HR Remote Service
06/06/2019
As a customer of our remote HR service you and other key personnel can access unlimited HR support via our HR Remote Service Desk and our website.
Our Remote Service Desk
Our HR service desk, based in Dorking, Surrey, is staffed during our normal office hours during term time which are:
- Monday to Thursday from 8.00am until 5.30pm
- Fridays from 8.00am until 4.00pm
During school/college closure periods we are available Monday to Friday from 9.30am until 4.00pm.
Our help desk is operated by a mixture of qualified HR consultants and part- or fully-qualified HR officers with a breadth and depth of commercial, education and public sector experience. Within the wider team we also have a number of HR consultants with specialist knowledge which can be drawn upon where more complex issues arise.
Collectively we have more than 150 years of education experience and our comprehensive CPD programme, professional network, supervision programme and quality assurance systems ensure a reliable, secure, responsive, up-to-date and flexible HR service delivery to our clients.
Emails are dealt with at least every 2 hours (or next working day for out-of-hours emails) and are triaged and assigned response times.
We aim to achieve the following targets and regularly monitor our performance against these indicators:
- 80% of all calls to be answered within one minute
- First call resolution (calls resolved at the first point of contact) will be a minimum of 50%
Calls are triaged as follows:
- 90% response within 15 minutes; target resolution within 2 working hours
- 90% response within 15 minutes; target resolution within 4 working hours
- 90% response within 15 minutes; target resolution within 48 hours
- 90% response within 15 minutes; target resolution within 5 working days
Our HR advisory line utilises a comprehensive call logging system to ensure that we have ready access to records of your contacts with us so that you receive a seamless service.
Key Areas of Support
Customers of our remote service can receive support and advice in the following key areas (for access to a named HR consultant and on-site meetings, view our comprehensive package):
Strategic HR Planning
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Conduct and Discipline
- Advice and support on the management of staff conduct at work
- Advice and support on informal actions to address conduct concerns and prevent escalation to formal procedures
- Advice and support on formal disciplinary investigations and procedures
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Performance Management and Capability
- Advice and support on the operation of performance management procedures
- Advice and support on managing performance problems informally to address concerns and improve performance to avoid escalation to formal capability procedures
- Advice and support through formal stages of capability procedures
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Management of Absence
- Advice and guidance on absence management including advice and interpretation on the school’s adopted absence management policy
- Advice on different types of absences, e.g. long and short term absences, special leave of absence, etc
- Advice on other occupational health and employment issues (in conjunction with an occupational health service provider), including pre-employment screening and disability issues
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Appointment of Staff
- Email and telephone advice on contractual and legislative issues governing the selection and appointment of staff
- Advice and guidance on Safer Recruitment practices
- Advice and good practice guidance on pre-employment checks e.g. references
- Provision of model job profiles where available
- Provision of contract templates with guidance on their use, regularly updated to include changes to employment legislation, national and local pay changes and agreements
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Pay and Terms and Conditions of Employment
- Advice, interpretation and information on relevant nationally and locally agreed terms and conditions of employment, including updates on relevant changes
- Advice, interpretation and information on relevant national and local rates of pay and other remuneration discretions, including pay decisions and updates on relevant changes
- Advice and guidance on Working Parents’ policies and entitlements, including maternity and paternity entitlements
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Grievances and Disputes
- Advice and support on informal grievances and disputes to seek to resolve as amicably and swiftly as possible
- Advice and support through all stages of formal grievances and disputes
- Advice and support with the resolution of conflict
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Management of Change
- Advice and support when managing staffing changes with re-structuring, re-design of roles and redundancy
- Advice and support on informal approaches to managing the need to reduce staffing and avoid formal redundancy procedures
- Advice and support through all stages of redundancy procedures
- Advice relating to the transfer of staff to, or from, other organisations (TUPE)
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Employment Law
- Advice and interpretation on employment legislation, case law and relevant education legislation that underpin the employment of all staff in schools
- Web-based employment law news and updates
Equality and Diversity
- Advice and support on managing diversity at work
- Advice, interpretation and guidance on employment issues relating to diversity, discrimination and equality issues, including sex, race, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation and age
- Website model policies and procedures, guidance and information
Contact us to get a quote for your school or establishment or to find out more about our services and how these can be tailored to your particular needs.
