The HR Dept - Highlands and Moray

Unique opportunities like this don't come along very often. We are working closely with The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, one of the world's most exclusive members clubs, located in the beautiful Scottish Highlands in Dornoch. As Personal Assistant to the Head of People and Culture, your contributions will directly impact the quality of employee experience. If you are a proactive, dedicated professional with a passion for delivering excellence, we invite you to apply. Please send your CV and a cover letter, detailing your relevant experience to [email protected]

Is your business ready for a change in government? It's time to find out.

It is likely (but not certain) that on 4th July 2024, The Labour Party will be elected to power. From an employment rights point of view, this is likely to generate huge amounts of changes to legislation, the need for updated policies and major expense.

Take our free, short quiz and gain a personalised report with tips and hints on how to futureproof your business...

https://www.hrdept.uk/is-your-business-ready

Is your business ready for a change of government? Should Labour win the General Election, we can expect the biggest raft of Employment Law changes in years. But is your business ready?

The Highland Print Studio in Inverness is hiring for three new and exciting positions!

- Business Development Co-ordinator
- Technician
- Administrator

You can find out more about these roles online: https://highlandprintstudio.co.uk/news/vacancy-2/

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to the HR Dept team at [email protected].

Come along to the Moray Business Showcase today to learn more about how the HR Dept Highlands and Moray can support your business. Moray Chamber of Commerce

Here are our 5 top tips for taking care of employees mental health at work.

If you have any questions on how you can support your employees during mental health month. Please contact us today.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Highlands and Moray
📧 [email protected]
📞 01463 548129
🌐 www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands-moray

Our latest Employment Law factsheet is now available for download, this contains an overview of the upcoming legislation changes coming into force from 1st April and throughout the remainder of 2024, such as;

❗Increases to statutory pay
❗Changes to holiday calculations
❗Predictable t&cs for workers
❗Changes to flexible working

You can download the factsheet from our website, please visit:

https://www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands-moray/legislation

We are here to help with implementing these changes and any questions you may have. Contact our team today!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Highlands and Moray
📧 [email protected]
📱 01463 548129
www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands-moray

It’s never been that easy juggling parenthood with working. In the past this led to many stay-at-home parents, usually mothers; never even returning to the workforce. It will have been an opportunity lost to many, as well as the employers who could have benefited from their talents.

New research from a childcare provider (studying 3,000 families) found that compared to 2023, about 10% more parents are feeling they lack support from their employers (38% then, 42% now). The continued cost of living crisis can’t be helping.

To learn more about supporting parents in your business, read our latest blog:

https://www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands-moray/blog/supporting-parents-within-your-business

Supporting parents within your business - HR Dept Highlands & Moray It’s never been that easy juggling parenthood with working. In the past this led to many stay-at-home parents, usually mothers; never even returning to the workforce. It will have been an opportunity lost to many, as well as the employers who could have benefited from their talents. New research f...

Today is International Women’s Day and the 2024 campaign theme is ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

With well over a century of history and change, the first International Women's Day (IWD) was held in March 1911. IWD isn't country, group or organisation specific. It's a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging women's equality!💜

At The HR Dept, our core colours (purple, white and green) are the same ones used by the suffragette movement in the early 1900s. These colours were chosen to represent dignity, purity and hope, and we stand by these values to this day.

When women aren't present, we must ask: "If not, why not?" When women are discriminated against, we must call out poor practice. When the treatment of women is not equitable, we must take action. And we must do this each time, every time.

To truly include women means to openly embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify. through action in areas such as:

💜 recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent.
💜 supporting women and girls into leadership, decision-making, business and STEM.
💜 designing and building infrastructure meeting the needs of women and girls.
💜 providing women and girls with access to quality education and training.
💜 addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women and girls.

Collectively, let's for women and girls everywhere.

A workplace investigation can often trigger emotional and cultural issues within your business. It's important to manage the process in the right way.

We discuss this issue in detail in our latest blog:

https://www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands-moray/blog/managing-emotion-and-culture-during-an-investigation

Managing emotion and culture during an investigation - HR Dept Highlands & Moray At the moment a serious workplace grievance is raised, you are almost certain to have an emotional response initially; especially if it is someone senior, or you yourself have been accused of something like bullying or sexual harassment. In life we are often encouraged not to bottle things up, but i...

