We help companies streamline their HR practice, incorporating Best Practice and ensuring that their people and Culture are driving their business strategy.
We are here to handle the difficult and sensitive matters for you, letting you focus on running your business.
We can run the entire HR function for you, or work closely with your team to manage discrete parts or projects.
With extensive experience in all areas of HR practice and a common-sense approach to resolving people problems, we are known for our sound advice.
This includes discipline issues (within union and non-union environments), the interpretation of HR policies and procedures, working with manager to establish consistent and effective communication with staff members. We assist with prompt resolution of employee conflict and provide staff with a confidential avenue for sharing concerns before they escalate. We make referrals to various helping services, conducting independent investigations and involving legal counsel when needed.
Advisory
Employee Relations & Dispute Mediation
HR Start-up
Legislative & Regulatory Compliance
HR Strategy & Metrics Review
Change Management
M&A Integration
Outplacement Support
Performance Management
Retention & Engagement
Compensation & Benefits
Payroll & Benefits Administration
Employee Surveys & Focus Groups
Workforce & Succession Planning
Job Analysis/Descriptions
With our Partner A. B. Consulting we have expertise including service standards development and training for the world’s leading luxury hotel brands: Four Seasons, Oberoi Group and Belmond Hotels (formerly Orient Express)
We can get you set up with solutions that are scaled as you grow:
Periodic review of employee files including statements of employment, job descriptions, and benefit offerings to ensure that they are fully compliant with local HR legislation, are competitive and meet industry best practice standards; regularly provide clients with updates regarding relevant additions or changes to employee legislation.
We review all aspects of HR Management to ensure Best Practice methods and structure are employed, identification & utilization of relevant HR Metrics to drive HR strategy and demonstrate ROI, establishing mechanisms for keeping people Strategy and business strategy continually aligned, facilitating the periodic review of people Strategy to ensure alignment with changing business strategy
We can assist with any type of change managment that impacts your people. And, as things move faster and faster in today’s world, developing a Culture that adapts well to change is a competitive advantage. Our Senior Management & HR Consultants are expert in implementing proven strategies, techniques & tools for building Agility into your Culture and keeping employee beliefs & attitudes moving with organizational change.
Through our involvement in M&A activity, we have led successful integration efforts related to People & Culture.
Recognizing that the business value of a merger, acquisition or joint venture can be compromised when People & Culture issues are not integrated effectively, we first understand how the new business will drive business value through people, and then we address the following areas identifying risks and strategies for successful integration: Culture, Leadership, Change, Talent, Engagement and HR Service Delivery.
We sensitively manage outplacement ensuring all candidates are optimally positioned to succeed. All candidates work with our experts to receive ongoing career counselling & practical assistance with all aspects of job search including interviewing skills, personal image & marketing themselves effectively with resume, cover letter and social media (Linkedin) And, through our partnership with a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, outgoing employees spend time discovering, developing, and aiming their strengths at their goals and needs within their job search and career transition. Outgoing employees learn how to effectively communicate their strengths in resumes, interviews, networking events, and social media profiles setting them apart from other job seekers.
We recognise that today Performance Management (“PM”) needs to be agile, streamlined, provide ongoing feedback and coaching, and promote a positive performance culture. Companies need to build on their employee’s strengths vs. penalise them for their weaknesses. The nuts and bolts remain and so you need core competencies aligned to your culture and KPI’s to drive business performance. And, your Leaders & Managers need to know how to communicate to motivate, engage and build trust with their employees.
When all this is in place, PM systems drive business performance by ensuring that your people are:
(i) engaged & want to stay with your company,
(ii) able to perform (i.e. have the necessary skills, knowledge and capability) now and to meet changing business needs
(iii) clear on what performance results are expected
(iv) clear on how their performance is linked to company performance, and
(v) how they will be rewarded for achieving the expected results.
We can help you re-frame your PM “system” and help you get the engagement results you need to drive performance. Or, we can step in to assist with any discrete aspect of your existing PM process.
We have assisted clients with: conducting appraisal meetings, training/coaching managers, cascading performance goals through the organisation, drafting of key communications (eg CEO rallying message about business direction and what is needed to achieve goals), review of relative performance and ratings, salary increase and bonus plan modelling, development of progression or improvement plans, terminations, etc..
Engagement and turnover costs are much higher than most companies think. Gallup estimates that only 20 to 30% of employees are engaged and productive. That leaves 70 percent or more as not doing what we need them to do.
We can help you decrease turnover and increase engagement by re-focusing your budgets on activities that will actually increase engagement and reduce turnover. The research shows that the key factor negatively impacting engagement and the real cause of turnover is not the lack of fun activities for your staff to do on break but rather your managers’lack of people Skills and their inability to inspire the trust of their employees.
Research consistently shows that it takes more than a competitive compensation and benefits package to retain and engage your people. It is equally, and in many cases more important to employee retention and engagement, that employers be transparent about the way compensation is determined and are able to effectively communicate compensation decisions. Research shows that even increases in compensation can be communicated poorly such that the impact of the increase is lost and employees are demoralised.
So, to ensure you are making the most of your compensation dollars, we not only ensure your Total Compensation is competitive but we also assess and revise your compensation philosophy & program ensuring it is having the desired impact. We provide your managers with the written communications and training they need to have compensation conversations that keep your employees engaged.
We are able to step-in and manage this function as needed, or can handle the off-site administration of payroll and benefits. See our HR Outsourcing page for more information about the many benefits of HR Outsourcing.
Gathering intelligence on employee engagement and employee opinion ensures key decisions are based on fact vs. assumption. Our Senior Consultants have excellent interviewing & facilitation skills and are expert at crafting tools and creating situations that elicit the unbiased, honest and relevant feedback you seek from your employees. We then analyse the results and report, providing management with key talking points and action items.
Looking at key capabilities and roles needed by the organisation going forward, and opportunity costs of non-performing employees, identifying succession candidates (internal or external) and development needs, we assist in creating workforce plans that support business strategy.
The job description is a key element in employee advancement and retention initiatives. We can assist with the examination of job tasks, the redeployment of responsibilities and the development of comprehensive job descriptions including the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the job at a superior level. We are also skilled in the analysis of jobs and job groups for the purposes of organizational re-structure.