HR Management
If you run a busy business, chances are you don’t have the time you would like to devote to HR management, nor to keep up with the latest trends, legislative changes and compliance requirements. When you work with Abbey HR, you can rely on one direct point of contact to manage your suite of HR requirements
HR Management
If you run a busy business, chances are you don’t have the time you would like to devote to HR management, nor to keep up with the latest trends, legislative changes and compliance requirements. When you work with Abbey HR, you can rely on one direct point of contact to manage your suite of HR requirements, from ensuring your employment contracts and policies and procedures are in place, to providing support with performance management, grievances, absence management, succession planning and training and development. Importantly, you can have confidence that HR best practice is in place in your business. Your team will also be confident in their own performance and in the support they receive from management.
HR Management
Performance Management
Creating a strong team that upholds your organisation’s values, performs optimally and is a champion for your brand takes work! The rewards however are many and supporting your employees with a robust performance management system will help them be successful in their roles.
All staff, no matter what their strengths or weaknesses, count on supportive management from the business owner or their line manager/supervisor. When a new employee commences work, they look to the business for guidance and reassurance. Staff and their employers can reap valuable benefits from regular, structured meetings throughout the year to discuss the staff member’s progress and provide feedback on their work, particularly during their probationary period. Short to medium term goals can be discussed and agreed upon, and training can be arranged if required to support the staff member in their role.
A tailored performance management structure can be developed to support the needs of your business and its employees. Not only will this help the business and its staff to achieve their goals, but through communication and with clear policies and procedures in place, it can save time, money and confusion. No matter how small or large your business, please get in touch to discuss performance management in your business.
HR Management
Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures
At some stage in your business, you will likely be approached by a staff member with a grievance, or you may have concerns about an employee’s continued poor performance which may require intervention according to disciplinary procedures. When this happens, it is important to have correct policies and procedures in place and to follow procedures to help resolve the situation with a timely and positive outcome.
Specific procedures must be followed when addressing performance management concerns to ensure that the process is carried out according to employment legislation and to avoid escalation of the situation and a case being redressed before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). If you are concerned about an employee’s performance, please refrain from calling them aside and giving them a verbal warning as this is not acceptable under the law. Instead, the employee must receive written advice about your concerns and be invited to attend a meeting to discuss their performance. The employee may bring a colleague to the meeting if they wish. At the meeting, the employer’s concerns must be presented to the employee who is then given an opportunity to respond with their version of events. Following correct procedures will not only ensure that you are compliant with the law and providing your employee an opportunity to respond, it will ensure your business upholds HR best practice when managing disciplinary matters.
If an employee comes to you with a grievance, or if you are faced with disciplining an employee, please call me first before you take action. Do not commence this process without having sought advice about the correct procedures to follow; it is far easier to get it right from the outset than having to back-track to correct poor procedures. I can help guide you through the process with as little or as much support as you need. Please get in touch with me for further advice about managing grievance and disciplinary procedures.
HR Management
Employee Relations Support
If you find the “mood” in your workplace has changed or a key member of staff appears disgruntled, I may be able to help get to the root cause of the issue and find a resolution.
Sometimes, things are not as they seem at work, and what an employer or employee may perceive to be a problem, may not be the case at all. For example, what an employer may perceive as inefficiency, may in fact be an employee that needs further training in a specific skillset. A simple one-to-one meeting with the staff member to explain the purpose and importance of the task and how it fits into the greater work context may go a long way in resolving poor performance.
Sometimes it can be helpful to have an objective, experienced third party meet with the employee to listen to their concerns and explore what can be done, within the scope of their job description and the organisation’s policies and procedures, to enable the employee to perform their role effectively.
If you feel your staff, or a particular staff member, would benefit from talking to an external third person, I can meet with your staff member(s) to develop a relationship and find a solution that supports staff to understand the importance of their roles and create a more positive and productive work environment. To find out how I can support you to boost your employee relations, please get in touch with me.
HR Management
Training, Development and Succession Planning
Training and development opportunities are important for employees in any business. As the nature of work keeps changing, alongside legislation and compliance requirements, training ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to perform effectively in their roles.
If your business and your staff would benefit from training, either professional or on the job, I can work with you to establish what is needed and how it can be achieved as economically as possible and with maximum effectiveness for your business. There are a variety of options for staff training, from team building and training opportunities that get staff together in a group, to training that occurs outside of work hours for minimal disruption to the business. Online training is also an increasingly popular option for remote teams that are working outside the office (e.g. from home).
Staff moving into supervisory or management roles may also benefit from formal or informal training or from one-to-one coaching. If you feel a staff member has the ability to develop into a more senior role within your business, I can work with you to determine the skills that require development and support the employee to ensure they are fully ready to take on the challenge when it becomes available to them. In this way, your business can also be equipped for the retirement or departure of long-term staff members with succession planning that ensures staff from within your organisation are trained and prepared to take on the role when the senior staff member leaves.
I work with an expansive network of training providers and coaches who provide excellent services for my clients. I can work with you to establish the training needs of your business and connect you with the appropriate trainer. Please don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss your training needs further.
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