Our team here at the HR Dept Highlands and Moray send huge congratulations to our very own Laura Thoms who has been promoted to HR Advisor! 🎉

Laura supports our clients with their HR and people matters and is renowned for her calmness, patience and diplomacy. She is a true professional and ensures our clients receive outstanding HR and employment law support.

Congratulations Laura, well deserved, you are one in a million! 🍾⭐

To avoid any HR heartache, here’s some of our top tips on how to keep your company culture sweet on Valentine’s Day!

❤️ Valentine’s Day can be difficult for those who may be alone or facing a difficult time, keep an eye out for employees and ensure you are always available to talk.

❤️ Small acts of kindness can really go a long way, a few words of praise or bringing in coffee to lift the team spirits.

❤️ Encourage inclusivity and diversity!

❤️ Remember that Valentine’s Day does not make it okay for any kind of harassment including inappropriate gifts, words, or behaviour. Ensure you deal with any incidents following your disciplinary and grievance procedure in a swift and fair manner.

If you need any help, give the HR Dept Highlands and Moray a call.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Highlands and Moray
📧 [email protected]
📱 01463 548129

Being a good listener to your employees is not some empty gesture; there will be tangible benefits to you as an employer.

Generating ideas and improving workplace morale are strong examples of key benefits, but there are plenty more to note.

Read our latest blog to learn more: https://www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands-moray/blog/five-benefits-of-taking-the-time-to-listen-to-your-staff

Five benefits of taking the time to listen to your staff - HR Dept Highlands & Moray It may surprise you that the saying “we have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak” dates back to Roman times and the famous Stoic Epictetus. Well, there’s some HR advice from history, because listening is a trait of good leadership! Fast-forward to modern times and...

The early waves of AI innovation have started breaking over us in both business and society. It is creating something of a split: with some people letting it wash over them for now (maybe hoping it will all go away), and others actively engaging with AI.

As an employer and leader, whatever your natural inclinations, you should really fall into the latter camp; because it is almost certain that AI will shake up your world sooner rather than later. If you are prepared you will be able to dodge the pitfalls and reap the benefits.

Read our full blog to learn more: https://www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands-moray/blog/five-hr-considerations-for-ai-in-smes-in-2024

Five HR considerations for AI in SMEs in 2024 - HR Dept Highlands & Moray The early waves of AI innovation have started breaking over us in both business and society. It is creating something of a split: with some people letting it wash over them for now (maybe hoping it will all go away), and others actively engaging with AI. As an employer and leader, whatever your natu...

🎂 Happy 3rd Birthday to Us!! 🎂

HR Dept Highlands and Moray is 3 today, we are taking some time to celebrate all that we have achieved as a team.

It’s a wonderful milestone in our journey. Huge thanks to the super talented Laura Thoms and Kayleigh Smith for their unwavering support and attention they give our amazing clients in providing HR advice and solutions. This really is the dream team 💜💚

A huge shout out to the supremely skilled and innovative Katalin Urquhart who leads her amazing business Torta Findhorn Torta by Katalin in the beautiful village of Findhorn who worked her magic to develop this magnificent creation to help us celebrate today. If you have not tried her macarons yet, you absolutely must. She is a wizard!! 🎂

Thank you to the wonderful hosts Gairland for our office space today to host our business birthday. Huge thanks to our suppliers and partners who we so enjoy collaborating with.

We have some fantastic news to share that we are further developing our business into the Moray region in Scotland, helping SME’s grow and prosper by offering practical HR and employment law advice and supporting our clients with all things HR. We look forward to working with you and building upon our great business relationships. Here’s to an exciting 2024 for the newly branded The HR Dept Highlands and Moray!

We have some exciting news to share with you tomorrow, on our 3rd business anniversary!...

Diversity and inclusion comes in many forms; and when you carry it out effectively comes with many advantages to you as a business, too.

That is, of course, as well as doing the right thing for employees with different backgrounds or characteristics, and complying with equality law.

