the legal-island yearbook 2014 hr

Transcription

THE
LEGAL-ISLAND
HR
YEARBOOK
2014
Northern Ireland
This book/manual/e-copy is designed to provide information on employment law. It is distributed
free of charge and with the understanding that for the purposes of this publication neither the
contributors nor the publisher has been engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional
services all time, content and services have been given freely and without professional terms. If legal
or other professional services are warranted, the services of an appropriate professional should be
sought. The contents of this book/manual/e-copy are produced as guidance only. Also, this
book/manual/e-copy cannot be an exhaustive and complete presentation of employment law and
best practice. While every effort has been made to make the information presented herein as
complete and accurate as possible, it may contain errors, omissions or information that was accurate
as of its publication but subsequently has become outdated by marketplace or industry changes or
conditions, new laws or regulations, or other circumstances. Neither contributors nor publisher, their
employees or agents accepts any liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to
any loss or damage alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information, ideas,
opinions or other content in this book/manual/e-copy. If you do not agree to these terms, you should
immediately return this book/manual/e-copy to Legal-Island.
Copyright: Legal-Island Ltd 2013 ©
Contents
Legal-Island
Foreword
Page 3
Advance Coaching
Managing Sickness Absence
– The dos and don’ts
Page 5
Managing the Social Media
Revolution in Your Work Place
Tughans Solicitors
Good Mental Health is Good for
Business – HR’s ‘how to’ guide
Carecall
Page 11
Light Bulb Interview Coaching!
Mills Selig
Page 51
IoD Northern Ireland
HR and Good Governance
Page 54
Leadership Skills
– Just for the bosses?
Page 58
Hyperion Growth
Managing Disability Absence
Employers for Disability NI
Page 16
Is FUN a Bad Word?
Page 19
Rapid Change Consultancy
Energy and Courage
– The essence of engagement
Business in the Community
Giving Means a Lot
– Staff morale in tight times
BHSF Limited
Page 22
Page 47
You Are / I Am / We Are
– Every good business is built
on great people
Investors in People
Page 61
Inspiring the Next Generation
Young Enterprise Northern Ireland
Page 66
Worthingtons Commercial Solicitors
Common Questions
from Employers
Page 70
Cleaver Fulton Rankin
TUPE
– Differences north and south
Page 72
thinkpeople Consulting Ltd
The Landscape for HR
in 2014 and Beyond
Page 75
Useful Contacts
for HR Professionals
Page 79
Page 26
Balancing the Needs
of Working Parents
Employers for Childcare Charitable Group Page 31
HR and Payroll – Time for
a unified systems approach
NorthgateArinso
Page 34
Hiring the Right Person – The
Occupational Psychologist’s role
Interventus Business Psychologists
Page 41
HR Contacts
Employment Lawyers
The Legal-Island HR Yearbook 2014 NI Edition
Page 80
Page 91
1
Employment Law Update Service
Helping you understand how the latest changes to employment law impact your business.
Understanding all the latest changes in employment law can be a time consuming task –
but it’s essential that HR professionals and employment lawyers are up to date with the
latest case law developments.
It’s hard in Northern Ireland though, because much of what is written applies only in GB.
It’s often difficult to know whether changes and case law are relevant to this jurisdiction.
Our Employment Law Update Service cuts out the noise to give you clear, accurate,
concise information every time.
As a HR Professional, it is important that I keep up to date with the changes and
challenges within the world of HR and employment legislation. Legal-Island’s Weekly
Review of Developments is an excellent source of useful and relevant information. It’s
one simple email with the important updates and case law in an easy to read format
with clear differentiation between GB and NI. This enables me to confidently
benchmark and provide HR advice.
Claire Copeland HR Officer, Northern Regional College
The Benefits
• Twice weekly email updates and unique access to our ‘Employment Law Vault’.
• 24/7 access to an easy to read, quick guide to employment law from NI/GB and Europe.
• Analysis of important case law developments and what it means for your business.
• Free policies, procedures and template documents.
• Advice on topical HR issues.
Request Your No
Obligation Free Trial Now
Tel
028 9446 3888
Email
[email protected]
Barry Phillips
Managing Director
Legal-Island
Foreword
Welcome to the Legal-Island HR Yearbook
2014 – a valuable collection of articles, ‘How
to’ guides and contacts, especially for you,
your department and your organisation.
At Legal-Island, we believe in making the lives
of HR professionals easier. We help employers
understand and apply Northern Ireland
employment laws.
Inside this Yearbook you will find some of the
best coaches, trainers and professionals in the
business, saving you time, effort and finances
in finding a source of ‘useful people’ to help,
assist and guide you.
We appreciate with the never ending pressures
placed on the HR function the working year
can seem like an endless flow of fire-fighting or
keeping one step ahead in the race. Pulling
together eminent leaders in their field, we have
commissioned this publication to assist you
through the peaks and troughs of 2014.
Together we can make 2014 a year of focus
and achievement.
This Yearbook has been designed as a quiet
haven for you to assess the working practices
your organisation currently has in place and
assist you in planning the new policies and
incentives to introduce in the coming months.
Use the handy year planner in the rear gatefold
to set time aside to focus on the developments
you would like to investigate.
Available in both printed and digital format,
everyone in your entire department can have
their own complimentary copy.
Please visit www.legal-island.com to access
your digital version of the Yearbook.
Yours in partnership,
Barry Phillips
CEO and Founder Legal-Island
Remember, scheduling in such tasks not only
benefits your organisation, it also adds strings
to your own professional bow. Combine this
with the details of many of our contacts and
speakers and you will assist your workforce to
become more engaged, less stressed and
generally more productive.
3
working together
Creating the right working environment matters.
To ensure that you have the correct employment
practices and procedures in place, or if you require
assistance with any employment-related issues,
call a member of the employment team today
on 028 9055 3300.
www.tughans.com
Ciara Fulton
Partner
Tughans Solicitors
Managing Sickness Absence
– The dos and don’ts
Introduction
Procedures
Every year 140 million working days are lost to
sickness absence, the cost to employers in
sick pay and associated costs is £9 billion a
year and the State spends £13 billion annually
on health related benefits according to the
Independent Review of the Sickness Absence
System in Great Britain by Dame Carol Black in
2011.1 Therefore, it is not surprising that
employers are keen to understand how to
manage sickness absence effectively.
Whilst some level of sickness absence is
inevitable in any organisation, having
appropriate policies and procedures in place
for dealing with sickness absence can achieve
positive results. These polices should state the
standards of attendance expected of the
employee and provide employees with
information on any terms and conditions
relating to incapacity for work due to sickness
or injury, including any provision for sick pay as
required by Article 33 (4) (d) of the
Employment Rights (Northern Ireland ) Order
1996).
Effective absence management involves
finding a balance between supporting
employees with health problems to stay in, or
return to work. Ensuring that the employer’s
business objectives are not compromised by
repeated short term or long term absence.
This can be achieved through a combination of
clear and comprehensive absence
management procedures and good
communication and early intervention by line
managers.
In this article, Ciara Fulton, Partner, Tughans’
employment team discusses the Dos and
Don’ts of managing sickness absence for
employers.
1
Every year 140 million
working days are lost to
sickness absence, the cost to
employers in sick pay and
associated costs is £9 billion
a year and the State spends
£13 billion annually on health
related benefits…
BLACK, C. and FROST, D. (2011) Health at work: an independent review of sickness absence. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181060/health-at-work.pdf.
5
Absence Management Procedures should
set out the respective rights and obligations
of both the employer and employee and
include details of:
• Notification of absence procedure
requirements – when and whom
employees should notify if unable to
attend work;
• Evidence of Incapacity – when a selfcertificate is required and when a fit
note is required;
• The employer’s right to require an
employee to attend for medical
examination by a company doctor and
to request a report from the employee’s
doctor with the employee's consent;
• Any contractual sick pay terms and
statutory sick pay;
• Absence management meetings;
• Return to work interviews;
• The circumstances in which
adjustments may be made to assist the
employee to return to work;
• The Procedure considering dismissal
on grounds of capability or a reference
to the employer’s dismissals
procedure; and
• Allow for appeals against termination.
Fit notes were introduced on
the 6th April 2010 and allow
GP’s to suggest ways of
helping an employee get
back to work rather than that
he is simply fit or unfit for
work.
6
The Labour Relations Agency’s Managing
Sickness Absence Guide contains useful
information on absence management
procedures as well as a draft procedure. This
is available at
http://www.lra.org.uk/managing_sickness_abs
ence_february_2013_-_3.pdf.
Clearly it is not sufficient to simply have
procedures in place. Early intervention and
good communication are key to managing
attendance.
Investigate the cause / reason for absence
Employers should investigate the nature, extent
and likely duration of illnesses. In order to do
this, the employer should ask employee for
evidence of incapacity for work such as a selfcertification form for absences of a week or
less or a Statement of Fitness for Work (“fit
note”) for absences of more than seven days.
Fit notes were introduced on the 6th April 2010
and allow GP’s to suggest ways of helping an
employee get back to work rather than that he
is simply fit or unfit for work. More detailed
guidance on Fit Notes can be found on
www.dwp.gov.uk/fitnote.
If absences are short-term and intermittent, the
investigation should consider whether there is
any underlying cause (medical or otherwise).
Encouraging employees to discuss problems
at an early stage so as to identify where
reasonable adjustments can be made can
prevent further absences.
If an employee is absent or likely to be absent
for a long period, the employer should seek
further information about their absence and
obtain a medical report if appropriate.
Maintain contact with employees
Train line managers
Maintaining contact with an employee who is
on sick leave is key to improving sickness
absence levels.2
Line managers have an important role to play
in the management of absence.
The type of contact may vary according to the
nature and size of the organisation and also
the nature of illness but may include emails,
telephone calls and meetings.
It is important for the employer to balance their
support and concern for the employee and
their desire to secure a return to work with
distance in order to allow the employee time to
recuperate. Overbearing or intrusive contact
may be counter-productive and may result in
allegations of harassment. However, contact
which is too infrequent may leave the
employee feeling out of touch and
undervalued.
Conduct return to work interviews
Return-to-work interviews are one of the most
effective tools for managing short term
sickness absence. They should always take
place regardless of the length of period of
absence.
They provide line managers with an
opportunity to start a dialogue with staff about
underlying issues which might be causing the
absence so these can be addressed before
they escalate.
Return-to-work interviews also provide an
opportunity to discuss with the employee
whether they require any support or assistance
to reduce their levels of absenteeism or,
indeed, in returning to work after an illness.
The LRA’s guide to Managing Sickness
Absence (see above) contains useful
guidelines on the purpose of the return to work
discussion and how to prepare for it.
2
They should be trained in the organisation’s
absence policies and procedures and their role
in same; how to act upon any advice given by
the employee’s doctor; maintaining records;
the role of occupational health services;
proactive measures to support employee
health and wellbeing; the management of
complex cases, including the disciplinary
aspects of absence and associated legal
issues such as potential disability
discrimination issues, the operation (where
applicable) of trigger points and return-to-work
interview skills.
Retain records of contact made
It is important that an employer keeps
confidential records of medical certificates and
correspondence to and from the employee
relating to their absence.
An employer should ensure that accurate and
legible records of conversations, voice mails
and meetings are retained. If the employee is
ultimately dismissed on grounds of capability,
the employer will need to show that they acted
reasonably in deciding to dismiss on this
ground.
However, employers must be careful not to
breach the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA)
when they collect, use and store information
about their employees’ absence. Details of an
employee’s health, either physical or mental,
are categorised as ‘sensitive personal data’
under the DPA. Further information on data
protection considerations can be found at
www.ico.org.uk.
Sickness Absence – Managing return to work and recording absence www.hseni.gov.uk/guidance/topics/sicknessabsence.
7
Obtain medical advice
Disability discrimination
If an employee is absent or likely to be absent
for a long period, the employer should seek
further information about their absence and
obtain a medical report, if appropriate.
If an employee’s absence is as a result of an
illness or injury which amounts to a disability
for the purpose of the Disability Discrimination
Act 1995 (as amended), employers must make
‘reasonable adjustments’ where a provision,
criterion or practice applied by or on behalf of
an employer or any physical feature of a
premises occupied by the employer places the
disabled person at a substantial disadvantage
in comparison with persons who are not
disabled.
An employer should always consult with a
medical practitioner and take reasonable steps
to ascertain whether / the extent to which the
illness affects the person’s ability to carry out
their role before they make any decision about
the employee’s capability.
Obtain consent to release of medical
records
Employees must be notified in writing or a
proposal to obtain a medical report and must
provide their consent as this process gives rise
to data protection issues involving the
processing of sensitive personal data. The
employee will need to give their consent under
the Access to Personal Files and Medical
Reports (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 if a
medical report is requested from their own
doctor. Further information and a sample
consent form can be found at
www.lra.org.uk/microsoft_word_-_consent__long_term_ill_health-2.pdf.
Plan and co-ordinate a return-to-work plan
In cases of long term absence, it may be
important to compile a return to work plan with
the employee. This plan will need to be
individually tailored to suit the employee’s
particular circumstances. Awareness of
potential disability discrimination claims is also
crucial.
The employer’s duty is to take such steps as it
is reasonable in all the circumstances to take
to prevent this. The types of adjustments that
employers might be required to consider
include:
• Making physical adjustments to the
premises;
• Allocating some of the disabled person’s
duties to another employee;
• Transferring the disabled person to another
vacant post;
• Altering the disabled person’s working
hours (which may include part-time working,
flexible hours or a phased return to work);
• Assigning the disabled employee to a
different place of work or training;
• Giving or arranging training or mentoring;
and
• Acquiring or modifying special equipment.
Whether or not there is a duty in a particular
case will most often depend on whether the
adjustment was one that was reasonable for
the employer to provide.
… a combination of clear and comprehensive absence management
procedures, good communication and early intervention by line
managers can significantly improve an employer’s ability to
effectively manage sickness absence.
8
Contemplating dismissal
Once medical evidence has been obtained
and analysed, it may become necessary to
consider dismissal if the person is no longer
capable to carry out their duties. Employers
should issue warnings or cautions in
accordance with their disciplinary or capability
procedure prior to dismissal.
The following is a list of key considerations for
an employer to consider when considering
dismissal on grounds of capability:
• The nature of the employee's illness and the
job
• The prospects for that employee returning
to work / duration of the illness
Any subsequent decision to dismiss must be
confirmed to the employee in writing. The letter
should confirm the reason for dismissal, the
effective date of dismissal and offer the
employee the right of appeal from the
dismissal decision.
If the employee appeals, an appeal meeting
should be arranged and the outcome
confirmed in writing to the employee.
Provided the employer has come to a
reasonable decision following consideration of
the above factors, they will have acted fairly.
Further information on disciplinary procedures
can be found in the LRA Code of Practice on
Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.3
• The employee's length of service.
• The treatment of other employees in the
same or similar circumstances.
• The need for the employer's business to
cover the work of that employee.
• Has alternative employment been
considered;
• Whether the illness/injury resulted from the
conduct of the employer.
In this jurisdiction, an employer is required to
follow the Statutory Dispute Resolution
Procedures prior to taking any decision to
dismiss. Otherwise, the dismissal will be
deemed to be automatically unfair.
Accordingly, once dismissal is contemplated,
the employer must write to employee to invite
them to a meeting. The employee must be
given sufficient information about the
circumstances that will be taken into account
and the possible outcomes, to enable the
employee to respond meaningfully.
Conclusion
The forgoing is a summary of the main dos
and don’ts for employers in managing
sickness absence. Putting in place policies
and procedures for managing sickness
absence need not be difficult. A wealth of
information is freely available from the sources
mentioned above. However, a combination of
clear and comprehensive absence
management procedures, good
communication and early intervention by line
managers can significantly improve an
employer’s ability to effectively manage
sickness absence.
For further information contact:
Tughans Solicitors
Tel:
028 9055 3300
Email: [email protected]
www.tughans.com
The employer must hold a meeting with
employee and give them the opportunity to
present their case against dismissal. The main
question is whether it was reasonable to
expect the employer to keep the employee's
job open for any longer.
3
http://www.lra.org.uk/index/agency_publications-2/advice_and_guidance_on_employment_matters3/codes_of_practice-2/disciplinary_and_grievance_procedures_-_3rd-april_2011.htm.
9
www.carecallsolutions.com
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Katherine McDonald
Director
Carecall
Good Mental Health is Good
for Business – HR’s ‘how to’ guide
Because you are reading this article today, the
chances are that you are already a HR
professional who is interested in innovation
and who wants to develop and look after your
people. In which case, you’ll probably also be
the kind of manager who understands that
managing stress and wellbeing is important to
ensure that staff are able to work well and
safely. But how business critical is it? Well, as
40 percent of absent days are due to mental
wellbeing issues such as stress, anxiety or
depression costing UK employers £26 billion
per year and the NI economy £125 million
annually, many companies realise that
overlooking mental wellbeing is something they
can no longer afford.
A 2011 FSB survey reported that 41% of
people felt stressed or very stressed at work.
And across Europe the following year, 77% of
workers felt that stress in their workplace was
increasing. We are working harder during the
recession which itself brings uncertainty; there
is less job mobility; we’re working until we’re
older, maybe with additional caring
responsibilities; and our many service-based
jobs can mean complicated interactions with
customers, callers and complaints on a daily
basis.
Managing this is essential for your business.
A significant PwC study in 2008 showed the
business benefits of developing good mental
wellbeing at work, leading to reduced sickness
absence, reduced employee turnover, higher
productivity, better performance and fewer
workplace accidents. Not to mention, good PR
with an improved company profile.
HR can strengthen their businesses by being
proactive – training your staff to manage stress
in themselves, and your managers to
recognise it in others, is important in managing
absence; helping people work with emotional
intelligence, recognising the impact of how
they behave on the people around them can
mean better relationships at work and
potentially fewer disputes; and counselling can
be a cost-effective way to support staff who are
facing difficult times in their lives.
A 2011 FSB survey reported
that 41% of people felt
stressed or very stressed at
work. And across Europe the
following year, 77% of
workers felt that stress in
their workplace was
increasing.
11
Carecall can help you cope with
Stress, anxiety or depression ~ Alcohol or drug problems
Bullying or harassment ~ Bereavement ~ Changes at work or in life
Financial or legal worries ~ Domestic violence
Relationship problems… and many other issues
And there will be a pay-off. When workers were
asked how they’d feel if their employers took
action to support the mental wellbeing of staff,
the vast majority said they said they’d feel
more loyal, more productive, more likely to
recommend the organisation as a good place
to work and less likely to move – even for a
10% pay rise. (Mind, 2012)
Early intervention is key and line managers and
colleagues are crucial to promoting a culture
that is positive towards mental health.
“Mental health remains an area that
many people do not understand or
may fear, and as a result, it is not
talked about. The effects can include
loss of potential labour supply,
unemployment, absenteeism and
reduced productivity. One in five
people of working age experience a
mental health problem, such as
anxiety or depression. But supporting
employees at this time in their lives
can benefit them and your business in
so many ways.”
Katherine McDonald Director, Carecall
Encouraging open communication is central.
Very often employees are reluctant to seek
help initially. Often, colleagues may be more
likely to notice a change in manner from
individuals experiencing mental health
problems. It is crucial that organisations
encourage a positive work culture where
everyone is treated with respect and dignity
and issues such as bullying and harassment
are not tolerated.
12
What can Human Resources do to support
mental health and wellbeing in their
organisation?
1 Carry out risk assessment for stress at
work, acting on the results and reviewing
regularly.
2 Developing policies, procedures and
services around stress and mental
wellbeing.
3 Providing stress management training for
managers and employees.
4 Providing independent counseling and
support services for employees.
In the past decade, the role of a HR
practitioner changed from the work of
administrating employee needs and setting
policies and procedures, usually identified as
‘reactive’ or ‘traditional’ HR, to a more strategic
role of supporting CEOs to build capabilities
that increase the confidence of stakeholders.
Use Line Managers’ Potential
This is why building the capabilities of line
managers is so important as a means to free
up the HR department’s time to work on
business and strategic initiatives. Line
managers are key to promoting a culture that is
positive towards mental health and supporting
individuals with mental health problems in the
workplace.
Key issues around how line managers can
support individual employees, include:
• what it is ok to talk about;
• how best to support employees during any
leave period; and
www.carecallwellbeing.com
Good Mental Health is Good for Business
HR’s ‘How To’ Guide
• how to help employees re-integrate back
into the workplace following any such leave.
Take a look at Carecall’s programmes which
help individuals to nurture their own mental
health and line managers to create positive
attitudes in their teams.
Emotional Resilience
Emotional resilience refers to one’s ability to
adapt to stressful situations or crises. More
resilient people are able to adapt to adversity
without lasting difficulties. Less resilient people
have a harder time with stress and life
changes, both major and minor.
If HR is to have a serious chance of promoting
better leadership and greater employee
engagement, they have to catch people before
they get promoted to positions where lack of
awareness or capability in these areas poses a
major hazard to others.
It’s been found that those who deal with minor
stresses more easily can also manage major
crises with greater ease, so resilience has its
benefits for daily life as well as for the rare
major catastrophe.
Recommended programmes
include:
Dealing Effectively with Conflict
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is about having an
awareness and understanding of your own
emotions as well as the emotions of others:
• recognising how these emotions impact on
your own behaviour and the behaviour of
others;
• managing or regulating your emotions; and
• managing relationships i.e., managing
emotions in interpersonal relationships.
… 40 percent of absent days
are due to mental wellbeing
issues such as stress, anxiety
or depression…
This training focuses on the roots of conflict to
help us see within ourselves the elements
which we contribute to conflict situations.
Attention will be given to the areas of attitude
and personality.
Part of the training will examine the nature of
interpersonal conflict. Perspectives will be
provided on the dynamics of power in
commonly experienced conflicted
relationships. An essential aspect of this
course is to explore and find ways to
meaningfully resolve conflict. New ways to
respond and new attitudes to learn will be
presented.
Coping with conflict is manageable;
conquering the destructive situations conflict
creates is the challenge.
