Tag Archives: small business

It was 20 years ago today…

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That I launched Ariadne Associates to provide HR help and advice to small organisations. In that time, we’ve supported around 150 small businesses and charities – primarily in the North West of England but sometimes further afield. And to celebrate 20 years in business we’ve got some fantastic birthday deals 

1.  20% off our normal day rate for new and returning clients (subject to T&C below)

If there’s an HR issue that you wanted to tackle (for example setting up contracts, reviewing policies and procedures, making changes in your organisation, or needing some help with recruitment) then now is the time to do it. Visit our Services page for some ways we can help

For a limited time, our day rate will be reduced from £550 to £440 (for charities it will go from £495 to £395) To qualify, simply get in touch using the form at the bottom of this page, and we’ll get back to you to discuss how we can help.

2. Simon’s successful book on what small businesses need to know about Employment Issues for just £4.99 (and only £1.99 on Kindle)

Shortlisted for the CMI Management Book of the Year 2018, Happy Working Relationships has received numerous positive reviews as a plain English guide to Employment Law and People Management.

To order the paperback, visit https://ariadne-associates.co.uk/simons-book/

To order the Kindle version, visit https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Working-Relationships-business-employment-ebook/dp/B071Y6C852

T&Cs

1. To qualify for 20% off our day rate, work must be agreed and committed by 31 July 2019 and must be completed and invoiced by 31 October 2019. Payment must be made within our normal timescales

2. 20% discount applies to a maximum of 3 days’ work.

3. Does not apply to existing clients or work already in progress

4. A returning client is an organisation that we’ve not worked with for over 12 months and which doesn’t currently receive our free employment law updates.

5. Book promotions run until 5th July 2019

lighted happy birthday candles

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

 

The 12 things HR can do for your business

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Last year, I published a post which outlined the 15 things that HR should do – at a minimum – for the people who work within a business. Although I’d argue that doing these things for workers has a positive impact on employers as well, a more sceptical businessperson might wonder if and how their company would benefit from HR. After all, why would you pay for something if you aren’t getting something in return? So here are my 12 reasons why a business would want HR:

1. We’ll make sure that not only do you comply with employment laws, but that we implement them in a way that fits the business strategy and culture

2. We’ll make sure that the business is able to get the right people, in the right number, at the right time.

3. We’ll advise you on the ‘people consequences’ of any business proposals, so that you are taking decisions on the future with full knowledge of all the issues (not just the financial ones)

4. When problems occur with individuals, or groups of employees, we’ll look to find sensible, legal and effective solutions to minimise the damage to the organisation

5. We’ll be your experts in the labour market, knowing what outside factors will have an impact on helping us to deliver – or which need to be overcome to deliver – point 2 above.

6. When changes happen, we’ll understand the best way to minimise disruption and achieve what you want to set out.

7. HR isn’t your business conscience – but we will remind you that you have ethical responsibilities (and normal human emotions) that need to be factored in

8. We’re not your police either – so if we need to put in policies, systems, or procedures,  we’ll make sure they are there for a clear and understandable reason and that everyone understands the consequences of not complying

9. We’ll manage training and development, so that people in the business get the skills they need to do their jobs in a way that’s cost-effective.

10. We’ll use our specialist knowledge to support managers to manage people more effectively

11. If a problem needs a long-term solution, we won’t just offer you a quick fix

12. If there’s a new idea floating around, we’ll look for evidence that it will actually improve things before recommending you implement it

human-resources-1

Human Resources by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

Don’t Stress over GDPR

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Everywhere you look, you can’t miss the initials GDPR. Social media is full of discussions, I could spend all day every day attending “GDPR Training Course” “GDPR seminars” and then buy lots of compliance guides and products. After all – if I don’t comply the Information Commissioner is going to come in and fine me £20m.

Consequently, businesses are being sent into panic mode, running around trying to deal with misleading advice “You have to do X” “You can’t do that anymore…”

Just in case you have been in a cave somewhere, GDPR stands for the “General Data Protection Regulation” and is a major EU update to Data Protection laws. When it comes into force in the UK, in 6 weeks’ time, it will be known as the Data Protection Act 2018 and will replace the 1998 Act.

If you currently comply with Data Protection legislation, then the new Act simply requires you to tweak a few procedures and approaches. For most small businesses, it won’t require radical reform of your systems.

Most employment data is held for either a legal reason (e.g. proof of eligibility to work in the UK) or for a legitimate business reason (e.g. bank details held to pay people). People don’t need to give consent for you to hold this.

The major changes from an employment perspective are that:

·         If an individual requests a copy of their data, you can no longer charge for this and have to respond faster (30 days rather than 40)

·         You must tell employees if any of their data is passed to a third party (e.g. a payroll bureau) or outside the EU (for example, if you are part of a larger organisation)

·         You must also tell people if you use automated systems to make decisions (for example if you shortlist candidates for a job using software)

·         You must only use data for the purpose it is supplied for (e.g. you can’t hang on to a CV for an unsuccessful job candidate on the off chance that they might be suitable for a different vacancy)

You should also have very clear rules about how long you retain individual data for after an employee has left (although you should have these already!)

This isn’t to say that some types of business in certain sectors, particularly those that directly market to individuals, won’t have a great deal to do (which is why you will find that you are suddenly be asked to confirm if you still want to receive those marketing emails that you hadn’t realised you’d signed up for). And of course, if you weren’t following the current data protection legislation then you may suddenly need to get you house in order. But for most smaller businesses, the advice is

Generally, Don’t Panic, Review!