Helena Kennedy

Sept 2021 - 06 Oct 2023 

Depaul UK - People Advisor

Seeking a new challenge within Depaul, working alongside the HR Business Partners fostering a positive culture of employee relations by maintaining proactive engagement with managers, leaders and the wider HR team. Over the next two years I rose to the challenge of developing the new position, as follows:

• Providing a first point of contact for managers for non-standard queries that required organisational knowledge, expertise and understanding. (Essentially, forming good relationships connecting people with my well-rounded skills.)
• Offering advice on matters such as employee grievances, continuous service and terms and conditions.
  Seeking further advice where necessary from the HR Business Partners, Finance and Payroll.
• Reviewing policy and procedure, supporting production of a staff handbook.
• Conducting exit interviews to understand root cause for leavers to gather their views of the organisation, especially around organisational values which include staff opportunities, fairness and diversity.
• Producing quarterly reports to analyse the trend for leavers and for sickness absence.
• Supporting managers with probation and absence management.

Mid Nov 2017 –  End Aug 2021

Depaul UK – HR Officer

I accepted a fixed term contract to join this charity and worked my way up to HR Officer. It is rewarding to work for an organisation that helps young and homeless people. My duties in HR have included:

Delivering a wide range of people services and recruitment support.  Supporting the administrators with processing of contractual changes and payroll information.  Overseeing recruitment administration and giving support when required.   Proactively maintaining the HRIS system.

Recruitment and Selection

• Co-ordination of the recruitment timetable, e.g. briefing managers, setting realistic expectations, vetting the job description, submitting recruitment approval forms
• Advertising job roles in a timely manner. Providing guidance on advert text.
• Ensuring the on-boarding administration is carried out effectively, timely and accurately, from the adverts (above), to the employee screening process, i.e. minimising the risk of unsuitable applicants
• Liaising with Business Support Officers & Managers on recruitment administration in their region
• Preparing contractual paperwork and correspondence. Being that initial, welcoming point of contact.

HR Service

• Keeping accurate records. Providing reports as required from the HR database, e.g. KPI.
• Creation of the monthly payroll instruction. Managing monthly pension and salary-sacrifice changes.
• Maintaining an effective working relationship with the wider Resources team
• Deal with pay enquiries from staff, ensuring that any errors that occur are resolved
• Managing the organisational benefits

H&S

Co-ordination of the yearly renewal of CHAS certification (inputs coming from managers and facilities)

To monitor, record and report on `reportable accident/incidents’ inc. relevant sickness in accordance with the organisational H&S Policy.

Mid Feb 2017 – End Sept 2017

Recruitment and HR Assistant – Excelcare

Applying my existing skills to a new sector, this time a care home provider, my duties included:
Managing both the HR and recruitment inboxes daily, and prioritising accordingly

Using job boards to source applicants for various roles relating to care homes; Vetting the candidates

Advertising new vacancies on both the company website and relevant job boards

Requesting and tracking employment references for the onboarding of new staff in head office & specific care homes