13
84 University Street
Belfast, BT7 1HE
Tel: 028 9024 5821
[email protected]
Help Managers Manage Stress
If you help staff with line management
responsibility develop an understanding of the
causes of stress and how it can be managed
effectively, they will learn how to:
on Managing Sickness Absence in the Public
Sector, collecting together information and
best practice lessons from across the public
and private sectors.
• Examine the legal framework and relevant
legal cases.
Several fundamental systems are required and
need to be implemented to successfully
address absence management: top level
commitment, focus and accountability is
critical; management information systems
need to provide for real time recording and
audit – giving managers more timely data to
monitor absence, take action and initiate
support and managers require support and
training in both the systems and procedures
and the skills they need to deal with case
management, referral and return to work
discussions – and this support and training
should be linked to an absence and
performance management system.
• Understand the HSE Management
Standards on work stress and risk assess
accordingly.
Dealing with Difficult People, Behaviours
and Situations
• Become knowledgeable about the nature of
stress, its management and prevention and
be able to apply this knowledge in the
workplace to recognise stress in self and
team members.
• Be able to define work stress and how it
differs from work pressure.
• Recognise organisational symptoms of
stress.
• Identify what managers can do to prevent
and manage stress in teams.
Managing Absence – The Essential Skills
There is no ‘quick win solution’ to managing
absence, and one size does not fit all – but
neither is it impossible to reduce absence nor
technically difficult to find the solutions. Most
often what is required is a system of initiatives,
focused primarily on leadership and
management handling of absence, linked to a
comprehensive absence and performance
management system.
There are significant risks associated with just
focusing on absence without the wider
contexts of performance and employee
engagement. Carecall’s Managing Absence
training programme draws influence from
November 2004 Ministerial Task Force report
14
Many of us find it uncomfortable to
communicate with certain people – especially if
they are behaving aggressively towards us.
This participative workshop equips people with
skills and strategies to help deal with difficult
people in awkward situations. A series of
practical exercises will help you recognise your
own style of behaviour. With feedback you will
be encouraged to develop and modify your
style as appropriate so that you may gain more
satisfactory outcomes.
Carecall’s workshop is designed to offer
guidance, support and offer some practical
tips and techniques to deal better with difficult
people and awkward situations. It will consider
and discuss how you can respond in ways that
will allow you to maintain control of such
www.carecallwellbeing.com
Good Mental Health is Good for Business
HR’s ‘How To’ Guide
situations. As with all training, it is up to each
one of us to apply what we have learned and
to commit ourselves to behaving in appropriate
ways in the ‘real world’. With that in mind, at
the end of the day we will draw up a series of
key action points – behaviours / actions that
we commit ourselves to try for ourselves. There
will be opportunity for you to share your own
ideas and for you to practice some tips and
techniques that might be useful for you.
Feedback and support will be given to help
you gain more from an awkward situation.
Carecall is part of the leading mental health
and wellbeing charity, Niamh (Northern Ireland
Association for Mental Health) which recently
received the highest standard possible in their
Investors in People evaluation. Niamh is the
first organisation in Northern Ireland to be
awarded Investors in People at the highest
possible level – Gold – on their first
assessment. Niamh’s vision is mental health
and wellbeing for all and this accreditation
confirms that they invest in the wellbeing and
performance of their staff and in the standard
of work carried out across the charity.
Managing Difficult Conversations
Carecall is therefore an excellent choice for
your training needs. Carecall has provided
successful training to many companies across
the public, private, and voluntary sectors.
Carecall is also the leading provider of
confidential Employee Assistance Programmes
in Northern Ireland; covering over 265,000 lives
across all of Ireland and the UK. We regularly
deliver wellbeing training and support services
to clients across all sectors. Our experience
gives Carecall a unique position within
wellbeing support service delivery and has
enabled Carecall to develop a clear
understanding of the issues and challenges
faced by the HR sector in Northern Ireland at
this time.
This training provides staff with information on
how their own verbal and non-verbal
communication styles can have the power to
calm a situation. The training will develop key
skills and confidence that can be used to
manage difficult conversations.
Leadership Effectiveness and
Development
This course aims to provide course
participants with the capability and capacity to
self-develop in their role so they can initiate
and lead changes in their service and staff in
order to maximise their effectiveness in their
organisation.
The programme will cover the following areas:
• The principles of leadership.
• How people lead and influence others.
Carecall
Tel:
028 9024 5821
• Types of power leaders possess.
• Techniques for developing power.
• Attributes of effective leaders.
• Who does the leader serve.
15
Gabrielle Fitzpatrick
Manager
Managing Disability Absence
Employers for Disability NI is an organisation
focused on disability good practice. It supports
member employers in implementing policies
and practices which attract and retain disabled
employees and customers. There are many
benefits associated with employing people with
disabilities, who bring a diversity of talents to
employment; the key is to match the person to
the job based on ability, not disability.
Disability-related Absence
There is a misperception that people with
disabilities take more sick leave than nondisabled people; the opposite is in fact the
case. Evidence shows that disabled people
take less sick leave, stay with the same
employer for longer and have fewer workplace
accidents on average than non-disabled
people. Should employees with disabilities
experience disability-related absence,
appropriate policies and practices will ensure
that valuable employees are retained and the
requirements of disability legislation are met.
Getting the Culture Right
Creating an open, supportive environment is
vital in order to encourage employees to seek
support early rather than hide problems, which
can cause stress, lower productivity and
additional problems in the long run. This can
be done in many ways, for example by raising
awareness of disability good practice,
reasonable adjustments and examples of how
the organisation has supported employees
with disabilities (subject to their consent).
Employers for Disability NI also advises
employers to devise an absence management
policy which incorporates the reasonable
adjustment duties, and ensures that
employees are aware of the policy and its
practical application. Putting the policy into
practice as early as possible and ensuring
confidentiality are also essential. Please see
the following for some issues often raised by
employers.
There are many benefits associated with employing people with
disabilities, who bring a diversity of talents to employment; the key
is to match the person to the job based on ability, not disability.
16
Keeping in Touch
Assessments
Keeping in contact with absent employees, as
per normal practice, helps employees return to
work; indeed lack of contact can make an
employee feel unvalued. However, if a disabled
employee requests minimal contact while on
sick leave, the usual protocols may be
adjusted. For example; contact may be less
frequent, perhaps done by email when
appropriate and with one key contact,
someone who has a good relationship with the
disabled person. All contact should be done
using a sensitive, non judgemental approach
and it is important that they are reassured that
the reason for contact is to find out how they
are and discuss ways in which they can be
supported, not to pressurise them to return or
check up on them.
It is considered good practice to identify a DDA
aware employee to coordinate the absence
management and reasonable adjustment
process. This will also help to ensure that there
is a consistent approach across the
organisation. Employers should consult the
disabled employee at every step as well as
engaging expert opinion for assessment and
identification of adjustments. The OH Adviser,
who should also be DDA aware, often has a
vital role and their input should be promoted as
a support for both the disabled person and the
organisation. Their position being to identify
adjustments and provide information and
advice, rather than being viewed as a
punishment or evidence of the employer’s
mistrust of the disabled employee. Again,
communicating this message is extremely
important.
Recording Disability-related Absence
Employers are advised to record disabilityrelated and non disability-related sick leave
separately to ensure that they can make an
informed decision about the impact of the
disability on attendance as well as the possible
effects of adjustments. Case law has
established that, while it is not a legal
requirement to disregard all disability-related
sick leave in every case, discounting a certain
amount in specific circumstances may be a
reasonable adjustment requirement. In
addition, employers should be aware that they
must not reduce pay if a disabled person is on
sick leave because a reasonable adjustment
has not been put in place.
It can be difficult to make an exact assessment
of what might be considered reasonable,
however, an employer should keep the
following matters in mind to help them assess
reasonableness and apply them to each
circumstance:
• Effectiveness and practicality
• Costs and resources available
• Disruption caused
• Effect on other employees
• Adjustments made for other disabled
employees
• Co-operation of disabled person
Creating an open, supportive environment is vital in order to
encourage employees to seek support early rather than hide
problems, which can cause stress, lower productivity and additional
problems in the long run.
17
Possible Reasonable Adjustments
Research shows that most disabled people
learn to manage their disability and will require
the time and support to do so, such as
training, rehabilitation or treatment. Examples
of possible adjustments might include allowing
home working, changing certain duties or
being flexible in applying triggers in any
absence management policy. Of course,
different circumstances will raise different
challenges and solutions, such as when the
employee has a recurrent disability, or when
there has been a recent diagnosis. Employers
must also make allowance for the disabled
person to be absent for non disability-related
reasons, as with any other employee.
Returning to Work
The way that a return to work is managed is
very important. For example, for some people,
a phased return should be considered. Before
the disabled person returns, they should be
briefed about any changes in the job or
18
workplace. In addition, making sure that an
employee does not return to an unachievable
backlog, but rather they have realistic
workloads and achievable goals with all
agreed adjustments in place, will help towards
a smooth transition back to work. Once the
person is back to work, it is easy to move on to
other priorities, however, adjustments’
implementation should be reviewed regularly,
especially in the early days of return to work.
Employers are not alone in managing disabilityrelated absence. Employers for Disability NI has
over 20 years experience of supporting
member employers to implement good
disability practice, thereby retaining valuable
disabled employees and implementing legal
requirements.
Tel:
028 4062 4526
www.efdni.org
Anne Dargan
Managing Director
Is FUN a Bad Word?
You are probably half way through this
Yearbook, reading about employment law and
all those serious issues HR professionals have
to think about day in and day out. Well, put
your feet up for a few minutes and read on.
15 years ago I was invited to be part of the
talent pool for a global organisation. I was so
pleased! I was asked to fill in my Personal
Development Plan to focus on my leadership. I
had no idea what was expected of me, so I
nabbed my coach. We sat down at a table in
the canteen and she asked me some hard
questions. What did I stand for? What kind of
leader did I want to be? What did I want to
create? What kind of working environment did I
want to be part of? All I could think about was
that I wanted people to have fun. I was
concerned that this seemed flaky, somehow
not serious enough, but my coach convinced
me to include it in my PDP. So I took my life in
my hands and sent it through to HR, not sure
how it would be received.
Thinking back now I realise I instinctively knew
that if people were having fun they would be
more productive, more engaged (although
“engaged” wasn’t the buzz word it is now) and
ultimately deliver better results. So I trusted my
judgment back then and set about putting in
place a programme of activities designed to
introduce more fun into the workplace. Not
long after, we hit a bad period. Faulty deliveries
combined with demanding timescales, scope
creep and a very unsatisfied customer. Having
some timely lighthearted moments really
helped release tensions during this intense
period and with good humour, and a sense of
real teamwork, the team were able to find
solutions to the pickle we were in, ultimately
turning a disgruntled customer into one of our
biggest advocates.
So, if having fun can help people be creative,
be better problem solvers, deliver better
results to the customer, even in a stressful
environment, why is that the idea of having
fun often raises an eyebrow?
Recently I was reviewing a workshop structure
with a HR Director of a telecommunications
company. Some bits needed rework and I
suggested some fun learning activities we
could do. She gave me an icy stare, and said,
“this is a serious business you know!” I knew
there was no point in debating with her and I
subsequently walked away from that
opportunity.
19
The fact is that fun IS good for business. There
is countless research to back this up. Fun is
linked to wellbeing, productivity, engagement,
loyalty, morale, trust and ultimately the bottom
line. It may even be the single most important
trait of a highly effective and successful
organisation. And with the challenge now of
retaining Generation Y, it is even more critical.
So why on earth are we not taking fun more
seriously?
Imagine an organisation where people enjoy,
or even love their work, are creative, come up
with great ideas and solutions, have great
working relationships and laugh a lot. Yes
LAUGH a lot! How would that be for you? Your
team? The organisation?
Make a list of as many ways you can think of that will create a
lighthearted feeling at work. And then try some! And get others
involved.
Make a real difference
If you want to inspire and motivate
your people…
If you want more innovative,
productive and high performing teams….
If you want less conflict and more
collaboration…
If you want your people to navigate
major change and still deliver….
If you want to resolve some really
tough people challenges…
Working at all levels, we get under the
skin of your organisation and deliver
real and long-lasting business results.
“Rapid Change recently delivered
an engagement programme
throughout our organisation.
It has been a great success and
has achieved exactly what we had
hoped for.”
Janice Hagan, AES UK HR Manager
“The workshop continues to have
a lasting, positive effect - it was
thought provoking, challenging,
confidence building, motivating
and inspiring.”
Rosamond, CEO, Christian Aid Ireland
Contact us to arrange
an exploratory meeting.
[email protected] | +44 (0) 28 9269 3194 | www.rapidchangeconsultancy.com
20
Five Small Tips for Massive Impact
4 Smile
Small changes have a big impact. If you are
serious about your business then here are the
critical few things that you can start doing right
now that will have biggest impact:
It makes you happier! It’s true. And you don’t
even have to be happy first. The facial muscles
you move when you smile actually send
messages back to the brain changing your
emotional state for the better. And it’s
contagious. People trust you more if you smile,
it is a cue for openness and acceptance. And
of course happy people are more productive
right? You might even live longer too.
1 Choose
It all starts with you. It is a choice that you have
to make. To infuse your work environment with
a spirit of fun, you must really believe fun to be
essential, critical even. So put your money
where your mouth is.
Let it be obvious that you are modeling and
reinforcing that fun is “ok”. Others will take their
cue from you!
5 Thrive
Psychologists have shown that it takes a very
precise ratio of 5:1 positive to negative to
thrive. If we fall to 3:1 then we are merely
surviving!
2 Play (Fish Tales)
Sound fishy? Well, if you remain unconvinced
watch the FISH video or read the book (Fish!
Tales by Stephen C Lundin, John Christensen
and Harry Hall). This is where I started when I
gave myself the challenge.
“Play is not just an activity; it’s a state of mind
that brings new energy and sparks creativity.”
Make a list of as many ways you can think of
that will create a lighthearted feeling at work.
And then try some! And get others involved. If
you play in a way that makes people feel better
it creates a great atmosphere of camaraderie.
So pay attention and reduce the negative.
Wear an elastic band on your wrist. Every time
you hear or think something negative, switch
the band to your other wrist. Trouble is,
negative pieces of information are like Velcro –
they stick and last a long time. In contrast
positive bits are like Teflon – they slip off,
almost immediately. So you have to increase
the positive as well. Keep the ratio in 5:1 and
you will be more creative, energetic, flexible
and resilient.
So if you want a resilient workforce, one that
can remain flexible, creative and innovative
under pressure…
3 Remember Rule No. 6 (Benjamin Zander,
Art of Possibility)
If you want a workforce that outperforms on
almost every business measure…
“Don’t take yourself so goddam seriously!”
Seriously! Don’t take yourself so seriously!
then I dare you, take the plunge, make the
choice and put fun back into work…
Make a conscious effort to lighten up, which
may well lighten up those around you. Humour
and laughter are perhaps the best way we can
”get over ourselves” and release tension. What
makes you laugh? How can you create more
laughter in the workplace?
And watch the impact… it is contagious!
Tel:
028 9269 3194
www.rapidchangeconsultancy.com
21
Tanya Kennedy
Workplace Director
Energy and Courage
– The essence of engagement
The key to successful and sustainable
business is still, and will always be, people.
They will always be the heart of every business
therefore the ability to manage, lead and
inspire must continue to be the single most
important skill of a leadership team whose
primary focus is firmly fixed on driving high
engagement.
Energy is Essential
Engagement is an emotional and deeply
personal experience; it’s not simple or
straightforward to address. But leaders must
do so, for the sake of not only their employees
but also their organisations.
People are immediately affected by the energy
that surrounds them in any situation, they will
be naturally drawn to those who have high and
positive energy. It is contagious and is a
business differentiator. Unfortunately, lack of
energy shows up daily in our organisations and
employees who lack energy are disengaged.
They don’t give 100 percent and therefore
don’t produce results that are 100 percent.
Nothing impacts on organisational health and
employee engagement like the health and
energy of its leaders. It takes a lot of energy
and effort to manage well, to convey what you
expect and keep track of exactly what’s
happening. Living well physically, mentally and
spiritually every day and following your dreams
is the essence of good leadership and takes
oodles of personal energy, genuine interest
and high engagement.
But this state of personal engagement can’t
just be switched on and off at will. People who
live engaged lives are excited about the future
and this excitement permeates every aspect of
their lives – their family, relationships and
personal interests. On the other hand, those
who are disengaged probably don’t believe the
future will be bigger and brighter, they might
not believe they have control over outcomes,
perhaps don’t show up to vote in an election
because they believe one vote won’t make a
difference and choose not to change unhealthy
habits because they feel that one minor
change can’t make a big impact.
People are immediately affected by the energy that surrounds them
in any situation, they will be naturally drawn to those who have high
and positive energy. It is contagious and is a business differentiator.
22
The question is, in order to lead and drive
engagement, are you engaged yourself? Do
you have the energy and personal courage to
sustain a high level of engagement at work?
Do you want to build a bigger and better future
for you and your company? If not, perhaps it’s
time to think about what does excite you, what
are you passionate about and what needs to
be in place for you to achieve your goals and
fulfil your dreams? Once you’re clear on these
things the energy, interest and courage follow
and will be apparent to everyone around you.
But energy on its own is not enough.
As leadership traits go, courage is the big one.
It comes from facing and overcoming fear. And
the reward for that effort couldn’t be bigger.
Courage is Crucial
At today’s pace of business, change is
perpetual in every company, and that change
can be draining, depleting and demotivating.
Rampant fear has sent many organisational
cultures into a downward spiral, the tenuous
state of the economy creating untold levels of
anxiety. Workplace stress is at its highest levels
in four years, driven in large part by fear.
“Courage is what it takes to stand up
and speak; courage is also what it
takes to sit down and listen.”
Winston Churchill
But it’s not easy. Demonstrating leadership
courage – whether it’s having an
uncomfortable conversation, communicating
when you don’t have all the answers, or
making a decision to move ahead on a new
project – can be scary. Yet it’s precisely the
kind of behaviour that fosters trust and sets a
crucial example for others to follow at a time
when they’d rather batten down the hatches
and wait for the storm to pass.
These are the times that call for bold,
confident, courageous leadership. As history
has shown, those with the guts to step forward,
take some risks and lead change during
downturns will be the winners as the economy
rebounds. In addition to being the most
important human virtue, courage is the most
important business virtue. Courageous
leaders are in high demand and short supply
these days.
As leadership traits go,
courage is the big one.
It comes from facing and
overcoming fear. And the
reward for that effort couldn’t
be bigger.
23
If you want to see more courageous action by your people, consider whether you’re
modelling the ten traits of courageous leaders1:
1 Confront reality head-on. Ditch the rosecoloured glasses and face the facts about
the state of your organisation and
business. Only by knowing the true current
state can you lead your team to a better
place.
2 Seek feedback and listen. We all have
blind spots that impact the way we interact
with others. Unfiltered 360-degree
feedback is not always easy to hear, but it
can breathe new life into your relationships
and leadership style if you listen and act.
3 Say what needs to be said. Real
conversations can be awkward and
uncomfortable, especially if conflict is
involved. Having crucial conversations
helps cut through the smoke and move
through issues. This also means having
the courage to put your opinions on the
table, even if they are unpopular.
4 Encourage push-back. Many leaders feel
pressure to have all the answers.
By encouraging constructive dissent and
healthy debate, you reinforce the strength
of the team and demonstrate that in the
tension of diverse opinions lies a better
answer.
5 Take action on performance issues.
Confronting people issues is hard, which
is why so many leaders ignore them until
they become a toxic threat to the team or
company’s performance. By taking swift
action to reassign or exit underperforming
employees, you are helping yourself, the
team and the organisation.
1
6 Communicate openly and frequently.
Keep the lines of communication open,
even when you don’t know all the
answers. Courageous leaders refuse to
hide behind jargon and wiggle-words –
they use straight-talk and are not afraid to
say “I don’t know.” They also share
information instead of hoarding it.
7 Lead change. In fear-based
environments, it’s all about protecting the
status quo. Envision a better way, a better
solution, a better product – and approach
it with determination and an open mind,
knowing that it will be messy and that a
mid-course correction may be necessary.
Remember that you need to bring people
along the change process for them to truly
engage.
8 Make decisions and move forward.
Especially in environments of fear and
intense change, it feels unsafe to commit
to a decision and move ahead. Avoid the
crutch of ‘analysis paralysis’ and make the
decision. Forward movement is always
better than being stuck in place.
9 Give credit to others. Let go of the need
for praise and instead give the credit to
those around you. At first it feels scary –
will I be rendered irrelevant or
unnecessary if my people are doing all the
good stuff? Remember that, a good
leader takes more than their fair share of
the blame and less than their fair share of
the credit.
10 Hold people (and yourself) accountable.
Expect people to perform and deliver on
their commitments, and have courage to
call them out when they don’t follow
through. Remember that accountability
begins with you – holding yourself
responsible for modelling the behaviours
you expect of others.
10 traits of Courageous Leaders, Susan Tarandino, Forbes 2012.
24
Contrary to popular belief, everyone has the
capacity for being courageous, it is a
teachable and learnable skill. We develop it
through experience. Every time we face a fear,
we build confidence and courage.
The potential to overcome fear and build
courage is inside all of is. What we do with it is
entirely up to us.
The moral of the story is…
When you’re putting together your engagement
strategy and starting with a baseline
assessment of engagement levels across your
organisation, sit back and carry out a quick
self-assessment. If you are to energise and
inspire people across the organisation,
examine your personal level of energy,
engagement and courage.
The bottom line is that if you, as a leader, don’t
have the energy or the courage to inspire and
encourage others and make bold decisions,
will your strategy come alive and make a
difference or will it remain confined to a
document designed to ‘tick a box’ as having
been done?
Which does your organisation need?
