Free HR Policies Audit for Religious Voluntary Organizations

June 3, 2009 - PRLog -- A free HR Policies and Procedures Audit for religious voluntary organisations in the UK has been introduced by Hr4Charities as a recent research published by the Church Urban Fund (CUF) found that Christian voluntary organisations are putting themselves and their staff at risk by not complying with key employment legislation.
      
The Prevention is Better than Cure Policy and Procedures Review is a free onsite HR review and recommendation service aimed at appraising policies and procedures that voluntary organizations currently have in place. Thereafter, a full report will be written to highlight the organization’s current HR status; a recommended action plan for strategic development; the practicalities of implementing any recommended changes; and the support and assistance that can be offered before, during and after implementation.

According to the study, religious voluntary organizations are putting themselves and their staff at risk by not complying with vital employment legislation. Consequently, employment practices issues such as sexual harassment, wrongful termination and discrimination are the leading cause of legal action against religious organizations today. For instance, the Church of England paid out more than £47,000 recently after a gay Christian won an unlawful discrimination case against it.

More than 60 per cent of 200 religious organizations in the survey had not changed their HR policies after the introduction of the Working Time (Annual Leave) Amendment and 54 per cent had ignored the Health Act 2006. Furthermore, 60 per cent had no access to any professional in-house HR yet almost in the past five years, 30 per cent had had to deal with disputes brought by staff with an increasing prominence in sexual harassment, wrongful termination and discrimination cases.  
 
Miss Anita Wiafe, Founder of Occupational Management Limited, member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and qualified HR consultant said, ’In the light of this dismal trend as published in the CUF report, religious and voluntary organizations are encouraged to give their HR status a health-check especially in the areas of compliance to new legal regulations and are advised to build their ark before the rains come’.

She further stressed that ‘Some of the benefits to voluntary organizations of the Prevention is Better than Cure Review include an increased assurance that the right policies and systems are in place; an opportunity to receive expert advice at no cost; improving the way the organization manages its HR function and improvements in personnel service consequently impacts on countering lack of funding.’

Miss Wiafe urged organizations in the not-for-profit sector to take advantage of the ‘Prevention is Better than Cure’ HR Policies and Procedures Review. Occupational Management’s Hr4Charities services are specifically targeted at charities and voluntary organizations.

For more information:
Visit www.hr4charities.co.uk or email:hr4charities@o-ml.co.uk or call 0844 736 2722

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Hr4Charities offers bespoke People Management services to charirties and businesses. We provide flexible Human Resource outsourcing services and offer career coaching and recruitment support services. For more information please visit hr4charites.co.uk