Local shops in Angus have the chance to take part in a new pilot providing two-days of free HR support to help them create more quality jobs, recruit the best candidates, and prepare for new changes to employment law.
The trial programme has been developed by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Behavioural Insights Team, and will be delivered by Elevator – a social enterprise dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship and employability across Scotland on behalf of Angus Council. The aim of the project is to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Angus with bespoke HR support as and when they need it.
This tailored HR support is provided by CIPD-qualified HR consultants who will work with participating firms – employing between 5 and 250 employees – to improve their working practices, for the mutual benefit of the business as well as its employees.
Ben Willmott, Head of Public Policy at the CIPD, said: “Small firms typically have little or no access to professional HR support which can mean they lose out on recruiting the best candidates, or aren’t making the most of people’s skills or lose staff unnecessarily.
“This pilot will help small businesses in Angus get the key foundations of good HR practice in place in areas such as recruitment, job design, flexible working, as well as performance and absence management. The scheme will also help inform government policy on how to deliver effective business support to improve people management capability in SMEs.”
The launch of the new HR pilot scheme is timely given the raft of changes planned to employment regulation – announced in the UK government’s Employment Rights Bill – along with the rise of the national minimum wage, and to employer National Insurance contributions. All of which could hinder the growth and recruitment intentions of small businesses.
Roz Taylor, Operations Director at Elevator, said: “Small and medium-sized businesses make a significant contribution to the economy in Angus and wider Scotland. But they are facing increasing financial pressures and changes to employment legislation that could impact their plans for growth.
“This is why we are delighted to be delivering this HR pilot. It offers small businesses across our communities a unique opportunity to improve their workplace practices, tackle any workforce or recruitment challenges they have, and understand and prepare for changes to workers’ rights that may impact their business.”
The evaluation of the HR pilots will explore if this type of bespoke HR support can help to improve productivity and business outcomes for participating firms.
Eva Myers, Director at the Behavioural Insight Team, commented: “With the help of hundreds of SMEs we aim to recruit into the project – the first trial of this kind – we will gain invaluable insights into what works to improve workplace recruitment and retention of employees in an SME context.”
Small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) employing between 5 and 250 employees in Angus, Scotland can apply to take part in the free HR pilot here or email ben.willmott@cipd.co.uk
