Kim Woolner FCIPD

Managers get new guide for supporting disabled employees The Government has published new guidance on recruiting, managing, and developing people with a disability or an underlying health condition. Disability Confident and the CIPD have released a revised guide aimed at empowering line managers to better support disabled employees. This update addresses a key finding in the CIPD's 2023 Health and Wellbeing at Work report, namely a lack of manager knowledge and confidence in managing employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions. The new guidance emphasises the crucial role line managers play in fostering an inclusive workplace. This translates to benefits like improved team performance, morale, employee retention, and reduced sickness absence. The guide offers support throughout the employment lifecycle, covering topics like: * Legal responsibilities * Inclusive language and behaviour * Reasonable adjustments * Recruitment and onboarding * Managing disclosures and confidentiality * Career progression * Sickness absence * Employee retention * Departing employees It also provides specific guidance on supporting individuals with long COVID, neurodiversity, and other disabilities and health conditions. The link to the guidance is available in our article. #disability #discrimination #equality #absence

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A Royal Tour, Belief Based Safety and Sustainable Change Extracts from a forthcoming book, Belief Based Safety Leadership.

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PA Forum Learning & Development Conference 2024 🔽 "A Womans Work" Steph Middleton-Foster "As a woman, it can feel that the odds are stacked against you in business and when more women than ever before are self-employed and starting businesses, why is it that so few of them are able to scale and get the success they deserve? A heated discussion on this subject by some super-successful businesswomen led to the creation of this book. ❓️Is it because it’s so much harder for women to get funding and investment? ❓️Is it because women are also likely to be running the household and juggling childcare? ❓️ Is it because women struggle to be taken seriously? The real question that came out of this debate was: what can we do to help women overcome these challenges and really shine? Fuelled by the raw passion of successful business women in a range of industries, this book will empower you to scale and grow your business, whatever you do. It is packed full of tips and personal stories drawing on a range of expertise. This book covers both the hard and soft business skills required to take your business to the next level. From time management and resilience to how to hone your product and scale profitably, this is the book that these business women wish they could have had in their arsenal when they were looking to scale. In each chapter, a business woman explores the obstacles she has had to overcome in a particular area, and gives the reader practical advice to do thesame. No more playing small, now is the time to go for it. This book will show you how..." This book is available to purchase at Conference and Steph would love to meet you during the lunchtime period at Conference Fiona Boyd Rhiannon Hopcroft Maria Tiscornia Alison Shaw Katie Johnson - Virtual Assistant Helen Martin Mel Bates

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Is your HR function striving to be recognised as a trusted adviser by your organisation, by adding more value to the business and elevating itself by placing important HR topics on the agenda? I am offering a free toolkit that includes links to relevant blogs covering these topics: Talent Management, Succession Planning, The Strategic Role of HR, How to use HR Data to Enhance Business Performance & Culture Change. https://lnkd.in/eKbPiCx8

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One way to prevent much work-related stress (see article below) would be for more ExCos, ExComs, Managing Partners etc to a)resolve more of the issues and tensions amongst themselves rather than have the disagreements, territorial spats & power-grabs ripple down the organisation and b)convene people together to resolve the high level organisational issues and not delegate the risk, uncertainty and lack of psychological safety down the chain by default. There is a 'hands-ON' of leadership that is not about micro-managing, providing the answers or encouraging escalation but that is about actively supporting people to confidently take up responsibility.

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The majority of HR practitioners feel unequipped to meet their organisation’s needs, and struggle to maintain a good work-life balance, research reveals. Do you agree? Well done on this great article Isabel Jackson, 👏 which shines a light on how many HR professionals are feeling right now. It was a pleasure to add my view to this article and comment on the research: Lisa Murphy, CEO of Limelite HR, said the profession has had to “rapidly develop new skills and knowledge” and “step up and help to steer and guide organisations, often at a detriment to our own wellbeing”. “This year we’ve already seen significant changes to the employment law landscape, but this may just be the tip of the iceberg if the political landscape changes following the general election,” she said. “We deal with very difficult situations but, unlike coaches or counsellors, there is no expected form of ‘supervision’ or formal support, and the training we’ve had often doesn’t equip us with the practical or softer skills needed to manage the most challenging of situations we have to face. “You only have to look at how many successful online HR communities there are to see that our profession is actively, sometimes desperately, seeking professional and emotional support from others, and feeling lonely, unappreciated and ill-equipped.” What do you think, should HR have more support for their own wellbeing, or even formal Supervision? Read the full article below ⬇️ #HRThinking #HRResearch #HRWellbeing

