FAQs

HR outsourcing can help SME’s get on with the daily hustles and bustles of their business without having to worry about HR and compliance, knowing that they are covered by experts in the field.

By outsourcing your HR, you don’t just save time, but costs too, as it is much more cost efficient to outsource your HR duties in comparison to bringing an HR professional into the business and investing time and resources in recruitment, induction etc.

The in-house HR Department is usually an individual HR Advisor/Manager or a team lead by a HR Manager, and they would be responsible for all aspects related to people management for the business.

Outsourced HR refers to HR services being provided to a business by an external HR provider.

An HR audit is an examination of your business’s HR policies, practices, procedures and systems.

An HR audit looks into various tasks of the HR departments within a business, such as:

• Recruitment process
• Employee onboarding
• Employee benefits such EAP’s, wellbeing days etc
• Performance appraisal
• Reviewing contract of employment, handbook and other key policies and procedures
• Leaver process such as conducting exit interview to communication etc.

The purpose of an HR audit is reviewing the compliance of a business in-line with the government and industry rules and regulations, and providing recommendations to safeguard both the business and its employees.

We don’t believe in a one option fits all approach.

We have a variety of Starter Packages, Consultancy services and Retainer options which are designed to meet the needs of a variety of businesses.

If you are unsure which option is the right one for you, get in touch with a member of our team via info@reshapehr.com or 0141 471 5510 and we will be happy to assist and guide you.

Outsourcing your HR can help small businesses not just meet their legal compliance needs, but also ensures that they have a service on hand which they can reach out to, whether they require HR advice or to simply run something past us.

It is much more cost efficient to outsource your HR duties in comparison to bringing an HR professional into the business and investing time and resources in recruitment, induction etc.

In turn, as a small business owner, it allows small you to focus on your business and its people.

Outsourcing your HR functions enables small business owners to focus solely on their business and get support and guidance without incurring the heavy overhead costs.

Examples of typical HR functions that can be outsourced to Reshape HR include:

• HR
  • HR Remote Management – we look after the whole of the employee lifecycle from issuing paperwork to doing the right to work checks
  • Starter Packages – includes either generic or bespoke documentation such as offer letters, contract of employment law, probationary review letters and an employee handbook
  • HR Consultancy service – If you are looking for an HR Consultant to support a project or to have a meeting with an employee as part of a formal process, our HR Consultancy service is at hand to guide and support you.
  • Recruitment – we can assist you with your job ads, screening to interviewing candidates on your behalf.

• Payroll

• • Weekly/Fortnightly/Monthly service – all of your worries and uncertainty can finally be put to rest by complying with regulations (such as GDPR), sending FPS/RTI to HMRC on time and being prepared for any future changes in legislation.
  • Annual leave entitlement calculation and sickness tracking – let us do the admin work for you so you can focus on your business.
  • Pensions – we can look after the admin side of pensions for you such as working out employee eligibility, issuing relevant documentation to administering employer contributions

Costs, vary, depending on many different factors such as the nature and circumstances of the claim, number of witnesses and the level of damages sought.

Costs associated with employment tribunals generally fall into three main categories: legal fees, damages and time.

Typically, the overall cost will be equivalent to the complexity, value and size of the case.

The Good Work Plan (GWP) came into effect as of 6 April 2020. It was dubbed to be one of the greatest shake ups of employment law. It covered the below:

• Right to have a written statement of employment (the legal term for a contract of employment) from the 1st day of their employment and it must contain the following:
  • The days of the week which an employee is expected to work
  • Whether the working days are variable or fixed
  • Benefits provided by the Company to the employee
  • Probationary period details which include details such as duration and process for reviewing and successfully passing
  • Any mandatory training which includes those not funded by the Company and any additional training entitlement which exist
  • Notice period details
• Holiday pay will now be calculated over a 52-week period as opposed to 12 weeks previously, this is known as “the pay reference period”.
• Increased protection for agency workers:
  • Right to comparable pay after 12 weeks
  • Agency workers being entitled to information about their contract, pay rates and arrangements.

There are manty other aspects of the GWP that is still under debate and consideration and this includes such as the right to request a stable contract, increasing the “break of service” period, right to request flexible working from day one.

Communication is very important at all stages within a business, whether it is during on-boarding, weekly check-ins, important updates or when an employee is leaving.

