Flexible & Hybrid Working
Considering introducing flexible and hybrid working into your business?
Has COVID and working from home changed the expectations of your team?
Trying to balance the needs of the business with the expectations of your team?
Post lockdown, working from home and living with the pandemic have brought real challenges to businesses as they navigate an ever changing and moving landscape of employment. Our perceptions and expectations about where and when we work have changed beyond recognition and for good. If as an employer you want to engage, retain and motivate your teams you will need to scrutinise and adjust your working arrangements to accommodate expectations, health and safety concerns, respond to practical difficulties caused by self isolation, levels of sick absence and adverse impact on well being. It is estimated that 50% of employees will leave their employer if appropriate provisions are not put in place to respond to concerns and challenges (CIPD).
If you’re trying to figure out how to introduce hybrid, agile and flexible working into your business we can help. We can work with you to assess your team ‘s expectations, work with leadership and other senior teams to work out a framework and principles that would allow both the business needs and those of your team to be met.
Questions we can answer.
Problems we can solve.
- What expectations do your team have?
- How can you balance the needs of the business with those of your team?
- What practicalities and challenges introducing a flexible working model will have onthe business?
- What impact could this have on your contractual policies and procedures?
- How do you manage those in the team who are unhappy with the changes?
How we can help.
- Assess the mood of your team and discover what they’re looking for in their working arrangements.
- Work with leadership and other senior teams to identify a framework and principles that would allow the organisation to meet business needs and accommodate a consistent approach to employment.
- Help to consult with staff on how this would work in practice.
- Provide written guidance and supporting materials.
- Highlight where informal frameworks sit alongside formal procedures.
- Recommend changes to formal and contractual policies and procedures would be beneficial.
- Facilitate communication across and through the organisation.
Where we add value.
As an objective third party we can stand back and see across all the operational divides, providing bridges for tensions and possible conflicts. We can open up areas of discussion cross fertilise ideas and suggestions and advise on policies and procedures.
We are an independent and additional resource that can facilitate discussion, provide some shepherding if necessary and call people to account and ensure it is delivered in a reasonable timescale.
HDR UK has worked with the team at Gravitate from the very early days of our inception, and they have offered HR and recruitment support and advice at many stages of our journey. In the last couple of years, they have supported significant growth in the team, allowing us to not only grow in terms of headcount but also to support improvements with our HR systems, process, guidance and changes in our working practices. More recently, Margery has worked with me to realign our senior team structure to position us to more deliver the next phase of our strategy, an important exercise to retain talent in our leadership and focus our energies on strategically critical functions. The Gravitate team is professional, knowledgeable, responsive and we have valued their expertise.
We started working with Gravitate at a difficult time for our business during the Covid-19 crisis, they provided us with great support with the many HR challenges caused by the pandemic, so much so that we decided to retain their services on a permanent basis.
Gravitate have advised us on a wide range of issues from downsizing, policy development, contracts, and day-to-day employee relation issues. They are able to bring clarity and structure to our discussions and help turn our ideas and objectives into practical, tangible actions.
I would highly recommend Gravitate to other employers.
Would highly recommend Gravitate HR to any business big or small. Being a smaller company we outsource our HR requirements and Gravitate have supported our business for a number of years now ensuring we are compliant on all HR aspects which is particularly important to us especially being a smaller company and not having a dedicated internal HR representative and knowing their professional support is only a phone call away.
Very approachable, friendly and knowledgeable staff, we know we will receive the best possible service whenever we require support.
Gravitate HR has helped us with various aspects of HR over the years and the benefits to us have been the quick response and being able to pay for services as and when we require them. No enquiry is too big or small and we greatly benefit from the in depth advice offered in any situation.
A wonderful team to work with!
We have used Gravitate for a number of years now and find their service exceptional. Being able to chat to a HR professional at a moments notice is a wonderful asset out our company. Their advice is not only practical but also very considered to each situation. As a business we value our staff hugely and need to ensure our policies reflect this. Gravitate have been instrumental in creating many of these policies and being able to utilise their skills and experience is very reassuring. We would have no hesitation in recommending Gravitate to any business looking for expert HR support.
Absolutely excellent service, I spoke with Rae and Laura who were both very easy to work with and super helpful along the way. We now have a dedicated HR system that works with easy to use policies in place.
Would recommend to any business looking for some help or advice.
How did you first become introduced to Gravitate HR?
We started working with Gravitate during the pandemic when we needed practical hands-on support to implement some of the legal advice which we had received around restructuring our business after Covid. This initial project then grew into retained HR service to support our Heads of Department and HR Manager with day-to-day HR issues when they were managing with less resources on site.How would you describe the range of HR services that you receive?
Gravitate have supported us with a range of services since we started working together, aside from day-to-day transactional HR advice we have also worked together on more strategic projects such as policy reviews, legislative changes, restructuring and change management.
Gravitate have also supported our management team with an onsite training workshop, and remote advice & coaching support on HR/ER issues. They also act as a strategic sounding board to help the General Manager crystallize his strategic vision for the team and how best to implement this.What change has this allowed the organisation to realise and how have Gravitate HR specifically contributed to this.
This year we have been working on a wide program of cultural change in our organization, based on a vision for our intended optimal Guest Experience and Employee Culture in the hotel. Gravitate have helped support us with the implementation of this from a people perspective including enhancing our Employer Value Proposition, changing our Organization Chart, and improving our Employer Branding.What do you value in the relationship with Gravitate that has moved the relationship from the initial project to a retained one?
What we value most about Gravitate is the personal relationships and service, we work very closely with the same two advisors who over time have built up an extensive and intimate knowledge of our business, team and culture. I have worked with other HR consultants before where you never speak to the same person twice, but through our relationship with Gravitate they have become an extended part of our hotel team.Would you recommend this outsourced service to other organisations?
I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Gravitate to other companies who want to enhance & develop their HR resource in a professional and cost effective way.
We have worked with the Gravitate HR team for the last ten years. Initially their remit was to ensure that our staff guidance, employment policies and procedures were kept up to date on an annually basis. However as we have grown from 15 to 70 staff members Margery, Neil, Laura and the team have provided invaluable advice and support to our business. This has ranged from helping to resolve complicated staff issues through to providing support for our annual appraisals. They have effectively become like our own HR department.
We started working with Gravitate HR when we needed HR support in reviewing our terms and conditions, policies and procedures. This initial project then grew into retained HR service to support our Managers with day-to-day HR issues.
Gravitate have supported us with a range of services since we started working together, aside from day-to-day transactional HR advice we have also worked together on more strategic projects such as policy and contractual reviews.
Gravitate have also supported our management team onsite and remotely with advice on various HR issues. They act as a strategic sounding board to the Directors and we feel confident we’re approaching any HR issues the right way. Their team demonstrate an excellent balance of professionalism, advice and support to all aspects of HR advice.
What we value most about Gravitate is the experienced hands-on support we receive. There is always someone at the end of the line and our HR Manager has an excellent understanding of our business and HR requirements, and always offers practical advice. Gravitate HR generally work with us remotely, but on occasion, have come on-site when required, and this blended approach works extremely well for us.
I would highly recommend Gravitate HR as an HR partner to other companies.