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🕵️‍♂️ Attention CEOs, Directors, Founders, and Managers. Do sickness absence issues affect your workplace? Join our Sickness Absence Course on 15th August and transform your staff's attendance: - Learn strategies that drastically reduce absenteeism. - Eliminate sickness absence issues forever with specific management techniques. - Comprehensive knowledge in one course, no more training will be required. We guarantee results in 6 months or your money back! 💰 Discover how to handle employees who: - Call in sick on Mondays. - Take sick days after difficult meetings. - Are on long-term sickness and won't engage. This 3-hour course is just £295, and you'll receive a CPD certificate. Group discounts are available, message me for a code. Book now: https://lnkd.in/eVpDx75h I really hope you join us. Tania 🙂 #HR #SicknessAbsence #EmployeeWellbeing #Leadership

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Sexual harassment legislation is coming into effect on the 26th October 2024, for all employers to adhere to. The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published a very large guide on 'Sexual Harassment and Harassment at Work: Technical Guidance': Some bed time reading 🛏 📗: https://lnkd.in/eWHsiNhB This could be mind blowing 🤯 for some to read. Essentially, all employers need to do is: 1. Have an HR policy in place which says how you will prevent sexual harassment at work 2. Carry out a risk assessment on the organisation 3. Keep records 4. Train all people managers within a month of this legislation coming in 5. Communicate details of the legislation to all employees Don't panic 😲🤯. We've got you covered. You can purchase: An HR policy, risk assessment, and communication email template directly from us, by going to: https://lnkd.in/eE2aXGjB Ensure your managers are fully trained by 26/11/2024. Book a space on our course: https://lnkd.in/gvVVmCQj Happy bedtime reading 🕶📚 #sexualharassment #employmentlaw #hrpolicies #riskassessment #tech #hradvice #hrguidance #hrsupport #hrconsultancy

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Need a hand with tricky people issues? Expert advice? Blazing fast admin support? Or director-level insights? Partnering with an HR Consultant means getting the level of HR support you need, when you need it. Let’s take a closer look at the levels of HR support we can provide 🦸

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In 2022 fewer than half of organisations had provided their employees with any training in the previous year (according to the Department for Education). This could be an opportunity to gain an advantage over many of your competitors 👀 There are many ways in which training can be provided, from an internal programme to bringing in an outside specialist, residential courses and eLearning; and each has their pros and cons. For training to be truly effective, it is important for you to reinforce the training in the right way once it has been completed. Here are five of our top tips for best practice.   ⓵ Gain feedback from your employees Most training providers will automatically ask for feedback for their own purposes, but you should be interested in how the training went too. Not least so you know if it provided you with value for money; but also, to assess if the employee feels any follow-up training is required or you detect any telling gaps in their knowledge.   ⓶ Put the training into practice For the training to take hold, it is essential that your staff have the opportunity to put it into practice as soon as possible. It is the action of doing it in real life that will make it stick. So make sure training is chosen pragmatically with a realistic chance of it being acted upon in the days and weeks afterwards in the natural routine of your employees’ workflow.  ⓷ Link the training to career progression Many employees value training as an important part of their career development and feeling of self-worth. For you, it should make them more productive and valuable to your business. So, for their own motivation, it is important that they see the link to more responsibility, respect and improved remuneration over time too.   ⓸ Ask the employee to present on the training A powerful way to extract further value from employee training is to ask them to present on what they learnt after they have completed it. As well as giving them an extra motivation to pay attention, it will also give them a chance to improve their presentation skills and share new knowledge gained with you or the rest of your team. ⓹ Never stop training Many organisations embrace a value of life-long learning, and for good reason. It is a way to ensure continuous improvement and engagement, and can apply to everyone from top to bottom. So when an employee or team completes one training course, instil a mindset of “What next?” to ensure they keep building – both themselves and the skills and capabilities within your business.   Training, learning and development, call it what you will, is a core part of HR. If you would like to review how you offer training to employees, call us as we can discuss e-learning, bespoke workshops delivered in house through to full programs delivered over 12 months or more!