From a perspective of when you have chosen the right candidate to join your business, some things to consider are:

• Have I got a new start process in place?
• Have I sent an offer letter out which confirms key details such as start date, job title, pay, location of work etc.
• Have I carried out the due diligence right to work checks for the new employee and have received other key details back such as their full name, address details, date of birth, emergency contact, any reasonable adjustments, proof of ID and address?
• Finally, have I issued them with a contract of employment ahead of them starting so they are aware of important key details.

A contract of employment should contain the following:

1. Company / Employer’s name and address
2. The employee’s name
3. The start date of employment
4. Whether the job is fixed-term or permanent
5. Date of “continuous employment”, where applicable
6. Probationary period – this should meet the changes as highlighted in the Good Work Plan section as above
7. Job title
8. Place of work – where the employee will be working from, this can be multiple locations, but should include whether the employee will be required to work outside of the UK.
9. Any collective agreements
10. Details of pay and how often and when they will be paid
11. Working days and hours – this should meet the changes as highlighted in the Good Work Plan section as above
12. Pension arrangements which detail employer contributions
13. Holiday entitlement and holiday pay which should touch upon how it is calculated should an employee leave or join part-way through the holiday year.
14. Sick pay and if you offer additional SSP above and beyond the minimum statutory entitlement
15. Any other paid leave, such as bereavement, parental, maternity, paternity etc.
16. Other benefits, including non-contractual benefits such as company car schemes, childcare vouchers, enterprise scheme etc.
17. Notice period which either party must give to end their working relationship

Absolutely, have a look at our Starter Packages which contain either a generic or tailored handbook to your business (which we always recommend) https://reshapehr.com/service/hr-starter-packages/.

If you are simply looking for a handbook only, get in touch with us today via info@reshapehr.com or 0141 471 5510.

We recommend using an Breathe HR’s online tool https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/holiday-calculator to calculate an employee’s holiday entitlement.

Remember to take into account their average working hours over a preceding 52-week period as highlighted in the Good Work Plan section above.

There may be circumstances where a business is not able to accommodate a holiday request. All requests should be handled openly, fairly and consistently. Some appropriate cases where a holiday request can be refused are:

• Peak time for the business
• Employee does not have enough holiday balance
• Sudden increase in business
• Employee has not followed the correct Company holiday request procedure

Employees are entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP) if they are too ill to work up to £99.35 per week. The amount they get depends on how many days that they are off, including non-working days and it can be paid for a maximum of 28 weeks.

To be eligible:

• The individual must be classed as an employee
• Have been ill for at least 4 days in a row (they are not entitled to any SSP for the first 4 days)
• Earn on average at least £123 per week.

Employees will be entitled to statutory maternity pay if:

• They been working continuously for 26 weeks for the same employer before their ‘qualifying week’
• they earn at least £123 a week on average for 8 weeks before your qualifying week – the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth

Employees will be entitled to statutory paternity pay if:

• They been working continuously for 26 weeks for the same employer before their ‘qualifying week’
• they earn at least £123 a week on average for 8 weeks before your qualifying week – the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth

The Equality Act 2010 defines whether a person has a ‘disability’ if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ (at least 12 months) negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

It is possible that an employee suffering long Covid symptoms could meet the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, but this depends on the circumstances of each individual case, and the impact that the condition has on the individual.

For example, an employee experiencing breathlessness and cognitive impairment post Covid-19 may struggle to complete day to day tasks such a walking or talking as easily as they could before, where the definition is met, the employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for the employee. Such as, adjusting the employees’ hours or supporting them to work from home.

Absolutely, our HR Remote Management service HR can look after all the admin side of the things for you. So, you do not have to worry about issuing or chasing documentation.

We’re always available at the end of a phone or video call. When you come on board with us, we carry out an HR Health Check, this helps us fully understand your business and create a plan of action with you.

We have clients located hours away that we have never met face to face, yet remain in regular contact with.

We can, of course, visit you on-site for a cuppa and a catch up if you want us to.

Absolutely! You can book a free consultation with one of our HR professionals through our appointment portal or alternatively, get in touch with a member of our team via info@reshapehr.com or 0141 471 5510 and we will be happy to assist and guide you.

Our opening hours:

Mon – Fri: 6am – 10pm

Saturday: 6am – 5pm

Sunday: 9am – 5pm

We work with clients based across the UK.

So, no matter where you are situated, we are able to assist you, whether this is in the locations below or beyond:

• Glasgow
• Edinburgh
• Ayrshire
• Lanarkshire
• Fife
• Wales…