Managing people well is essential to running a successful business but staying compliant, consistent and confident in your HR decisions isn’t always easy. From recruitment and employee management to health and safety, compliance and engagement, Harwood HR Solutions supports UK businesses with clear, practical guidance across all key HR functions. Whether you need help with a specific challenge or want to improve how your HR processes work, our expert team is here to support you.
Formal disciplinary process UK management, from informal performance conversations through to disciplinary investigations, hearings, and appeals. We guide employers through every stage in compliance with the ACAS Code of Practice, reducing tribunal risk and ensuring decisions are fair, consistent, and documented.
End-to-end redundancy process UK management business case preparation, collective and individual consultation, fair selection criteria, notice calculations, and statutory redundancy pay. The Employment Rights Act 2025 has introduced day-one unfair dismissal protections that directly affect redundancy timelines. We ensure your process is fully compliant.
The HR grievance process requires impartial investigation, fair hearings, and documented outcomes, all within the ACAS Code timeframes. We support employers in managing formal grievances professionally: from initial receipt through to appeal, ensuring the process protects the business while treating the employee fairly.
A structured onboarding process HR and compliant recruitment procedure reduces early attrition and ensures every new hire receives the correct documentation, employment contract, written statement of particulars, and induction materials, before or on their first day. We support employers from job description through to 90-day review.
Short-term and long-term absence are among the most operationally disruptive HR challenges for UK SMEs. We establish clear absence management procedures, return-to-work interviews, trigger points, occupational health referrals, and capability procedures, that balance employee care with business continuity and comply with current employment law.
A structured performance management process UK, including objective setting, appraisals, and performance improvement plans (PIPs), gives managers a consistent framework for managing underperformance that is defensible at tribunal. We design and document performance frameworks tailored to your organisation's structure and culture.
HR decisions carry legal risk if processes are not documented and followed consistently. We develop tailored company policies and staff handbooks, disciplinary, absence, grievance, flexible working, data protection and more, that protect your business and meet the requirements of the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Fair, transparent pay structures reduce grievances, improve retention, and protect against equal pay claims. We review your compensation framework, ensure it is competitive and legally compliant, and support implementation of pay policies, from National Living Wage compliance to bonus scheme design and benefit documentation.
High turnover costs time, money, and operational continuity. We support businesses in diagnosing retention problems and implementing engagement strategies, improving communication, recognition, wellbeing, and career progression, so your best people stay and grow with the organisation.
Whether you’re scaling or restructuring, strategic HR planning keeps your team aligned with your business goals. We help you map out your workforce needs, define roles, prepare for change and build sustainable growth. Our advice is always tailored so you’re set up for success now and in future.
Hiring and managing staff requires more than just interviews and contracts. Our team can help you set up a robust recruitment process, from job descriptions through to onboarding. Once employees are in place, we support you with clear employee management procedures — setting expectations, managing conduct, handling absences and more. We make sure your employee lifecycle is handled professionally, fairly and in line with employment law.
Keeping up with ever-changing employment laws can make disciplining staff tricky. Harwood HR guides you through formal disciplinary procedures, from investigations to hearings, ensuring fairness. Usually, informal measures like performance plans or private chats are used first, but for serious issues—gross misconduct, insubordination, or fraud—a formal process is essential. Learn more on our disciplinary processes page.
HR process support from Harwood HR is available in three ways; choose the model that best fits your business:
Harwoods HR helps you manage redundancies and dismissals compliantly. Redundancy can be fair if roles are no longer needed, operations are closing, or new technology reduces staffing needs. Following the correct procedure exploring alternatives, considering temporary staff, overtime adjustments, or job retention schemes is crucial to avoid unfair dismissal claims. Harwoods ensures your process is fair, compliant, and protects your business.
Training isn’t just a legal tick-box — it’s key to performance and retention. We work with your business to build a development plan that suits your needs, budget and team size. From onboarding to leadership development, we’ll help you embed training that works. Need refresher courses or targeted upskilling? We’ll make it happen.
Pay isn’t everything but getting it right matters. Harwood can help you review your compensation structure, ensure it’s competitive and support implementation of clear, fair pay policies. We also support benefit schemes from pensions to bonuses that reflect your culture and legal obligations.
High turnover costs time and money. We support businesses in creating practical engagement strategies improving communication, recognition, wellbeing and purpose at work. Our retention support looks at what’s working, what isn’t and what needs to change so your best people stay and grow with you.
HR decisions carry legal risk if processes aren’t followed correctly. We help you stay on the right side of the law with tailored policy development, ensuring you meet your obligations as an employer. Whether it’s disciplinary procedures, absence policies, grievance handling or contract templates, we write and update the documentation you need to protect your business.
Employee health and safety is a core legal duty. Harwood HR Solutions offers a practical online portal to help you manage risk assessments, training records and safety policies. We’ll ensure your HR and safety practices are aligned keeping your team safe and your business protected from compliance issues.
Duncan is a CIPD-qualified HR leader with 24+ years’ experience across retail, automotive, manufacturing and financial services. His expertise includes HR leadership, restructuring, acquisitions, employee relations and regulatory change. He has held senior roles with Sytner Group, Porsche GB and Dollar Financial Group and founded Harwood HR Solutions.
Zoe is a CIPD-qualified HR professional with extensive experience in HR, operations and training. She helped grow a business from 4 to 250+ employees and has expertise in acquisitions, TUPE, restructuring, recruitment, employee relations and FCA regulatory change, with a strong record of delivering HR projects without litigation.
Charlotte is a qualified HR professional with experience across people planning, organisational change, performance, talent and employee relations. She progressed to HR Business Partner at The Money Shop, supporting senior leadership through structural and financial change. Her expertise includes TUPE, redundancies, sickness absence and HR support across multiple sectors, including social care.
HR processes are the structured procedures businesses use to manage employees throughout their employment. They include recruitment, onboarding, performance management, training, disciplinary procedures, redundancy, employee engagement, compliance, and health and safety. Effective HR processes help businesses remain legally compliant while creating a productive workplace.
Well-managed HR processes reduce legal risks, improve employee performance, support consistent decision-making, and create a positive workplace culture. They also help businesses attract, retain, and develop talented employees while ensuring compliance with UK employment legislation.
Yes. Many SMEs choose to outsource some or all of their HR processes to experienced HR consultants. Outsourced HR provides access to employment law expertise, practical advice, policy development, recruitment support, and employee management without the cost of employing a full-time in-house HR team.
Growing businesses should prioritise workforce planning, recruitment, employee onboarding, performance management, compliance, training and development, employee engagement, and clear workplace policies. Establishing these processes early helps support sustainable business growth and reduces future HR challenges.
HR policies and processes should be reviewed at least once a year or whenever there are significant changes to UK employment law or your business structure. Regular reviews ensure your documentation remains compliant, relevant, and aligned with best practice.
Clear HR processes create a better employee experience by providing fair recruitment, structured onboarding, regular feedback, career development opportunities, and consistent workplace policies. Employees who feel supported and valued are more likely to remain with the business long-term.
Harwood HR Solutions works with UK businesses to develop practical, compliant HR processes tailored to their needs. From recruitment and employee management to disciplinary procedures, redundancy support, compliance, training, and health and safety, their consultants help businesses build efficient HR systems that support growth and reduce risk.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 became law on 18 December 2025 and is being introduced in stages through 2026 and 2027. It affects every UK employer. The most pressing changes...
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