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BRACING YOURSELVES FOR THE CASEWORK AVALANCHE....? Whilst many HR professionals are getting ready for the influx of legislative changes coming as promised by the Labour government (see our HR event coming up on 14th November in Sussex plug plug), we are left wondering about the impact of one of the big ticket changes... 🔹 Day 1 rights for all workers Obviously the concept of change is simple here, and with some good upskilling and internal comms programs, this shouldn't be a difficult message to gain understanding of across an organisation. But.........are we going to see : 🔹 A very sudden increase in exits and redundancies between now and the implementation date? Has there ever been a worse time to have less than 2 year's continuous service in the UK? 🔹 A HUGE impact on recruitment; Knowing that the "security blanket" of exiting a new hire that isn't hitting the mark (for whatever reason a manager currently decides, within UK employment legislation) has been whipped away, and leaders will need to work harder to make a success of the situation. I can see a big demand for HR case-workers and employee relations specialists in the near future.....are you ready? #hr #humanresources #hrrecruitment #employeerelations #employmentlaw

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🌟 Uniting To Reduce Suicide Statistics: The Workplace Pledge 🌟 As HR professionals and people leaders, our role is to nurture a safe and supportive environment for all our employees. The stark reality of mental health challenges, particularly the devastating impact of suicide, cannot be overlooked. Journalist Mike McCarthy shares a deeply personal and moving story in his latest article on ThePeopleSpace, driven by the tragic loss of his son. His narrative is a heartfelt plea for awareness and change within the workplace. He notes that some may find solace in a virtual reality tool that offers "live forever mode" – digital avatars who can simulate a person's voice, mannerisms and movements after just 30 minutes of the user being observed. The idea is that this avatar is an online memory forever that future generations can interact with. "You might think I would yearn for such digital immortality; the chance once more to speak and laugh with my warm, caring and funny son but no amount of tech wizardry will tempt me down that road," Mike says. Instead he calls for employers to focus on the tangible mission to combat the rising tide of suicides. The introduction of the Workplace Pledge is a significant step towards this change. It's the first in a series of ‘charters’ to help different sectors of society understand how suicide prevention is everyone’s business. I urge you to read Mike’s article and consider how you, too, can contribute to this crucial movement. Support the Workplace Pledge and ensure that no employee feels isolated or without hope. 🔗 Read the full article on The People Space, link in the comments below 👇 📝 Join the Workplace Pledge and make a difference today! #HRLeaders #MentalHealthAwareness #SuicidePrevention #WorkplaceWellbeing #Leadership

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EPISODE 2 NOW LIVE!! HR Operations Network - interested in a monthly free podcast that this month tackles the changes to sexual harassment legislation? Look no further.... In episode 2 of The HR Toolkit, Richard Bignell talks to Theo Saunders about the upcoming changes. What are the changes? What do companies need to do to prepare? The impact of the upcoming changes. Protected characteristics. What is classed as sexual harassment? What are the consequences of getting this wrong? We hope you enjoy listening - the link is on the comments! #hr #hrrecruitment #hrpodcast #humanresources #alexanderlloyd #ourhrpeople

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🌟 Exciting News 🌟 Whether you've already signed up for our online CPD workshop or you're still thinking about it, we've got something special for you: 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧-𝐭𝐨-𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Discover how to create effective return-to-work plans and explore the critical role of mental health in addressing incapacitation. This is your chance to gain valuable insights, learn practical strategies, and ask your burning questions before the full workshop. Let’s make the return-to-work journey impactful together! Register Now: https://lnkd.in/d2eMUsC2 Let’s build better paths to recovery, one step at a time. #lifecoach #wellbeing #wellness #leadershipdevelopment #CPD #HPCSA

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Pushing your team to innovate is exciting—until the risks start piling up. If you want to balance bold ideas with careful risk management under my guidance, take a look at what I suggest. Month 1-2: Assess Your Current State First, we’ll take a look at your current projects and initiatives. Are you overextending your team? Are the financial risks too high? Together, we’ll evaluate where innovation is thriving and where it’s putting your company at risk. My goal is to help you develop a safe space for innovation, without endangering your business long term. Month 3-4: Implementing Risk Management Frameworks Next, we’ll design a framework for balancing said innovation with financial stability. This includes risk assessments for each major initiative and setting clear thresholds for what level of risk is acceptable. I’ll show you how to give your team room to innovate without threatening the bottom line. Month 5-6: Optimizing Innovation Processes We’ll have fine-tuned your processes. You’ll be able to move forward with new projects confidently, knowing you’ve got the right checks and balances in place to handle the risks. 📞 If you’re feeling like you’re pushing the team too hard but require it for innovation, let’s create a six-month plan that balances bold ideas with sustainable growth. ------ ✨ Helping UK Tech CEOs improve their team performance, retain top talent, and stay compliant while scaling. 📅 Book a call with me: 🔗 DM me for tailored solutions and strategies! #TechLeadership #ScalingTech #HRStrategy #TalentRetention #TechCEOs #FractionalCPO #LeadershipDevelopment #ComplianceMatters #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleManagement #UKEmploymentLaw

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