Some of our clients

HR Support in Staffordshire for the Decisions Managers Have to Get Right

SafeWise provide HR support to businesses across Staffordshire. Most calls start the same way: a manager has a problem with a member of staff and needs to know what to do next. We have been advising employers since 2012 and 92% of businesses on an HR membership stay with us. The gap between spotting a problem and acting on it is where an advisor earns their keep.

When Absence Stops Looking Like Bad Luck

Repeated short absence and long-term sickness are different problems. With the short kind, look at the shape of it first. Is it always a Monday, always the day after a heavy shift? A trigger point you apply to everybody will stand up. One you apply to the person who irritates you will get taken apart.

Long-term sickness is slower and the risk sits elsewhere. Where the condition meets the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, you have a duty to consider reasonable adjustments, and acting without having done so is where employers come unstuck. Ring before you write to anybody's GP, because the wording of that letter matters.

Return to Work Is Where the Facts Come From

Do a return to work interview after every absence, including the single days. Keep it short: what was wrong, and is there anything here making it worse. You hear about the real problems early, and you find out quickly if somebody is taking liberties. Write it down on the day.

When Performance Has Slipped

The first question is whether somebody cannot do the job or will not, because capability and conduct are separate processes. The informal stage comes first either way, and it is the one most managers skip. It has four parts.

What good looks like in the role, said out loud rather than assumed
Which part of it is falling short, with examples and dates
What support you are putting in, whether training, a change of duties or closer supervision
A date when you will both look at it again

Conduct, and the Order You Have to Do It In

With conduct the order matters as much as the decision. The Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures sets the sequence, and a tribunal can adjust an award by up to 25 per cent depending on whether an employer followed it.

Investigate before you form a view, and keep whoever investigates apart from whoever decides
Put the allegations in writing, with the evidence, ahead of the meeting
Hold the meeting, tell them they may be accompanied, and let them answer
Decide once you have heard them, then put the outcome in writing
Offer an appeal to somebody with no part in the original decision

Suspension is the step people reach for first and it is rarely neutral. Talk it through before you send anybody home.

The Record You Will Wish You Had Kept

All of this turns on what you wrote down at the time. Omnia, our HR system, holds absence records, training records and employee documents in one place, so the note from March is still there in November. Your advisor is the same person every time, so you can pick up where the last conversation left off.

You take HR support as a membership, on its own or alongside safety cover so there is an advisor for each side. You can buy HR templates one at a time instead. And if the safety half needs looking at, we cover health and safety in Staffordshire too.

Staffordshire HR support for managers, on absence, performance and conduct.

More About Us

One Call First:
Ring while the decision is still open. Unpicking a dismissal afterwards costs a great deal more than a ten minute conversation before it.

Same Trigger for Everybody:
Apply the same absence trigger to everybody. Consistency is what makes it defensible when somebody challenges it.

Informal Before Formal:
Most performance problems close with one honest conversation and a review date. Keep the formal process for what is left.

Order Beats Outcome:
Tribunals look hard at the process. Investigate, put it in writing, hear them out, decide, and offer an appeal.

Put the Situation to an HR Advisor

Ring 01922 279 129 and describe what is happening with the member of staff, or leave your details below and we will come back inside 24 hours.

Speak to an expert today!

Choose the support that’s right for you

At SafeWise, we provide practical solutions to keep your business compliant, protected and running smoothly. From expert Health & Safety support to HR guidance, tailored training, and ready-to-use resources, our services are designed to give you confidence and peace of mind.

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Health & Safety

Guidance, audits and policies to keep your workplace safe and compliant.

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HR

Advice and support to manage people, processes and compliance with ease.

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Training

Courses designed to build knowledge, improve skills & support compliance.

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Resources & Templates

Documents and tools that save time and simplify compliance.

Client satisfaction is at the heart of what we do

With over 125 five-star reviews and a 92% client renewal rate, SafeWise is proud to be the trusted partner for businesses across the country. Here’s what our clients have to say about working with us.