How one company is offering free advice for family policies

HR Solutions is a multi-award-winning HR company, which was established in 2001 to provide expert outsourced HR and Health and Safety consultancy and support to businesses.

With a Head Office in Kettering, Northamptonshire, HR Solutions operates in a variety of industries and has a client list that ranges from small care agencies to multi-national technology firms

But with the rise of hybrid working the growing interesting in companies providing family-friendly policies for their employees, they decided to offer businesses free off-the-peg policy documents through their website.

These include a Family Friendly policy, Health and wellbeing policy and Hybrid working policy, created by its expert HR consultants.

CEO Greg Guilford said: “The policies are free on our website, on everything from flexible working and age friendly, to health and wellbeing and stress at work. We also offer free mental health awareness training and equality and diversity training.

“We are trying to raise the bar for SMEs across the UK for family-friendly policies in order to make a difference to working lives in Northamptonshire and beyond.”

Head of client services, Sue Watson, added: “Traditionally we had six separate policies covering family commitments and situations, but now we are working on one more extensive employee handbook for family-friendly policies, as who is to say what policy someone might need. We want to provide something that recognises that whatever your situation is, there is a lot to think about, but we hope it will be a useful resource.

“We’re in the process of going through and ensuring that all our policies are completely gender neutral and extend them further to be totally inclusive. It has taken a while as we had to scour every document. It is important that all employees have access to all information. We wanted to make it useful and accessible to all, but it does make it quite complex.”

“We try to react to the need out there, for example, we’re currently working on a Trans and Gender Equality Policy. We try to look at the broader picture. It is about working healthy, working well and supporting each other to achieve an effective working relationship with your employer whatever the stage of your life.”

Greg added: “We understand that working lives aren’t the same as they were 20 years ago and gender roles are much more fluid. You can’t make assumptions.

“The world is changing, and we are trying to help facilitate that change. We are helping companies attract and retain talent through flexibility and understanding. In today’s modern workplace, gender roles are less relevant.”

Read more:

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