We are taking a closer look at the Age Friendly Employer Pledge and the benefits of hiring older workers...

Employing Older Workers - HR Dept Highlands Diversity and inclusion comes in many forms; and when you carry it out effectively comes with many advantages to you as a business, too. That is, of course, as well as doing the right thing for employees with different backgrounds or characteristics, and complying with equality law. This week is Nat...

With one in five people expected to leave their job in 2024, employee retention is more crucial than ever. For SMEs, this statistic might seem particularly alarming when resources are limited.

In an ideal world, you could simply snap your fingers and deal with the problem instantly, by offering significant pay rises or bonuses. But for most, this is out of the question. Also, money is not always the answer.

The good news is there are all sorts of practical steps you can take – without breaking the bank – to make sure your employees feel valued, listened to and appreciated, so that they are less likely to want to leave.

To read more, view our full blog here:

Are you concerned about employee retention in 2024? - HR Dept Highlands With one in five people expected to leave their job in 2024, employee retention is more crucial than ever. For SMEs, this statistic might seem particularly alarming when resources are limited. In an ideal world, you could simply snap your fingers and deal with the problem instantly, by offering sign...

Winter in the Highlands is guaranteed to be cold and icy, and this year we've had some heavy snow too! Winter weather can have a huge impact on business operations.

What can you do to prepare for adverse weather?

☃️ Employees should be aware of what they should do if they can’t
get to work
☃️ Employees unable to attend work should maintain regular contact
☃️ Employees could be offered to take annual leave
☃️ Consider home working options, if possible
☃️ Ensure to maintain a reasonable workplace temperature

Be mindful of icy paths around the workplace that could cause slips and trips, grit cark parks and walkways if you can, and point staff towards alternate and less risky routes! The UK law states that employers must provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature, there is no upper limit but the lower is 16 degrees Celsius or 13 if the work performed is physical.

An employee doesn’t have to be paid if they don’t show up to work. Bear in mind if schools and nurseries are closed, parents are entitled to take time off to care for dependents. However, note that this is unpaid leave.

Warn employees that transport lines may be affected, roads may not be fully gritted and that naturally the traffic is going to slow down, so allow plenty of time to get into work. Like with all other things in HR, a common sense approach should be adopted. If you do believe that one of your employees could have come in but they were actually just building snowmen and posting photos to Facebook and Twitter, call The HR Dept for advice.

The bottom line is that no one should ever risk their lives getting to work and safety and wellbeing must be considered, but it is the employee’s responsibility to attend work on time and your responsibility to be prepared for adverse weather situations.

If you need advice on preparing a contingency plan for bad weather, or for dealing with unauthorised absence, call The HR Dept Highlands today.

☃️ 01463 548129
☃️ [email protected]
☃️ www.hrdept.co.uk/highlands

Every year brings new updates to HR and Employment Law, and 2024 is no different.

With changes to the National Minimum Wage and National Insurance Contributions, as well as new laws such as The Carer's Leave Act 2023 coming into force, there is plenty to keep an eye on.

In this week's blog, we take a look at some of the key changes that could impact upon your business.

Read our full blog to learn more:

HR: What to look out for in 2024 - HR Dept Highlands As you are reading this we hope you are taking a well-earned break, after a productive 2023. It has been a year in which we have seen the rise of AI, a continued cost of living crisis and the King’s coronation. There were fewer HR changes, with many of the more significant pieces of legislation .....

A very Happy New Year from The HR Dept Highlands team 🥂 2024 is here and after a brilliant 2023 we can't wait to see what this new year will bring! It's not long until our 3rd anniversary and we also have some very exciting news to share soon! 🙌 Wishing everyone a year full of opportunity, growth and happiness! 💜

Merry Christmas from The HR Dept Highlands💜✨

It is one thing to have an employee benefits package in place, but it requires a bit of extra effort and care to review it periodically to ensure it is delivering value to you and your employees.

Read our latest blog to learn more:

When was the last time you reviewed your employee benefits? - HR Dept Highlands You are sure to be familiar with the concept of employee benefits, whether you have been offering them to your staff for some time, or you have experienced them yourself earlier in your career before you started your own business. The principles behind having an employee benefits package are well-es...