyer, Hammonds LLP
Catherine Parsons, Director of 360 HR Ltd, talks about the issues concerning bonuses for maternity leavers.
In this interview Catherine covers:
● the categories of incentive scheme to consider
● how each category should be handled
● the potentially discriminative features to watch out for.
Bonus payments for those on maternity leaveCatherine Parsons, Director, 360 HR Ltd
Inez Anderson, head of Smith & Williamson’s Employment Tax and Incentives team, talks about the importance of thinking about the structure of executives’ pay early in your company’s life and making sure that it rewards behaviours that are aligned with your company’s goals. She also talks about the trends that she is currently seeing in pay structures.
Structuring executives’ pay: where to start Inez Anderson, Head of Employment Tax and Incentives, Smith & Williamson
Contractual considerations
Jennifer Bartlett, an employment solicitor at Kingsley Napley, looks at the key differences between contractual and non-contractual employee, including:
• when a benefit becomes contractual
• the potential liabilities faced by an employer when removing or altering either contractual or non-contractual benefits
Contractual v non-contractual benefits: issues for employers Jennifer Bartlett, Employment Solicitor, Kingsley Napley
Gareth Kervin, an Employment Partner with Kingsley Napley, provides an overview of TUPE.
In this interview Gareth explains:
● what TUPE is and when it applies
● what it involves
● under what circumstances difficulties can arise.
TUPE: an overview Gareth Kervin, Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP
Andrea London, Partner and Head of Employment with Rosenblatt Solicitors, advises on employment liabilities the purchaser needs watch out for when buying a company in administration.
In this interview Andrea covers:
● TUPE and when it applies
● information that the purchaser should request as part of its due-diligence
● staff liabilities that will be inherited from the former employer
● liabilities relating to employees of 3rd party service providers
● making changes
Staff liabilities when purchasing a company in administration Andrea London, Partner, Rosenblatt Solicitors
Jennifer Bartlett, an Employment Solicitor with Kingsley Napley, discusses the staff liabilities that you may inherit when purchasing a business in administration.
In this interview Jennifer covers:
• the staff liabilities that you may inherit when buying a business in administration
• what information you can reasonably ask for in your due-diligence
• whether you can change contracts of transferred staff to align them with your own contracts.
Staff liabilities when purchasing a company in administration Jennifer Bartlett, Solicitor, Kingsley Napley LLP
Gareth Kervin, an Employment Partner with Kingsley Napley, discusses the changing of staff contracts.
In this interview Gareth advises on:
● how to go about varying staff contracts
● differences between changing contracts individually vs. collectively
● tips for maximising the chances of success.
Varying employees’ terms and conditions Gareth Kervin, Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP
Gareth Kervin, an Employment Partner with Kingsley Napley, talks about restrictive covenants.
In this interview Gareth covers:
● what restrictive covenants are and what they are designed to protect
● whether they are enforceable and for what period of time
● whether they can be introduced or changed mid-contract
● the alternatives to restrictive covenants.
Restrictive covenants Gareth Kervin, Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP
Dispute Resolution
Caroline Sheridan, an experienced mediator, discusses a case of a breakdown in communications between an employee and her manager.
In this interview Caroline talks about:
• the background to the case and the potential for damage for both parties
• why and at what stage was a mediator brought in, and the key elements of the mediation process that she applied to resolve the conflict
• the challenges that were overcome, and the outcome.
Dealing with a breakdown of communications between an employee and her manager Caroline Sheridan, Independent, CEDR
Caroline Sheridan, an experienced mediator, discusses a case where mediation was used to resolve a performance appraisal dispute.
In this interview Caroline talks about:
• the background to the case and the potential fall-out which could have ensued
• why and at what stage she was brought in to mediate, and the key steps of the process
• the challenges that were overcome and the end result for the employee and the manager.
Resolving a dispute arising from performance appraisal Caroline Sheridan, Independent, CEDR
Caroline Sheridan, a highley experienced Mediator, talks about how mediation can resolve disputes effectively.
In this interview Caroline explains:
● what mediation is
● when to use mediation
● how to train staff in mediation
● the benefits of mediation.
Using mediation to resolve disputes Caroline Sheridan, Independent Mediator
Caroline Sheridan, an experienced mediator, discusses a case where mediation was used to successfully resolve a potentially damaging harassment claim against a line manager.