Tel:
028 9046 0606
www.bitcni.org.uk
www.bitcni.org.uk
[email protected]
25
Brian Hall
Sales and Marketing Director
BHSF Limited
Giving Means a Lot
– Staff morale in tight times
In an economic climate where businesses can
take nothing for granted, employers must strive
to maintain a balance between financial health
and staff morale. The economic downturn has
rendered many businesses unable to offer
traditional perks and motivators such as pay
rises and annual bonuses, leading to problems
of low employee morale, a lack of staff
engagement, and an increased turnover in
talent. What is more, these issues are not
limited to the period of the recession, but are
likely to reach well beyond it. Once the jobs
market improves and the workforce is able to
benefit from increased opportunities, staff who
have not felt valued and supported during the
most difficult times will arguably waste no time
in improving their terms by moving companies.
Pay rates are not increasing in line with
inflation; Office for National Statistics figures in
April showed a 2.8% rise in living costs, versus
pay rises averaging 1% for public sector and
1.6% for private sector employees. This
situation has left many employees in the
unenviable position of earning too little to cover
their bills, but being unable, or at least
reluctant, to leave a stable job due to fears of
job cuts and redundancies elsewhere. This is
where employers must strive to spend their
money effectively, to add genuine value –
financial or otherwise – to their staff’s reward
packages. As pay rises and bonuses are often
not practicable, employers must find alternative
26
solutions to address the deficit between the
rising cost of living and static pay rates.
Faced with this problem, ever more employers
are turning to employee benefits as a highvalue, low-cost intervention. Employee benefits
should not be a financial strain for businesses,
and they need not be; carefully selected
schemes and offerings can bring both financial
and professional strength to a company.
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of employee
benefits for employers is the sense of
investment in their workforce, helping to
improve both staff morale and loyalty to the
company. In Employee Benefits’ Employee
Benefits Research 2012, 79% of respondents
viewed benefits as an effective recruitment
tool, while 80% believed they improved
employee retention. The draw of employee
benefits is clearly perceived to be potent, and
the investment in benefits for staff well
worthwhile.
It is increasingly common for HR teams to
champion the supplementing of pay packages
with a range of employee benefits, including
salary sacrifice schemes, and voluntary-funded
and company-paid benefits. The benefits
market has responded to increased and
diversified demand by offering flexible options
which can be adapted to suit all employers,
and online platforms which keep employees
informed and in control of their own benefits.
Businesses can choose from all manner of
employee benefits, but let’s focus on three of
the most effective options: voluntary benefits,
salary sacrifice schemes, and employerfunded health plans. The most popular of
these among Employee Benefits Research
2012’s respondents was a benefit provided to
all staff on a voluntary basis; 79% of
participants said this applied to their entire
workforce.
When the concept of voluntary benefits is
examined alongside the issues shaping
benefits strategies, it is unsurprising that it
presents such a popular option. The top two
influencing factors according to Employee
Benefits Research 2012 were ‘desire to
improve employee engagement’ and ‘desire
for flexibility’. Take, for instance, the online
employee discount site as a prominent
example of a voluntary benefit. The company
arranges access through a third party, and
employees benefit from the discounts
available, to as great or as little extent as they
wish. Companies can engage with their
employees by communicating the benefit,
highlighting its advantages and encouraging
sign-up.
Companies need not be tied in to long
contracts with discount-site providers, as
agreements are generally one year long;
companies can experiment and assess
whether the benefit suits their employees,
without investing in infrastructure or
development. What’s more, since employees
themselves do not pay for the privilege of
access to the site, they are completely free to
use the benefit as little or as much as they like.
As previously noted, employee sites are
generally sourced, but not administered, by
employers. Often, the arrangement is secured
by the HR team and paid for by the company
(beware what you are asked to pay)! However,
employees use the discounts provided for
purchases from their own pocket, meaning
HR/payroll is spared the trouble of
administering taxable benefits. The advantages
of such a voluntary benefit system are many
Excus i ve Exper iences for Bus iness a n d Le isu re
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fold: it gives employees a sense of value and
added benefit, at very little cost to the
company; employees benefit from better rates
and discounts thanks to the benefit provider’s
buying power; and many of the offers on such
employee discounts sites are ongoing. This
means employees can make meaningful
savings on regular purchases such as
groceries and toiletries, as well as more
occasional larger buys. For what can be a
very small cost per employee, companies
can help to make their staff’s pay packets go
further.
The voluntary benefits market has also evolved
to offer bespoke sites for employers. By
purchasing a bespoke voluntary benefits
platform at a higher annual cost, employers
can secure a custom-made benefits site for
their staff. One example of such a site is a
bespoke voluntary benefits platform purchased
for 6,000 employees at a client organisation.
The client previously had access to the
standard discount site, but the launch of the
bespoke site sparked an increase of 993
registered users in five months, bringing the
total registrations to 47.9% of the employee
base. This obviously represents a high level of
engagement, and shows the pull of the
bespoke site was formidable.
In addition to employers’ initial internal
communications, many employee discounts
sites will send regular e-shots to registered
members, highlighting new or special offers to
ensure continued employee engagement with
the benefit. This system means HR
departments need not divert resource to
ongoing promotion, as long as they ensure
that the benefit is effectively communicated to
all employees.
Compared to employee discounts sites, salary
sacrifice can be a more complex, but
potentially more rewarding employee benefit.
Salary sacrifice schemes are one of the most
effective employee benefits in terms of
increased value for both the employer and the
Engage your employees with a
range of employee benefits and HR solutions
For further information call BHSF today:
0121 629 1266
(quote LI_1113)
visit www.bhsf.co.uk or email [email protected]
employee, and this is reflected in their
popularity, with 89% of Employee Benefits’
survey respondents offering at least some
employees a salary sacrifice arrangement.
Salary sacrifice is a way for employees to pay
for a range of tax-efficient benefits, procured by
the employer, by sacrificing part of their net
salary. This benefit is often associated with
childcare vouchers, but the market has
expanded to include a far wider range of
benefits, from ‘bikes to work’ to mobile phones
and cars. The most popular items according to
Employee Benefits Research 2012 were health
screening, pension contributions and childcare
vouchers.
A case study has shown the excellent savings
available to employers, as well as participating
employees. A client company of 6,000
employees implemented a salary sacrifice
scheme as part of a broader benefits package
and made substantial savings. The total
National Insurance savings to the company
were estimated at £130,000+ over a period of
18 months. Perhaps the most impressive figure
within this sum was £72,000 of National
Insurance savings for salary sacrifice phones
and computers. Such a large saving in one
category gives a positive impression of the
uptake of the scheme, and also the level each
participant is likely to have saved in tax and
National Insurance.
As the savings on phones and computers
demonstrate, salary sacrifice schemes are an
attractive proposition for employees, offering
savings on items most people want or need,
but perhaps would not be able to buy in these
austere times. By giving employees the
chance to pay month by month, in a tax
efficient manner, employers can greatly help
to ease economic strains on their staff. Salary
sacrifice schemes are often used for
occasional, large expenses such as cars or
bicycles, but also more regular expenditures
such as gym membership and childcare. By
offering employees this means of making
limited disposable income go further,
Health cash plans | Salary sacrifice schemes | Occupational health
Flexible benefits platforms | Benefits Booklets | Online employee discounts
Employee assistance programmes | Group Life Assurance | Absence management systems
employers can make a real difference to staff’s
finances, and their lifestyle. Since the only
major cost to employers is the running of the
scheme, they facilitate savings and financial
benefits on the employees’ behalf, rather than
presenting them with an extra sum of money.
There is also a substantial National Insurance
saving on the employer’s part. According to
Employee Benefits Research 2012, 22% of
employers pass all of the savings on to their
staff, meaning a potentially significant boost for
their pay. The proportion of employers passing
all the savings on to staff has fallen by 13%
since 2009, perhaps because more companies
are feeling the pinch and need to plough
savings back into the business. Despite this,
there has been steady increase in the number
of employers sharing the savings with
employees, demonstrating that employers
recognise the importance of giving employees
what they can.
One of the best kept secrets in employee
benefits is the health cash plan. Health cash
plans are a tried and tested benefit, with many
advantages which speak to HR professionals.
In recent years, employers have come to
appreciate the effect cash plans and other
healthcare benefits can have on employee
engagement. In Healthcare Research 2013’s
study, 51% of respondents recognised a
positive impact on employee engagement after
offering healthcare benefits. This figure has
almost doubled since standing at 33% in 2010.
According to Healthcare Research 2013’s
study, the greatest perceived achievement of
healthcare benefits is to show the company’s
care and support of its employees. Improving
employee health and welfare comes second
on the list, while getting employees back to
work as soon as possible after illnesses is the
third biggest achievement.
With health cash plans, these benefits are all
available at a low cost. A cash plan will
typically cost no more than £50 per employee
per year – for employees on the minimum
wage, this equates to less than half a per cent
of the salary (based on 35.7 hours for 52
weeks).
30
For a very small cost, employers can give their
staff the opportunity to offset their everyday
health costs; as employees make an average
of 1.9 claims per year, health cash plans are
likely to benefit the employee year on year.
Generally, cash plans offer reimbursements for
everyday and emergency healthcare including
dental, optical, therapies and hospital stays.
Private medical insurance is a highly valued
but costly benefit, and is arguably fairly unlikely
to be used in any given year. In contrast, by
offering cover for everyday healthcare, cash
plans offer the advantage of lower premiums,
but an equally valued benefit for staff.
As a means of showing care for employees,
health cash plans are arguably the benefit
which appeals most to employees’ sense of
support. A health cash plan can be upgraded
to offer cover for the employee’s family, for a
small sum, paid from the employee’s salary in
addition to the company’s contribution. With
further access to free GP helplines and
counselling lines included in some policies,
health cash plans can present a very valuable
means of support in these times, and one
which is flexible, tailored and, above all,
helpful.
In summary, in the current economic climate,
with pay rises a scarcity, employers need to
innovate. Through thoroughly researching
options and choosing the best benefit for their
workforce and budget, businesses and HR
teams can counteract at least some of the ills
caused by the economic climate. Whether they
choose salary sacrifice schemes, health cash
plans, employee discounts sites, or a
combination of the three, the common theme
is that these benefits magnify a small
investment many fold, meaning both the
business and its employees gain a great deal
of value for a small outlay.
BHSF Limited
Tel:
0121 629 1266
www.bhsf.co.uk
Rachel Dennison
Research Officer
Employers For Childcare Charitable Group
Balancing the Needs
of Working Parents
The concept of work-life balance, whereby
employees achieve a healthy balance between
their work life and personal life, rather than
viewing the two as competing priorities, is not
a new phenomenon. Rather, the importance of
enabling employees to reach a suitable worklife balance, particularly for employees with
children, has been strongly supported by
various pieces of research over the last few
years. Research strongly points to the value of
offering family-friendly working policies for
employers and employees alike. When
employees can reach a working pattern which
complements their family responsibilities they
are more productive, motivated and loyal to
their employers. All of which are clear benefits
for employers and businesses.
The work of Employers For Childcare has been
underpinned by promoting the importance of
family-friendly working since the organisation
began. For over a decade we have been
providing support for employers in helping
them set up and implement family-friendly
practices in the workplace. Our work also
includes the administration of the Childcare
Voucher scheme which enables employers
across the UK to provide financial help to their
employees with the cost of childcare (and also
saves the employer money in National
Insurance Contributions). Through our
charitable services we carry out research in
order to understand the key issues which are
affecting working parents in Northern Ireland
today. Our research seeks to understand why
families make the decisions they do based on
their circumstances. Our Northern Ireland
Childcare Cost Survey series and Managing
Expectations: A Survey of New Mums and
Dads, highlight some interesting trends about
parental choice when it comes to working.
Working parents in Northern Ireland
Our Childcare Cost Surveys, which have been
conducted annually since 2010, show how the
high cost of childcare is becoming an
increasing struggle for families year-on-year.
For many parents childcare becomes so
unaffordable that they are left with no choice
but to reduce their hours of work, change their
working patterns or leave work altogether.
The 2012 Childcare Cost Survey showed that
46% of parents reduced the hours they worked
and 40% changed their pattern of hours due to
high childcare costs. For many parents this is a
difficult decision to make and is often not the
one they would like to have chosen.
Other parents wish to change the way they
work after the birth of a child to accommodate
changing family needs. Our recent Survey of
New Mums and Dads explored parents’
experiences of maternity and paternity leave
31
and the subsequent employment decisions
they made after the birth of a child. Indeed,
46% of mothers chose not to return to work at
the same number of hours or pattern of work
they were contracted for before going on
maternity leave. Nearly a third of those who did
return to the same job role chose to reduce
their hours or change their working pattern.
30% of fathers also changed their employment
patterns upon their return to work.
It was interesting to discover that 60% of
employees who moved to a different employer
after maternity leave previously worked in
organisations which offered little or no familyfriendly working policies to staff.
Our findings prove two important points.
Firstly, if family-friendly working policies are
available, parents will make use of them.
Secondly, if an employee cannot strike a
work-life balance to suit their circumstances
they will move to a more accommodating
employer.
How can employers support working
parents?
Our research leads to an important
conclusion – if employers want to hold onto
talented staff, particularly parents, they need to
be family friendly. The findings of both the
Childcare Cost Surveys and the Survey of New
Mums and Dads show that although some
parents will change their working hours to find
a suitable work-life balance, others feel that
they have no choice but to reduce their hours
all together due to other factors.
… 46% of mothers chose not
to return to work at the same
number of hours or pattern of
work they were contracted
for before going on maternity
leave.
http://vouchers.employersforchildcare.org
In either situation, it is in the employer’s best
interests to be family friendly in order to retain
staff. Otherwise they will risk losing talented
employees.
This issue is even more relevant in the current
economic climate which has hit working
families hard. In particular the reduction or
removal of many family benefits and
entitlements, frozen salaries, the high cost of
childcare and the increased cost of living has
caused many families to struggle financially.
There is no better time for employers to step in
and support their employees.
www.hallmarksolutions.co.uk
There are various ways in which employers can
be family friendly; as a general rule familyfriendly working policies can be grouped under
three headings:
1 Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
and/or leave arrangements, e.g. allowing
mothers a staggered return to work after
maternity leave or giving employees a
number of paid days they can use when
their children are ill etc.
2 Childcare support, such as offering the
Childcare Voucher scheme or a workplace
nursery, both of which can help parents with
the cost of childcare.
3 Flexible working arrangements, such as
part-time hours, flexi-time, home working or
condensed hours.
Some policies which are very simple to
implement, such as flexi-time or offering the
Childcare Voucher scheme, can have an
immense impact on the organisation and
employees alike. Employers For Childcare
Charitable Group can offer support and advice
to employers who are considering offering
family-friendly working policies.
Employers For Childcare Charitable Group
Tel:
0800 028 6538
www.employersforchildcare.org
[email protected]
Stewart Miller
Business Director
NorthgateArinso
HR and Payroll – Time for a
unified systems approach
In a world of rapid technology innovation,
organisations now have access to a wide
variety of fully integrated HR and payroll
systems. These enable them to maintain
accurate information and achieve greater
quality and efficiency in talent management.
In this article, Stewart Miller, Business Director
at NorthgateArinso (NGA) looks at what can be
achieved with these systems, and the steps
required for implementing one in your
organisation.
Opportunities for real savings and service
improvement
HR and payroll are among the few areas of an
organisation’s operations that regularly affect
every single employee. This creates an
opportunity for these functions to play a vital
role in ensuring the satisfaction, motivation and
development of people across the
organisation.
Deploying the right HR and payroll system is
vital if this opportunity is to be fully realised. It
can support the successful management and
development of people, automate processes
to achieve efficiency, and allow the HR and
payroll functions to pay more attention to core
tasks.
34
The starting point: reliable data
Every organisation needs its people
information to be accurate and up-to-date. At
the very least, all employees want to be paid
accurately and on time, while line managers
need reliable information about their teams
such as holiday entitlement and training
records.
Another reason why accurate data is so
important is that management makes
decisions based on information. This becomes
difficult when information is out-of-date or
inaccurate: for big strategic decisions and dayto-day line management decisions alike,
without reliable data people may be too
influenced by feelings and hunches rather than
facts and figures.
HR and payroll are among the
few areas of an organisation’s
operations that regularly
affect every single employee.
The benefits of a single source of data about
employees
What can be achieved with integrated HR
and payroll systems?
HR and payroll functions – whether separate in
an organisation or within the same
department – often have the same data
requirements. They both need to know
employees’ names, addresses, salaries, terms
and conditions and so on. So it is essential that
an organisation has a single source of people
information.
Integrating HR and payroll onto one system
delivers benefits beyond better availability of
information. There are countless examples of
the improvements in efficiency that these
systems can bring, but I want to share just a
few to provide a flavour of what can be
achieved:
In many organisations, people information is
spread across multiple systems that lack
integrated functionality. They are often time
consuming to maintain and it also takes too
long to meet requests information due to the
patchwork of various systems and sources
involved.
HR and payroll self-service
The latest integrated HR and payroll systems
are rapidly replacing these disparate
systems. They bring all the information into
one place, so there is never a need to key in
information more than once, which improves
data accuracy.
Where once it took hours to gather data or
produce a report, now it can be done in
minutes or even in real-time using ‘dashboard’
style reporting tools. This is beneficial for
managers making day-to-day decisions, as
well as for when senior management or the
Board needs information.
… support the successful
management and
development of people,
automate processes to
achieve efficiency, and allow
the HR and payroll functions
to pay more attention to core
tasks.
The major long-term trend in HR and payroll
management is for self-service solutions that
enable employees and managers to access
and update relevant information. This can be
web-enabled for 24/7 access for people
working in the field or at home.
Employee and manager self-service brings an
improvement in data accuracy that comes from
letting people maintain their own personal
data. It also reduces phone calls and emails to
HR and payroll, because employees can find
the information they need in most cases. This
in turn allows staff in HR and payroll to spend
more time on supporting business objectives
rather than administration.
One example is the simplification of annual
leave approval, which has often been a largely
manual process with forms being passed from
person to person. With self-service, managers
can view an up-to-date electronic calendar
showing holidays for all their employees and
make approval decisions accordingly. It
removes the need for HR to be involved in a
routine process and the same approach can
be taken for other actions, such as booking
staff onto training courses.
In fact, self-service can enable up to 70% of
tasks related to HR and payroll to be
completed by employees and managers
themselves. Other examples include updating
personal records and appraisals, viewing
payslips and accessing company guidelines
and policies.
35
Workflow tools
Recruitment
Systems can be configured with workflow tools
that guide users through the required steps for
processes to save time and improve quality.
The addition of automated email and
documents production at various process
stages delivers further efficiency
improvements.
The recruitment process has many
opportunities for using systems to save time.
This can include creating a streamlined
application process for job candidates and
managers, reduced data entry during the
application process, and providing HR staff,
line managers and candidates with online
information about the status of applications.
Training management
A single source of data coupled with specialist
training management software will ensure that
accurate records of all employee’s training
history are maintained. The system can also
produce alerts when further training is required,
such as for compliance reasons.
Improving audit trails
By bringing all of these functions and more into
a single system, an audit trail is automatically
created. This is of course especially important
in sectors with a particularly stringent
compliance regime.
… self-service can enable up to 70% of tasks related to HR and
payroll to be completed by employees and managers themselves.
www.ngahr.com
Choosing and implementing an integrated
HR and payroll system
HR and payroll systems are complex and will
always need to be configured to meet each
organisation’s situation, so the process of
choosing and implementing a system can be
quite lengthy, however, if the system is
implemented correctly, the initial upheaval will
soon be overshadowed by the benefits it
brings.
There are a number of stages to this process:
1 Defining your requirements
The first stage is to build a vision for the
project. This involves clarifying why you want to
consolidate employment information into one
system, the current issues this should resolve
and the benefits it should provide.
It is crucial that all aspects of HR and payroll
processes are covered in this documentation,
because if gaps only come to light once the
project has started it can affect the ability to
deliver on time and budget.
2 Creating a statement of work
Any successful project that involves external
suppliers requires a clear statement of what
you are hoping to accomplish. This builds on
the vision document, defining your project
requirements with the detailed information that
a supplier needs in order to present you with a
realistic proposal and a reasonable price.
Be specific about the deliverables you expect
the supplier to provide. Give them as much
information as you can about what you need
delivered and the way in which you need the
work done. Also, be clear and realistic about
your schedule requirements – project
schedules can have a huge impact on project
costs.
1 Defining your requirements
2 Creating a statement of work
3 Supplier and system selection
4 System implementation
3 Supplier and system selection
4 System implementation
You will need to evaluate and choose from the
many HR and payroll software companies
available. It is vital that your chosen supplier
takes time to fully understand your business,
challenges and requirements. They should
also take account of possible changes in future
by proposing a solution that is flexible and
scalable.
Initial work done by the supplier to understand
your requirements in the selection process will
likely be followed now by working with you on a
comprehensive business process analysis.
This will enable the identification of places
where your core processes can change to
improve efficiency. This is done now so that the
new system can be configured around the best
possible processes.
Make sure that you ask potential suppliers
questions about anything that is unclear. Be
sure also to check their references and ask for
feedback from other clients who have used
their services. In particular, check that the
supplier you select has specific experience of
the type of project that you’re undertaking.
Ensure also that you have a support clause so
that you are assured of some amount of
continuing support from the supplier after the
project is complete. It’s much easier to
negotiate a support clause before work
begins, rather than after the completion of
the project.
As tempting as it may be, never select a
supplier based solely on price. In fact, many
experienced buyers recommend discarding
the highest-priced and lowest-priced bid. The
most successful projects will often be those
that strike a balance of good value and quality
results.
The implementation process will then include
configuring the new system, developing
customised system documentation, systems
testing and delivering user training. Your HR
and payroll staff and line managers from
across the business will need to be involved in
a very hands-on way at various stages. This is
essential if the system is to meet all of your
requirements post-implementation.
One important thing to bear in mind is that
during the course of a service engagement,
the scope of the project, deliverables or even
the agreed upon price may change. Make sure
that you clearly communicate any schedule,
scope or payment changes to your supplier
and get confirmation from them – in writing –
that they understand and agree to the
changes. Similarly, keep a record of any
agreement changes requested by the supplier
and whether you accept or reject those
modifications.
