Tailored Solutions

• HR Audit: If you need HR support to ensure you're being a responsible employer but 'don't know what you don't know', we can perform a comprehensive audit of your people practices and processes. Starting with an overview of the business structure, strategic direction and culture, we then examine the full employee lifecycle in detail. We recommend actions, flagging any areas of high risk and help you prioritise and implement them.
• Workforce Planning & People Strategy: we support you in developing your people priorities and create action plans aligned to business values and goals, considering relevant internal and external factors.
• Pay & Benefits: we assist with salary reviews, performance related pay and job evaluation projects. We carry out benchmarking exercises and we can review your total reward package, including compensation, employee benefits and 'perks' to develop/implement your reward strategy. Where collective agreements exist, we'll support with consultation and union negotiations.
• System implementation and optimisation - Recruitment ATS, HR Software (HRIS): as you grow, we help you implement systems for automated processes, ensuring efficiency and compliance.
• System Maintenance: we can help maintain your recruitment & HR software, managing vacancies, setting up employee records and processing changes/exits.
• Metrics: if your systems capture employee data, we help identify key metrics and support you with the management and interpretation.

• Pre-employment: we support with the following services:
• Job Description & Advert Writing - we help craft clear, compelling job descriptions and advertisements that attract the right talent, ensuring you communicate the right message to prospective candidates.
• Salary Benchmarking - stay competitive with our salary benchmarking, which helps you align your compensation packages with industry standards and retain top talent.
• CV Shortlisting – we review and shortlist candidates based on your criteria, ensuring you focus only on the most suitable individuals.
• Telephone Screening - our team can conduct telephone screenings to assess candidates before scheduling in-person interviews, helping you narrow down your pool of applicants more efficiently.
• Arranging Interviews - We handle the logistics of arranging interviews, coordinating between candidates and hiring managers to ensure smooth scheduling and a positive candidate experience.
• Recruitment Partner - we partner with hireful, to provide candidate attraction discounts, access to an ATS, integrated GDPR-compliant Right to Work checks and lots more.
• Contracts of Employment- we craft clear, compliant contracts for your new hires.

Policies, Procedures & Handbooks: we can provide standard template resources, as well as access to our bespoke drafting service, helping to set the tone from the very start of the employment relationship, not only to back up what you do, but to showcase what a great employer you are – first impressions count!

You don't necessarily need to start from scratch, we'll review what you have in place and advise on what's needed, providing you with options.

• Navigating Legal Obligations: such as flexible working requests, family-friendly practices and equality obligations. This includes pay gap reporting and prevention of sexual harassment, to name just a few.
• Tools: such as our exclusive Prevention of Sexual Harassment Risk Review tool, to support your duty under the Worker Protection Act (which was effective from October 2024). From this, we produce a comprehensive report and advise you on our recommended actions to address any gaps, including an action plan and follow-up support.
• Legislative Change: if there's employment-related change on the horizon (e.g. new employment rights, minimum wage increases) as a client we'll give you ample notice and can help you review the impact and advise you on your options.
• Legal Advice: if specific legal advice is needed, we can obtain this on your behalf - we only proceed with your express agreement and pass on the fee at cost. Alternatively, we can make introductions to trusted lawyers in our network, who often work alongside by delivering the 'on the ground' support.

• Employee Engagement: we support feedback and communication mechanisms including engagement surveys, internal comms and information and consultation processes.
• Employer Brand: we review and help you to promote your external reputation as an employer.
• Performance Management: we assist with appraisal/performance management systems, including performance related pay, objective setting, personal development plans and coaching conversations.
• Health, Wellbeing and DEI: we help review the current situation and can introduce new initiatives to support your workforce. Where specialist support is required, we may utilise our relationships with trusted suppliers - for example, neurodiversity awareness, menopause support, wealth management, mental health first aid and a host of employee benefits, tailored to your budget.

• Learning and development on a range of Employee Relations and people management topics, tailored to your organisation or purchased 'off the peg'.
• Our resources are available in various formats, these can be delivered in-person or remotely and can be adapted to suit the audience – from HR professionals to new managers, as well as more general sessions for the wider workforce:
• Materials only – for employers who have the means to deliver in-house
• 'Train the trainer' sessions + materials
• Interactive/workshop style sessions
• E-learning (coming soon)
• Examples include:
• Equality & Diversity incorporating the recent Sexual Harassment Prevention obligations
• Managing poor performance

• Redundancy
• Restructure
• TUPE Transfers (the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations)
• Changes to employment terms

We offer support to manage periods of change, including employment obligations (collective consultation involving Trade Union or Employee Representatives, individual consultations, negotiations) and guidance and the practical application of good practice (planning, delivery, sensitive employee comms).

• Workplace Mediation: we are proud to offer a professional workplace mediation service, which has proven effectiveness in avoiding formal processes such as grievance or disciplinary.
• Grievances: we provide a full investigation service, we can run a grievance process, manage or support hearings and appeals and we can also provide a note-taking service (available for most employee-facing meeting).

• Disciplinary: we handle investigations (including our full investigation service or support to the designated in-house investigator), hearings and appeals.
• Capability: we support you to address poor performance through informal and formal stages including early discussion, performance improvement plans (PIP), formal meetings and appeals.
• Absence: we support you to manage short and long-term absence, any occupational health referrals, reasonable adjustments or appeals. We can also support with the introduction of an absence management system.
• Settlement discussions: when parting ways is the best route, we can advise you on options and facilitate conversations to negotiate an exit with minimal impact – note this is something we can also assist with for reasons other than conduct or performance concerns.

Our mentorship programme offers private 1:1 sessions, with a strong focus on Employee Relations. Designed to share our insights and provide hands-on support, here's what you can expect from Mustard Mentorship:

• Tailored Approach - We begin with an initial 'chemistry meet' to understand your goals so we can make the most of your sessions.
• Supportive Mentorship - This isn't about telling you what to do (or doing it for you).
• We provide valuable ER insights, practical guidance and professional (and, where needed, emotional) support.
• You'll gain tools to build your skills, as well as the time and space to develop them.
• We offer a fresh, impartial perspective, signposting when appropriate and will (gently) challenge you to grow while always prioritising your psychological safety.
• A Wealth of Experience - With Mustard Mentorship, you'll have access to over 20 years of ER expertise (and your own personal cheerleader)!

These bespoke services mean that businesses can be confident that their HR needs are in-hand. Whether it's handling day-to-day tasks, tackling complex employee relations issues or anything in between, you can rely on us to cut the mustard.