The document summarizes common mistakes employers make and provides recommendations to address them. It notes that employers often lack proper documentation, communication, and traceability of meetings and decisions. It advises employers to keep policies and procedures up-to-date, including having fair and consistent hiring processes, providing employment contracts within 8 weeks, and using disciplinary and grievance procedures appropriately. The document recommends smaller HR providers that can offer personalized advice tailored to each business.

1. A HR Viewpoint 2015
A presentation delivered by
Su Wilmott of Action HR
Pathway2Grow Business Networking Event
17 June 2015

2. • Where does the average employer go wrong?
• Some examples would be:
– Lack of documentation e.g. At the recruitment stage, Offer
letters, Contracts of Employment, Variations to Contracts,
Minutes of meetings held including disciplinary hearings etc.
– Lack of communication e.g. Failure to discuss potential
changes with employees in advance
– Lack of traceability e.g. ‘off-line’ meetings held with no notes
made etc.

3. • With the advantage of the world wide web employees
know as much (and sometimes more) about their
rights, than the employer!
• Employers are the worlds entrepreneurs who have the
ideas and create work for others from their ideas; they
make businesses profitable. However this doesn’t
always leave a great deal of time to deal with people
management, especially when things go wrong!

4. • So what should employers do?
• Get your policies and procedures up to date which will help to
support your business. For example:
• The selection process when recruiting should be fair and
consistent in order to avoid claims of discrimination. Ensure that
you use the same questions for all candidates – use the Job
Description to set up suitable questions and scoring to help you
make the right selection.
• Contracts of Employment (or Statement of Terms and Particulars)
should be provided within the first eight weeks of employing
someone.
• Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures

5. • If you decide that an employee is not working out then
ensure you dismiss appropriately:
– If you dismiss early on you only need to hold one formal
meeting
– Ensure you use your full disciplinary procedures or
performance review procedures when dismissing an
employee

6. • The following can be found on the GOV.UK website:
• Disciplinary procedures and employment contracts
• Your employer can also put their disciplinary procedures
in your employment contract.
• If your employer does this and then doesn’t follow these
procedures you could sue them for breach of contract
• WHOEVER SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS ON OUR SIDE!
• Ensure that your Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
are non-contractual.

7. Action HR Ltd
• Recommendations:
• Don’t utilise large HR providers! – They provide a wad of
documentation which nine times out of ten you never look at.
• Select a smaller provider who can give you a personal service – If
they’re good they’ll get to know your business well and provide
advice that’s relevant to you if you involve them.
• ACAS can be useful; their new conciliation service is helpful if you
get it wrong however stable door comes to mind!

8. Action HR Ltd
• Questions

9. Action HR Ltd
• If you would like a free HR Audit then contact:
• Su Willmott – Action HR Ltd
• 07977 497 107 or email me at su@action-hr.co.uk