However your school or trust accesses HR support, whether that be via a local authority, internal HR or via an independent provider like ourselves, it’s always a good idea to review your service to ensure consistent value for money. Don’t just go with the cheapest quote, but carefully consider the quality of support, advice and breadth of knowledge on offer.
Ask yourself a few questions and look over your leadership and people matters with a critical eye. Are there any longstanding issues which really need resolving, such as never ending short and long term staff absence, suspensions delayed, restructures on hold, conflicts, recruitment and retention issues, capability concerns and is this hindering school improvement? Are you frequently hit with unexpected HR related costs which make budgeting and planning difficult? Are you still doing things the way you’ve always done them?
Sometimes when we meet with new clients and partners, they’re surprised at how we challenge the status quo and how quickly we get to grips with some really challenging casework and change projects. They often think there’s no alternative to the way they currently operate or for HR matters to take months, even years to resolve and manage effectively. But we believe that many schools and trusts could be getting a better, more effective service AND saving money. It starts with understanding what you could and should be getting… here’s what we think good, looks like in the world of school’s HR:
1. We believe you should have access to several consultants with varied experience and skills
Good HR consultancy support will provide you with a named lead consultant plus a supporting consultant, who knows your school or trust and local issues inside out. But if there’s someone more experienced on a certain topic in the consultancy team, they should be able to step in at any time and offer advice. You should be confident that you will always have access to the most skilled and knowledgeable consultant team, whose experience best fits your requirement and that they are able to respond.
2. We believe in good value and fair billing which helps you manage costs
Managing budgets and keeping on top of costs is paramount to operational efficiency. So, we believe you should be able to manage your HR support charges despite not being able to plan for every eventuality. HR shouldn’t feel like a dealing with a law firm, with costs mounting up for every phone call or question or overly complicate risk. With a properly managed annual Service Level Agreement (SLA) and/or access to competitive day rate consultancy, your HR support should work within your budgets, be flexible and be on hand for agreed professional services, whenever you need them. With 70-80% of your total budget spent on staffing costs, the right HR support is imperative.
3. We believe in the most effective methods of communication
Communication is everything, of course. When you need in-person support or a HR consultant by your side on site for important meetings, hearings, consultation meetings or just to let off steam, they should be there. However, no one should be waiting for meetings and diaries to line up in today’s world. When you need quick, speedy responses they should be on the phone, e mail or working with you across interactive technology platforms to speed up decisions, implement processes and get the job done efficiently.
4. We believe in empowering your leadership team
Ultimately, there are many HR and leadership skills and competencies that you don’t need a consultancy for. So, long term the longer you work with that consultancy, the less you should need them and the more you can then focus on pro-active support, such as workforce planning, recruitment and retention and staff engagement. Their support should encompass training for your leadership/management team, your teaching/support staff, your governors and for succession planning, so they’re confident and capable of dealing with topics such as managing leave of absence, disciplinaries, grievance, poor performance and flexible-working requests.
5. We believe in courage and leadership confidence
In order to achieve the best HR outcomes for your people and your school or trust, often tough conversations and decisions are needed. You should be working alongside a HR partner so used to dealing with every challenging HR situation that nothing phases them. They will challenge and question, tackling the most complex of issues with ease – giving you the utmost reassurance to resolve effectively and efficiently and minimising those sleepless nights! Look for a partner that is well resourced and invests in HR training that can resolve challenging casework, lead on trade union consultation, set up hearings promptly and plans and implements complex change projects on time and within budget.
6. We believe in first class education HR specific knowledge, keeping you ahead of issues before they arise
Nobody likes surprises, especially when it comes to your workforce and the law. The best HR consultants will make it their duty to gather in-depth knowledge on topical workforce issues, trends and changes in the law, keeping you updated and well prepared.
BIRCH-HR’s goal is to enable schools, trusts and SMEs to access high quality market-leading HR services, support and make cost savings whilst improving outcomes. We’ve built a likeminded passionate HR team, and network of partners and associates with the most in-depth experience of all HR specialisms.
To learn more about how BIRCH-HR can support you in getting the most from your people in a cost effective and valuable way, contact: info@birch-hr.co.uk
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