HR SERVICES

HR solutions for every stage of your business

We offer businesses a range of outsourced HR consultancy packages, management consultancy services and ad-hoc HR services to help take the stress out of managing your people. Let us take care of your people issues so that you can take care of running your business.

Why is HR support important?

Whether you are a start-up company, or an established SME, supporting your team is essential for success. Effective HR management plays a key role in this, and knowing how to do it properly is crucial.

HR is multi-faceted, and can often be complex, with employment law being difficult to understand. The ‘people demands’ of running a business can be challenging, and therefore having access to specialist HR support can be transformational for a business, and critical for success.

Willow and Semp can take care of all your HR requirements, in a friendly, commercial and professional way, and at a fraction of the cost of employing an in-house HR team.

How can we support you?

By being your perfect HR and employment law business partner!

Regardless of the type of your business, or the sector within which it operates, you will need different levels of HR support at different times to ensure you operate efficiently and effectively. Employing an in-house HR team is often extremely expensive, and does not have the wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise that we do.

Willow and Semp HR Consultancy works flexibly and dynamically to fulfil all your HR and employment law needs. Our consultants are the best in the industry and work tirelessly to provide you with a professional, expert and friendly service.

We have a range of HR solutions to suit your specific requirements at any given time, and these include:

Retained HR consultancy - we provide a full consultancy service on a retained basis
Fully outsourced HR - we act as your HR department, on a retained basis
HR consultancy on an hourly/daily/agreed basis - we provide full consultancy, but on a flexible basis
Interim HR support - we provide HR cover when a member of your existing HR team is on maternity leave for example, or long term sick
Project management / ad hoc consultancy - we agree an hourly rate, or fixed rate for a piece of work

Why choose Willow and Semp?

You're in safe hands, but we do things a little bit differently at Willow and Semp!

Unlike other HR consultancies that cap the amount of advice you can receive, or limit the number of meetings or site visits available to you, we work 24/7 to support your business. You have direct access to your own consultant, with whom you will build your relationship, and we will always be on the end of the phone, and ready to jump in the car to come and see you. There are no call centres here, and you won't have to start afresh, explaining the issue before receiving advice, each time you call. You will have your own dedicated and responsive consultant, who will know your business and your challenges intimately, and who will become integral to your team.

We are the trusted HR business partners to a variety of different companies across a range of different sectors. Our comprehensive HR solutions give you all the benefits of specialist support, at a fraction of the cost (and without the liability) of employing an internal HR department.

With over 20 years’ experience in the industry, there is nothing that Willow and Semp have not encountered before. We have been explaining employment law to managers and business owners for decades, and because it is our speciality, it means that it doesn’t have to be yours. With a unique ability to understand your business, and indeed your problems and challenges, we translate even the most difficult of concepts into easily understandable words, and find practical solutions that work for your business.

Our team is creative and bold. We won’t shy away from a problem or sit on the fence when it comes to helping you make a difficult decision, and will always do so with a smile and a sense of humour.

Retained HR Consultancy

Working with us on a retained basis enables us to really get to know your business and its challenges. Whilst we always provide the same excellent service regardless of the business relationship we have with you, our retained consultancy option gives you complete peace of mind that we will always be available to help and support you. You can speak to us at any time, about anything, and we will be on hand to support and guide you.

We act as your consultant, your advisor, your confidante and sometimes your counsellor! We help you with the day to day issues that might crop up, and provide you with tailored advice which always has your best business interests at heart. Our support is unlimited, and we will help you with absolutely everything, be it reviewing your handbook and policies, designing an induction programme, or introducing an appraisal process for you. We will be as hands-on as you would like us to be, and will happily draft all your disciplinary and grievance outcome letters, for example, and chair all your HR meetings.

Our ethos is very much on building long-term relationships with our clients, to deliver unparalleled service and individual friendly and understandable HR and employment law advice. This is reflected in the flexible contracts that we offer, which are transparent and cost-effective for your business.

Fully Outsourced HR Department

We are your fully outsourced HR department, and do everything for you that an in-house team would do. It's as simple as that, with the added benefit that we also save you a significant amount of money!

Considering the average costs of employing one HR Manager (or equivalent) plus a HR Administrator, you would be looking at a basic combined annual salary cost of around £57,000. Our retained consultancy packages start from as little as £5,950 per year, and you have unlimited access to a team of HR and legal experts, all high calibre individuals and leaders in their field. With Willow and Semp, you get all the benefits, and more, of an in-house HR function, without the in-house costs.

By working as an integral part of your team, we can deliver tailored HR solutions that meet your needs, consider business risk, are always commercial and have at heart the cultural values of your organisation.

