Essential HR Duties for People Managers

Course overview

As a manager you would be amazed at how much you do not know – but need to know – about your staff's employment rights, and your own!

You may think that all this is covered by your HR Department, you should think again. Dealing with an increasingly ethnically, culturally and more rights-conscious workforce you really need to have at the very least the basics covered.

It is knowing that recruitment can be as fraught with difficulties as dismissal; appreciating the subtleties of contracts of employment and being able to handle changes to them; having up-to-date information on statutory rights to time-off in a wide range of instances; avoiding breaches in discrimination rules plus much more.

This 8 module distance learning course will literally 'open your eyes' to the labyrinth of your staff's statutory rights, requirements and your obligations which can, and will, affect how you manage your people.

How does this distance learning programme work and what do you get?

• Eight modules, each requiring between 3 to 4 hours study to be completed as you choose
• The course and its modules start at any time to suit you
• Modules may be downloaded to study on your PC or to print hard copies. (You may also opt to receive them printed-and-bound from us.)
• Each module has self-assessment progress questions and model answers
• The course has an optional on-line multiple choice assessment at the end, with a certificate of completion being awarded

This distance learning course will:

• Update you on best practice and recent changes to legislation including:
  • Employee dismissal
  • Family friendly rights
  • Recruitment
  • Disciplinary and grievance procedures
  • Discrimination

• Take you through the steps of successful recruitment and making job offers
• Detail what 'must' be included in a contract of employment
• Examine what 'fair' dismissal is and how employers are expected to be 'reasonable'
• Deliver top techniques to manage absence and sickness effectively
• Advance your understanding of pay and benefits to effectively motivate your team

Who should take this course?

Managers and executives at all levels will find this course sharpens their HR knowledge and improves their decision-making as a result. This includes:

• Managers
• Team leaders
• Technical specialists
• Office managers
• Department heads
• CEOs of SMEs

Course modules

MODULE 1 THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS

The Seven Stages of an Effective Recruitment Process*

• The business case
• Identifying the job
• Defining the person
• Attracting candidates
• Assessing candidates
• Making the selection decision
• Follow up

HR Procedures

• Issuing a conditional job offer
• Checking the right to work in the UK
• Checking essential qualifications
• Checking criminal convictions
• Checking references
• Medical examinations/questionnaires
• Making unconditional job offers

MODULE 2 EXAMINING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Employee or self-employed
• Agency staff
• Different types of contract
• The right of an employee to written terms and conditions
  • What must be included by law
  • Other possible terms and conditions

• What are the statutory rights
• Using express and implied terms of contract
• Common law rights and duties
• Issuing the contract
• Varying the terms of contract
• Remedies for breach of contract
• Clarifying the terms where there is no written statement
• Best practice tips and techniques

MODULE 3 UNDERSTANDING 'FAMILY FRIENDLY' RIGHTS

• Maternity leave and pay
• Paternity leave and pay
• Leave and pay for adoptive parents
• Parental leave
• Flexible working rights

MODULE 4 DISCRIMINATION LAW

• What is discrimination legislation?
• Defining discrimination
  • Sex and marital status
  • Race
  • Disability
  • Sexual orientation
  • Religion or belief
  • Age

• Trade union membership
• Remedies for unlawful discrimination
• Outlining the relevant institutions
• Equal opportunities – what the law means

MODULE 5 DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

• The statutory disputes procedure
• The organisation's own disciplinary procedure
• The right to be accompanied
• The right of appeal
• Effective records
• Carrying out disciplinary interviews
• What constitutes a grievance?
• Grievance procedures

MODULE 6 UNDERSTANDING PAY AND BENEFITS

• Legislation
  • The National Minimum Wage
  • Equal pay

• Determining pay levels
  • Internal relativities – job evaluation
  • The external market place
  • Drawing up the reward policy
  • Deciding how to pay

• Performance related pay
  • Bonuses and incentives

• Lawful deductions from pay
• Main employment benefits
  • Company cars
  • Private medical insurance
  • Pensions
  • Permanent health insurance
  • Flexible benefits
  • Voluntary benefits

MODULE 7 MANAGING SICKNESS AND ABSENCE EFFECTIVELY

• Identifying the size of the problem
• Some causes of absence
• Tackling absence
• External statistics
• A sickness absence policy
• The responsibility for managing sickness absence
• Return to work interviews
• Trigger points
• Sickness as a 'fair' reason for dismissal
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Occupational Sick Pay

MODULE 8 ENDING THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP

• Procedural requirements when the employee resigns
• Defining 'fair' reasons for dismissal
  • Capability or qualifications
  • Conduct
  • Redundancy
  • Some other statutory enactment
  • Some other substantial reason

• Implications of constructive dismissal and wrongful dismissal for the organisation and employees
• Making a claim for unfair dismissal