Managing a business can be exciting, time consuming, exhilarating and difficult, all at the same time. However, for some businesses it’s more time consuming and tricky to manage than others.
If you are a Goods Vehicle Transport Operator, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Running an Operator business comes with many caveats and rules, compared to say a marketing company, and that’s why we feel that it’s imperative to have an HR partner to support you.
Why?
Because appreciating that not all businesses are equal when it comes down to paperwork, operating it, and understanding the different types of staff and management needed to keep it running, is one of the key things that an HR partner brings. Not only that, having a qualified professional that knows HR legislation, rules and regulations, and how to apply these in your industry is worth their weight in gold. Given the hoops that Transport Operators have to jump through just to start a business, let alone keep it running, means having someone who understand this, can give advice and support it and ultimately, take some of the responsibility of running it out of your hands, so you can focus on the day to day stuff is an opportunity not to be missed. Helping a Transport Operator We offer experience as well as expertise as a HR partner. Having a CPC in Transport Management means that not only do we understand how HR works but we understand all the intricacies that go with being a Transport Operator. Naturally, all business owners need to follow various rules and regulations, from keeping clear financial records through to Health and Safety, but as an Operator, you not only have to undertake these but there are additional rules you need to adhere to as well. These are all designed to help business stay safe and to thrive. For example, good bookkeeping is a must to ensure that cash flow is maintained in the correct manner. It helps to make sure that you have the right amount of financial funding available, so that you can demonstrate good financial standing (which is a legal requirement). Maintaining that financial standing is imperative. That, of course, goes hand in hand with excellent account management and efficient running of your payroll. Both being handled by a qualified accountant and in-house or outsourced bookkeeper. Outsourced HR Department The reason we suggest this, is by keeping the two functions separate it can be run as a more effective and efficient service for you. As your outsourced HR department, they will look after your staff from induction through to training and everything in between including pay grading and any staff bonuses, so it makes sense to handle this function as well. We know that keeping up to date with the Health and Safety regulations, is of course a job in itself, without the additional pressure of following the Covid-19 rules. Health and Safety of staff (which is incredibly important) encompasses on-boarding new staff, ensuring qualifications are maintained and up-to-date, managing training, scheduling rotas and drugs and alcohol testing – which of course is mandatory for anyone operating machinery. Health and Safety Management Health and Safety management doesn’t just mean staff though. You will need to manage and maintain your fleet of vehicles, from ensuring that the tachographs are not tampered with, managing time on the road and vehicle maintenance to load management. With (according to the HSE) unsafe loads on vehicles injuring more than 1,200 people a year, and the cost to businesses running into millions of pounds of damaged goods, not to mention insurance, court-cases and pay outs is it not more of a case of, can you afford not to have this function carried out by a qualified HR personnel, trained in CPC and used to carrying out all the functions that go with this territory including drugs and alcohol testing? Think about all the relevant paperwork – just looking after all the different licences is a juggling act. Not to mention that you’ll need to ensure that staff welfare is being maintained as well.
Mental Health First Aider In addition to this, do you have a Mental Health First Aider who can support your staff, particularly, if they or any members of their family have to self-isolate or worse have been hospitalised due to Covid? Having someone trained in providing this support, means they will be able to spot the first signs of someone struggling with their mental health. Which means that it could save you time and money in the long run, by intervening early it could prevent long term sickness or a much worse outcome. An HR partner should be able to deliver this and even provide guidance and training sessions that can support your staff and help them to help themselves, which means happier, calmer more focussed staff. Staff aside, understanding and keeping up with legislation can be difficult, new rules on migrant workers, Brexit, new financial standing rules and long standing legislation, all mean that keeping a tight lid on things and ensuring that you are not breaking and adhering to new legislation is a balancing act. Applying rules and understanding how it affects your business and you staff can so easily be misinterpreted. Having a HR professional who is CIPD qualified who can manage your staff handbook and keep you up to date with legislation changes as well as maintaining your fleet is definitely worth holding onto. Given the enormity of what is needed to run a Transport Operation, it’s no wonder that business owners who run one are turning to outsourcing their HR functions to those who hold a CPC qualification. Freeing up time for them to return to the original purpose of setting up the company and allowing someone else to help shoulder the burden and joys of running a transport business. Why wait? So, the question is, what are you waiting for? Outsource that function today and feel the joy of a weight lifted. We are People4People would be only too happy to help you. We are a fully qualified HR function that offers CPC, Drugs and Alcohol testing and Mental Health First Aider support, which means we can hit the ground running from day one. Why not give us a call today to discuss how we can help you?
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