As we enter September, the perfect opportunity emerges to review your policies and procedures. September signifies the end of the summer holidays, the return to school for many, and an influx of new talent entering the workforce. It's a season of change and a perfect time to refresh and revisit your workplace policies and procedures. At The HR Consultancy, we are here to support you with this. How We Can Help: 1. Policy review: Our team can conduct a comprehensive review of your existing policies, identifying areas for improvement and suggesting updates as needed. 2. New policies: We can work closely with you to create policies that reflect your organisation's unique culture, industry standards, and legal requirements. 3. Handbook review: We can fully review your existing handbook, identifying areas for improvement, suggesting updates and ensuring it is up-to-date with recent legislation. 4. Handbook development: We can put together a whole new handbook which is tailored to suit the needs of your business. 5. HR Procedures guide: We can put together a full comprehensive HR procedures guide covering any necessary recruitment, onboarding, probation, training, maternity, disciplinary, sickness absence and exiting processes. This September has come with its own unique set of challenges too, as the recently announced Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) problem in schools has created unprecedented challenges for parents and caregivers. With disruptions to schools, many working parents are once again grappling with the need for flexible childcare solutions and remote learning support. At The HR Consultancy, we understand the significance of supporting your employees during these times. Now, more than ever, it's crucial to consider flexible working opportunities and policies that can help alleviate some of the burdens facing working parents. What You Could Consider:
Discussing flexible working arrangements with affected parents such as:
- Working remotely - Hybrid working - Making up time off at another time
Implementing or reviewing a flexible working policy to cover eligibility, contents of the request and the flexible working procedure.
Amending the holiday booking procedure temporarily for affected parents. For example, if they usually have to provide 1 weeks’ notice to take annual leave for odd or single days, consider letting employees use their annual leave on shorter notice, if possible.
Allowing employees to have unpaid time off, if necessary, due to unexpected struggles with childcare arrangements.
Allowing employees to bring their child in to work, if there is no other option, it is safe and appropriate to do so, your company insurance allows it and the child is well behaved.
Taking proactive steps to support your employees during these challenging times is not only a compassionate approach but also a strategic one. It can help maintain employee morale, retention, and overall productivity while demonstrating your commitment to your team's wellbeing. If you need advice or are facing any challenges in the workplace in relation to parents struggling with childcare arrangements, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our workshop is next week! We are now partnered with Lisa Whittleton, Director at Illuminate VR as our wellbeing specialist. The next workshop in our series will cover mental health at work and will be hosted by Lisa. Lisa has a background in Occupational Psychology and is passionate about creating happy, healthy workplaces where individuals can maintain positive wellbeing and thrive. Much of her knowledge and experience comes from her vocational rehabilitation work supporting individuals with a range of health conditions to get back on track. She is an engaging facilitator and trainer who offers a range of workshops in mental health & resilience as well as supporting senior leadership teams to think about wellbeing more strategically. This will take place next week on Wednesday 13th September, from 10am-11am. Tickets are free, and you can sign up here. We would love to see you all there! If you have any HR queries please give a member of the team a call today, on 01926 853388, or email angela.roberts@arhrconsult.com. Visit www.arhrconsult.com for more information.