As tempting as it may be, never select a
supplier based solely on price. In fact, many
experienced buyers recommend discarding
the highest-priced and lowest-priced bid.
The most successful projects will often be
those that strike a balance of good value and
quality results.
38
Sources of more information
I hope that this article has been of some use in
helping you better understand the potential for
HR and payroll solutions, and the factors to
consider when choosing one. Here are a few
sources of additional information that could be
helpful in identifying the right HR and payroll
solution for your business:
• www.hmrc.gov.uk/softwaredevelopers/
paye/rti-software-forms.htm
This page includes a list of providers of
HMRC-recognised PAYE software.
• www.cipp.org.uk
The CIPP holds a payroll conference every
year that features exhibitors, including
suppliers of payroll software.
NGA Human Resources
Tel:
07554 334698
www.ngahr.com
The major long-term trend in
HR and payroll management
is for self-service solutions
that enable employees and
managers to access and
update relevant information.
This can be web-enabled for
24/7 access for people
working in the field or at
home.
www.midlandhr.com/iTrent/legal
www.midlandhr.com/HROBrochure/legal
HR Solutions
Global HR Solutions, delivered locally
•
•
•
•
•
•
028 9044 4080
Workplace Investigations
Consultancy
Audit and Review
Advice and Guidance
Training and Development
All aspects of HR, Payroll and Recruitment Administration
[email protected]
www.capita.co.uk
Dominic McCanny
Managing Director
Hiring the Right Person – The
Occupational Psychologist’s role
Sir Richard Branson recently stated, “There is
nothing more important for a business than
hiring the right team. If you get the perfect mix
of people working for your company, you have
a far greater chance of success.”
With the economy now starting to show signs
of recovery, many businesses may well begin
to recruit additional staff to meet growing
demand for their products or services.
However, as most recruiters know, hiring the
right person is a lot more complicated than
simply placing an advertisement in the
newspapers or internet. Occupational
Psychologists are ideally placed to provide that
level of professionalism to ensure that
organisations take a thorough and progressive
approach to hiring the right people. This article
provides a number of steps in the recruitment
and selection stages that Occupational
Psychologists specialise in that makes hiring
the right person, less of a gamble and more of
a structured approach in getting the best
person for your business.
Assuming that you have got permission to
commence a recruitment exercise, how can
you identify the core attributes, skills and
abilities for the position?
In the field of Occupational Psychology we
place a great emphasis on a rigorous process
that will produce tangible benefits in terms of
both job performance and productivity. Of
course, many businesses have down-sized
their Human Resources teams during the
recession, and therefore the temptation is
always there to repeat what was once done,
simply to get the recruitment campaign
completed. However, in order to avoid costly
mistakes in hiring individuals, using some of
the following interventions will go a long way in
contributing to the long term profitability of the
business, starting with a thorough Job
Analysis.
Job Analysis
Job Analysis is nothing new, indeed it has
been around in many forms since the 1940s
but since the 1980s it has been increasing in
importance. This is due to many factors
including rapidly changing new technologies
(how I wish I had bought shares in Apple),
changes in working practices, legal
requirements, varying and different types of
organisational structures and so on. So, how
do you commence undertaking a Job
Analysis?
41
Probably the simplest way is to talk to
somebody doing the job and also their
managers. It constantly surprises me that
many recruiters do not undertake this step.
Whilst this is a good first stage, how you go
about it is also particularly relevant. Using a
multi-method approach will provide much
greater information about the job. Focussing in
on the following elements will also elicit much
about a job and what is required to perform in
a productive manner.
Repertory Grid
The Repertory Grid technique (sounds
complicated), is a structured interview process
that elicits key elements for any job. For
example in a sales role the information elicited
may indicate that ‘Maintaining self-belief’ and
‘Pursuing Targets’ are some of the key areas of
performance. Of course with any interview
method, a lot depends on the skill of the
interviewer.
Job Analysis also has many additional benefits
for the organisation in that it also assists in
developing Training and Learning initiatives;
Leadership Frameworks; Team Profiling;
Organisational Development; etc.
By discussing and collating a range of
information about the job, interviewing job
holders, their managers and other job
stakeholders, the development of the Job
Description and Person Specification will
ensure that only the requirements of the job are
accurately reflected. Well-developed
descriptions of the job ensures that the
organisation is clear what is required.
This article will not discuss the various
methods of advertising job vacancies, it is
suffice to say that the job should be advertised
widely so as to attract the most talented
individuals. Once the date for applications is
closed then businesses must turn their
attention to the shortlisting process.
Shortlisting
Critical Incident Technique
Again this is about interviewing the job holder
about incidents in the job which can make all
the difference between success and failure.
This method provides very rich material about
the job content. Conducting a number of these
types of interview is one way in which the
recruiter can really understand many unique
aspects of successful job behaviours.
When businesses receive large number of
applications for relatively few positions
shortlisting is conducted. To ensure that this is
done fairly and to meet good professional
practice and legal requirements, it is essential
to apply the essential and desired criteria. Most
recruiters are quite adept at this aspect. When
shortlisting has been completed, psychometric
testing is also commonly used. So, does it
have any benefits?
Profiling Systems
Again sounds complicated but essentially they
are a structured questionnaire process that
consider the job tasks and human attributes
required to perform effectively in the job. With
advances in computer based questionnaires,
large numbers of individuals can be surveyed,
cheaply and with substantial benefits. For small
campaigns use of ‘Performance Cards’ also
summarise the behaviours and abilities that
drive performance and potential in the
workplace, at a very low cost.
42
Psychometric Testing
As an Occupational Psychologist, of course,
many people will say that the Occupational
Psychology industry has a vested interest in
using this approach. I would not deny that
argument, however, one does have to look at
the benefits of using various tests and profiling
techniques to identify talented individuals.
Many individuals have undertaken training in
psychometric testing and the market is not
solely the preserve of Occupational
Psychologists. However it is important to
ensure that if you are embarking on
psychometric testing it is advisable to ensure
that the individual has maintained their
competence. This can be done by checking
the British Psychological Society’s
Psychological Test Centre (PTC) Register –
www.psychtesting.org.uk. The PTC website
provides access to information about tests and
testing. So, whether you are a psychologist, a
test user or a member of the public interested
in knowing more about testing, the PTC
website is an excellent resource.
There are a very wide range of psychometric
tests available in the market place today and
with large numbers of applicants for jobs,
testing provides a range of benefits for the
organisation. These are that:
• Well-designed tests do predict good job
performance.
• With computerisation they are cheap to
administer with large numbers of individuals
being tested either by computer remotely, or
by paper and pencil in groups.
• They minimise bias.
• They are quick and easy to score.
However, there are some disadvantages;
principally that they cannot measure all
aspects relating to the job and, secondly, the
purchase of initial materials can be expensive.
In addition, if using remote computer testing of
Ability or Aptitude Tests, it is important that
individuals are tested under supervised
conditions.
Personality Profiles are also a particularly
useful tool in assessing an individual’s motives,
talents, preferred work culture and competency
potential. When professionally used they
provide particularly useful information about
the individual. There are many different test
publishers on the market. This is increasing
with globalisation. It is therefore vital that when
using any forms of psychometric testing or
profiling you check on a range of factors.
We would suggest:
1 Is the administrator registered with the PTC?
2 Check the validity and reliability of the tests.
‘Validity’ ensures that the test is working
fairly and measuring what was intended and
‘Reliability’ ensures the accuracy of the test.
3 Ask what ‘comparison’ group has been
used for the psychometric test or profile.
With the huge increase in computerisation over
the recent past, online testing is now relatively
common. This has reduced significantly the
cost of using psychometric testing. For most
businesses this means that availing of
psychometric testing need not be expensive or
complicated.
Assessment Centres
Many organisations consider the use of
Assessment Centres as an objective selection
method to measure the suitability of
candidates for particular roles. Many different
types of exercises are used, including In-Tray
Exercises; Role Plays; Briefings; Analysis
Exercises, Group Discussions; Psychometric
Tests and Profiles; Presentations, Situational
Judgement Tests, and so on. Generally,
Assessment Centres last a day but can be
longer depending on the job role. They are
often used in Graduate Recruitment and for
more senior positions within organisation.
Whilst a multi-method approach involving a
range of the above exercises have good
predictive validity, this also depends on careful
design of the exercises. Assessor training is
also essential to ensure consistent rating of
candidate performance on each task. For
many businesses they are resource intensive
and expensive and it would be prudent to
conduct a cost benefit analysis before using
assessment centres.
43
Interviews
Ah! The interview is undoubtedly one of the
most popular ways in which businesses recruit
people. It is of course an opportunity to meet
with the candidates and provides a good
opportunity to ‘show case’ the business.
However, interviews by their very nature are
also social interactions and as a result often
subject to a range of biases. Many interviewers
believe that they have an ‘innate’ ability to get
the ‘right’ person for the job only to find out,
sometimes very quickly, that the appointed
individual hasn’t performed to expectation.
Over the recent past, many organisations have
implemented competency frameworks, which
of course is very good practice, but again there
are limitations to these. Individuals are easily
coached to answer interview questions in a
highly polished manner.
Therefore, it is particularly important that
interviewers are mindful of this and ensure that
their questions are a mixture of job knowledge;
behavioural; job sampling; worker
requirements and situational questions.
Many experienced interviewers believe that
they have the necessary skills in identifying
whether or not individuals are being honest in
their answers. In a recent research article
(2013) published in the British Psychological
Research Digest www.bps-researchdigest.blogspot.co.uk about detecting
dishonesty in the interview, the article
highlighted that: “For the penultimate round of
the TV show The Apprentice, the competing
entrepreneurs must face a series of interviews
with a crack team of hardened executives. The
implicit, believable message is that these
veterans have seen all the interview tricks in the
book and will spot any blaggers a mile off.
However, a new study provides the reality TV
show with a reality check. A team led by MarcAndré Reinhard report that experienced job
interviewers are in fact no better than novice
interviewers at spotting when a candidate is
lying.
“Our results provide the first evidence that
employment interviewers may not be better at
detecting deception in job interviews than lay
persons,” the researchers said, “although it is
a judgmental context that they are very
experienced with.”
The interview in itself is not the most valid
selection method due to the many subjective
biases that impact on the process. However, if
this is the normal method of recruiting do make
sure you adopt a structured interview format,
based on the Job Analysis.
Seven Quick Tips to ensure you hire the
Right Person
1 Conduct a thorough Job Analysis – use a
number of methods.
2 Design Job Descriptions and Person
Profiles based on the Job Analysis.
3 Advertise widely and then shortlist on the
Essential and Desirable Criteria.
4 Consider using Psychometric Tests – If so
check individuals are properly registered
to ensure professional competence. The
Register in Test Use –
www.psychtesting.org.uk (UK) or for the
policy for appropriate test use in Republic
of Ireland check with Psychological
Society of Ireland – www.psihq.ie.
5 If using Assessment Centres ensure the
requirements of the position are clearly
defined before the assessment takes
place and that assessors are fully trained.
6 Conduct structured interviews. Remember
with the growth in ‘coaching’ many
candidates can present themselves in a
highly professional manner. Ensure all
interviewers have received training and
are fully familiar with legal regulations.
7 Provide feedback to candidates and
evaluate and validate your recruitment and
selection processes.
Tel:
028 8224 3100
www.interventus.net
www.graftonrecruitment.com
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ti ion
a
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P es ice
✓
Pr act
✓
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✓
We don’t guarantee that you will get
the job, though the majority of our
candidates do!
[email protected]
www.advancecoach.co.uk
Niamh Sheills
Professional Career & Executive Coach
Advance Coaching
Light Bulb
Interview Coaching!
From graduates to senior executives the age
old interview seems to create equal amounts of
fear and trepidation amongst all of us. It can
have us working up a sweat or send us into a
tail spin of panic as we imagine the disasters
and disappointments that are about to befall
us, once we get in front of that panel. Even the
most confident and competent of executives
can feel the pressure and fail to really deliver
the performance they want on the day. But with
the right preparation and the tools to create the
all-important “presence”, we can all learn how
to deliver winning interview performances and
actually start to enjoy them too!
It is believed that the man who invented the
modern interview was Thomas Edison, of light
bulb fame. Edison became very frustrated with
the hundreds of people who responded to his
appeals for extra staff and the disappointment
that they rarely presented with the knowledge
he required. Edison created a test that involved
a series of questions relating to the position
and other more general questions on
geography and literature and only around 7%
of his applicants passed. Newspapers of the
day picked up this story and soon industry
leaders started using questionnaires of their
own and the rest is history.
So where did it all begin? It’s believed that
interviews, as we now know them, only really
became part of the norm in the 1920’s. In early
post “hunter /gatherer “days, roles/professions
were passed down from generation to
generation i.e. the Blacksmith’s son became
the Blacksmith. Where an obvious heir was not
apparent, apprentice schemes emerged and a
youth would live with an artisan and learn the
craft eventually taking over the role. During the
employment boom of the industrial revolution
the selection process involved turning up at the
factory door and being picked because you
looked fit for the job.
Today’s interviews have evolved considerably
and can take many forms including, tests, role
play, personality profiling, group tasks and
presentations but pretty much all still involve
the question and answer format. Having
administered many
interview panels and
coached even more
successful candidates, at
Advance Coaching we
know what really works in
interview preparation.
47
Preparation
Research the company
Find out as much as you can about the
company and the department you will be
working within. Check their website and social
media profiles, review news releases and
connect with people in the company who can
give you some insight. This will give you an
inside perspective and help you position your
skills and experience in the context of the
company and role.
Use the SHARE model to prepare your
answers:
Situation: Explain the context what, where
and when?
Hindrance: What was the challenge?
Action: What did you do?
Result: What was the outcome – positive
or negative?
Evaluation: What did you learn, take away
and change for better results in the future?
Know the panel and the process
Knowing who is interviewing you, their position
and interests can be very valuable so do
attempt to gain insight on your panel
members. Also be very clear on the interview
process. Is there a presentation or test? Are
the questions competency or non competency
based? Be clear so that you can be fully
prepared for all eventualities.
Know the job description and criteria
Make sure that you are absolutely familiar with
the written information on the role and how you
can demonstrate meeting the person
specification/essential criteria. The job role will
have all the clues for possible interview
questions and so go through it in detail and
make sure you understand the requirement of
every point and how you will demonstrate
experience & competency for them.
Identify competencies and examples
If it’s a Competency Based Interview be sure to
know what competencies you are going to be
assessed on and prepare real life examples to
demonstrate them. Your examples need to be
recent (within the last 2/3 years) and they need
to be at the right level and an appropriate
context.
48
Practice
Practice your answers with someone else a
colleague or interview coach so that you can
really ensure that you are clear, focused and
really addressing the right essential skills or
competencies. Rehearse your presentation,
role play, test etc. as if for real. Words sound
very differently when delivered out loud and
this way you get to practice, make mistakes
and refine your delivery before you do it for
real.
Today’s interviews have
evolved considerably and
can take many forms
including, tests, role play,
personality profiling, group
tasks and presentations but
pretty much all still involve
the question and answer
format.
Managing Nerves
The Gremlin
You will need to manage the inner Gremlin, that
little voice inside your head who will be telling
you that you’re sure to make a mess of this
interview! How we talk about ourselves out
loud and within our heads has a profound
effect on the feelings we create for ourselves
and then the way we perform at interview.
Negative self-talk will power nerves and your
belief in being able to deliver a good
performance. Grapple with that Gremlin and
make sure that all your internal commentary is
positive and encouraging about your interview
performance. “I can do it”, “I’m preparing for a
brilliant interview” will be much more useful
self-talk to master.
Remember to Breath
It is really important to control your breathing
when feeling stress as this is the time when
you are most likely to over breathe causing
increased tension. Over breathing causes too
much oxygen to enter the blood stream which
upsets the required carbon dioxide/oxygen
balance. This can cause, tingling, faintness,
shortness of breath, fatigue, tension and panic.
Be aware of your breathing and inhale for the
count of five hold for five and exhale for the
count of five. Repeat this five times. This will
slow your breathing, creating a more relaxed
feeling and by focusing on your breathing you
also distract yourself from any negative
thoughts you may be having.
Presence
Be confident – Have a confident purpose and
plan for your interview – What do you want to
achieve, what impression do you want to
make, what core skills and competencies do
you want the panel to see in you, what key
message do you want to leave hanging in the
air when you exit the room ?
Take charge – You need to have a plan for how
you want to influence the process and the
panel. You need to be proactive and take
charge on the information you provide.
Be likeable – Give a firm handshake on arrival;
look the panel straight in the eye, treat each
person you meet as if he or she is truly
important. Don't interrupt. Don't mentally cut off
the other person. Don't reload while he or she
is speaking. Listen, smile, nod agreement, and
address the panel by name.
Prepare your pitch – Finish with a strong
closing pitch summarising three key
competencies that you bring to the role and an
expression of your enthusiasm to work with this
particular company. Our brains tend to
remember the beginnings and the endings and
so make sure that you close with impact.
Put on a performance – Interviews are a
performance and while it needs to be authentic
you do need to present a slightly louder,
brighter, more energised and more boastful
version of you!
Advance Coaching
Tel:
028 9269 3945
www.advancecoach.co.uk
Interview panels ultimately give jobs to people
they like, people they see fitting into the
company, getting on with others and able to
bring lots of positive energy to the table. So
while it’s important to focus on displaying your
technical skills and competencies remember it
is just as important to ensure great presence to
really make a connection with your interview
panel.
49
www.millsselig.com
[email protected]
Kiera Lee
Director (Head of Employment)
Mills Selig
Managing the Social Media
Revolution in Your Workplace
If citizens can use social media to orchestrate
a revolution powerful enough to overthrow a
government and to dictate pricing structures to
a multimillion pound TV business then there is
no doubt it can impact the working
environment. Social media is here to stay and
whether businesses embrace it as part of their
strategy or not, it remains omnipresent.
Ignoring the issues is no longer an option.
Employers should now face the impact social
media has on employment relations within their
organisation.
What is it?
Social media falls into a number of different
categories and employers should be aware of
the different types so that they can be alive to
the issues they may present. Blogs, social or
business networking (Facebook or LinkedIn),
MMPORG (Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Game) and digital data sharing sites
are just some of the main examples of these
categories. Where employees have access to
the internet at work the lines between work and
free time can become blurred and it is
important to have boundaries and
consequences clearly defined.
Reputational Damage
Where the employer uses social media for
business purposes it should issue clear
guidelines to the employees who have access
to this on the expected standard, content and
limits of this use. This should limit the risks of
potential liability for inadvertently entering into a
contract, defamation, disclosure of confidential
information, intellectual property disputes and
criminal offences.
The use of social media which does not form
part of an employee’s job description gives rise
to further challenges. Likely circumstances
may be where the employee directly criticises
their employer via social media or causes
reputational damage by association – where
an employee makes inappropriate, offensive or
illegal postings and that employee can be
clearly associated with their employer.
When deciding on a response to an employee
making potentially damaging comments on
social media employers must consider the
following – the nature of the comment and the
potential readership, whether an actual
damage has been caused and whether there
has been any breach of company policy or
rules. Any action against the employee should
be proportionate.
51
Performance Issues
Where employees are permitted to use social
media during working hours or break times
employers may consider monitoring the time
spent to ensure it does not impact
performance. Constant access to social media
can be disruptive and lead to obsessive or
compulsive use. From a health and safety
perspective employees should still be
encouraged to take a proper break away from
their computers and this may have a particular
importance for remote workers. Any home
working policy should address this.
Confidential Information and Data
Protection
Employees have a duty to keep confidential
information private and should be reminded
that this also applies to posting information on
line. The use of ‘LinkedIn’ encourages
employees to create a list of business contacts
which could include customers or clients.
52
Any policy should address the proprietary
rights of the employer to customer contact lists
and cross refer to non solicitation and
confidentiality clauses. Use of personal
information may also give rise to breaches of
the Data Protection Act and employees should
be cautioned against publishing the private
details of clients, customers and colleagues.
Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination
One of the most publicised negative effects of
social media is the platform it provides for
bullying, discrimination and harassment.
Employees should be in no doubt that the use
of social media in this way amounts to the
same disciplinary offence as it would do if
conducted in person and the sanctions will the
same. They should also be made aware that
this is the case even where it occurs outside
working hours.
An employer may be held vicariously liable for
discrimination by employees during the course
of their employment and the victim can bring
claim against both employer and perpetrator.
It is incumbent upon employers to action in
these circumstances. Employers should
consider the appropriate sanction for such
offences but there is clear case law to support
that events online and outside working hours
may still constitute harassment warranting
dismissal. In Gosden v Lifeline Project Ltd
ET/2802731/2009 an employment tribunal
found that an employee was dismissed fairly
when he sent a racially offensive email from his
home computer to a colleague’s home
computer and in Teggart v TeleTech UK Limited
NIIT 00704/11 the tribunal held that an
employee who posted vulgar comments about
a colleague on his Facebook page was fairly
dismissed.
Monitoring and Privacy
There is a balance to be sought between an
employer’s wish to protect itself and the
employees’ right to privacy. Over-rigid rules
can invite non compliance and cause
resentment amongst employees. Employers
should reserve the right to monitor employee
communications and remove any expectation
of privacy. On the other hand an employee can
hardly expect to rely on a breach of privacy
when posting information on to an open
website.
Employers are entitled to carry out disciplinary
action for work-related misconduct that comes
to light via social media. In Gill v SAS Ground
Services UK Ltd [2009], an employer
discovered through Facebook that an
employee was at London Fashion Week when
she was claiming to be on sick leave. The
tribunal held the reason for dismissal to be fair.
Social Networking and Recruitment
The growing use of social media to advertise
and recruit has certain benefits. It’s fast, direct
and cheap. Where employers access online
information for the purposes of reaching a
decision they need to be aware that any
recording or use of this data may constitute the
processing of personal data for data
protections purposes. They should apply their
usual data protection policies to this
information. Employers should also be careful
to apply the principles of equal opportunities to
this information.
Protective Measures
• Issue company guidelines for use of social
media.
