Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does a HR Consultant do?

An HR consultant provides advice on best practices and effective management of difficult and tricky situations; this includes making recommendations as to how HR practices and operations can be improved and looking into internal HR practices such as policies and procedures to ensure compliance, reduce business risk and minimise high legal fees. 

Can you help my company with just a few HR issues? or is there scope for larger projects?

I am here to support you in any capacity - whether it be a once off HR project, or ongoing support and advice. 

What are the most common elements that you’re helping businesses with?

I offer a range of services and don’t limit myself to one particular list given the nature of HR can be unique and complex.  

Common elements that I provide support on, include but are not limited to: 

1. Policy development; 
2. HR audits; 
3. Creation of performance management systems and managing capability issues; 
4. Workplace investigations;
5. Disciplinary and grievances; 
6. Family friendly queries; 
7. HRIS implementation; 
8. Restructure and redundancies
9. Development of employee contracts and handbooks;  and more. 

I note you are based in Thanet, East Kent. I am not local to you, are you still able to support me?

Yes of course.  Whilst I visit local clients from time to time a lot of work is done via Teams, email and phone.

How much are your services?

I offer a range of services from ad hoc support (which can include project work) and retainers.  My Ad Hoc advice is based on an hourly rate £85 + VAT which is billed in 15-minute increments, whereas my retainer packages are tailored to each individual business and priced based on the service you require.

For specific pricing for bespoke retainer and project packages please get in contact.  

Why is good HR practice important?

All employers are legally required to provide a foundation for their employees, this includes an outline of their terms and conditions of employment which is usually supported by a suite of policies and procedures, referred to as the employee handbook. 

What are the implications of not implementing a structured and transparent approach to HR in my business?

Employees are very familiar with their rights today and as such have no fear of taking their employer or previous employer to an employment tribunal. Therefore the financial implications are significant, not to mention the costly tribunal awards should you be unsuccessful. 

What if I employ other types of workers i.e. self-employed. Do they need to be issued with a contract of employment?

Yes. All workers must be issued with a form of contract, regardless of the hours they work.  This will include full time, part time, casual, seasonal, temporary, fixed term and apprentices. 

All are a valuable resource to any business and should expect written terms of their working conditions and be made aware of Company rules and expectations.

If you engage a self-employed person you will likely draw up a contract for services with them. 

How many employees do I need to need HR support?

When you take on your first employee you are required to provide a contract of employment and there are statutory policies and procedures you need to put into place.  I do offer a start up pack in my HR document section. 

Do I have to give my employees a contract?

Yes, you must provide your employee a Statement of Terms and Conditions from day one of employment.

Do I have to check an employee's right to work in the UK?

Yes. You must check your potential employees right to work in the UK by seeing in person their UK passport, Birth Certificate or a visa verifying they can work in the UK. If they are working on a spousal or student visa there may be restrictions attached on the types of employment or number of hours they can work.  

Can I treat full time and part time employees differently?

No. It is against the law to treat full and part time workers differently. Part-time workers are protected from being treated less favourably than equivalent full-time workers just because they’re part time. 

If I want to dismiss an employee is there a process to follow?

Yes, you must follow your company's disciplinary procedures or redundancy process if you wish to dismiss an employee. Failure to follow the process may result in the employee claiming unfair dismissal and taking the matter to an employment tribunal. Even if the employee has worked for you for under 2 years it is best to follow best practice and follow the procedure. (please note this is due to change with the introduction of the Employment Rights Bill.) 

How much holiday do employees get?

All employees are legally entitled to a minimum of 28 days holiday (including bank holidays) or 5.6 weeks. This amount will be prorated for part time workers. You can however offer more holidays if you wish and many companies do to attract top talent. 

Can I tell employees when they should take their holiday?

Yes you can. If it is a reasonable request that is non-discriminatory, an employee cannot normally turn down an employer's instruction to take leave. It is not very common for employers to tell employees when to take leave and a better approach is to encourage employees to spread their holiday throughout the year to ensure they are resting and do not lose their entitlement at the end of the year or take a forced break.  You must provide twice as much notice as the leave you wish them to take. 

Can an employee be required to take his or her outstanding leave while on garden leave?