In this interview Caroline explains:
● the various steps in the process
● key aspects of this case.
Resolving a harassment claim through mediation Caroline Sheridan, Independent Mediator
Employee Engagement
Employee Relations
Andy Rothery is an experienced interim manager of mid-sized businesses with particular expertise in the tech and media sectors. In this interview, he describes his work as deputy Managing Director at a new media business that had just been created as the result of a merger between two established firms. Cultures were very different, and this was causing serious issues for the business as it went about trying to forge its new identity. Andy explains how the board approached the significant
Change management implications of a new marketing strategy Andy Rothery, Interim Director, Dynamic Edge
Paul Whiteing is CEO of PhonepayPlus, which regulates phone-paid services in the UK. During the past 18 months, PhonePayPlus has changed its strategy to focus on the prevention of regulatory breaches, rather than just seeking consumer redress once a breach has already taken place. Here Paul discusses:
• Reasons for the change in strategy
• The impact of the change on the organisation and its staff
• How the change was managed, including staff communication and training for the new
Managing change in an organisation Paul Whiteing, CEO, PhonepayPlus
Russell Start, Managing Director of TEAM Allied, highlights the issues that companies comes across when assigning and relocating UK staff to international posts.
" ..... over 50% of international assignments fail."
Relocating staff to international offices Russell Start, Managing Director, TEAM Allied
Ashley Ward, CEO of the European Leadership Programme and executive search firm Nexec, talks about why having high quality, motivated staff is important in a downturn.
The issues Ashley covers include:
● the personal qualities your senior staff will need
● how to keep people motivated in difficult times
● building a motivational culture.
People motivation in a downturnAshley Ward, CEO, European Leadership Programme
Management
William Barron, a business behaviour coach, advises on how you can delegate effectively.
“delegation mustn’t be abdication.”.
Effective delegation William Barron, Business Behaviour Coach, Creating Insight
John Marrin is an experienced HR expert who has also had management roles. He now specialises in the area of management performance. Here John looks at the basics of measuring staff performance, covering:
• What are the most reliable measures of performance?
• How do the indicators differ when measuring skills v behavioural performance?
• What are the key data/metrics needed to understand employees’ performance?
How should you measure your staff’s performance? John Marrin, Director, Marwel
Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.
In this interview Phil discusses:
• Why to focus on line managers
• How to use technology to improve effectiveness of line managers
How to beat the recession by empowering managers Phil Brown, Managing Director, Youmanage LTD
Productivity
Gary Fisher, Director of GEF Consult, is experienced at managing teams through significant change. Here he looks at how coaching can be used as part of the mix.
Coaching Gary Fisher, Director, GEF Consult
William Barron, a business behaviour coach, talks about motivating your staff after downsizing and helping them to function effectively.
"energize them to create a new way of working..... out of the shadow of the people who were removed."
Getting the most out of a downsized team William Barron, Business Behaviour Coach, Creating Insight
John Marrin is an experienced HR expert who has also had management roles. He now specialises in the area of management performance. Here John looks at the basics of measuring staff productivity, coverin:
• What are the key measures of productivity?
• What are the most and least reliable measures?
• What are the most effective levers for improving productivity?
How should you measure staff productivity? John Marrin, Director, Marwel
A report by Management Consultancies Association (MCA) on delivering sustainable productivity improvement.
Getting more from the sameMember content provided by Trinity Horne and the Management Consultancies Association (MCA)
Recruitment and Retention
William Barron, a business behaviour coach, highlights the key points that you need to consider when promoting a new executive director to the Board.
"you are looking for someone with capacity ...... who is hungry ..... and who can be a challenging friend on the board."
Promoting a new executive director to your Board William Barron, Business Behaviour Coach, Creating Insight
Nick Rollason, an Employment Partner with Kingsley Napley, talks about the new point-based immigration law.
In this interview Nick explains:
● how the new system works and the key differences with the old system
● what your compliance obligations are if you employ non-EU staff
● what you should do if you wish to sponsor a non-EU recruit
● what you can do to minimise the chances of getting it wrong.
