Acas recently published new advice on the suspension of employees. The aim of which was to ‘help employers understand when they can consider suspension and the support they can offer’. The advice goes further than previously in terms of stressing the importance of giving full consideration before suspending an employee and recognising the potential [...]
Workplace conflict Many employers accept that from time to time (or in some cases, frequently) conflict in the workplace will arise. How they go about it usually depends on the culture of the organisation. Having worked in a variety of sectors of different sizes and business models, I have seen everything from leaders burying [...]
A concern was raised regarding comments and actions by one employee about another, which the complainant believed had racist undertones. The matter was investigated by Mustard HR, who took a careful approach in this highly sensitive situation. It transpired that others in what was a very small team had witnessed similar conduct by the [...]
What is Outplacement Support? “Outplacement” is used to support employees facing a job loss with the transition to the next phase of their career. It is usually facilitated by an external provider and funded by the employer. Many employers facing the unpleasant task of making cuts question whether spending money on outplacement is counter-intuitive, [...]
What a difference 12 months makes... Mustard HR has been trading for a full year now. It is fair to say in that short period, the world of work (actually, the world full stop) has changed significantly and further changes look set to continue. The first six months of setting up as an Independent [...]
Way back at the end of March, when the Corona virus pandemic was only just starting to unfold in the UK and we all found ourselves in a very strange and unknown predicament, I had been asked to write a guest blog post on navigating a career and family life for Claire Brown Coaching, who [...]
Mustard HR was commissioned to support a redundancy situation due to a change in the direction of the business. The affected employees were placed at risk of redundancy and a consultation period commenced. Mustard HR worked with the client to carefully consider all representations put forward during consultation and respond to these accordingly. The [...]
Mustard HR recently wrote a guest blog post on flexible working for the parenting website and blog ‘The Resilient Mama’. This was pre COVID-19 restrictions in the UK and as we now know, the flexible working landscape seems to have changed somewhat (in terms of working from home anyway). However, the blog post focused [...]
Career’s aren’t just about success and progression, the seemingly 'bad' experiences we have at work can teach us a lot about what we want and where we are going. I’ve had times during my working life where I’ve felt frustrated, stuck and unappreciated. However, reflecting on this (mainly from my pre-HR days) I can [...]
An employee raised a grievance having been suspended pending disciplinary action. This is not uncommon and will very much depend on the circumstances as to how it is managed. In this case, Mustard HR was commissioned to carry out an investigation into the grievance points the employee had raised. Because some of these points [...]
I’m writing this following a friend, a fellow HR professional, being instructed to apologise as an outcome to a grievance. I couldn’t help feeling how utterly horrid and inhumane this course of action was. Firstly, enforcing an apology doesn’t usually work with a child, let alone a fully-fledged adult. But also, why would you [...]
Take the pain out of networking with my round up of local groups in part 2 of my networking blog… In the first of my networking blogs I explained how I’d come to realise the importance of networking when starting up your new business. I was surprised by the choice and diversity of groups [...]
Earlier this month I caught up with Anna Ives, a fellow HR Independent. Anna specialises in flexible working, which is also a big passion of mine. I was interested to find out about Anna’s experiences, what led her to specialise in flexible working and a how she applies this herself. You can read the [...]
Take the pain out of networking with my two-part round up of some local groups… Starting out as self-employed was a daunting prospect. After years of a regular salary and relative stability, I found myself at a crossroads wondering whether to continue to do what I knew and look for another employed HR role [...]
Read my guest blog post for ‘Another Door’ "I’m Lucy Feavearyear, an HR professional. I can’t say that HR was always my calling, in-fact for the interview for my first (admin) role in an HR team, I had to look up what “Human Resources” meant! However, I learnt quickly and it was a career [...]
Why are women expected to ‘man up’ to make it to the top? It has often been said that a man looking at a job description where he possesses half the required skills and experience will talk himself into applying, whereas a woman will talk herself out of it. I was recently fortunate to [...]
Following on from a general overview of managing performance issues in the workplace and the crucial role of management, here are my practical tips for line managers dealing with a performance issue: Explain the shortfall(s) in an honest discussion with your member of staff. Stick to the facts. Carefully consider the employee’s perception of [...]
Performance issue? It’s an HR problem, right? Wrong! The management of a poorly performing member of staff is something that anyone with supervisory or management responsibilities should be fully au fait with. As well as ensuring the fundamentals are addressed (identifying the issue, considering whether the company has done all it can to support [...]
It had been identified by the organisation that there was a skills gap at ‘middle management’ level in terms of managing (mainly informal stage) capability/conduct issues. After reviewing previous cases and discussing the needs of the business, I designed and delivered practical and comprehensive ‘managing performance’ training via small workshops, using coaching and communication [...]
I was acting in the capacity of advisor to a dismissal appeal panel. After hearing the employee’s case I used my judgement skills and Employment Tribunal experience to conclude that the Summary Dismissal for Gross Misconduct was too harsh and that the actions of the staff member which led to this sanction were likely [...]