• Adopt a social media policy and carefully
cross reference it to other relevant policies
such as disciplinary, confidentiality and data
protection policies.
• Update restrictive covenants to reflect
ownership of clients and customers.
• Monitor company-related social media.
Mills Selig
Tel:
028 9024 3878
www.millsselig.com
One of the most publicised
negative effects of social
media is the platform it
provides for bullying,
discrimination and
harassment.
53
Linda Brown
Divisional Director
HR and Good Governance
All too often the Human Resources function in
an organisation – whether private, public or
third sector – is dismissed as relating only to
the hiring and firing of staff.
The Institute of Directors (IoD) however
recognises that HR and in particular the HR
Director has an important role to play in
ensuring that good governance is embedded
in every aspect of the organisation.
What does good governance mean for the
organisation?
The very nature of the term ‘good governance’
sounds like it might only concern leaders and
big companies, with ‘governance’ conjuring up
the notion of control, management and rulers.
But in fact it applies to everyone in every
organisation. It is about much more than just
doing things right; you also have to do the right
things.
Good governance involves everyone
understanding that there is a certain level of
conduct and ethics that all staff must comply
with. All leaders, managers and employees
need to know they are expected to act with
fairness and honesty, and to know the
difference between right and wrong. Clearly
defined values, ethos and mission statements
are often overlooked when considering what
makes good directors, but these allow
everyone in the company to have one common
voice.
Clearly a business cannot survive if everyone in
the company doesn’t tie into the same values
and ethos – hence the spate of corporate
scandals that contributed to the 2008
economic downturn and the governance
problems that currently afflict some
organisations in the public and private sector
(and Northern Ireland is not immune!). This is
why good corporate governance, therefore,
must extend to all employees, right across the
firm. The HR function has a role to play in
conveying the messages of good governance
throughout the organisation.
Clearly defined values, ethos and mission statements are often
overlooked when considering what makes good directors, but these
allow everyone in the company to have one common voice.
54
www.mullantraining.com
[email protected]
HR and the Board
It probably goes without saying that the HR
function is responsible for the induction,
training and development of the employees
within an organisation, but it should also be
recognised that this responsibility must also
apply to the very top of the organisation – the
Board. Strong principles and integrity must
come from the top and spread throughout the
organisation and if the leaders or directors are
not fully cognisant of their governance
responsibilities, then the likelihood of
governance failures is significantly increased.
The HR function should not hesitate to ensure
that members of the board – whether they be
executive or non-executive – are fully aware of
what good governance means for their
organisation. And yes, you can find plenty of
literature about the legal responsibilities, and
governance is included in the syllabus of many
business courses, but the IoD believes that it is
important for directors to have specific training
in what good governance means, with properly
qualified and experienced trainers.
Holding a qualification from a training course
that covers corporate governance is one step
that every director or leader can take. The
pinnacle of such training is the IoD’s Chartered
Director Programme. This six module course
covers the director’s legal responsibilities and
role in strategy, amongst other topics and
since the trainers are also experienced
directors themselves, they bring both the
theoretical and practical knowledge of the
boardroom. Much of the content is presented
in case study format.
Participants on the Programme sit two
examinations – the Certificate in Company
Direction (after module 5) and the Diploma in
Company Direction (after module 6). Having
covered the theory through the six modules,
any Diploma holders with sufficient, up to date
board experience can then present a portfolio
of that experience to a panel of interviewers for
a rigorous grilling. Successful candidates are
then awarded the coveted Chartered Director
status.
[email protected]
www.ballymena.gov.uk/ecos
Chartered Director is becoming increasingly
recognised as a desirable qualification for
board members – particularly by investors and
shareholders. In the view of the Institute, every
board should have at least one Chartered
Director amongst their number and this is
something that HR Directors and Managers
should be encouraging in their own
organisations. Several Northern Ireland
organisations like TotalMobile and Londonderry
Port already have several on board.
Is HR in the Boardroom?
As the function within the organisation that is in
regular communication with the whole
workforce, HR can exercise considerable
influence on the culture of the organisation and
thus contribute to good governance. However,
in discussions with the Chartered Institute for
Personnel & Development, the IoD has been
made aware that there is often a lack of HR
representation at boardroom level. This is
rather worrying due to the potential for a
disconnect between the leaders and the
workforce around good governance and
culture issues.
Where there is no HR Director, the Institute
would urge the organisation’s leaders to
ensure they have a mechanism for keeping up
to date on governance issues. The IoD helps
its members in this respect by providing free,
easily accessible information through our
online services including the new IoD Connect,
our Business Information Service that
members can access 25 times per year, and
the Advisory Service, through which members
can have up to four half hour sessions with one
of a bank of consultants retained by the
Institute. We also run a series of courses,
briefings and seminars both locally and
throughout the UK to keep Directors informed
on governance issues and to enable them to
network with their peers.
Good corporate governance and equipping
business leaders with the skills, knowledge
and network of contacts to enable their
business to grow are at the core of the Institute
of Directors’ activity. We would encourage HR
Directors and Managers to ensure that at least
one of their board is an IoD member.
Tel:
028 9068 3224
www.iodni.com
57
Paul Fieldhouse
Director
Hyperion Growth
Leadership Skills
– Just for the bosses?
For many years we have recruited new team
members solely on a skills basis; we need an
Engineer, Hairdresser or a Consultant; we
place the ad in the paper and await the
onslaught of CV’s and applications; we trawl
through looking for the best skilled at the job
and shortlist for interview; and we select the
candidate we think best fits our needs.
For ten years now research has told us that to
be successful in our personal and professional
lives we need emotional intelligence (EQ) and,
while our IQ is still important, research has
established clear links between specific
emotional skills and outstanding leadership
success.
However, within a short period of time we find
an individual who has no passion for work, is
tardy at time keeping, upsets others in the
team by not playing as a team member and is
aggressive and unwilling to go the extra mile
for the business – ever had that experience?
This research challenges the conventional
wisdom that good leaders use their authority to
dominate followers and tell them what to do by
enforcing compliance. The idea that effective
leaders can use their charismatic
personalities to manipulate others into
conformity, no longer works.
So my question, “Is Leadership just for the
bosses?” is based on many years of research
and examining the skills and behaviours
associated with great leadership, many of
which are simply about becoming a better
person.
Great leaders have the skills to manage their
emotions well and influence the emotions of
other people toward positive outcomes. In
other words, leaders must become masters of
mood and lead organisations that excite,
energise and enthuse their customers.
Optimism. Not just ‘the glass is half full’ kind, but optimism as a
strategy – as a way of dealing with difficulties and sensing
opportunities.
58
So what are these skills, can you really
measure them, and, more importantly, how can
people in business build them quickly and
cost-effectively?
Self-Reliance
The emotional power to accept responsibility,
back personal judgments and be self-reliant in
planning and making important decisions.
Self-Confidence
The ability to maintain self-respect and
personal confidence.
Self-Actualisation
People who know how to manage their
reserves of emotional energy and have
achieved an effective level of work/life balance.
They appear to thrive in setting challenging
personal and professional goals and their
enthusiasm is contagious.
Straightforwardness
People who are able to express their feelings,
thoughts and beliefs openly in a
straightforward way, while respecting the fact
that others may hold a different opinion or
expectation. They are comfortable challenging
the views of others and give clear messages.
Relationship Skills
The knack for characterisation by positive
expectations.
Optimism
Not just ‘the glass is half full’ kind, but
optimism as a strategy – as a way of dealing
with difficulties and sensing opportunities.
Emotionally intelligent people look on the
brighter side of life and sense opportunities
even in the face of adversity. They are resilient,
can see the big picture and where they are
going, and are able to focus on the
possibilities of what can be achieved.
Self-Knowing
Emotionally intelligent people are aware of their
emotional experience and have the capacity to
recognise how their feelings and emotions
impact on their personal opinions, attitudes
and judgments. In other words, they remain
open to discovering new things about
themselves and are not afraid to modify their
behavior.
Adaptability
The ability to adapt thinking, feelings and
actions in response to changing situations and
be tolerant of others, and receptive to new
ideas. In other words, they are champions of
change.
Empathy
This is the skill that enables a person to grasp
the emotional dimension of a business
situation and create resonant connections with
others. This is also the skill that makes talent
dance in an organisation.
Self-Control
Emotionally intelligent individuals have the
ability to manage their emotions well and
restrain their actions until they have time to
think rationally. They are able to stay calm in
stressful situations and maintain productivity
without losing control. This skill is critical to
building and maintaining a consistent
leadership presence and for becoming a
‘trusted advisor’ to people.
59
So when we look at these skills, wouldn’t it be
great if all of our team were continually working
to improve and develop themselves?
Development of these skills adds real
commercial value to the balance sheet, and
this value can be measured in any successful
business as emotional capital.
If emotional capital is the creative energy that
your people bring to work and the enthusiasm
that customers have for your company and
products, then emotional capitalists are
individuals who manage their own emotional
energy well and know how to inspire others to
create products, solve problems and deliver
superior service.
As individuals in your business grow and
develop these so called “soft skills” you will be
amazed to see the impact that they can have
on the people around them.
Building these skills is the key to attracting,
developing and retaining talent in any business
and the major source of competitive
advantage.
You can either research and plan activities in
each area to develop yourself and your teams
or you can contact us to arrange for your own
personal Emotional Capital assessment and
develop a specific action plan with our
executive coaches.
Of course the application is also highly
recommended to support your recruitment
process to ensure you eliminate the experience
we discussed at the beginning of this article.
Hyperion Growth
Tel:
07545 251095
www.hyperiongrowth.com
Development of these skills adds real commercial value to the
balance sheet, and this value can be measured in any successful
business as emotional capital.
60
Jillian Gilmore
Marketing Manager
Investors in People
You Are / I Am / We Are
Every good business is built on great people
Legal-Island – A Journey to Gold
The Business
Legal-Island is a multi-award winning
employment law training and information
company operating in both the Republic of
Ireland and Northern Ireland. Specialising in all
matters relevant to today’s work force in both
jurisdictions, every year Legal-Island calls on
the services of more than 100 lawyers and HR
experts to deliver large conferences, seminars
and in-house training, addressing key
developments relevant to the world of work.
Legal-Island’s objective is to make the life of
the HR professional as easy as possible by
providing them with different methods of
learning, from an up to the minute e-mail
service on all matters relevant to employment
law in the workplace to small and large scale
conferences.
Barry Philips, CEO, and
Jayne Finlay, MD,
pictured celebrating
Legal-Island’s latest
achievement of IiP
Bronze in Belfast Castle
along with the
Department for
Employment and
Learning’s Permanent
Secretary, Derek Baker.
61
The Need
The Journey
In order for Legal-Island to have effective sales
and provide the best service to its clients, the
Antrim-based company needed its people to
be appropriately skilled and well-engaged.
The Investors in People framework provided
Legal-Island with a starting point for
improvement. Jayne Finlay, Managing Director,
explains how Legal Island’s IiP journey began:
“At first, it was all very new to everyone. I was
impressed that the IiP framework was able to
show us what great would look like. That gave
us something to strive for. With buy-in across
our small team and staff, it would be fair to say
that at this stage of the process I led the
journey for our first recognition in 2009.”
Back in 2008, with 15 people, Legal-Island
knew that it could be doing things better. It was
clear that the organisation was lacking in
processes and it wanted some help to make
sure that processes didn’t just improve, but
that they would be great. Investors in People
was sought out as the tool to help ensure
people were at the heart of Legal-Island’s
business success.
Staff now feel valued and
have gained a clear insight
into the company… It was
obvious that staff began to
see this for themselves and
work as a team, as an
organisation, as Legal-Island,
together. This was a huge
shift and something senior
management is so proud of.
62
“Investors in People has helped
ensure we work to a number of
important values – for both the
business and our 18 members of staff:
Integrity, Quality, Responsive, Fresh
Thinking, Passion, People
Development and Business
Relationships. Investors in People
challenges us to be the best we can
be, providing invaluable support and
making us really evaluate the way we
do business.”
Jayne Finlay Managing Director of Legal-Island
Work Smarter, Make a Difference
Investors in People Contribution
The Journey to Gold…
Investors in People started a positive chain of
events for Legal-Island, which has just kept
going. A restructuring exercise took place and
the IiP framework provided the themes that
were essential to address, like leadership and
management, culture and communication, and
staff involvement.
After the award-winning company achieved
Bronze accreditation, it was like Legal-Island
stepped up a gear and the whole team got on
board, realising how this new concept was
having a positive impact. Jayne adds:
“Gaining Bronze accreditation gave us all the
confidence to aim higher and strive for Gold.
Our journey to Gold has been the best part so
far. This is when people really embraced
Investors in People. It was fascinating to see.
We had a project team, with four staff who all
volunteered and led IiP projects. It was very
much the team driving it and I have been so
proud of their efforts and success.”
Engaging with staff is something that has
greatly improved through Legal-Island’s IiP
journey. “Staff now feel valued and have
gained a clear insight into the company,”
Jayne adds. “It was obvious that staff began to
see this for themselves and work as a team, as
an organisation, as Legal-Island, together. This
was a huge shift and something senior
management is so proud of.”
Jayne describes how the IiP framework was
something that they could continuously refer
back to and how it helped the team maintain
good standards of practice, and then build on
them: “The IiP framework makes you focus on
management practices and makes you look at
all areas of your business. What else can
provide that for you? Investors in People lays a
path out and provides you with the stretch, but
it’s not prescriptive, you can make it fit your
business.”
Jayne then describes how the team started to
take ownership of Investors in People: “After we
achieved IiP for the first time, there was a buzz
around work and at our review, people were
much more appreciative of why we were trying
to extend our IiP accreditation. We achieved
Bronze at that stage and we were really proud
of that. There was still more we could do,
though; Legal-Island could still make
improvements. Business-wise we were doing
well in the market, but we needed to ensure we
were continuously striving to be the best. IiP
has most definitely and will most definitely
always be a journey for us, with continuous
improvement the focus and our people at the
heart of what we do.”
“There was so much enthusiasm and
motivation”, explains Jayne, “Staff came up
with the idea to have in-house workshops
about how we can make Legal-Island an even
better place to work and even better for our
clients. They each took specific themes from
the IiP framework and divided staff into areas
of the business so all sections were involved.
They translated the elements of IiP into LegalIsland terms and made the whole process
informal and suited to our organisation. As a
result, there was excellent understanding of the
organisation, its policies, procedures and
future improvement – from everyone. What was
also impressive is rather than just highlighting
a challenge, the ethos became: so what would
you suggest?”
The Investors in People
framework provided
Legal-Island with a starting
point for improvement.
63
An Investors in People Community
Impact
The NI Investors in People Centre has always
encouraged organisations with IiP to help
others, to network and share their own
experiences. This really means something to
businesses – “They did it, so can we”, or, “We
did it, so can you”. Organisations are so
different – sectors, sizes, markets, regions, but
people are at the centre of all businesses and
the people issues and challenges are
surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, always
similar.
Investors in People has been undoubtedly
beneficial for Legal-Island, particularly for staff
personal development. It has helped to
motivate staff and there is now a greater sense
of pride within Legal-Island. Values are clear
and embraced.
Legal-Island’s approach was to get in touch
with a local organisation who had already
achieved IiP Gold, NACCO Materials Handling
Ltd, to get initial advice. NACCO was a
completely different organisation to LegalIsland, much larger and manufacturing based,
but this provided some different perspectives
for Jayne and the team.
Seal of Approval
Legal-Island now uses IiP as a marketing tool.
“We really value our IiP journey and the
benefits it’s brought us,” says Jayne. “As a
small company we want to be known for being
great. Through IiP accreditation, we have that
stamp, a seal of approval, that we are
competitive and competent; a company that
invests and invests well in its staff.
“We consider Investors in People a
very beneficial award to have
achieved, it has had real impact; it
isn’t just a plaque on the wall.”
Barry Philips Chief Executive of Legal-Island
64
Recruitment has also been easier, Jayne
explains: “Investors in People has definitely
helped us attract good candidates. We have a
leaflet called Here’s the Deal which we put into
recruitment packs. It outlines what Legal-Island
is about, our values and expectations. We
included some IiP evidence requirements in
the leaflet to make sure we get the right people
from the off.”
“I am very happy to champion IiP”, continues
Jayne, “It allows stretch, challenges us further
and keep us on our toes with continuous
improvement. IiP gave us confidence that we
were a good organisation and with each level
of IiP we achieved, it gave us more confidence
and motivation to keep going, to be even
better. Our Assessor saw potential in our
organisation. He saw things we didn’t even
realise we were good at and told us what else
we had the potential to do – this was invaluable
and we jumped at that. We took a ‘stepping
stones’ approach to ensure we could reach
each level, bit by bit, but now we’re ready for
Gold.”
Legal-Island is a multi-award
winning employment law
training and information
company operating in both
the Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland.
Golden Sights
Legal-Island says: “Do it!”
It’s a case of ‘watch this space’ with LegalIsland now as they prepare for their Gold
assessment. Achieving Gold level at IiP is an
excellent achievement for any organisation. It
marks an organisation as world class,
representing the top 3.6% of the UK workforce.
Investors in People accreditation is an excellent
achievement for any organisation. It is an
honour to have, and a great tool to use.
Jayne concludes: “Gold will stretch us, it’s a
huge jump from the IiP Core Standard, but
we’re up for it. We have the confidence now
and all staff are fully on board. The accolade is
what we want. We are proud to be Investors in
People. We want to be first class and having
this external stamp – we think the best stamp,
it proves that for us. Achieving IiP builds on our
reputation and has been excellent for business
all round. We want people and businesses to
look at us and say: ‘Legal Island with just 18
employees got IiP Gold, that’s amazing!’ We
want that respect. Investors in People is really
all about people development, but it reaps
rewards for the business too. It’s a win-win.”
Evidence requirements for each Investors in
People level are:
Core Standard
39 evidence requirements
Bronze
65 evidence requirements (39 core + 26 additional)
Silver
Gold
Legal-Island recommends Investors in People
because:
• It puts things into a manageable
framework.
• You can revisit it and keep striving for
continuous improvement.
• It encourages everyone to grow their
abilities.
• It’s a brilliant motivator, it helps keep you
on track.
• It ensures what you are doing as a
business is right for your people.
• It matches your business and people
together for overall benefits.
• It brings your people with you.
An Expert Eye
Our independent assessment process offers
valuable insight for leaders by pointing the way
to improvements.
Proven Methods… Proven Results
Our world-class methodology gives you
access to best-practice people management
tools and resources.
Universal Kudos
Our accreditation signals to customers and
employees a commitment to investing in
people.
Investors in People
Tel:
028 9090 5338
www.investorsinpeople.co.uk
65
Alastair Luke
Stakeholder Engagement Officer
Inspiring the Next Generation
Young Enterprise NI works to ensure that
Northern Ireland’s young people are equipped
and ready to enter the real world of
employment or self-employment after
education.
With a range of programmes available to
young people aged 4-25 through all levels of
education. Young Enterprise NI delivers a
comprehensive experience of business,
employment and self-employment. This
experience comes from a mix of curriculum
driven business programmes and real world
66
advice from the business volunteers who lend
their time to help in the delivery of these
inspirational programmes.
Young Enterprise NI and Legal-Island have
enjoyed a very productive relationship since
the first Legal-Island member volunteered in
November 2010. Over the years, Legal-Island
volunteers have worked across a range of
Primary and Post-Primary programmes, as well
special Industry Masterclass events and
residential programmes.
Volunteering has its challenges when added on
top of the hustle and bustle of a daily workload,
however with the support of an employer like
Legal-Island, volunteering has been proven to
be hugely beneficial not just to the young
people experiencing the programmes, but to
the individual volunteers and their
organisations.
Volunteering has been recognised as a hugely
positive experience, especially in terms of
personal development and job satisfaction.
A survey of Young Enterprise NI volunteers saw
more than 80% report an increase in
confidence, motivation and teamwork skills.
These are essential skills that can equally
benefit the professional and personal life of the
volunteer. The survey also found volunteers
developing essential business skills in
communication, coaching, mentoring and
presentation.
Real Business Benefits
Graeme Finegan is Managing Director of
Grounded Espresso Bars and a Young
Enterprise NI volunteer. Volunteering as a
business adviser on the Company Programme,
a guest speaker at an Entrepreneurship
Masterclass, as well as assisting in the delivery
of Young Enterprise programmes in primary
schools, he said of his experience: “It has
definitely boosted my morale. It’s amazing fun!
It’s great to promote enterprise and I hope that
I can encourage young people to start up their
own businesses in the future. The ideas they
come up with are amazing – even during a
recession! It really does give you hope for the
next generation. I’ve got loads of satisfaction
from volunteering with Young Enterprise. As
well as that, it’s developed my public speaking
abilities, and really helped my confidence.”
It has definitely boosted my morale. It’s amazing fun! It’s great to
promote enterprise and I hope that I can encourage young people to
start up their own businesses in the future.
67
Young Enterprise NI has a long history of
developing top young business talent. Lorraine
McAleer is an alumnus of the Young Enterprise
NI Company Programme. Working as a group,
her team from Loreto Grammar School in
Omagh developed a product, created a
business plan and went on to sell their item to
the general public. Creating her product,
personalised “Letters to Santa”, and the
experience of setting up and running the
business under the mentorship of a business
volunteer gave Lorraine the skills and
confidence to create her own business.
Completing the Company Programme in 1998,
Lorraine went on to found Learning SPACE an
educational toy shop in Belfast City Centre.
Now employing 12 people, she runs the
successful business and manages to spare the
time to volunteer with Young Enterprise NI.
Lorraine said, “I’ve seen the benefit of Young
Enterprise programmes personally, while at
school. I enjoyed it greatly, and it developed
my character. I have a teaching background,
and I love volunteering, as it’s a great
opportunity to get back into the classroom!”
68
“I’ve received loads of personal satisfaction
from positive feedback from young people
coming up to me afterwards and saying how
they’ve enjoyed my presentations. It’s great to
think that I’ve inspired them.”