Employing non-EU staff: the new points-based immigration system Nick Rollason, Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP
Ashley Ward, CEO of the European Leadership Programme and executive search firm Nexec, discusses the art of making successful senior appointments.
The issues Ashley covers include:
● what to look for in a candidate
● the selection process.
Recruiting a high quality senior teamAshley Ward, CEO, European Leadership Programme
Richard Finn, Change Management Consultant, talks about the ways of reducing staff attrition.
In this interview Richard explains:
● why reducing attrition is important
● how to reduce attrition
● the importance of a good induction process.
Reducing staff attrition Richard Finn
Supinder Sian, a specialist on Immigration Law with Hammonds LLP, explains the changes to law regarding Right of Work and advises employers about what they need to do when recruiting staff.
In this interview Supinder covers:
● the changes to law regarding illegal working regulation in the UK
● possible consequences for employers who do not comply
● the document checks that employers must carry out for new recruits
● checking the right of work of your existing employees
Checking employees' Right of Work: impact of recent changes in law Supinder Sian, Immigration Law specialist, Hammonds LLP
Reducing staff costs
Jennifer Bartlett, an Employment Solicitor with Kingsley Napley, explores the possibilities of avoiding the collective consultation process.
In this interview Jennifer discusses:
● what the collective consultation process is, when it is triggered and the procedure that you need to follow
● using compromise agreements as a way of avoiding the consultation process
● how to minimise the risks of getting it wrong.
Redundancies: avoiding the collective consultation process Jennifer Bartlett, Solicitor, Kingsley Napley LLP
Gareth Kervin, an Employment Partner with Kingsley Napley, provides an overview of compromise agreements.
In this interview Gareth explains:
● what compromise agreements are and when they should be used
● what requirements must be fulfilled and what is excluded
● an overview of the components of such an agreement and how they can be introduced.
Compromise agreements: an overview Gareth Kervin, Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP
Gareth Kervin, an Employment Partner with Kingsley Napley, discusses the key considerations for compromise agreements.
In this interview Gareth explains:
● the main components of a compromise agreement
● the tax implications that an employer should be aware of
● dealing with the bonus element
● restrictive covenants.
Compromise agreements: key points Gareth Kervin, Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP
Gareth Kervin, an Employment Partner with Kingsley Napley, advises on implementation of compromise agreements.
In this interview Gareth provides guidance on:
● when to use compromise agreements
● what process to follow
● what to do if the employee does not accept the agreement
● whether the process can go wrong.
Compromise agreements: how to implement Gareth Kervin, Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP
Philip Minnis, Employment Solicitor with Rosenblatt Solicitors, provides an overview of compromise agreements.
In this interview Philip explains:
● what compromise agreements are and when they should be used
● how to go about discussing a compromise agreement with employees
● what conditions must be met for an agreement to be binding and valid
● what claims are excluded
● which payments under the agreement are taxable.
Understanding compromise agreements Philip Minnis, Solicitor, Rosenblatt Solicitors
Jennifer Bartlett, an Employment Solicitor with Kingsley Napley, advises on how to go about introducing pay cuts.
In this interview Jennifer discusses:
● whether and under what circumstances pay cuts can be introduced
● how you should go about implementing a pay cut
● what could go wrong and what the penalties might be.
Asking employees to take a pay cut Jennifer Bartlett, Solicitor, Kingsley Napley LLP
Geoff Eagland, NED of Point Topic, talks about his experience of making a substantial number of people redundant in a short space of time.
In this interview Geoff describes:
● the context surrounding the redundancies
● his concerns going into the process
● the persons involved
● the problems he faced during the process
● what he’s learnt from his experience.
Accelerated redundancies Geoff Eagland, NED, Point Topic
David Murphy, Associate of Fox Williams LLP, talks about handling redundancies quickly and efficiently.
In this interview David covers:
● the key considerations for accelerated redundancies
● the process of accelerated redundancies
● how to shorten the process
● the costs of this process.
Accelerated redundancies: optimising the process David Murphy, Associate, Fox Williams LLP
Catherine Parsons, Director of 360 HR Ltd, talks about handling redundancies quickly and efficiently.
In this interview Catherine explains:
● the key factors for accelerated redundancies
● how to speed up the consultation period in an effective way
● the dos and don’ts in the meetings
● minimising costs during this period
● the effect of the precedence set for redundancy in the past.
