Whoop whoop - the HR Hero has been in business for 2 years today!  

That time has certainly flown, and I’m even more excited about the future ahead as the business continues to build from strength to strength.  

But as I look back and reflect, here are some of the achievements over the past 12 months.

• Had a terrifying experience - I was selected for ‘Quick Pitch’ - Worcestershire’s version of Dragons Den!
• Got the keys - moved into our first office
• Felt overwhelmed - as a finalist in the Enterprising Worcestershire Awards for ‘Innovative Business of the Year Award’ 2023
• Built a team - excited to welcome onboard our first associates, from HR professionals, marketing and admin experts. Watch this space for introductions to the team.
• Panicked for two hours - Barney The HR Hero’s Wellbeing Champion was lost for two hours - and found! The kids and I were frantically searching for him in the local area, fortunately he got picked up by a kind lady and taken to the vets! 
• Powered through - supported Ruby through her GCSE exams, with many an afternoon spent in the new office revising!

And not forgetting…

• Spent a night in Prison - yes that's right, I actually spent a night in a prison cell on my Birthday! I took my Dad for an overnight experience to stay at Shrewsbury Prison - and what an experience it was!

And to celebrate (not staying in Prison, but The HR Hero’s 2nd Birthday) I’m giving away 5 FREE essential HR forms that any UK SME should have. To get yours sign up below.

SIGN UP HERE

 

HR Practice

The Employment Life-Cycle

This month we are looking at our 5-Step Employment Lifecycle method. To ensure that your organisation has all the HR foundations in place to support your people and protect the business.

Employment Lifecycle, Step 3: Standards and Expectations

Another approach to supportive practices is setting healthy standards and expectations. Ensuring that your people know and understand what is expected of them during certain situations, for example:

• Sickness and absence
• Using social media
• Performance management
• Performance improvement
• Harassment and bullying
• Raising a grievance
• Disciplinary process 

Sometimes things do go wrong, and having a set of standards in place also helps us to know how to deal with issues that arise. It informs our staff of the processes and actions that may take place. Ensuring everyone is aware of what may happen when things go amiss.

 

UK Law: Staff Sickness

When an employee is off work due to illness, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid instead of an employee’s salary. SSP starts on the fourth day an employee is off work, (the first three days are unpaid, and can be paid for up to 28 weeks.

After 7 days of absence the employer is entitled to demand a ‘fit note’ signed by a doctor or appropriate health professional. If an employee is entitled to SSP, it will be taxed and National Insurance contributions will be deducted.

The amount of SSP is set by the Government. Employers may also decide to pay company sick pay, in addition to SSP.

 

Managing Sickness/Absence

In my FREE guide, 5 Essential HR Tips, I provide strategies to manage absence, when an employee is off work sick. It is not a legal requirement to manage absence.

However, effective absence management will support the health needs of your people.

The one essential activity to carry out after every absence, is a return-to-work meeting. This provides a supportive environment for the employee to discuss their health and provides a clear and consistent process to avoid unauthorised absence and inappropriate use of sick pay.

 

If you would like to find out more then have a read of this month's blog, 👇

READ THE BLOG

Employment Law News

Superdry Employee Awarded £96k for Unfair Dismissal and Age Discrimination

 

A knitwear designer named Rachel Sunderland was awarded a hefty sum of over £96,000 after a tribunal found that she was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against based on her age.

 

According to an article in People Management, “Sunderland had been repeatedly overlooked for promotion in favour of younger colleagues at Superdry, the clothing brand she worked for. This led to her feeling stressed and eventually resigning from her position. 

 

Sunderland had an impressive background in the fashion industry, with more than 30 years of experience and a degree in knitwear design. When she joined Superdry in September 2015, there was no hierarchical structure within the design department. However, in 2017, a hierarchical system was introduced within the men's department where she worked, and two designers were promoted to senior positions. 

 

When Sunderland raised her concerns about this issue during an appraisal meeting with her manager, Dan Hanvey, she was informed that certain responsibilities needed to be fulfilled before promotion, such as managing a team member. They both agreed that this was something she could work on. 

 

During the appraisal, Sunderland and Hanvey both rated her potential as 'mastery,' which was the lowest rating out of three options. The tribunal noted that the review was overall positive, and it was unclear why she received the lowest rating. 

 

It was discovered that the rating categories were not clearly understood by either Sunderland or Hanvey, but they were crucial for promotion. In a subsequent review in October 2017, Hanvey rated Sunderland's potential as 'great mastery,' which didn't align with any of the established categories. 

 

In April 2018, Hanvey assessed Sunderland's 'flight' risk as low, but this information wasn't shared with her until the tribunal. Her performance was mutually agreed to be 'blue,' the highest level indicating brilliance and excellence in leadership. 

 

Surprisingly, the overall rating for this review was 'great/mastery. Sunderland revealed to the tribunal that she wasn't aware that this rating made her ineligible for promotion. 

 

Sunderland also pointed out that these criteria were not consistently applied to all employees. For instance, one designer hadn't undergone the required performance and potential ratings, and two others hadn't managed anyone at Superdry. 

 

The tribunal's ruling in favour of Sunderland highlights the importance of fair treatment and the consequences that can arise from age discrimination and unfair dismissal in the workplace.”

 

To read the full article in People Management click here . 

To read the full judgement, click here .

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding performance management, talent management and succession planning and whether your current practices support your people and protect the business then book a FREE call with me today by clicking the button below.👇

COFFEE WITH KATE

That's it from me for this week.  

Hope you have a great weekend.

Take care, Kate 🦸🏻 ♀️

PS.  Have you registered for my 2nd Birthday Giveaway yet?

To find out more, click the button below👇

HR Hero Birthday Giveaway

Disclaimer:  Every reasonable effort is made to make the information accurate and up to date, but no responsibility for its accuracy and correctness, or for any consequences of relying on it, is assumed by the author or publisher. If you are unsure about how this information applies to your specific situation, please seek expert/legal advice.

 

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