Speaking on the benefits of volunteering with
Young Enterprise for her own business Lorraine
said, “There are great PR and networking
opportunities and lots of positive publicity after
winning the Alumni of the Year award.”
Opportunities for Everyone
Young Enterprise NI has developed a range of
programmes for each year group aged from
4-25. Working in 80% of post-primary schools,
Young Enterprise is able to provide its
volunteers with opportunities that are
convenient and close to home or work.
Volunteers will receive full training in their
chosen programme prior to entering the
classroom.
These opportunities include half day sessions
from our post-primary suite of programmes.
These normally involve attending a session
with a Young Enterprise NI trainer, assisting in
the delivery of the programme and giving some
insight into the real world of employment or
self-employment based on the volunteer’s
personal experience.
There are also opportunities through our
Primary Programme suite including half-day
sessions delivered over a period of six weeks.
Also available are business adviser
opportunities where a volunteer will mentor a
group of students that is working to set up and
run their own real-life business through Young
Enterprise NI. This may involve a weekly one
hour session where the volunteer will advise
and direct the company with the opportunity to
sell to the public at a Young Enterprise NI Trade
Fair and to enter the Company of the Year
Competition. Business Advisors will mentor
either through the Company Programme,
which runs for the length of the academic year,
or the QuickStart programme which is a
condensed 12 week programme.
THE
CORPORATE
CHALLENGE
Making a Difference, igniting the spark
Young Enterprise NI is proud to have worked
with Legal-Island volunteers for the last three
years, and would be keen to hear from any
previous or prospective volunteers who may be
interested in getting involved for the 2013-14
academic year. Igniting the spark of creative
entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland’s young
people will help to develop the next generation
of business leaders and secure an
economically bright future for Northern Ireland.
To get involved please contact, 028 9032 7003
or email [email protected]. Visit
www.yeni.co.uk or connect with Young
Enterprise NI on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn
for more information.
Tel:
028 9032 7003
www.yeni.co.uk
Million Makers is a Corporate Challenge
which tasks teams of employees to set up
their own mini enterprise and turn a seed
IXQGLQWRDIXQGUDLVLQJSUR¿WZLWKLQ
6 months, to help young people turn their
lives around.
Engage, inspire and motivate your staff
Encourage staff to develop
transferable skills such as leadership,
decision making and communication
Cut the cost of training whilst
delivering continued personal
development
Be socially responsible and raise your
SXEOLFSUR¿OH
If you think your company has what it takes
to be a Million Maker
T: 028 9089 5019
E: [email protected]
Maxine Orr
Partner (Employment Law)
Worthingtons Commercial Solicitors
Common Questions
from Employers
When is an employer liable for the sexual
harassment committed by its employees in
the course of their employment?
Article 42(3) of the Sex Discrimination
(Northern Ireland) Order 1976 states that “in
proceedings brought under this order against
any person in respect of an act alleged to have
been done by an employee of his it shall be a
defence for that person to prove that he took
such steps as were reasonably practicable to
prevent the employee from doing that act, or
from doing in the course of his employment
acts of that description”. The case law states
that the test is:
• What steps were taken?
• Were there any further steps that were
reasonably practicable that should have
been taken and could have been taken by
that respondent?
• It is the employer’s responsibility to show
that such steps were taken.
In a recent Tribunal case in Northern Ireland
(Noeleen McAleenon v Autism Initiatives NI), the
Tribunal held that an employer was liable for
the acts of harassment from a male employee
to a female employee and specifically stated,
“It is not enough for an employer to have a
harassment policy, no matter how robust,
70
without ensuring that it is actually carried out in
practice and comprises part of the fabric of the
organisation. In this case senior members of
staff were on notice that the harasser engaged
in jokes, banter and hugging which could have
amounted to sexual harassment depending on
the circumstances and the response of the
victim. Under the Dignity at Work Policy there
was a proactive duty on managers to intervene
before problems escalated. The opportunity
could and should have been taken to remind
the employee of his obligations under the
Dignity at Work Policy to ensure that it did not
escalate into behaviour which would constitute
sexual harassment in any circumstances,
namely in particular, patting the Claimant on
the bottom and an uninvited enquiry about her
sex life”.
The Tribunal went further and stated that “This
case illustrates the danger of an employer not
being proactive in circumstances where
members of staff are known to engage in
physical contact; the invasion of someone’s
space; and to engage in banter which would
be construed as sexual harassment.
There is a proactive duty on employers to
intervene in such circumstances to ensure that
policies are being adhered to in practice as it is
well recognised that it can be difficult for a
woman to raise a complaint about behaviour
she finds unwelcome or offensive especially if
there is a prevailing culture of acceptance of
such behaviour”.
The Tribunal awarded £12,293, as the Claimant
had resigned and claimed constructive
dismissal as well as sexual harassment.
How does an employer manage competing
rights in the workplace? For example the
religious beliefs of an employee which
commonly conflict with the rights of gay
people not to be discriminated against.
This issue was recently before the Court of
Appeal in England and arose in the context of
a homosexual couple being refused entry to a
double room in a bed and breakfast due to the
owner’s Christian beliefs about marriage. The
Court of Appeal also looked at a case were two
civil partners were prevented from taking up
their booking of a double room in a
guesthouse because the owners had a policy
of only allowing married heterosexual couples
to sleep in the same bed due to their devout
Christianity. The Court of Appeal held that it
was direct discrimination. This matter is the
subject of an appeal to the Supreme Court to
consider whether or not this amounts to direct
or indirect discrimination in the bed and
breakfast requirement. A crucial difference
between direct and indirect discrimination is
that indirect discrimination can be justified
however direct discrimination cannot be and
we await their decision.
The issue of “competing rights” was also
considered in four cases that the European
Court dealt with.
The case of Nadia Eweida, a BA Check-In
Worker won her appeal at the European Court
which stated that she had the right to wear a
cross at work. However the Court stated that
this was a “limited” right. Indeed, a registrar
who refused to conduct civil partnerships and
the councillor who refused to counsel gay
couples, both on the grounds of their religious
beliefs, did not win their cases. The Court
stated that there was a justified and
proportionate interference with the religious
rights of a nurse to wear a cross around her
neck for health and safety reasons. However, it
was not in the case of the British Airways
worker who was refused permission to wear a
cross and that BA had placed too high an
importance on the uniform policy and that
other employees that wore religious clothing
such as turbans or the hijab had not been
requested to do likewise.
The Court stated that the right to religious
freedom is subject to “such limitations as are
prescribed by law and are necessary in a
democratic society in the interest of public
safety, for the protection of public order, health
or morals or for the protection of rights and
freedom of others”. Therefore each issue must
be determined on its own individual facts and
the Tribunals and Courts will consider the
policies and procedures of the employer in the
workplace and how others are treated along
with the need to exercise a balance.
This is a very difficult issue and often
employers are placed in difficult positions.
Indeed, the European Court in the Eweida case
stated that the Courts in England had failed to
completely balance interests in the case
adequately.
Employers with concerns should always take
professional legal advice to avoid costly and
time-consuming litigation.
Worthingtons Solicitors
Tel:
028 9043 4015
www.worthingtonslaw.co.uk
71
Aisling Byrne
Associate Solicitor (Employment Department)
TUPE
– Differences north and south
TUPE is a complex area for many HR
practitioners and employers. For businesses
operating on both sides of the border the
subject becomes even more complicated,
given the different TUPE legislative regimes
North and South. Although legislation in both
jurisdictions is derived from European
Directives (originally in 1997 and now Directive
2001/23/EC), member states have been given
a certain degree of latitude in relation to how
they implement the Directive. Therefore,
although similar in many respects, there are
some notable differences in the implementing
legislation which businesses should be mindful
of when faced with a potential cross border
transfer situation.
The applicable legislation in Northern Ireland is
the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of
Employment) Regulations 2006 and the
Service Provision Change (Protection of
Employment) Regulations (Northern Ireland)
2006 – “NI legislation”. In the Republic of
Ireland the relevant legislation is the European
Communities (Protection of Employment
Employees on Transfer of Undertakings)
Regulations 2003 as amended by the
Employees (Provision of Information and
Consultation) Act 2006 – “ROI Legislation”.
72
Key Differences
1 Definition of “Relevant transfer”
Both the ROI and NI legislation provide that a
relevant transfer occurs when there is a
transfer of an economic entity that retains its
identity. However, the NI legislation includes a
more liberal definition of a relevant transfer by
expressly providing that a transfer applies on a
“service provision change”.
The position in relation to service provision
changes in the Republic of Ireland is less
certain given that there is no express reference
in the ROI legislation to a “service provision
change”. The question as to whether a
particular service provision change constitutes
a relevant transfer in the Republic of Ireland
has been left to the Irish Courts to decide with
the result that there is a great deal of
uncertainty in relation to contracting out.
Both the ROI and NI
legislation provide that a
relevant transfer occurs when
there is a transfer of an
economic entity that retains
its identity.
2 Information and Consultation Provisions
4 Provision of Employee Liability Information
In the Republic of Ireland employee
representatives must be given details of the
reason for the transfer, the date of the
proposed transfer and the legal, economic and
social implications for employees not later than
30 days before the transfer date.
The ROI legislation provides that the transferor
shall notify the transferee of all rights and
obligations arising from a contract of
employment existing on the date of a transfer.
In Northern Ireland, the obligation is to inform
and consult and provide information “long
enough before the transfer to enable
consultation will take place”.
Consultation is only required in both
jurisdictions where measures are envisaged.
Whilst in practice consultation in both
jurisdictions would in all likelihood commence
at least 30 days before the transfer, there may
be situations where businesses will need to
operate to a tighter timescale and the NI
timescale could afford more flexibility.
3 Right to Object to the Transfer
The NI legislation expressly provides that
employees have the right to refuse to transfer
to another employer. The NI legislation goes on
to state that where an employee so objects,
the transfer shall terminate their contract of
employment with the transferor but they are not
treated as having been dismissed by the
transferor. The NI legislation therefore makes
the position very clear in relation to dismissal
and it is also evident that there will be no
redundancy payment entitlement.
The ROI legislation is silent on the issue with
the result that the legal effect of an employee’s
objection to the transfer has been left for a
determination by ROI Tribunals and Courts.
The NI legislation is more specific and detailed
in providing that the transferor must notify the
transferee of ELI in relation to transferring
employees at least 14 days before the Transfer.
ELI means information in relation to the:
• Identity and age of the employee;
• Statutory Particulars of employment that an
employer is obliged to give an employee;
• Information in relation to any disciplinary or
grievance procedure taken against or by an
employee within the previous two years;
• Information in relation to any Court or
Tribunal Case, claim or action brought by
the employee against the Transferor within
the previous two years or that the transferor
has reasonable grounds to believe that an
employee may bring against the transferee
arising out of the employee’s employment
with the transferor; and
• Information in relation to any collective
agreement which will have effect after the
transfer.
In practice, however, in many standard
business transfer situations the information will
be furnished via the legal due diligence
process. The NI ELI requirement is also of
limited use given that the information can be
furnished so close to the transfer date (14
days).
… the NI legislation includes a more liberal definition of a relevant
transfer by expressly providing that a transfer applies on a “service
provision change”.
73
5 Pension Rights
The transfer of rights relating to occupational
pension schemes is excluded under both the
NI and ROI legislation.
However, NI employers have some obligations
in relation to occupational pension schemes
that will transfer so that a transferee must
provide a minimal level of pension provision,
depending on the type of scheme (for example
in a defined contribution occupational pension
scheme, the buyer must match employee’s
contributions up to 6% of basic pay). Under the
ROI legislation the transferee is under no
obligation to continue contributions to the
transferring employee.
In both jurisdictions the pensions exception
does not apply to other benefits under an
occupational pension scheme that are not old
age in validity or survivors benefits. For
example, It has been held that the right to be
considered for early retirement benefits can
transfer.
To summarise, TUPE is a complicated subject.
Failure to follow TUPE can lead to costly and
time consuming claims. If you are facing a
potential transfer situation take advice at an
early stage!
Tel:
028 9024 3141
www.cfrlaw.co.uk
www.cfrlaw.co.uk
[email protected]
74
[email protected]
Angela Schettino
Senior HR Consultant
The Landscape for HR
in 2014 and Beyond
For those of you who, like us at thinkpeople
Consulting, sometimes enjoy pondering the
future when considering your place in the HR
world, we decided to use a little column space
to consider for a moment the changing
landscape we find ourselves in as HR
practitioners.
The Legal Terrain
Firstly, it would be remiss of us to omit
mentioning the changing legislative landscape.
Elsewhere in the Yearbook you will find articles
about the ever increasing divergence and
comparative Employment Law issues across
NI, ROI and the UK. At the time of writing we,
as a local HR Consultancy, have been
considering the DEL Summer 2013
Consultation on a range of extremely key
issues here in NI, such as the potential for early
resolution of workplace disputes, the potential
to change the qualifying period for unfair
dismissal to two years, potential amendments
to consultation periods for collective
redundancies and the rules attached to the
handling of compromise agreements as well
as some clarification on the law relating to
public interest disclosures.
Consider for yourself what role you have
played in understanding, but more importantly
influencing how the legislative framework
develops. Recent DEL consultations have been
far reaching and touch all organisations
regardless of size or sector. Can we afford to
be absent from the discussion? Ask yourself:
‘Are you a silent observer or a campaigner
for what works well in practice for employers
and employees?’ Democracy is a beautiful
thing, but it depends upon the people having a
voice.
HR practitioners, are you making yourselves
heard?
Creating a committed and
engaged workforce requires
being honest about the time
and resources you invest in
managing a complex mix of
factors…
75
The New Technology Psychology
As we see it, there are two other major factors
which are converging to make life very
interesting in HR right now and in the coming
years. We call these factors quite simply, ‘the
new Technologies’ and ‘the new Psychology’ or
the new Technology Psychology for short!
thinkpeople Consulting Ltd are a highly
respected, Belfast based, HR and
Leadership Development Consultancy.
They have a reputation for excellence
and a pragmatic, no nonsense
approach to delivering expertly and
expediently for their clients. Delivering
across NI, the UK and the US to a client
base from the private, public and third
sectors, thinkpeople provide support to
strategic HR and people development
projects, one-off HR projects and
ongoing retained support.
A wide range of HR services are
available, including change
management projects, leadership
development and skills growth
programmes, bespoke training
solutions, people development and
talent management, and the nuts and
bolts of people management
(outsourced HR), including
employment contracts, handbook
and policy implementation,
operational HR support and discipline
and grievance handling.
161 Ravenhill Road, Belfast, BT6 0BQ
Tel 07917 150015
Email [email protected]
For a free consultation
contact us at
[email protected]
or visit our website at
www.thinkpeople.co.uk
In essence, the technology now available in the
form of new generation tablets, smart phones,
social media, modern professional networking
and so on, has fundamentally shifted the way
we can communicate with each other and
reach our clients and service users. It has
changed employee behaviours and
expectations with regard to how they now
network professionally and search for jobs as
well as how employees now expect to be able
to distance work, network and share
information with their colleagues and clients.
Commentators and researchers tell us that
employee ‘psychology’ has also been
impacted on by changes in modern media,
communication techniques and changes in the
economic environment. New generation
employees have greater expectations of
‘grown up dialogue’ with their employers, of
greater flexibility and balance in the way they
work, they are more socially aware and value
employers who allow them to engage in forms
of corporate social responsibility, as well as
cleaner and more efficient ways to use energy
and travel.
We must therefore adapt the way in which we
practice HR…
As HR practitioners we often bemoan the lack
of value placed on our function by our more
commercially or financially minded
counterparts. Take a moment to consider the
far reaching impact HR can have if we are able
to harness the ‘new Technology Psychology’
appropriately for our own organisations. There
is potential here for far reaching impact on how
we optimise the employer / employee
relationship for the greater good of our
organisation and the people in it. In the same
way that we should be at the forefront of the
campaign to influence legislative changes, we
have a responsibility to ensure the ‘survival’ of
our organisations by ensuring we adapt.
The Technology Psychology is moving
quickly, we suggest HR people, that we need
to get moving with it!
Harnessing new Technology in HR practice
We share some of the examples of how
creating internal ‘social networking’ strategies
alone can provide your organisation with a
‘competitive’ edge. Further examples are
shared in the CIPD research on this topic:
CIPD Social Media the Current Landscape
2013.
Induction: An online community can be
created for new and recently employed
employees which helps them adapt to the new
organisation and its culture. Information and
signposting, as well as chat and discussion
features allow them to help each other
navigate their initial experiences. It is
suggested that this will be an invaluable tool in
consolidating the psychological contract
between employee and employer early on.
Employee Voice: Taking Employee voice to the
next level by allowing employees to share
ideas and express views via internal social
media. Companies such as Saleforce.com use
their ‘Chatter’ forum to do so and report
astounding improvements in engagement
levels.
Internal Communication: Internal social
networks allow for two-way, or in some cases,
multi-way conversations between people who
couldn’t normally collaborate with each other.
Internal networks can stimulate engaging
conversations from all levels of the
organisation, from the executive board to frontline employees. In addition, social media
platforms can ‘promote leadership
transparency by conducting regular Q and A
sessions online or having leaders comment on
different employees’ statuses’. It is predicted
that larger companies will be reliant on this form
of communication within the coming five years.
Learning and Training: Learning can now be
hugely enhanced via social channels such as
blogs, webcasts, podcasts, videos and ‘wikis’.
Thinkpeople bespoke Management and
Leadership programmes are now enhanced by
the ability to allow delegates to access
podcasts and webinars remotely, maximising
their time in front of the trainer.
Career Development: We are familiar now with
LinkedIn. This kind of technology is being used
to allow employees to create and maintain their
own organisational profiles in house, assisting
them in managing their own careers and
making them more visible for internal
promotion or development opportunity.
Reward and Recognition: We know that
personal recognition is a highly valued form of
recognition for employees and can be done at
no cost! Part of the in house social networking
strategy can now include the opportunity to
showcase and recognise employee’s
achievements. This is an extremely visible form
of employee recognition given it can be seen
by all employees regardless of their location
and builds upon the ‘employee of the month’
concept.
Harnessing new Psychology through
providing ‘Good Work’
In looking for research which brings together a
number of ‘new Psychology’ concepts around
engagement, social corporate responsibility
and psychological contracts, we came across
the Work Foundation concept of ‘Good Work’.
Take a moment to consider
the far reaching impact HR
can have if we are able to
harness the ‘new Technology
Psychology’ appropriately for
our own organisations.
77
They introduce the concept of providing ‘good
work for all’, where the quality of working life
and the effectiveness of organisations
converge. In his 2012 report Professor Stephen
Bevan, Director of the Centre for Workforce
Effectiveness, outlined a framework for this
which can be used to consider future HR
practice, as follows:
1. Meaning and purpose
What work means is personal to each
individual and is made up of a range of factors
which change over a working lifetime so, as an
employer, you cannot assume you know what
those are: you need to ask. Leaders have an
important role in conveying organisational
purpose in a way that goes beyond financial
value to encompass customers and social
value as well. Don’t leave it too long to repeat
these messages.
2. The explicit employment ‘deal’
The powerful and growing trend towards
greater transparency of rewards offers the
opportunity to establish what is considered fair
within the organisation, create clarity about pay
structures and set out shared values, in a way
which builds trust. Pay structure transparency
must be assessed regularly.
3. The implicit employment ‘deal’
This refers to experience of work on a day-today basis, not what is captured in the formal
contract, but is implicit in the expectations,
processes, values and relationships in the
workplace. Making the connection to the
purpose of the organisation, and their part in it,
is the basis of engaging employees’ best
efforts. Make engagement mean something
more than just a staff survey score. Creating a
committed and engaged workforce requires
being honest about the time and resources
you invest in managing a complex mix of
factors, including:
78
• Flexibility – giving employees scope to
manage their time better, including the
balance between life at home and at work.
• Autonomy – providing a level of discretion
and self-governance over how they do their
job.
• Employee voice – involving employees in
decisions which affect them, and in how
they can improve their work and the
effectiveness of the organisation.
• Development and personal growth –
offering the opportunity to learn new things.
“The recent financial crisis crystallised
a lot of profound concerns about how
we do business… but the bigger trend
is how ‘good work’ can be at the heart
of high performance organisations.
Whether as an individual or as an
organisation, it is a key ingredient in
creating the winners of tomorrow.”
Alan Parker Chairman, Good Work Commission
We believe that we are faced with a great
opportunity to make some radical
transformational changes in HR practice.
Rather a lot of what we suggest for the future is
about taking a risk… having the confidence to
open up communication channels, take a step
back from traditional command and control
approaches and moving to a more modern,
‘grown up’ working dialogue.
As HR practitioners, now and in the future, we
have the complex job of providing the
mechanisms upon which to build this
approach. We think we are up for the
challenge. We hope you do too.
thinkpeople Consulting Limited
Tel:
07917 150015
Useful Contacts
for HR Professionals
HR Contacts
Page 80
This handy list contains contact details for the
following range of useful services which are
relevant to your workplace:
Employment Lawyers
Page 91
This section of the directory outlines a
comprehensive list of Northern Irish law firms
who specialise in employment law.
Cleaning/Hygiene Services
Communications
Document & Data Destruction
Government Departments
Health & Safety Services
Healthcare
HR Consultants/Trainers
Occupational Health
Office Design
Recruitment Agencies
Software/Systems
Waste Disposal
Inside this Yearbook you will find some of the best coaches, trainers
and professionals in the business, saving you time, effort and
finances in finding a source of ‘useful people’ to help, assist and
guide you.
