Human Resources
Human Resource Management, or HRM, plays a strategic role in managing people and the workplace culture and environment and when done well, can contribute to the overall company direction and the accomplishment of its goals and objectives.
Successful businesses need to be adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-focussed. Within such an environment the effectiveness of HRM is crucial.
As HR professionals we can assist you by establishing systems to ensure your workforce stays motivated, engaged, and productive – contributing to the company’s overall objectives and success. Furthermore, we can ensure your business is compliant with legislative requirements by offering workplace relations advice and assisting you to create and implement policies and procedures.
Outsourcing this function to us means we can provide you with the necessary expertise and experience across the full spectrum of human resource management – strategic, project based or general support and advice, and as often or as little as you need it.
Human Resource Management
Strategic Human Resource Management
Strategic HRM aligns your human resource initiatives with your organisation’s mission, vision, values and goals and ensures consistency across the organisation. Strategic HRM is a step above the necessity of legal compliance and personnel compensation and is intended to contribute to improved effectiveness and efficiency.
We can provide a variety of strategic HRM services, including:
- Developing a human resource strategic plan that links to your business goals;
- Conducting job analysis requirements and determining an appropriate and effective organisational structure and reporting lines;
- Developing a range of strategic frameworks, systems, policies and procedures;
- Working closely with your team providing daily advice and consultancy; and
- HRM directorship services.
Systems, Policies and Procedures
Effective human resource policy developed to make the most of your human capital makes for successful management.
Best practice human resource policies and procedures mitigate the business’s risk of liability for decisions as they provide the framework against which to make those decisions and ensure transparency.
They also lay the foundation for ensuring compliance with federal and state employment laws in a clear and easy to implement manner.
We can assist you to strengthen your human resource systems, policies and procedures to achieve this by:
- Reviewing and updating, or developing and implementing, tailored human resource systems, policies and procedures;
- Audit of current systems, policies and procedures and recommendations for improvement.
Recruitment
We understand how important it is to have the right people in the right job, especially at executive and management levels.
Our recruitment services are flexible, ranging from simply aiding employers throughout the process, such as assisting in the interview and selection process and providing your appointment panel with an experienced HR perspective, to managing the entire recruitment process on your behalf.
Salary Reviews
We can assist you to conduct a thorough and complete salary and remuneration review of your workforce.
Our review process offers:
- Examination of current job descriptions and level of responsibilities;
- Consideration of past and current performance reviews; AND
- Market, industry and sector research.
We can also assist you to develop a standardised classification and remuneration system against which to benchmark positions.
Learning and Development
Continuous learning and development leads to improved business performance, staff morale and ultimately profitability.
Development opportunities allows staff to acquire new skills, contribute more effectively to the business and builds self-esteem, which in turn can improve chances of promotion, higher remuneration and increased job satisfaction.
We can assist employers to identify learning and development needs of your workplace through a training needs analyses, development of a professional development plan for individuals and coordinate training and support as required.
Conflict Resolution
We understand that dealing with conflict is not something most people want to have to do, especially when they are emotionally involved in the process, which due to the nature of working relationships, is always the case.
Objective support in this process can therefore assist in ensuring it is managed in a compliant manner and limits the risk of discriminating or harassing processes.
We can provide you with this support and help you to understand the techniques in effective and compliant conflict resolution and assist you in ways in which to learn and grow from the conflict, including ‘where to from here’ suggestions.
Return to Work (Injury Management)
Accidents happen! When they do, employers and employees need to work together to get the employee back to work as soon as possible. While returning to work is not always easy, it is important to understand that work is generally good for the employees’ health and well-being and the businesses culture and productivity.
We work with employers to manage both their responsibilities under law and to assist their employees to return to in a safe and productive manner, offering:
- Claims strategy support;
- Case management including:
- Assisting the injured worker to remain or return to work as quickly as possible
- Identify suitable duties
- Developing and implementing a return to work plan
- Coordinating rehabilitation
- Liaising with injured workers and treating practitioners to ensure the best possible outcome
- Auditing and compliance checks; and
- Training and mentoring of key stakeholders involved.
Work Health and Safety
Work place health and safety is not only legislatively required but also demonstrates to your employees that their health and safety is a priority. These systems however can be quite cumbersome and often, particularly in service based organizations with what appear to be minimal risk when compared to say the mining sector, are often put on the back burner.
We can review, develop and manage best practice and compliant WHS and risk management systems that are specific to your workplace and its risks. Our services include:
- Reviewing and/or developing WHS systems, policies and procedures;
- Developing induction guidelines for external contractors.
- Assisting to implement WHS systems via training;
- Auditing and compliance checks; and
- Carrying out WHS incident investigations.
Workplace and Industrial Relations
Enterprise Agreements
These agreements are designed to give the employer a degree of flexibility whilst recognising the rights of employees.
As the process requires ‘bargaining’ it is often best to have someone external to assist in such a process.
We have experience working across a range of industries in the development and implementation of enterprise agreements and can assist you by:
- Establishing the agreement strategy;
- Drafting agreements and supporting documentation;
- Negotiating with employees and unions;
- Representation in the Commission; and
- Lodging agreements.
Contracts of Employment
Employment contracts are vital for a business to ensure clear terms of employment and responsibilities – even if your employees are covered by an award or enterprise agreement.
Contracts of employment are the first reference point in any claims made against your business and are also relevant to the financial management of your business.
We can conduct:
- Contract audits;
- Reviews and/or development of employment agreements; and
- Standardised contract templating to cover all best practice inclusions;
Independent Investigations
At times, whether due to a lack of expertise, time or resources, or if an internal officer is not able to be sufficiently objective during a complaint or misconduct investigation, you may need someone like us to assist you.
Where a formal internal complaint has been made, especially against a management level employee, it is advisable that the investigation be subject to an external review.
We can assist in undertaking a thorough investigation, reporting on the outcomes and following up on any actions required, all the whilst ensuring that all parties subject to the investigation are provided with their right of procedural fairness and natural justice.
Discipline and Termination
Carrying out the proper process in relation to disciplinary measures that may have the potential to eventuate to dismissals under Fair Work legislation is important.
To carry this process out effectively and be able to defend what may be an unfair dismissal claim, employers must have proper disciplinary policies and procedures in place.
We can assist you when dealing with the discipline of an employee due to a performance issue or a serious misdemeanour, which at its most serious may result in termination:
- Ensuring you have a formal process in place;
- Attending formal disciplinary meetings;
- Mentoring and guiding stakeholders through the process; and
- In the case where an ex-employee brings an unfair dismissal clam against you, represent you before the Fair Work Commission.
Restructuring and Redundancy
In today’s workforce, employers are faced with ongoing change and the constant need to do more with less and as a result may need to restructure or downsize resulting in redundancies and/or changes to employee’s positions, shifts or hours.
We offer the following services to assist you throughout this process:
- Assessing your business needs and developing options and strategies for restructure;
- Liaising with stakeholders;
- Representing employers in negotiation with unions and/or employees in the case of redundancies or change in working conditions; and
- Where redundancies are required, assist to make the process as smooth as possible for both yourself and your employees.