First, what have you in place already? The Audit will identify gaps and needs, checking your compliance with statutory employment legislation and best practice. This will ascertain that your employees and clients alike are happy with your services.

The Audit will make recommendations and provide an action plan, covering the following areas:

As your remote HR manager, Prosper HR will support you as much or as little as you need. Whether you're seeking our support and guidance at a disciplinary hearing, or you simply want to be first in the queue for advice on the phone, the option's yours.

All the work we do is accompanied by template documentation and is constantly reviewed.

We're more than just a helpline. As we get to know your business as though we were your employees, we'll guide you and recommend the best practices for your business.

Of course, Employment Law changes all the time, and keeping up to date can be another headache. Via regular updates and a newsletter, we'll make sure you're kept fully abreast of what's happening.

Are your recruitment procedures up-to-date? Do you have a standard application form? Prosper HR will implement a recruitment policy for you and your business to ensure a fair and consistent process and minimise risks of employment tribunals.

As well as helping you to identify local market salary information, we'll work with you on those odd 'hard-to-fill' vacancies.

It's vital know your obligations when dealing with a disciplinary or performance issue. Did you know your business could be seriously affected if you don't follow the procedures? We'll ensure that all disciplinary and grievance procedures follow statutory guidelines and remain in line with your values.

Performance Management is also about supporting your employees. We'll structure an appraisal scheme that both retains staff and motivates them to improve their own personal skills and performance.

Succession Planning is an exciting tool for enhancing your people skills. With it you can identify the key people in your business to fill gaps as roles change and your business grows.

A competency framework will help you manage your performance appraisals. This can also be adapted to your recruitment and selection policy.

It's crucial to ensure the right documentation is in place to manage planned or unplanned absence: from booking a holiday to taking leave for a family emergency or sickness. 50% of sickness-related absences are a result of other factors, in or out of the workplace. 'Long-term absence' is triggered after four weeks, so ensuring your procedures are in place will minimise any unnecessary shortfalls in your staffing.

Rewarding our people is as important as exceeding customer expectations. The equation's simple: look after your human resources and they'll take care of your customers.

You might consider a structured reward and recognition scheme. This could include a bonus or enhanced payment for qualifying periods that meet set job criteria.

Such initiatives can make your organisation visibly stand out from your competitors. Creating a robust benefits package will attract to your business the right calibre of people - and will go a long way to retaining them.

At the heart of your people management processes are your employee handbook, policies and procedures. They're key to ensuring all your employees are aware of their responsibilities. In the event of any issues, you'll be confident that all relevant documentation is in place. And we'll work with you personally to integrate it into your workplace.

An integral part of the employee's journey with you. From induction to job-related training, how long an employee stays with you could be intimately related to how much you invest in them. And what value you gain from your staff attending courses will depend on how useful this learning will be to individual performances.

Often training courses are attended then allowed to drift, with no real direction. A Training Needs Analysis will identify what training is needed; not only for the individual, but also the organisation. We'll help you develop a robust training and development plan to meet these needs and deliver them to where they matter most: your customers. 

How often are you faced with employees unsure of the organisation's direction, or even where they fit within your values and culture? Top-down or bottom-up, communication is life's blood to any business. And it's facilitated in various ways depending on your size. How you communicate and build relationships with your staff will ensure they don't misinterpret your intentions.

People who join you will also leave you. And while you'll naturally do everything in your power to retain quality people, gaps are inevitable. For a better grasp of where people are going and why, an exit interview is invaluable; it could help identify a pattern that you can use as part of your recruitment and selection strategy.

Sadly you'll probably be involved in terminating someone's employment, through dismissal or redundancy. At Prosper HR we'll guide you through an effective management process and ensure you have in place the correct procedures.