Accelerated redundanciesCatherine Parsons, Director, 360 HR Ltd
Rima Mehay, Employment Solicitor with Rosenblatt Solicitors, discusses the consultation process for redundancies.
In this interview Rima explains:
● what collective consultation is and at what point it is triggered
● whether redundancies can be ‘mixed’ with compromise agreements in order to avoid the collective consultation process
● the procedure for collective consultation
● how to go about selecting the employees who are going to be made redundant.
Redundancies: understanding the collective consultation process Rima Mehay, Solicitor, Rosenblatt Solicitors
Jacqueline Davis, Chief Executive of Community Connections, talks about her experience of implementing redundancies during a downturn.
In this interview Jacqueline explains:
● why her company needed to downsize
● her concerns of the process
● the problems that arose, and what went right
● what she's learnt from the experience.
Implementing redundancyJacqueline Davis, Chief Executive, Community Connections
Richard Finn, Change Management Consultant, talks about keeping staff motivated after a redundancy programme.
In this interview Richard explains:
● minimising the impact on the future after redundancies
● minimising survival syndrome
● measuring your success.
Successful staff management after redundancies Richard Finn
Talking Guides
Most growing companies will, sooner or later, outgrow the pay packages that they had originally set up for their senior executives. But what should the new packages look like, and how can you make the change without creating unwanted disruption to the team? This Knowledge Peers Guide helps answer these questions by bringing together advice from employment incentive experts and executives who have restructured senior pay packages in their own organisations.
The Talking Guide to ... restructuring executives' pay
Underperformance
Geoff Eagland, NED of Point Topic, explains his experience in dealing with underperforming directors.
In this interview Geoff describes:
● the reasons for why directors in growth companies underperform
● steps to remedy the underperformance
● key considerations if you have to terminate employment of the director.
Dealing with underperforming directors Geoff Eagland, NED, Point Topic
Frank Jones, Chairman of ASAP UK Ltd, talks about his experience of dealing with an underperforming director and what led him to terminate that director's employment.
● the background and what caused the company and fellow directors to become concerned
● factors he took into consideration when making his decisions
● what he has learnt from his experience, including the importance of independent references.
Dealing with underperforming directors Frank Jones, ASAP UK Ltd, Chairman
Romella Manning-Brown, Solicitor of Fox Williams LLP, talks about dealing with underperforming directors.
In this interview Romella explains:
● the legal issues surrounding management and their termination
● the preparation needed to terminate the employment
● minimising the cost of senior terminations
● how to handle the aftermath.
Dealing with underperforming directorsRomella Manning-Brown, Solicitor, Fox Williams
Catherine Parsons, Director of 360 HR Ltd, talks about dealing with underperforming directors.
In this interview Catherine explains:
● the legal issues surrounding management and termination of underperforming directors
● how to prepare for the process
● the role of the other directors on the board
● how to minimise the cost of termination
● how to manage the aftermath.
Dealing with underperforming directorsCatherine Parsons, Director, 360 HR Ltd
David Whincup, Partner of Hammonds LLP, talks about the issues concerning dealing with underperforming directors.
In this interview David explains:
● the legal issues surrounding the termination of directors
● how to prepare for the process of termination
● the best ways to strengthen performance criteria
● how to reduce the cost of termination
● who should be in charge of the dismissal process.
Dealing with underperforming directors David Whincup, Partner, Hammonds LLP
Richard Finn, Change Management Consultant, talks about the issues concerning underperforming senior staff.
In this interview Richard explains:
● how to identify underperformance
● the impact of underperformance on other staff in the company
● how to remedy underperformance.
Dealing with underperforming senior staff Richard Finn
| General External Resources |
ACAS - Comprehensive Employment Relations advice, including phone helpline numbers and free online tools and downloads for small businesses.
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Search 
KC Director
Caroline Sheridan:
Independent advisor on conflict resolution and mediation.
Panel of Experts 
Roberta Mahoney:
ER specialist, Clifford Chance
Andrew Pullman:
Specialist in learning and development issues.
David Whincup:
Partner and Head of London Human Capital Dept, Hammonds LLP
David Whincup, Partner and Head of London Human Capital Dept, Hammonds LLP
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