Introduction:
When the City of Edinburgh Council was looking for an HR Consultant to review and update two crucial HR policies: Alcohol and Drugs, and Violence at Work, they came to us. The City of Edinburgh Council also asked for user guides to support management and employees to understand and use the policies.
This case study highlights the Albany HR consultants approach, solutions, and outcomes achieved during the project.
Our Approach:
Albany HR’s experienced consultants reviewed the existing policies and then incorporated best practices, industry standards, and insights from relevant stakeholders to update the policies effectively.
The City of Edinburgh Council were keen to involve as many departments as possible in the consultation process. Albany HR met with stakeholders throughout the organisation to gain an understanding of the unique challenges faced by various departments within the Council, and to ensure that the new policies could be effectively implemented with buy in from managers and employees.
Albany HR understood employees and team’s experiences varied over safety concerns from internal conflicts, to facing challenges from the public or service users. This required varied measures to ensure employee safety and well-being.
Managers and senior leaders were looking for updated guidance in the Alcohol and Drugs policy on supportive measures the Council has in place for employees and ways to pre-emptively address concerns over drug and alcohol misuse.
To enhance policy application and ease of understanding, Albany HR developed a comprehensive user guide for the Alcohol and Drugs Policy which provided more in-depth instructions, protocols, and examples to ensure consistent application and compliance across the Council.
Outcomes:
Updated Policies:
Albany HR successfully revised and updated the Alcohol and Drugs Policy and made recommendations relating to the Violence at Work Policy which became part of a broader Protecting Colleagues in the Workplace Policy. Albany HR designed tailored solutions to identify the most effective approaches to protect colleagues while maintaining a productive and supportive work setting.
The updated policies better support various service areas, promoting colleague safety and compliance with legal requirements.
Improved Policy Understanding:
The user guides developed by Albany HR were well received and aim to improve policy understanding and compliance across the Council. Employees and managers have access to clear guidance to support their teams and help to promote a safe working environment.
Conclusion:
Albany HR’s partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council resulted in the successful approval of refreshed and updated policies.
The positive outcomes support all employees to continue providing essential services to communities in Edinburgh.
We can help you develop or update your HR policies making sure that they are tailored for your organisation. You might also find it useful to look at the CIPD factsheet on HR Policies in the first instance.
Organisations often find it useful to review their policies and contracts of employment at the same time, we can help with both – get in touch!