We ensure that:

We are always professional, friendly and highly qualified
We are committed to working closely with you and to adding value to your bottom line
We are qualified to give both HR and legal advice, which we will deliver in a friendly, pragmatic and commercial manner
We are always accessible, and contactable
We do what we say we will do, when we say we will do it
We are open and honest in all our dealings with you
We take a client centred approach and that you will be delighted with our service

HR Consultancy - Non-retained

If you prefer not to commit to a contract with us, we will happily offer all of our consultancy services on an 'as and when' basis, charged by the hour. You might, for example, just need immediate help with an urgent situation, for example workplace conflict, a contentious grievance or an employment tribunal claim, and we will step in to support you.

Our practical and professional consultancy services can support any HR activity, and our experienced consultants are available to provide support by telephone, email or in person. You will receive a full and dedicated HR consultancy service, just on an 'as and when' required basis.

Interim HR Support

Willow and Semp can also manage specific HR projects if you don’t have the in-house resources to manage them yourself. We can also provide a HR professional, at any level, to cover periods of leave and absence, to assist during peak workload times or to offer additional consistent on site HR support. Our experienced consultants are available to provide support by telephone, email or in person.

Please speak to us about getting support with:

Cover during periods of absence such as long-term sick or maternity leave
Helping you find a permanent in-house HR replacement
Designing and delivering change initiatives around structures, mergers and acquisitions or redundancies

Project managing a specific programme or process, or the implementation of an HR system.
Providing additional support to an in-house HR team, for example at a time of change, or where a different skill set is required

Project Management

Willow and Semp provide highly skilled support for projects of all sizes. We understand that sometimes you might need some expert help and guidance, particularly when faced with one-off, potentially challenging and complex projects such as employment tribunal cases, redundancies, restructures and TUPE. This is where we excel. We will ensure that all your legal obligations are met, and that you understand the processes that you must follow. As always, all communications and legal correspondence will be drafted for you, and all your consultations will be expertly managed.

Wherever possible, we will define the brief of any project with you, and identify the potential costs in advance.

Employment Tribunal Claims

Being taken to an employment tribunal can be a stressful experience. Willow and Semp can be there to support you at every step of the way by ensuring that, no matter how complex the case, you will receive the very best legal advice and guidance.

To help you defend an employment tribunal claim, we will:

Give you honest advice about your prospects of successfully defending the claim, and present you with a variety of options for managing the claim
Prepare your legal defence (ET3)
Communicate with the Employment Tribunal on your behalf
Liaise with Acas on your behalf
Prepare witness statements and your bundle of evidence
Prepare and exchange all your documents with the other party
Arrange representation for you at the tribunal.
Also negotiate cost-effective settlements for you, if and when required

Redundancies

Making redundancies can become a necessary part of running a successful business, for example where cost savings and business efficiency become of concern. However, the process of making people redundant can pose a significant risk to your business if you do not do it properly and do not consult with your employees correctly.

Willow and Semp can help you to:

Formulate your strategy, and help you identify where your organisation can make savings
Identify any areas of risk, and provide you with commercial advice
Plan the stages of the redundancy process, and put together a clear project plan
Manage all the communications legally required between you and your employees, plus trade unions or employee representatives, and also liaise on your behalf with The Insolvency Service, where required
Plan and manage your consultations with employees, and trade unions or employee representatives, if required by law
Chair your consultation meetings, take notes, and draft your outcome letters
Manage any appeals for you

Restructures

Restructuring a business can be a tricky affair, with difficult employment law to navigate. Willow and Semp are on hand to support and guide you, advising you on business risk and providing you with options to consider.

We can help you to:

Plan the restructure of your business, and identify areas for growth or reduction
Manage the redundancy or TUPE process, if appropriate
Manage any required recruitment
We will also support you once the restructure is complete, to help you manage the challenges that will arise thereafter

TUPE

Abbreviated from the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, these regulations protect employees' rights when they transfer to a new employer. TUPE may apply if you are selling your organisation, or part of it, or are transferring a service to a new provider (for example, when another company takes over a contract for cleaning).

TUPE can be extremely complex, and poses significant legal risk for both the outgoing and incoming employer. It requires a skilled understanding of employment law in order to be able to confidently manage it. Willow and Semp are on hand to help guide you every step of the way.

We will ensure that your TUPE process runs smoothly by:

Identifying those to whom TUPE applies
Collating all information on your behalf which constitutes your 'due diligence' (Employee Liability Information, for example)
Planning and managing consultations with staff
Drafting of all written correspondence and attendance at consultation meetings, where required
Exchanging any documentation with the other party
Managing any potential redundancies

Other Projects

Please also speak to us about getting support with:

Focused project management and delivery concerning mergers and acquisitions
HR strategy
HR administration, including employee handbooks, contracts and policies
Large-scale recruitment drives
Job evaluation projects
Independent management of disciplinary and grievance processes, including investigations, hearings and appeals
Cost reduction and increased productivity initiatives
Employee engagement
Wellbeing
Coaching, training and development
HR audits