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Your best employee isn’t automatically your best manager. It is a common route into management - someone is reliable, experienced, technically strong and consistently performs well, so the next step is to give them responsibility for a team. The difficulty is that managing people requires a completely different set of skills. Suddenly they are expected to give feedback, deal with underperformance, handle conflict, manage absence, have difficult conversations and make decisions that affect other people, often without ever having been taught how to do any of it. That does not mean they were the wrong person to promote. It means they need support to become as confident in management as they were in their previous role. Good managers are developed, not simply appointed. If you have managers who have grown into their roles without much formal people management training, The HR Practice can help build their confidence and capability. https://lnkd.in/edmhT_f5 #ManagementTraining #PeopleManagement #HRSupport

If an employee isn’t performing during probation, what are the options? Probation should not be treated as a date in the diary that you only think about at the end. Regular review meetings give managers the chance to look at performance, behaviour and conduct, give clear feedback and make sure the employee has a fair opportunity to improve. Just as importantly, those conversations should be documented.  If things are not improving, there may be an option to extend the probation period for a short time. If performance or behaviour is still not where it needs to be, ending the probation may also need to be considered.  The key is not to leave concerns until the final week. Got someone in probation and unsure what your next step should be? Speak to The HR Practice before making a decision. #Probation #PeopleManagement #HRSupport

Greek mythology, The Golden Girls and 12+ years of HR experience - meet Laura Stevenson! Laura Stevenson  is an HR Consultant with The HR Practice, bringing more than 12 years of experience across a wide range of sectors. She has worked closely with business leaders on everything from organisational change and employee engagement to talent development, HR strategy and union relationships. Laura is also a certified Workplace Mediator and Mental Health First Aider, with a real focus on helping businesses create workplaces where people and performance can work well together. However, more interestingly - away from HR, there is quite a bit more to know about Laura. → She absolutely loves reading, mainly fiction, and has been running a book group for the last six years. → She has kissed the famous Blarney Stone in Ireland and now likes to believe she has the gift of the gab. → She is a self-confessed geek when it comes to Greek mythology. → Her guilty pleasure is The Golden Girls! She watches an episode most days and considers herself something of an expert. → She loves travelling and has visited some incredible places, although the Highlands of Scotland still come out on top. Laura brings a huge amount of HR knowledge to the team, but also warmth, humour and plenty of conversation, which fits The HR Practice perfectly. Give Laura a hello in the comments, and feel free to test her Golden Girls knowledge while you're there! #MeetTheTeam #HRSupport #TeamHRP

The HR question is no longer whether people will use AI. It is where we draw the line. AI can already help with research, drafting, summarising and some of the routine administration that takes up valuable time. Used well, that creates a real opportunity for businesses and HR teams. The more interesting question is what happens when we move from generating information to making decisions about people. Context matters. Previous conversations matter. Organisational culture matters. Consistency matters. Risk matters. Most importantly, the individual involved matters. There is another issue businesses need to consider too. UK Government research found that 41% of businesses handling digitised data were already using AI technologies in 2025 to 2026, yet only 17% of AI users reported having any formal or informal AI policy or guidance. Technology is moving quickly. Governance, management capability and workplace conversations need to keep pace. If your organisation is reviewing how AI fits into its people practices, policies or management processes, speak to The HR Practice. https://lnkd.in/edmhT_f5 #HRSupport #ArtificialIntelligence #PeopleManagement

This World Menopause Day, there is another reason for employers to think about how they support people experiencing menopause in the workplace. From spring 2027, subject to secondary legislation, employers with 250 or more workers will be required to publish an action plan setting out steps they are taking to address their gender pay gap and support employees experiencing menopause. For smaller employers, the reporting requirement may not apply, but it is still worth asking whether your managers, policies and working practices provide the right support. Menopause can affect people very differently, so good workplace support is about listening, having informed conversations and considering appropriate adjustments where needed. If you are reviewing your people policies or would like advice on supporting employees experiencing menopause, speak to The HR Practice. https://lnkd.in/dv64VbgC #WorldMenopauseDay #MenopauseAtWork #HRSupport

Underperformance rarely affects just one person. It can start with missed targets, mistakes or work not being completed to the expected standard, but the impact often spreads much further across the business. → Colleagues pick up extra work → Managers spend more time checking, correcting and following up → Morale can start to drop → Customers may notice inconsistencies → Standards can gradually slip One of the biggest mistakes managers can make is hoping the issue will resolve itself. Sometimes people need support, clearer expectations or better training. Sometimes a more formal process is needed. Either way, avoiding the conversation usually makes the situation harder to manage later. If your managers are not confident having those conversations, The HR Practice can support with practical manager training and HR advice. Find out more about our HR consultancy services here: https://lnkd.in/edmhT_f5 #PeopleManagement #HRSupport #ManagementTraining

Managing people is rarely straightforward, especially when you are dealing with a situation that needs to be handled fairly, consistently and with confidence. Vote in the poll and we will share the results in a follow up post, along with some practical guidance on the areas managers find most challenging. If your managers would benefit from more support or practical training, you can find out more about how The HR Practice can help here: https://lnkd.in/edmhT_f5 #PeopleManagement #HRSupport #ManagementTraining

