Unlimited access to HR professionals for SMEs

Helping you navigate COVID-19

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has placed huge challenges on employers to adapt their businesses and support employees. Our advisers are experts in how employers should respond, including:

• Symptoms of coronavirus;
• How to adapt current working practises (including the COVID recovery plan, home working, annual leave and supporting vulnerable or shielding employees);
• Paying sick pay to sick or self-isolating employees;
• Accommodating time off work;
• Closing your business or reducing your workforce (including the coronavirus Job Retention Scheme); and
• Steps you can take for your business (including protecting your business and staff and reviewing your policies).

Our online resources provide guidance on all of the above and, if you have further queries, or would like more detailed guidance specific to your business, you can contact a member of the advice line.

Dismissals

Having to dismiss someone can be daunting, stressful and time-consuming but we’ll be there every step of the way to talk you through it, giving you peace of mind that what you’re doing is the right thing for your business.

Our HR experts are here to help you:

• Follow the correct processes to reduce the risks of employment tribunal claims and having to pay out thousands of pounds in legal costs.
• Coach and guide you through the processes and support you in having these difficult conversations.
• With the documentation you need, whether it’s legally compliant templates for you to complete or a review of a letter you want to send.

If you find yourself considering dismissing a member of staff but are worried about the risks, contact us now to discuss one of our services.

Contracts of Employment

Failing to issue your staff a contract, having out-of-date contracts or trying to make changes without following the proper process puts your business at risk.

Our expert HR advisers are here to support you with your contracts in areas like

• Implementing or maintaining your employee contracts.
• What to do if you want to change the terms of a contract to avoid a breach of contract situation.

As well as general advice, we offer a contract review service if you’re worried your contracts are out of date or we can come to your business and put contracts in place or help you vary them.

Redundancy

No one ever wants to go through a redundancy situation but sometimes it’s necessary for your business to survive or grow. Our advisers are experts in the redundancy process and our team can guide you through any complexities that arise.

They’re here to support you with:

• Establishing the business case for a redundancy situation.
• Support you in carrying out the proper consultation, coaching you to have the difficult conversation and providing all the documents you need.
• minimising the impact on morale amongst your remaining employees.

If you feel you need an expert to do this for you, then our HR advisers can come on-site to your business for a really competitive day-rate, or if you have our Gold service, you have up to two days a year already included in your package.

Mental Health

Mental health accounts for 1 in 4 absences and can be daunting to manage. Our advisers coach you in managing these difficult conversations so you can support your staff in the best way possible and ensure you’ve got happy and productive employees.

We’ll help you:

• Help managers be more confident in talking about mental health at work.
• Build capability of managers supporting colleagues experiencing mental health.
• Enable a smooth transition back to work for those returning after LTS.

We offer a Mental Health Awareness training course that provides managers with a greater knowledge of mental health in the workplace, how to spot the signs of mental health and build confidence in having difficult conversations. Get in touch if this is something your business would benefit from.

Sickness Absence

Sickness absence is estimated to cost businesses over £500 per employee per year, and not managing this properly can cause the costs to spiral.

Our HR experts at AdviserPlus help you manage absence issues and stop the costs rising for your business. They can help with:

• Help you encourage and support your staff in achieving an effective return to work.
• Managing your staff absences to a successful conclusion if a return to work is not achievable.
• What to do if you have unauthorised absences or start to notice patterns in staff’s absence.

If this is something you need help with in your organisation, get in touch to discuss how we can help you.