Warwick HR | Blog Posts

Grants to access specialist HR advice are now available

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Small and medium sized businesses in England can access grants between £1,000 - £5,000 for new equipment and technology and specialist advice

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You’ve no doubt seen in the news reports recently; the countless companies, under so much strain due to COVID 19, having to rethink their employee numbers and structures left, right and center.

It’s a scary world for both employers and employees right now. COVID has more than one seriously ugly R-rate, the first R is the Reproduction of this virus, the second takes the form of Redundancy.

The Government is doing a huge amount to try and help businesses stay afloat, I think it’s important we recognise this. However, there is only so much it can do in the extreme circumstances we’re in.

So, what if you find your business in a position where the dreaded R word rears its ugly head?

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Well, redundancy is notoriously complex, not only because it involves many calculations, legal trips and spills and forms of all sizes, it also involves people and their emotions, namely fear - and we know that fear can make itself known in many different ways including anger, hostility, and aggression. It’s therefore important to have the right support in place for both you and them in such challenging times.

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Now. Let’s check, you have HR support don’t you? If not, then my advice is GET IT, GET IT NOW!

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The good news, yes there is some in amongst the mayhem of destruction - the government has recently announced £20 million of funding to help smaller businesses recover from the negative effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. This means that SME's in England can access grants of between £1,000 & £5,000 to access specialist HR advice. This aid could be available to you,to learn more visit the link, funding for small business.

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You will need the expertise of someone who has done this all before, someone who knows how to do it right and knows how to do it well. Warwick HR can support you in so many ways, and I’m going to share some of these with you now:

Experience – let’s face it, HR professionals are used to redundancy situations, they happen all the time, and HR people are set up with a huge amount of experience in managing such situations with ease and diplomacy.

Knowledge of employment law – and the ability to interpret it in a way that supports both your business and the people you are having to say goodbye to. Employment law is mostly about being reasonable, and all you really want in a situation like this is to treat your people with the dignity and fairness they deserve whilst also maintaining your business long term. see our employment law page

The processes of redundancy – how long do you consult for? When does it start/stop and what happens in between? How do you calculate redundancy payments? What forms are there? Who do I need to consult with? How do I select people for redundancy? Who do I need to tell outside of the business? How many should I make redundant? The list is endless in dealing with all the questions that come with such complex situations. Warwick HR can help with all of these.

Communication and messaging – with our combined experience, knowledge of the law, and process, the Warwick HR team is adept at communicating and managing the messaging around redundancy. Messaging needs to be handled with care, it needs to be open and honest, professional, and courteous, it needs to have all the information people will need to settle their minds as much as possible. By welcoming the support of your HR professionals you will also be getting script structures that fulfil all these needs.

Time – all the above benefits of getting an HR professional involved will also save you time. Their knowledge and experience mean you don’t have to start from scratch, you don’t have to do all the research yourself and you can do the right thing by the people you employ.

There is no doubt that this is a difficult position to be in, making people redundant is never a nice thing to have to do, but unfortunately, it is sometimes the only option to help save a company or organisation. The most important thing is that it’s done right. It must be done in a way that respects the emotional state that people on the receiving end will be in, it must be done in compliance with the relevant laws and structures, and it must be done in a timely and proactive fashion.