Yes you can request an employee take their remaining holiday entitlement during garden leave, so long as they give sufficient notice to book this, and the holiday entitlement doesn’t exceed the notice period. Remember an employee on gardening leave can be asked to return to the office if you need them to. Also, take into account any holiday accrued by the employee during their notice period, as they will continue to accrue holiday during this time. 

Do I have to offer sick pay to employees?

It is a legal requirement to offer Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to employees from day four of their sickness absence. As an employer you may want to offer over and above SSP which you can do by setting up a Company Sick Pay Scheme.  Please note that the Employment Rights Bill proposes to change SSP as a day-one entitlement, this may come into effect on 2025 or Autumn 2026 at the latest.

What industry sectors do you cover?

I cover a wide range of Industry Sectors including: 
Construction and demolition 
General Businesses 
Hospitality 
Retail 
Estate Agencies 
Arts 
Charity 
Town councils

Please do not be put off if your sector is not listed.  If you are an employer with less than 75 employees I can likely support you.

Does HR solve it tie clients into lengthy contracts?

NO! 

There are many larger HR consultancies that will try to tie you into a 3-5 year contract, but this is something I have never done or will do in the future. 

My quality of service is delivered to a high standard at all times, which has consistently retained Clients without the need for any long term contracts.  I understand that business needs change in this current economic climate and you may wish to adapt your HR support to mirror this.

Isn't it safer to go with one of the larger, well know national companies?

If HR consultants are qualified and keep up to date with employment law, then the advice should be ‘safe’ whether it comes from a one-person consultancy, an independent HR SME, or a national company.  

I stay up-to-date with the latest developments in employment law, ensuring my advice is always legally compliant, current and reliable and bespoke to your needs. 

With HR solve it, you will not go through a call centre, I pride myself in getting to know all my clients and their business, so I understand what your pressures are.  One size doesn’t fit all and my service is tailored to your needs. 

Are you insurance backed? I want to know that if anything goes wrong, such as a tribunal case, that my business is protected.

This is something I get asked a lot, as I know it is a sales pitch by many larger consultancy’s within my industry to scare people into buying from them.

This goes against all I stand, as you know, insurers are not overly keen on paying out. So, employers who use an insurance backed provider, are likely to have to do a lot more than is necessary in terms of processes, in order to meet the insurance company's demands and expectations. 

Please be assured I always advise clients on what they need to do legally and within their own policies, but I like to give my clients options so the action they take suits them and their business – not just do what the insurer says. 

I am responsible for HR in my company but could benefit from some assistance. Am I at risk of doing myself out of job?

I’ve worked with internal HR for different reasons, the most common is in relation to projects, helping the internal team either by taking on a project they just don’t have time to do, or supporting them within a project as they may not have the experience internally.  

I’m here to support  HR colleagues, genuinely working in partnership with the aim of managing and developing people to be their best. 

Why can't I just Google my HR questions or ask CHAT GPT?

The short answer is you can. However, my response is always the same – you need to be very, very careful. 

How up to date is the information on Google?

Have you positioned the question correctly?

Are you sure it is compliant with current employment law? 

How reliable is that information?

Does that information really fit with your business, and what you want to achieve?

Do you know who wrote the information?

Has the author been trained in employment law and HR, and are they keeping themselves up to date with changes in legislation and best practice? 

When it comes to your documentation, it’s worth putting in the time to find out where it’s come from, or in my opinion, obviously to get those documents written for you, to be sure you are compliant and that they meet the needs of your business. 

It usually only needs to be a big project once, as when you have them in place it’s a much smaller time and resource investment to then update them as and when your business changes or legislation dictates an update. 

If you end up in an Employment Tribunal because of this, stating Google or Chat GPT advise you, will offer you NO defence!

What is Human Resources?

Human Resources (HR) is a business function which focuses on managing and supporting an organisation's workforce. HR aims to maximise employee productivity and protect the company and their employees from any issues that might arise from the workforce.

Where are you based?

HR Solve It are located in Thanet, East Kent and I work predominately with local businesses.

How much experience do you have?

I have over 25 years of experience in the HR field and I support businesses without an internal HR function, as well as HR teams needing additional support.