79
A Star Cleaning
AB Cleaning
Abbey Clean Care
Abbey Window Cleaning Services
ABC Cleaning Services
AJM Cleaners
Amazing Grace’s Cleaning Services
Angel-Touch
Belfast Contract Cleaners Ltd
Bell Cleaning & Support Services
Bilcat Cleaning Services
Causeway Cleaning
CGM Cleaning Services
Classic Cleaning
Classique Cleaning Services
Clean Vision Window Cleaning
Cleanwell Group
Cleanwell Professional
Crosshill Carpet Services
Dial A Clean Ltd
Diamond Bright Cleaning Services
DTF Cleaning Services
Dungannon Window Cleaners
Dust 2 Shine
Eagle Eye Cleaning Services
Finaghy Cleaning
Fresh Cleaning
Housekeepers & Go-Getters
Inside ’N’ Out
Island Cleaning
MAC Clean (NI) Ltd
Manor Cleaning Services
Maurice Walker
MG Cleaning Services
Mount Charles Cleaning Ltd
Mullen Cleaning Services
Newbrook
Newtownabbey Cleaning Services
80
Magherafelt
07591 404885
Carrickfergus
07980 265097
Ballyclare
07791 163955
Newtownabbey
07881 956617
Belfast
07745 411625
Newtownards
07955 547549
Limavady
028 7776 7660
Belfast
028 9028 3531
Lisburn
028 9024 9240
Ballymena
028 2587 8056
Belfast
0845 5049999
Belfast
028 7034 8034
Craigavon
028 3844 9478
Lisburn
028 9264 8893
Ballymoney
028 2766 3320
Belfast
07522 126730
Belfast
028 9043 6950
Newtownards
07710 059942
Crumlin
028 9433 0677
Newtownards
028 9124 6817
Belfast
028 9048 6100
Belfast
07763 983199
Dungannon
07796 416463
Portrush
07840 571867
Craigavon
028 3886 8723
Belfast
028 9002 2818
Coleraine
07855 042125
Donaghadee
07828 502009
Holywood
07773 203242
Belfast
028 9002 4856
Belfast
028 9002 3505
Dungannon
07518 448477
Ballymoney
07803 264353
Craigavon
028 3834 2576
Belfast
028 9032 0070
Belfast
07776 603689
Newry
07595 343066
Newtownabbey
028 9002 5522
Pristine Cleaning NI
QCS Contract Cleaning
Revive
Robinson Services Ltd
Servicepro Cleaning
Shine Services
Splish Splash Window Cleaning
The Cleaning Agency
W 2 W Wall Cleaning Services
Works Cleaning
Young’s Cleaning
Dungannon
028 8776 9085
Belfast
07515 891718
Belfast
028 9500 5824
Belfast
028 9075 1000
Craigavon
028 3834 5940
Antrim
028 9442 9717
Ballynahinch
028 9756 2928
Newry
07707 880456
Bangor
07547 365244
Downpatrick
07780 651526
Belfast
07709 450026
Belfast
028 9044 7102
Magherafelt
028 7946 5365
Belfast
028 9078 6868
Belfast
0800 058 2855
Newtownabbey
028 9505 3053
Portglenone
082 2582 0968
Omagh
028 8283 9012
Dungannon
028 8778 9100
Ballymena
028 2563 8888
Drumquin
028 8283 1111
Antrim
028 9448 5422
Bangor
028 9185 7777
Belfast
028 9037 9000
Newry
028 3026 7108
Bangor
028 9147 7869
Belfast
028 9077 0055
Newtownabbey
028 9508 8932
Craigavon
028 3834 1449
Craigavon
028 3834 1449
Newtownabbey
028 9500 5672
Londonderry
028 7122 2257
Londonderry
028 7141 7242
Lisburn
028 9244 0556
Omagh
028 8224 1421
Communications
Atlas Communications NI Ltd
Connect Telecom
Cortel (NI) Ltd
Ibub Communications
Logon.ni
MCA Communications (NI) Ltd
MCC Computers Ltd
Megganet
NIBC Ltd
OK Communications
Rainbow Communications
S&S Communications
Simply Telecom
All Electrical Recycling Ltd
Asset Management Ireland Ltd (AMI)
Bailey Waste Recycling
Bailey Waste Recycling (NI) Ltd
Bryson House Recycling
Confidential Services Ireland
Confisec Ltd
Huhtamaki Paper Recycling
Office Needs
Communications
Premier Cleaning & Maintenance Services
PM Cleaning Services
Portadown Recycling
Reisswolf NI Ltd
SecuraShred
ShredBank
Shredding Services
Shred-it
Smart Shred
Department for Employment and Learning
Department for Regional Development
Department for Social Development
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Department of Culture Arts and Leisure
Department of Education
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Department of Finance and Personnel
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Department of Justice
Department of the Environment
Labour Relations Agancy (non-departmental public body)
028 3833 3340
Newry
028 3083 3299
Lisburn
028 9262 0425
Belfast
028 9002 2090
Londonderry
07563 971554
Belfast
0800 197 1164
Newtownabbey
028 9083 9676
Belfast
028 9025 7777
Belfast
028 9054 0540
Belfast
028 9082 9000
Belfast
0300 200 7850
Belfast
028 9025 8825
Bangor
028 9127 9279
Belfast
028 9052 9900
Bangor
028 9185 8111
Belfast
028 9052 0500
Belfast
028 9076 3000
Belfast
028 9054 0540
Belfast
028 9052 8400
Belfast
028 9032 1442
Strabane
0845 3700 305
Newtownards
028 9181 8095
Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Abertay Nationwide Training Ltd
Advanced Vacuum & Lift (AVL)
Aescu Private Ambulance Service & Event Paramedics
Ask Uz (Safety Solutions) Ltd
BHB Safety Specialists
Bisp Training and Consultancy
CMC Fire Safety Solutions Ltd
Coral Environmental Ltd
D B McLarnon Fire Protection Agency
Delta Safety Services
Emergency Medical Supplies
Environmental Efficiency Consultants Ltd
Evolution Healthcare
Fire Defence NI
Fire-Care Ltd
82
Craigavon
Belfast
07980 016584
Enniskillen
028 6864 1822
Antrim
028 9446 9181
Carrickfergus
028 9337 3370
Coleraine
07934 533888
Belfast
028 9075 4179
Belfast
028 9030 1752
Rostrevor
028 4173 8934
Magherafelt
028 7930 1333
Lisburn
028 9262 6733
Dungannon
028 8772 7855
Dromore
028 9269 0098
Limavady
028 7776 4002
Health Matters (Health and Safety) Ltd
Hyde Park Environmental
Industry Training Services
JCM Training Services
McCallum Safety & Health
NDFA Training
PFI Training Ltd
Pro-Net Safety Services
ProParamedics Ltd
Road Restraint Systems Ltd
Safefirst
Safety First NI
Safety Lift Forklift Training
Scully Supplies
Sharpe Mechanical Services
Slipstop
Specific Training Ltd
Surefire Protection Ltd
Trulok Contracts & Ceilings
Whitsitt Safety Services Ltd
Zenith Learning
Newry
07872 128622
Londonderry
028 7134 9665
Belfast
082 9002 0044
Magherafelt
0845 074 3632
Portadown
028 3839 8700
Magherafelt
028 7963 4687
Lisburn
028 9262 9911
Bangor
028 9122 8101
Dungannon
028 8775 22 45
Ballycarry
028 9337 3967
Belfast
028 9023 2373
Carrickmore
028 8076 1318
Belfast
028 9081 7327
Larne
028 9337 3292
Belfast
028 9061 1361
Armagh
028 3889 1969
Belfast
028 9045 8185
Dundonald
028 9048 0011
Coleraine
028 7082 0133
Belfast
028 9752 0801
Cookstown
028 8676 6200
Newtownards
028 9044 9232
Derry
028 7136 1696
Birmingham
0121 423 8619
Belfast
028 9024 2771
UK
0800 068 3827
York
0800 414 8185
Healthcare
Alliance Surgical Corporate Health Limited
Aon Hewitt
Aviva UK Health
Benenden Health
BHSF
BMI Healthcare
BUPA
Capita Employee Benefits
Carecall
Cigna UK HealthCare Benefits
Engage Mutual
Healix Health Services Ltd
Health Shield Friendly Society
HSF health plan
UK
0800 622 552
UK
0808 101 0337
Belfast
028 9023 2723
UK
020 7709 4500
Belfast
028 9024 5821
UK
01475 492222
UK
0800 169 4321
UK
020 8481 772
UK
01270 588555
UK
0800 917 2208
Gurney Fire Safety
Healthcare
Greyhill Agricultural & Industrial Training
83
Healthcare
Incorpore & GymFlex
Lifescan Ltd
Medicash
National Dental Plan
Oval Financial Services
Simplyhealth
Specsavers Corporate Eyecare
The Validium Group Ltd
Westfield Health
UK
0845 300 6474
UK
0845 217 9947
UK
0800 011 2222
UK
020 7480 7201
Belfast
028 9024 1651
UK
0800 980 6243
UK
0115 933 0800
UK
01494 685200
UK
0114 250 2000
Belfast
028 9022 7259
Dromore
028 9269 3945
Belfast
028 9044 6226
Holywood
028 9042 5451
Ballycastle
028 2076 8183
Belfast
028 9024 7666
Belfast
028 9050 4871
Londonderry
028 7122 1915
Newtownabbey
028 9084 8899
A1 Consultancy (NI)
Advance Coaching
Allen People Solutions Ltd
Caml Compliance Ltd
Catherine Kane Associates
Catherine Williamson Associates
Charis Consultancy Sevices
Clearwater Consulting
Collective Business Services
Consult HR
Croner
Dan Long Associates Ltd
Evolution Human Resource & Management Consultancy
G & L Management Consultants
HR Department NI
Londonderry
07858 089006
Belfast
028 9051 1231
Downpatrick
07740 291626
Belfast
028 9045 9905
Ballymoney
07903 313635
www.hr-department-ni.com
Providing HR consultancy and outsourced HR services to start-ups and SMEs.
Magherafelt BT45 7ST
Tel: 075 4007 6772
HR Solutions NI
HR Team
Hyperion Growth
Interviewease
Jill Little Consultancy
Keara Murphy
Keenan Consulting Ltd
King HR Consulting
Legal-Island
Ballyclare
07909 940504
Londonderry
07849 596154
Belfast
07545 251095
Antrim
07958 308243
Belfast
028 9040 3756
Fivemiletown
07833 351459
Belfast
07780 664314
Londonderry
07793 291015
www.legal-island.com
Legal-Island believe in making the lives of HR professionals easier.
Antrim BT41 1BH
Tel: 028 9446 3888
84
Ballyclare
Liberty HR
028 9332 4799
www.liberty-hr.com
Province wide provision of practical HR support to SME sector.
Enniskillen BT94 5EA
Tel: 028 6638 5216
Management Business Solutions
MAST
MCl Associates Ltd
McMahon People Solutions
Melsystech
Miller Hospitality Two Ltd
Mullan Training
Bangor
07515 282853
Belfast
028 9066 3080
Belfast
028 9037 1347
Downpatrick
07849 881492
Portrush
0870 850 4309
Belfast
028 9031 0492
LJP Communications
www.mullantraining.com
IT training at client premises or Belfast City Centre (opposite Europa Hotel).
Belfast BT2 7GS
Tel: 028 9032 2228
NGA Human Resources
O’Kane Resourcing
OMD Consulting
Parity
Penna
People Management Solutions
Prestige Employment Solutions Ltd
Quadra
Resolve Human Resources Consulting
Right Management
Second Opinion Consultancy Services
The Behaviour Effect
The Test Store
Belfast
07554 334698
Newry
07768 262758
Belfast
028 9058 2694
Belfast
0845 873 9500
Belfast
028 9076 4700
Belfast
028 9040 2596
Newry
028 3025 2107
Holywood
028 9042 3222
Dromore
028 9269 3194
Belfast
028 9021 9046
Belfast
028 9024 4551
Belfast
028 9081 4466
Belfast
07712 531785
Belfast
028 9050 2915
Delivering measurable business improvement through exceptional HR services & leadership development.
Belfast BT6 0BQ
Tel: 07739 188564
Woodland Training Services
Lisburn
07712 435513
85
Occupational Health
Occupational Health
Argyle Associates
Blackwell Associates
Commercial Connections Ltd
Health Matters (Health & Safety) Ltd
Independent Occupational Health Ltd
Maze Medical
McCallum Safety & Health
Nivha Health Care
Nivha Laboratory Services Ltd
Northern Occupational Health Service
Occmed Consultants
Occupational Health Consultants
Occupational Health Service
OHRD
One 2 One Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic
Risk & Disability Management
Safety Advice Centre
Staffcare
Stredia Ltd
Office Design
Well Workers First Aid Training & Occupational Health
07882 671157
Belfast
028 9002 8432
Downpatrick
028 4433 4123
Newry
028 3025 6482
Belfast
028 9024 7788
Omagh
028 8224 3100
Ballyclare
028 9332 3341
Lisburn
028 9262 9911
Ballyclare
028 9334 0501
Belfast
028 9343 8051
Antrim
028 9442 4401
Magherafelt
028 7930 1575
Holywood
028 9042 7427
Belfast
028 9025 1888
Belfast
028 9026 8460
Belfast
028 9045 8408
Belfast
028 9044 6381
Bangor
028 9127 1640
Belfast
028 9056 5683
Omagh
028 8225 7755
Belfast
028 9079 2623
Belfast
028 9077 5727
Newtownabbey
028 9084 4800
Bangor
028 9147 7357
Londonderry
028 7131 1741
Belfast
028 9046 0055
Larne
028 908 50945
Mallusk
028 9002 8806
Lisburn
028 9210 8930
Belfast
028 9023 8180
Newtownabbey
028 9059 9009
Belfast
028 9077 0019
Antrim
028 9442 2299
Belfast
028 9045 9922
Office Design
Alpha Interiors
Cairns Office Design Ltd
Creative Commercial Interiors
Dawson Hinds Creative Spaces
Desk Warehouse Ltd
Don McQueen Office Interiors
E B Erskine
Elite Business Services
Innov8 Office Interiors
Mix Office Interiors
Office Interior Solutions
Robinson Fitout Ltd
Space Contract Interiors
Susan McCutcheon Interiors
The Office Centre
86
Belfast
Bangor
07764 613712
Bangor
028 9147 7113
WorkRestPlay
Belfast
028 9045 2864
Belfast
028 903 14303
Belfast
028 9055 8120
Belfast
028 9031 3157
Belfast
028 9043 6678
Belfast
028 9082 1900
Newtownabbey
028 9084 2639
Belfast
028 9066 6562
Belfast
028 9043 6543
Belfast
028 9008 0028
Belfast
028 9038 0808
Belfast
028 9044 6333
Belfast
028 9099 4111
Belfast
028 9032 3333
Belfast
028 9033 9968
Belfast
028 9032 5325
Belfast
028 9072 5750
Belfast
028 9044 6298
Belfast
028 9044 7199
Belfast
028 9072 5600
Lisburn
028 9262 7488
4c Executive Search
Abacus Professional Recruitment
Access Recruitment
Adecco
Alison Gray Recruitment
Apex Search and Selection
Ashton Recruitment
Baillie Martin
Balmoral Group
Berrisford Associates
Black Fox Solutions
BluePrint
Bond Search & Selection Ltd
Brightwater Group
Clarendon Executive
CMB Recruitment
Corvus Recruitment Ltd
CPL
CSR (NI) Ltd
D P Group
Delegate International Recruitment Ltd
Diamond IT
Diamond Recruitment Group
Exact. IT
First Choice Selection Services Ltd
Forde May Consulting Ltd
Gilpin Executive Search
GKR Search & Selection
Grafton ESP
Grafton Recruitment
Hays Specialist Recruitment
Independent Search Solutions
Industrial Temps
JohnstonGreer Ltd
Kennedy Recruitment
Belfast
028 9050 0883
Belfast
028 9023 5150
Belfast
028 9055 8080
Belfast
028 9055 8000
Antrim
028 3026 0049
Belfast
028 9031 3693
Belfast
028 9062 8877
Belfast
028 9076 9900
Dublin
+353 (0)1 662 9629
Belfast
028 9032 2022
Belfast
028 9024 2824
Belfast
028 9044 6900
Belfast
028 9091 8456
Belfast
028 9032 2511
Glasgow
0141 202 3100
Belfast
028 9033 0555
whitespace design consultancy ltd
87
LMC Consulting
Lorien Resourcing
Lucas Love Ltd
Lynda Jacobs Recruitment
Lynn Recruitment
McGinley Human Resources Ltd
McKinty Associates
MCS Group
MPA Recruitment
MSL Search & Selection
Neal Lucas Recruitment Ltd
NI Resourcing
O’Kane Resourcing
People Power Contracts
Webrecruit
Software/Systems
Zenrec
028 9263 9111
Leeds
0113 200 2316
Belfast
028 9002 0255
Bangor
028 9146 4971
Belfast
028 9023 4324
Belfast
028 9043 6980
Crawsfordsburn
028 9185 3500
Belfast
028 9023 5456
Londonderry
028 7136 0070
Belfast
028 9023 4444
Hillsborough
028 9268 8818
Belfast
028 9058 4288
Newry
07968 160122
Belfast
028 9077 2277
Belfast
0845 467 8080
Portadown
028 3815 1112
Software/Systems
activHR Consulting Ltd
ADP
Adran Solutions HR Software
Advanced Business Solutions
AML-Soft Ltd
Axia
Bond Teamspirit
Capita HR Solutions
Carval Computing Ltd
Cascade Human Resources Ltd
Ceridian
Chorus-HR
Cintra HR & Payroll Services
CYBERAID LTD
ELAS Integrated Business Support
Employersafe
Equiniti ICS Ltd
Hallmark Solutions
Halogen Software
HR Locker Team (Ireland)
HR Locker Team (UK)
88
Lisburn
Stirling
01786 458126
Surrey
0845 230 0237
Newry
028 3026 6101
Surrey
0845 160 6162
Carrickfergus
0845 838 0871
Kent
01634 848894
Essex
01376 519413
Belfast
020 7202 0537
Buckinghamshire
01908 787700
Leeds
0113 255 4115
Canada
0800 048 2737
Cheshire
0845 304 9828
Tyne & Wear
0191 478 7000
Suffolk
0870 875 6711
Manchester
0845 050 4060
Manchester
08450 50 40 60
Belfast
028 9045 4166
Carryduff
028 9081 2618
Middlesex
0800 587 4020
Cork
London
+353 (0)1 443 4132
0208 123 4754
Intelligo
jane-systems
Manchester
Bray
+353 (0)1 272 4600
Swansea
MidlandHR
0161 702 7027
0800 889 4422
Reading
01792 522 244
www.midlandhr.com
MidlandHR – leading supplier of talent management, HR and payroll, software and outsourcing.
Nottingham NG11 6LL
Tel: 011 5945 6000
Moorepay Ltd
Myhrtooolkit Ltd
NGA Human Resources
Octopus
PeopleInc. UK
People™
Pinnacle Computing
PlusHR Limited
Pyramid (HR) Ltd
Safe Computing Ltd
Sage Snowdropkcs (Sage UK Group)
Sherwood Systems Ltd
Simply Personnel
Bury
0845 184 4615
Sheffield
0845 225 0414
Belfast
07554 334698
Buckinghamshire
0845 130 4138
Stratford
0190 826 5111
Doncaster
0207 138 2884
Belfast
028 9067 4970
London
0843 289 5933
Warwickshire
01926 485085
Leicester
0844 583 2134
Witney Oxon
0800 694 0568
Belfast
028 9066 8585
Leicestershire
0208 247 1247
Waste Disposal
A Thompson Recycled Oil
Abbey Recycling Ltd
ARDS Containers
Bailey Waste Recycling (NI) Ltd
Batesy Skip Hire Ltd
Brickkiln Waste Ltd
Eastwood Envirowaste
Green-An Recycling
Greenkeeper Ltd
Huhtamaki
IRS
Irish Waste Services Ltd
ISL Waste Management Ltd
McAtee Recycling
McKinstry Skip Hire Ltd
McNabb Bros Waste Disposal Ltd
Dromore
028 9269 2335
Cookstown
028 8673 5500
Newtownards
028 9124 4055
Craigavon
028 3834 1449
Belfast
028 9011 1111
Londonderry
028 7137 0780
Carryduff
028 9081 2221
Banbridge
028 4062 3037
Cookstown
028 8675 8971
Lisburn
028 9244 1508
Belfast
028 9074 3710
Belfast
028 9081 0000
Newtownabbey
028 9084 4445
Craigavon
028 3883 1816
Crumlin
028 9500 5429
Downpatrick
028 4484 2248
Software/Systems
iCIMS Human Resources Software
Waste Disposal
Human Resource Manager
89
Waste Disposal
Nixon Skips
Belfast
028 9082 6338
Cookstown
028 8673 6167
Newry
028 3026 5432
Belfast
028 9074 7341
Craigavon
028 3835 2234
Antrim
028 9446 4466
Antrim
028 9442 8844
Belfast
028 9071 0971
Aughnacloy
028 8555 7800
Coleraine
028 7034 4400
Wastebeater
Ballymoney
028 2076 3329
Belfast
028 9002 9030
Wright Recycling
Banbridge
07518 705692
Newtownards
028 9124 0720
Portaquip
Re-Gen Waste
Sita (Northern Ireland) Ltd
Skippy Waste
SRCL
Taylor Skip Hire
Think Better Metal
Tullyvar Waste Co
W J McCartney & Son Ltd
Waste Not Ireland
Wasteway Recycling
To appear in our next
HR Yearbook
please contact
Legal-Island
enquiries
028 9446 3888
90
A&L Goodbody
www.algoodbody.com
A&L Goodbody is a top tier all-Island firm excelling in employment law.
Belfast BT1 5EF
Tel: 028 9031 4466
A F Colhoun & Co Solicitors
Adrian Travers B C L Solicitor
Agnew Andress Higgins Solicitors Limited
Aidan Quinn Solicitors
Anderson Agnew & Co Solicitors
Andrew T Armstrong Solicitors
Archer, Heaney & Magee Solicitors
Armstrong Solicitors
Omagh
Banbridge
Belfast
Dungannon
Ballymena
Omagh
Belfast
Employment Lawyers
Employment Lawyers
Newtownabbey
Arthur Cox
www.arthurcox.com
Providing comprehensive legal solutions on employment law and industrial relations.