What's the most expensive problem in HR? Usually the one you didn't know existed. Over the years we’ve seen businesses invest thousands in recruitment, training and growth but haven't reviewed their contracts or policies for years. The challenge is that employment law doesn't stand still. What was compliant three years ago is unlikely to be compliant today. That's exactly why our HR Audit is so valuable. ✅ We review every policy ✅ We review every employment contract ✅ We review your people processes ✅ We identify any compliance risks Then we provide a detailed gap analysis and practical recommendations to close those gaps. Prevention is always cheaper, and less stressful, than dealing with a problem after it happens. Could your HR documentation stand up to scrutiny if an issue arose tomorrow? #HRSupport #BusinessRisk #PeopleManagement #EmploymentLaw #HRConsultancy

Underperformance rarely affects just one person. It can start with missed targets, mistakes or work not being completed to the expected standard, but the impact often spreads much further across the business. → Colleagues pick up extra work → Managers spend more time checking, correcting and following up → Morale can start to drop → Customers may notice inconsistencies → Standards can gradually slip One of the biggest mistakes managers can make is hoping the issue will resolve itself. Sometimes people need support, clearer expectations or better training. Sometimes a more formal process is needed. Either way, avoiding the conversation usually makes the situation harder to manage later. Our latest carousel looks at the wider cost of ignoring underperformance and why dealing with concerns early matters. If your managers are not confident having those conversations, The HR Practice can support with practical manager training and HR advice. Find out more about our HR consultancy services here: https://lnkd.in/edmhT_f5 #PeopleManagement #HRSupport #ManagementTraining

Employment law is changing, but the biggest risk for employers is not the legislation itself. It is being unprepared for what those changes mean in practice. In our latest LinkedIn Live, Fiona McKee  talked through some of the key employment rights changes employers need to be aware of, including sexual harassment prevention, third party harassment, trade union information and the changes to unfair dismissal. The conversation raised some important practical questions too. → Would your managers know what to do if an employee raised a harassment concern tomorrow? → Are your probation reviews actually happening? → Have you looked at where third party harassment could be a risk within your business? → Do your policies reflect what is changing? We have pulled the key points from the Live together in our latest blog, with practical steps employers can start taking now. You can also watch the full conversation with Fiona within the blog. Read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/ewD8uacK If any of the changes leave you wondering what your business needs to do next, speak to Fiona and the team at The HR Practice. #EmploymentLaw #HRSupport #PeopleManagement

The hardest part of managing people? Our poll had two clear winners. A few weeks ago, we asked what you find most difficult when it comes to managing people. The results were: → Difficult conversations: 40% → Underperformance: 40% → Knowing what I can legally do: 20% → Managing absence: 0% For Fiona McKee, the top two are closely connected. “Managers often know there is an issue. The difficult part is knowing how to start the conversation, what to say and what happens next. The longer that conversation is avoided, the harder underperformance can become to manage.” The 20% who chose knowing what they can legally do is important too because sometimes the thing stopping a manager from acting is simply the fear of getting it wrong. That is where having good HR support can make a real difference. It gives managers someone to talk the situation through with before a small concern grows into something much bigger. Thanks to everyone who voted. We’ll be using the results to shape more of our upcoming content. Is there another part of managing people you find particularly difficult? Let us know in the comments. #PeopleManagement #HRSupport #Leadership

Selling a business is often discussed in terms of valuation, due diligence and the numbers, but there is another important part of the process that can easily be overlooked: the people. Fiona McKee recently spoke with the Business Partnership team about the role HR plays during a business sale and why communication matters so much when employees are facing uncertainty. Keeping people informed, addressing concerns openly and having honest conversations can make a significant difference to how a team experiences change. It can also help business owners manage the transition more smoothly and reduce some of the people related risks that can arise during the process. Fiona also discussed the importance of having HR processes in good order before a sale, so that when the time comes, the business is in a stronger position from both a people and operational perspective. If selling your business is part of your future plans, it is worth asking whether your people processes are as prepared as your financials. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e6gveVic If you are planning for change and want support getting your HR processes in order, speak to The HR Practice. #HRSupport #BusinessSale #PeopleManagement

Most grievances do not appear out of nowhere. Quite often, there were signs beforehand. A frustration that was never raised. A manager who knew there was an issue but hoped it would settle. A conversation that kept getting pushed to next week. That is why regular catch ups matter. They give people space to raise concerns early, before frustration builds into something much bigger. A few simple things can make a real difference: → Hold regular one-to-ones and check-ins → Address concerns when you first spot them → Follow your own policies and processes → Make sure managers know how to handle issues properly → Keep communication clear and consistent Sometimes a five minute conversation can prevent a much larger grievance later. In this video, Fiona shares why early conversations and confident managers are such an important part of good people management. If you are dealing with a grievance, or can see one starting to develop, speak to The HR Practice early and we can help you work through the right next steps. #EmployeeRelations #PeopleManagement #HRSupport