Location
Head Office – New Bond Street, London. Travel to the other regional offices is encourage (costs of business travel covered by the Company)
Role Objective
To deliver a professional HR advisory service across the Company by providing business-focused HR solutions and recommendations and supporting all aspects of an employee’s relationship and engagement with U&C. The HR Advisor must build and develop positive working relationships with employees and Line Managers across all levels of the business in order to provide support and guidance on all people related matters in line with best practice. To do this requires an excellent grasp of the Company structure and a thorough understanding of employees, their roles, and how they operate within the business as well as in-depth knowledge of Company policies, practices and our benefits. The Advisor role continues to encompass a substantial administrative component. However, administrative activities remain an integral part of all roles in HR and are undertaken collectively to support our operational effectiveness as a team.
Maintaining a strong team ethos is essential to the success of the HR function. We are committed to working collaboratively and supporting one another to ensure continuity of service and a positive experience for our employees. The HR team strives to create a positive, engaged, and high-performing work environment by providing effective, efficient, and customer-focused support, aligned with company policies and employment legislation.
Responsibilities:
Role Responsibilities
- Provide first line generalist advice and guidance on HR policies, terms and conditions of employment, benefits and other HR-related issues to support understanding, provide practical solutions and promote effective communication of good HR practice.
- Support the management of the HR email inbox, monitoring, prioritising and responding to queries in a timely and professional manner, providing accurate guidance and support to employees and Line Managers.
- Support Line Managers by developing a good understanding of their role and responsibilities and their direct reports to help with the effective management of their teams e.g. Recruitment, employee relations, capability/performance management and absence. Maintain appropriate records to support all processes.
- Be responsible for the implementation of HR policies, ensuring that all HR issues are dealt with in line with what has been set out in the Company policies and procedures.
- Manage the administration and co-ordination of family leave processes, including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave and other statutory leave arrangements. Provide guidance to employees and Line Managers, ensure accurate documentation and record-keeping, co-ordinate communications throughout the leave lifecycle, and support a smooth transition before, during and after periods of leave.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of HR systems and processes including the accuracy and effectiveness of all employment-related documents on our HR Employee Gateway including policies and practices, employee benefits information and information published in support of well-being or other Company initiatives.
- Contribute to the effectiveness of HR communication channels such as the U&C Intranet (Twine) and Company website by producing news pieces and updates on employment related matters and managing the content of the U&C Careers Page.
- Take a lead role in co-ordinating employee recognition through our corporate initiatives of KUDOS and the annual Values Awards.
- Co-ordination of U&C recruitment processes to ensure the following:
- Effective use of on-line recruitment platforms including management of our associated accounts with the providers e.g. LinkedIn.
- Consolidated records of agency contact details and approved terms allowing for consistent recruitment campaigns across the Company;
- Appropriate recruitment permissions/budget approvals in place;
- Detailed job descriptions in place for all roles, developed or updated alongside the recruiting team and hiring manager prior to vacancy advertisement;
- Alignment with recruitment timelines as discussed and outlined with the recruiting Manager to meet business requirements;
- Suitable internal and external advertisement of all vacancies;
- Attraction of high-quality candidates who share U&C Values;
- Managing the process of obtaining candidate information for diversity monitoring and producing reports for all vacancies once filled;
- Supporting a Values & competency-based Interview process;
- Managing completion of shortlisting and interview feedback from recruiting managers ensuring appropriate records of all stages of the recruitment processes and all decision making;
- Invoice handling and recording of annual recruitment spend across different platforms.
- Play a key role in the Company’s Health & Wellbeing Committee to support U&C’s commitment in pushing the wellbeing agenda forward. Oversee notetaking for meetings, production and publication of meeting actions and handling follow-up with relevant parties in a timely manner (and per deadlines as agreed).
- Oversee the offer and pre-onboarding processes for new joiners in conjunction with the HR Co-ordinator including contract drafting, issuing of offers and employment checks (including Right to Work).
- Ownership of the full reference process, from acceptance of offer, through to completion of reference checks in alignment with the Reference Check Process. Escalate any concerns with references to the HR Operations Manager.
- Maintain a comprehensive HR Office Induction process for new starters to the business and oversee delivery to new joiners in conjunction with the HR Co-ordinator.
- Work with the internal Design team to produce and manage employee Moments that Matter including celebrating new joiners to the business, service and life milestones.
- Oversee the leaver process including handling exit correspondence and conducting exit interviews with appropriate write-up for management review. Actioning wider feedback where required.
- Provide support for the annual Remuneration Review process to include updates to the HRIS.
- Assist with producing employee documentation and correspondence to support the monthly payroll submissions as handled by the HR Co-ordinator e.g. Change of contract documentation.
- Oversee the management and co-ordination of the U&C health assessment benefit including liaising with the third-party provider, handling joiners and leavers and all associated invoices with the Finance team.
- Assist with the coordination of U&C’s Performance & Development Review process, including monitoring completion rates, proactively managing follow-up activities to ensure timely completion against agreed deadlines, publishing communications, and escalating outstanding actions where required.
- Be responsible for the creation of management reports including Headcount on both a regular and ad hoc basis in line with reporting requirements and management requests including for committee meetings such as the Executive Management Committee (EMC).
- Manage and maintain the company organisation chart, ensuring timely updates to reflect changes in roles, reporting lines, and organisational structure, and acting as a reliable reference for the business.
- Manage any project-based work under the direction of the HR Operations Manager.
- Be familiar with and demonstrate commitment to and enthusiasm for the Company’s Policy on Equality & Diversity in carrying out the advisory role.
- Engage in living and promoting the core values of U&C and support the development of strong communication and feedback channels to support employee engagement.
- Undertaken other ad hoc duties and responsibilities as required, commensurate with the level and scope of the HR Advisor role.
Role Requirements
Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience
- General level of education at degree level or the equivalent attainment gained through professional experience.
- Membership of the CIPD and part CIPD qualified (level 5 or above) with the intention/commitment to complete.
- Demonstrable experience in a similar capacity with proven successes.
- Sound understanding of the principles of good HR practice and employment legislation including knowledge of HR policies and procedures built on this legislation.
- Ability to produce quality written work in all formats and with excellent attention to detail – policies, letters, minutes and other internal/external communications.
- Previous recruitment co-ordination skills would be an advantage, including knowledge of best practice for recruitment and selection, including the use of an applicant tracking system (ATS). A keen desire to take on recruitment management and streamline our processes.
- Previous experience of using recruitment platforms is highly desirable.
- Previous experience in learning & development (as part of an HR role) would be an advantage.
- A proactive approach to work and problem solving, and the ability to spot and deal with issues as they occur.
- Strong verbal communication skills to be able to assist a diverse client group across the business.
- Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with the ability to persuade, influence and, when appropriate, challenge with diplomacy.
- High level of personal integrity and display respect and empathy for others and behave in a way that is consistent, open and honest.
- Ability to work independently and run day-to-day processes with guidance and input from the HR Operations Manager where required.
- Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple deliverables in line with appropriate timeframes and deadlines specified in HR policies and procedures.
- Demonstrates a strong commitment to teamwork and collaboration and maintains focus on contributing to team effectiveness.