Belfast BT1 6PU
Tel: 028 9023 0007
Arthur J Downey & Co Solicitors
Barry Fox Solicitors
Barry Healy & Co
Basil Glass & Co Solicitors
Begley Swift Solicitors
Bigger & Strahan Solicitors
Bigger & Strahan Solicitors
Blaney & Diamond Solicitors
Breen Rankin Lenzi Limited Solicitors
Breslin Mccormick & Co Solicitors
Brian Feeney & Co Solicitors
Brian Kelly Solicitors
Brolly Jameson Solicitors
C & H Jefferson Solicitors
C A Taaffe Solicitors
C Murnion & Co Solicitors
Caldwell & Robinson Solicitors
Campbell & Caher Solicitors
Campbell & Co Solicitors
Campbell Fitzpatrick Solicitors
Banbridge
Omagh
Augher
Belfast
Portadown
Belfast
Bangor
Magherafelt
Belfast
Ballymena
Downpatrick
Belfast
Omagh
Belfast
Belfast
Kilkeel
Londonderry
Lisburn
Ballycastle
Belfast
91
Employment Lawyers
Campbell Stafford Solicitors
City centre based law firm specialising in employment law.
Belfast BT3 9DA
Tel: 028 9023 0808
Carnson Morrow Graham Solicitors
Carson McDowell
Bangor
028 8224 2136
www.carson-mcdowell.com
Carson McDowell has an award winning employment team. We do more. Better.
Belfast BT1 6DN
Tel: 028 9024 4951
Catherine Allison & Co Solicitors
Newry
028 4062 9990
www.cfrlaw.co.uk
Corporate law firm delivering legal excellence and commercial sense.
Belfast BT2 7FW
Tel: 028 9024 3141
Colman R Hanna & Co Solicitors
Comerton & Hill Solicitors
Con Lavery & Co Solicitors
Conn & Fenton Inc W J Baxter & Co Solicitors
Conor Downey & Co Solicitors Ltd
Conor Heaney and Company Solicitors
Cooper Wilkinson Solicitors
Crawford Scally & Co Solicitors
Crawford Solicitors
Creighton & Co Solicitors
Culbert & Martin Solicitors
Cullen McAleer O’Neill Solicitors
Cunningham & Dickey Solicitors
D G McCormick & Co Solicitors
D R Brewster Solicitors
David G Bell Solicitors
Delaney & Co Solicitors
Diamond Heron Solicitors
Dickson & McNulty Solicitors
Dominic McInerney Solicitors
Donaghy Carey Solicitors
Donard King & Co Solicitors
Donnelly & Wall Solicitors
Donnelly Neary & Donnelly Solicitors
E & L Kennedy Solicitors
92
www.campbellstafford.com
Newcastle
028 9024 3040
Belfast
028 8775 2088
Banbridge
028 2564 2118
Lisburn
028 8224 1222
Lurgan
028 9033 0000
Belfast
028 9085 5955
Enniskillen
028 4066 2123
Strabane
028 8225 7722
Belfast
028 8554 8884
Belfast
028 9040 1463
Belfast
028 3833 8844
Moneymore
028 9032 5229
Belfast
028 9127 0313
Belfast
028 7930 0660
Limavady
028 9061 8866
Antrim
028 2564 8479
Belfast
028 4461 5153
Belfast
028 9059 3030
Londonderry
028 8224 8005
Newcastle
028 9032 9545
Belfast
028 9002 2462
Castlewellan
028 4176 9088
Belfast
028 7126 1334
Newry
028 9267 2644
Belfast
028 2076 2215
Edwards & Co Solicitors
Lurgan
028 9032 7388
www.edwardsandcompany.co.uk
Providing expert advice on all aspects of employment law including mediation services.
Belfast BT1 2LA
Tel: 028 9032 1863
Eileen Hay Solicitors
Elizabeth O’Connor Solicitor
Elliott Duffy Garrett
Emmet J Kelly B C L Solicitor
F G Patton Solicitors
F J Orr & Co Solicitors
Fahy Corrigan Solicitors
Faloon & Co
Ferguson & Co Solicitors
Ferguson McEldowney Solicitors
Fergusons Solicitors
Ferris & Co Solicitors
Fiona Donnelly Solicitor
Fisher & Fisher Solicitors
Fitzsimons Mallon Solicitors
Flanagan & Company Solicitors
Flynn & McGettrick Solicitors
Francis Curley Solicitors
Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors
Francis J Madden Solicitors
G R Ingram & Co Solicitors
Gallery & Campbell Solicitors
Gary Matthews Solicitors
Gary N Daly Solicitors
George Farrell Solicitors
George L Maclaine & Co Solicitors
Gerald P Henvey Solicitors
Gordon Bell & Son Solicitors
Gus Campbell Solicitors
H B Marley Solicitors
Harrisons Solicitors
Harry McPartland & Sons Solicitors
Hasson & Co Solicitors
Hastings & Co Solicitors
Belfast
028 9145 7911
Newry
+353 4293 20854
Belfast
028 4372 3232
Banbridge
028 9023 4629
Dungannon
028 4062 9933
Belfast
028 9267 4321
Enniskillen
028 3831 6887
Dungannon
028 9068 1100
Belfast
028 6632 2615
Magherafelt
028 7188 3591
Enniskillen
028 9077 4600
Banbridge
028 9073 2461
Belfast
028 9032 5508
Newcastle
028 8674 7320
Newry
028 9024 5896
Waterside
028 9062 2738
Belfast
028 7776 8700
Armagh
028 9446 6444
Belfast
028 9030 1334
Coalisland
028 9024 3726
Portadown
028 7134 1864
Lurgan
028 4372 5238
Newry
028 9023 8222
Belfast
028 4377 0555
Belfast
028 9023 3157
Holywood
028 3026 4611
Belfast
028 9023 2352
Kilkeel
028 3832 7734
Armagh
028 9031 2446
Portadown
028 3082 5820
Belfast
028 9024 5034
Lurgan
028 4062 9397
Londonderry
028 8772 4333
Ballymoney
028 9023 0101
Employment Lawyers
Eamonn McEvoy & Co Solicitors
93
Employment Lawyers
Haugheys Solicitors
Heron & Dobson Solicitors
Hewitt & Gilpin
Higgins, Hollywood, Deazley Solicitors
Hunt Solicitors Ltd
Hyland Solicitors
Ian Mallon Solicitors
J Blair Employment Law Solicitor
J G O’Hare & Co Solicitors
J J Haughey Solicitors
J W McNinch & Son Solicitors
James Boston & Sullivan
James Doran & Co Solicitors
James L Russell & Son Solicitors
James McNulty & Co Solicitors
James T Johnston & Co Solicitors
Jarlath Fields Solicitor
Jim Rafferty Solicitors
J M K Solicitors Ltd
John Boston & Co Solicitors
John F Gibbons & Co
John Fahy & Co Solicitors
John Fahy & Co Solicitors
John Hoy, Son & Murphy Limited
John J McNally & Co Limited
John J Rice & Co Solicitors
John J Roche Solicitors
John M Hughes & Co Solicitors
John McGale Kelly & Co Solicitors
John McGrane & Co Solicitor
John McKee & Son
John McStravick Solicitors
John Quinn Solicitors
John Ross & Son Solicitors
John Slevin T/A Greene & Malpas Solicitors
John W Pinkerton & Son Solicitors
Johns Elliot Solicitors
Johnsons Solicitors
Jones & Co Solicitors
94
Belfast
028 6632 0066
Banbridge
028 8775 2099
Belfast
028 9032 2998
Belfast
028 7930 0304
Holywood
028 6632 2234
Crumlin
028 4062 8828
Newry
028 9038 8338
Belfast
028 4372 3059
Belfast
028 3026 2269
Armagh
028 7134 2184
Ballyclare
028 9023 9629
Belfast
028 3752 5244
Belfast
028 9024 3901
Ballymena
028 8774 8840
Omagh
028 3839 2909
Belfast
028 3832 4112
Armagh
028 3026 8522
Dungannon
028 9068 6760
Newry
028 9024 0207
Belfast
028 9039 7977
Belfast
028 9061 0372
Strabane
028 4176 4857
Londonderry
028 3752 4690
Dungannon
028 3833 5418
Magherafelt
028 9032 3843
Belfast
028 3832 2452
Newtownstewart
028 7126 6818
Belfast
028 2766 2277
Omagh
028 9043 1222
Portadown
028 4066 2672
Belfast
028 9047 1869
Lurgan
028 9077 0770
Enniskillen
028 9042 8600
Newtownards
028 9445 4965
Lisburn
028 3026 8522
Ballymoney
028 9023 0560
Belfast
028 9023 4800
Belfast
028 3752 3493
Belfast
028 9332 2217
www.jcbsolicitors.co.uk
Independent employment/discrimination advice for employers/employees, public & private sectors.
Belfast BT7 2FY
Tel: 028 9064 2290
Joseph F McCollum & Co Solicitors
Kearney Sefton Solicitors
Kennedys Solicitors
Kevin McElwee Solicitor
Kieran O’Toole Solicitors
Killen Warke Solicitors
King & Boyd Solicitors
King & Gowdy Solicitors
Law Centre (NI)
Law Quinn Solictors
Leeson & Co Solicitors
Logan & Corry Solicitors
Logan & Corry Solicitors
Luke Curran & Co Solicitors
M Breen & Co Solicitors
M D Loughrey Solicitors
M Diane M Coulter Solicitor
M L White Solicitors
Macaulay and Ritchie
MacCorkell Legal & Commercial
MacElhatton & Co Solicitors
MacGuill & Company Solicitors
Madden & Finucane Solicitors
Magennis & Creighton Solicitors
Maguire & Corrigan Solicitors
Mallon & Anderson Solicitors
Mallon & Mallon Solicitors
Mallon McCormick Solicitors
Mark Hamill Solicitor
Mark McNulty & Co Solicitors
Mark Sinclair Solicitor
Martin King French & Ingram Solicitors
Mary Haughey Solicitors
Maurice R J Kempton Solicitor
McAlinden & Rafferty Solicitors
Newtownards
028 9045 6601
Belfast
028 9024 9008
Belfast
028 2565 2154
Moneymore
028 8224 2177
Downpatrick
028 9024 6091
Belfast
028 3751 7563
Downpatrick
028 8772 2398
Belfast
028 3025 7766
Belfast
028 9048 0460
Bangor
028 9023 9990
Belfast
028 7138 2391
Coalisland
028 7130 8664
Omagh
028 8772 3221
Newry
028 7963 1537
Belfast
028 9031 3888
Glengormley
028 8166 1254
Kilkeel
028 9032 0831
Newry
028 8224 3621
Larne
028 3839 1787
Lisburn
028 9023 2303
Belfast
028 3898 9786
Jonesborough
028 6632 6008
Belfast
028 9181 3173
Whiteabbey
028 9266 4994
Enniskillen
028 2766 2133
Dungannon
028 9032 6881
Dungannon
028 9024 0183
Maghera
028 9024 5471
Belfast
028 9181 3142
Newry
028 9023 2940
Belfast
028 9024 0067
Limavady
028 8674 7320
Belfast
028 4461 5153
Armagh
028 9022 3960
Belfast
028 4461 2026
Employment Lawyers
Jones Cassidy Brett
95
Employment Lawyers
McCaffrey & Co Solicitors
McCallum O’Kane & Co Solicitors
McCann & Greyston Solicitors
McCann & McCann Solicitors
McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors
McCartney & Casey Solicitors
McConaghie Lynch Solicitors
McConnell Kelly & Co
McCoy Steele Solicitors
McDaid Solicitors
McElhinney & McDaid Solicitors
McFadden Perry Solicitors
McFarland Graham McCombe Solicitors
McGrady Scullion Solicitors Limited
McGuigan Malone Solicitors
McGuinness & Canavan Solicitors
McHugh Lynam Solicitors
McIvor Farrell
McIvor Farrell Solicitors
McKenna Boyd
McKenna Laverty & Co Solicitors
McKenna Sweeney McKeown Solicitors Ltd
McKeone McGilloway Solicitors
McKinty and Wright
McLaughlin & Co Solicitors
McLernon & McCann Solicitors
McMillan & Ervine Solicitors
McShane & Co Solicitors
Michael Ferguson Solicitors
Michelle Crilly Solicitors
Millar McCall Wylie Solicitors
Millar Shearer & Black Solicitors
Omagh
028 9065 9511
Coleraine
028 9024 4401
Belfast
028 9145 6666
Belfast
028 9022 0400
Belfast
028 8774 1000
Londonderry
028 8225 0400
Ballymena
028 3026 7134
Belfast
028 9028 1751
Belfast
028 9084 8116
Londonderry
028 4176 9772
Londonderry
028 3026 8144
Bangor
028 9032 9696
Lisburn
028 9266 9555
Downpatrick
028 9060 2828
+353 4293 34026
Newry
Londonderry
028 9023 8007
Enniskillen
028 9036 5777
Belfast
028 6632 4110
Belfast
028 8772 2680
Belfast
028 8775 2959
Omagh
028 7964 2670
Omagh
028 9030 0304
Londonderry
028 3082 5599
Belfast
028 9062 8800
Belfast
028 7776 2307
Magherafelt
028 9002 9919
Saintfield
028 3752 3875
Newry
028 9043 7923
Belfast
028 8224 3902
Portadown
028 7032 7112
Belfast
028 9024 6098
Cookstown
028 9029 9999
Mills Selig Solicitors
www.millsselig.com
Mills Selig is a leading corporate and commercial law firm in Northern Ireland.
Belfast BT1 4GA
Tel: 028 9024 3878
M J T McCullagh Solicitors
M K B Russells Solicitors
Moore McKay English Solicitors
96
Omagh
028 9032 9801
Belfast
028 7128 8888
Newtownards
028 2565 4226
Morrow & Wells Solicitors
Murnaghan & Fee Solicitors
Murnaghan Colton Solicitors
Murphy & McManus Solicitors
Murphy & O’Rawe Solicitors
Murphy Solicitors
Murty M Toolan & Co
N Rankin Lenzi Ltd Solicitors
Napier & Sons
Nelson-Singleton Solicitors
Nixon & Co Solicitors
Noel Wilson & Co
Norman Shannon & Co Solicitors
O’Toole & MacRandal
O’Connor & Moriarty Solicitors
Oliver M Loughran Solicitors
Orr & Rountree Solicitors
O’Toole & MacRandal Solicitors
P A Duffy & Co Solicitors
P A Duffy & Co Solicitors
P Haughey & Co Solicitors
P J Flanagan & Co Solicitors
P J McGrory & Co Solicitors
P R Hanna & Co Solicitors
Paschal J O’Hare Solicitors
Patrick Diamond & Co Solicitors
Patrick Hughes Solicitor
Patrick J Cole Solicitors
Patrick J J McGuckin Solicitors
Patrick Park Solicitors
Patterson Taylor & Co Solicitors
Paul J Kennedy Solicitors
Paul K Nolan & Co Solicitors
Paul L Downey & Co Solicitors
P C Donaghy Meehan Murphy Solicitors
Peter Murphy Solicitors
Philip Gallen & Co Solicitors
Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP
Enniskillen
028 9048 9816
Belfast
028 9043 5345
Enniskillen
028 7136 5636
Omagh
028 7137 3365
Lisnaskea
028 9147 9494
Belfast
028 9267 4447
Holywood
028 4461 6411
Belfast
028 3026 7939
Belfast
028 7128 4422
Belfast
028 6632 4611
Armagh
028 9032 4565
Belfast
028 9032 4565
Newtownabbey
028 9073 9979
Belfast
028 8224 6048
Belfast
028 8224 1200
Lurgan
028 7126 5566
Omagh
028 9024 6751
Omagh
028 9080 7000
Belfast
028 7963 2533
Dungannon
028 9751 9082
Magherafelt
028 3026 6611
Dungannon
028 9038 2030
Irvinestown
028 3833 4020
Belfast
028 9020 0050
Belfast
028 8676 2346
Belfast
028 8224 9494
Randalstown
028 9024 2450
Dungannon
028 9180 0888
Warrenpoint
+353 475 1011
Maghera
028 9023 3866
Lurgan
028 6632 2819
Belfast
028 8224 2744
Banbridge
028 6772 1012
Belfast
028 9032 6636
Banbridge
028 9002 5869
Belfast
028 9024 1840
Lurgan
028 9043 4550
Belfast
028 9024 4602
Belfast
028 3755 2199
Employment Lawyers
Morgan McManus
97
Employment Lawyers
Quinn And Heron Solicitors
R G Connell & Son Solicitors
R M Cullen & Son Solicitors
R P Crawford & Co Solicitors
Rafferty & Co Solicitors
Rafferty & Donaghy Ltd
Rafferty Mcgrath & Co Solicitors
Reid Black & Co Solicitors
Richard Barbour & Co Solicitors
Richard M Redman Solicitors
Richard Monteith Solicitors
Richard Monteith Solicitors
Robert G Sinclair & Co Solicitors
Rodgers & Co Solicitors
Magherafelt
028 9071 9703
Limavady
028 9084 3524
Portadown
028 9023 1179
Belfast
028 9020 3000
Newry
028 3834 3611
Dungannon
028 8224 1530
Belfast
028 8224 3151
Belfast
028 9020 3000
Belfast
028 8772 2102
Lurgan
028 7963 3433
Belfast
028 8775 2433
Portadown
028 6632 4521
Belfast
028 9060 2986
Belfast
028 9023 5554
Rosemary Connolly Solicitors
www.solicitorsni.net
Rosemary Connolly Solicitors – Employment & Equality Law Specialists.
Warrenpoint BT34 3JT
Tel: 028 4175 3121
Rosemary Gawn Solicitors
Russells Solicitors
S C Connolly & Co Solicitors
S G Murphy & Co Solicitors
Samuel Cumming & Son Solicitors
Seamus Delaney Solicitor
Seamus Delaney Solicitors
S G Haughian Solicitors
Shaw & Company Solicitors
Simmons Meglaughlin & Orr Solicitors
Skelton & Co Solicitors
South Tyrone Empowerment Programme (STEP)
Stephen Begley & Co Solicitors
Stephen Chambers Solicitors Ltd
Stephen Perrott & Co
Stewarts Solicitors
Stewarts Solicitors
Sullivans Law
T D Gibson & Co Carleton Atkinson & Sloan Solicitors
T E W Huey & Co Solicitors
T G Menary & Co Solicitors
98
Ballymena
028 9031 3613
Newtownards
028 9447 9696
Newry
028 8775 0007
Newtownabbey
028 4177 2021
Ballymena
028 7964 4199
Newcastle
028 3832 7436
Belfast
028 9023 5987
Kilkeel
028 4062 4757
Hillsborough
028 9030 1933
Dungannon
028 4066 9372
Carrickfergus
028 9061 2144
Dungannon
028 3834 8150
Newry
028 9066 3364
Belfast
028 9089 4800
Holywood
028 7930 0577
Newtownards
028 7772 2617
Kircubbin
028 3833 3241
Belfast
028 9038 1024
Portadown
028 3026 1102
Londonderry
028 8772 7055
Lurgan
028 9077 0046
T R Gibson & Co Solicitors
T S McAllister & Son Solicitors
T C Solicitors
The Elliott Trainor Partnership
Thomas Elliott & Son Solicitors
Thomas Taggart & Sons Solicitors
Thompson Mitchell Solicitors
Thompsons Solicitors
Tiernans Solicitors
Tiernans Solicitors
Timothy Mayes Solicitors
Toal & Heron Solicitors
Tony Bergin Solicitor
Travers & Co Solicitors
Trevor I Allen & Co Inc Campbell Bates & Co Solicitors
Trevor Smyth & Co Solicitors
Trevor Smyth & Co Solicitors
Belfast
028 9045 3449
Lisnaskea
028 9023 5544
Ballymena
028 3832 7531
Belfast
028 9031 1550
Newry
028 3833 0780
Castlederg
028 9023 1770
Ballymoney
028 9038 6464
Portadown
028 2563 0743
Newtownards
028 9181 4444
Newry
028 3026 5311
Crossmaglen
028 9036 5595
Portadown
028 2564 6026
Cookstown
028 4372 5575
Rathcoole
028 9074 0930
Belfast
028 4176 5373
Comber
028 9268 2500
Belfast
028 8772 2016
Newtownards
028 9336 2207
Tughans
Employment Lawyers
T H Conlan Solicitors
www.tughans.com
Tughans is a leading law firm in Northern Ireland.
Belfast BT1 3GG
Tel: 028 9055 3300
Tully & Co Solicitors
Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors
Holywood
028 8775 0211
www.wilson-nesbitt.com
Employment law problems needing a solution? Use Belfast solicitors firm Wilson Nesbitt.
Belfast BT2 8LE
Tel: 028 9032 3864
W Neil Ferguson Solicitors
Worthingtons
Lisnaskea
028 3026 7538
www.worthingtonslaw.co.uk
One of the largest Employment Law Practices in Belfast renowned for its sound commercial advice.
Belfast BT1 2LG
Tel: 028 9043 4015
028 9030 8777
028 9042 8330
028 9182 6444
028 4273 8999
028 9077 4500
028 3833 2176
028 7134 2184
028 3832 7811
99
Upcoming Events
Certified Mediator Programme
(8 Days)
15 January – 6 February 2014
Legal-Island Training Centre, Antrim
Early
Bird
Offers
Apply!
February to June 2014
Data Protection in the Workplace
30 April 2014
Hilton Hotel, Belfast
Essentials of Employment Law
Delivering Professional
7 May 2014
Merchant Hotel, Belfast
13 February 2014
Absence & Disability
Education Law Update 2014
Dealing with Underperforming Staff
25 February 2014
Corr’s Corner Hotel, Newtownabbey
Managing Difficult
Conversations (2 Days)
5 and 6 March 2014
Discipline & Underperformance
at Work
11 March 2014
22 May 2014
Delivering Professional
4 June 2014
Conflict & Mediation
5 June 2014
Book Your Place Now
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Tel
028 9446 3888
Email
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Legal-Island, Island House, Station Road, Antrim, BT41 1BH
Tel
028 9446 3888
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the legal-island yearbook 2014 hr

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