<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The HFactor]]></title><description><![CDATA[Navigating TUPE with Expert Guidance]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:22:18 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.the-hfactor.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Right-to-Work Checks Have Expanded: Does Your Process Cover Everyone It Should?]]></title><description><![CDATA[If your organisation carries out right-to-work checks only for employees on its payroll, the changes introduced on 1 October 2026 make this a timely moment to review your arrangements. Home Office guidance confirms that the UK Right to Work Scheme now extends to organisations engaging individuals under worker contracts, individual subcontractors and certain online matching services connecting individual service providers with potential clients or customers. The practical question is whether...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/right-to-work-checks-have-expanded-does-your-process-cover-everyone-it-should</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac3cbb910d33c5bea340c98</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:09:29 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who Manages the People Inside Political Parties?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Political parties spend considerable time discussing leadership, fairness and accountability. Those principles also provide a useful starting point for managing people within their own organisations. This is a question for every party, whatever its political position: how do the standards promoted publicly translate into everyday working relationships? Start with clear responsibilities A political organisation may bring together employees, volunteers, elected representatives and...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/who-manages-the-people-inside-political-parties</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac3bf4b10d33c5bea33f3c7</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:16:27 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What The Celebrity Traitors Can Teach Us About Preparing New Managers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Richard E. Grant’s revealing moment on The Celebrity Traitors made memorable television. Watching an accomplished actor announce that he was a Traitor also brings a familiar workplace issue to mind: success in one role does not automatically prepare someone for another. A television game is entertainment, and we cannot judge someone’s professional capability from an edited programme. But the situation offers a useful starting point for thinking about how employers prepare people for new...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/what-the-celebrity-traitors-can-teach-us-about-preparing-new-managers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac3bd530600a80a1a6b39a3</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:08:03 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Buying a Business or Bidding for a Contract? Check the TUPE and People Risks First]]></title><description><![CDATA[Winning a major contract or buying another business can be an exciting growth opportunity. The commercial conversation often begins with revenue, clients, systems, property, equipment and delivery. But one question needs to appear much earlier: What happens to the people? If employees may transfer as part of the deal, the workforce can materially affect the true cost, risk and practicality of the transaction. Finding that out after the contract has been signed is far too late. TUPE should be...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/buying-a-business-or-bidding-for-a-contract-check-the-tupe-and-people-risks-first</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac3828f0600a80a1a6ac377</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:57:19 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sponsor licencing: cost-effective support to help your business move forward]]></title><description><![CDATA[Clear fees and practical HR readiness support can help you prepare for sponsor licencing while keeping budget available for recruitment, onboarding and growth.]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/sponsor-licencing-cost-effective-support-to-help-your-business-move-forward</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac2fd6e4b829651f25c1123</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 01:31:07 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis Chartered FCIPD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Recruitment with competitive fees—and a process that moves quickly]]></title><description><![CDATA[When a vacancy remains unfilled, other employees often carry the workload. Managers spend time reviewing applications, arranging interviews and chasing progress alongside their everyday responsibilities. The HFactor helps employers move recruitment forward with clear, competitive fees and practical support from vacancy to onboarding. Start with a clear brief A focused recruitment process begins with understanding the role. What does the person need to deliver? Which skills are essential? What...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/recruitment-with-competitive-fees-and-a-process-that-moves-quickly</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac2e3d87babcebbad1690e4</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 23:40:08 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis Chartered FCIPD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why restructure a business—and what should you consider first?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A business structure should help people do their work effectively. As the organisation changes, its structure may need to change too. Perhaps the business has grown quickly. Customer demand may have shifted, funding may have reduced or a major contract may have ended. Teams may be duplicating work, responsibilities may be unclear or important decisions may take too long. Restructuring gives employers an opportunity to examine how the organisation operates and what it needs for the future....]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/why-restructure-a-business-and-what-should-you-consider-first</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac2e389baa4cdfb26855976</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 23:38:49 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis Chartered FCIPD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Recruiting, restructuring or dealing with an HR problem? We can help.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some businesses need help finding their next employee. Others need support managing a difficult situation, preparing for a transfer or covering a gap in their HR team. Whatever brings you to us, The HFactor starts with a conversation about your business, your people and what you need to achieve. Recruitment support from vacancy to onboarding Recruitment takes time, particularly when you are managing a business alongside it. We can help clarify the role, prepare the recruitment process, find...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/recruiting-restructuring-or-dealing-with-an-hr-problem-we-can-help</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac2e1eabaa4cdfb26855690</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 23:31:54 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis Chartered FCIPD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sexual harassment at work: would your employees feel safe speaking up?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A quiet workplace is not necessarily a safe workplace. Before relying on the absence of complaints, ask how easy it would be for someone to raise a concern, particularly about a senior colleague. What counts as sexual harassment? Sexual harassment involves unwanted sexual conduct that undermines dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It can be a single incident and can happen through digital communication as well as in person. Intent is...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/sexual-harassment-at-work-would-your-employees-feel-safe-speaking-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac29a547babcebbad1607d3</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 18:26:28 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis Chartered FCIPD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Buying a business or bidding for a contract? Check the people costs before you commit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Buying a business or winning a contract can create an exciting opportunity for growth. But the purchase price or contract value is only part of the picture. The employees, their contractual arrangements and the practical demands of running the service can all affect whether the opportunity makes commercial sense. HR due diligence should begin while you still have time to ask questions and review your assumptions. Could TUPE apply? TUPE protects employees in qualifying business transfers and...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/buying-a-business-or-bidding-for-a-contract-check-the-people-costs-before-you-commit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac28616843c722889b5609c</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 17:00:06 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A difficult staff issue? Start with a conversation]]></title><description><![CDATA[A staff issue can take up far more of your time than you expected. You might be dealing with repeated sickness absence, a complaint, concerns about performance or a difficult relationship within your team. You know something needs to happen. But what should you say? What should you put in writing? And how do you move things forward fairly? That uncertainty can leave business owners and managers carrying the problem long after the working day has ended. You don’t need to have all the answers...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/a-difficult-staff-issue-start-with-a-conversation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac285855140c57479d714e1</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 16:57:41 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Workplace Harassment Law Changes 30 October 2026: What Employers Need to Do]]></title><description><![CDATA[Another important employment-law change is approaching. From 30 October 2026, employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees. This strengthens the preventative duty introduced in October 2024, when employers became responsible for taking reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. The law is also changing in relation to harassment by third parties, including customers, clients, patients and service users. For employers, this needs to be...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/workplace-harassment-law-changes-30-october-2026-what-employers-need-to-do</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac22908ff5b660f94a4ce47</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 10:23:04 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why trust matters when choosing an HR consultant]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you seek HR support, you may be sharing some of the most sensitive information in your business. That could involve an employee’s wellbeing, a grievance, a proposed restructure or concerns about a manager. You need confidence in the person advising you. You need to know they will listen carefully, handle information responsibly and give you an honest assessment. At The HFactor HR Consultancy, I see trust as something earned through how we work together. Being able to explain the whole...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/why-trust-matters-when-choosing-an-hr-consultant</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac19bdf894d1990a93d51ad</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:20:47 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What 35 years in HR means for your business]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you engage an HR consultant, you want to know what their experience will mean for you. Will they understand your situation? Will their advice be practical? Can they help you move forward? After 35 years in HR, those are the questions I aim to answer through the support I provide at The HFactor HR Consultancy. My experience covers recruitment, complex employee relations, TUPE transfers, redundancy, organisational change and management development. Across these areas, one lesson has stayed...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/what-35-years-in-hr-means-for-your-business</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac199df2291ee73d35da349</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:12:15 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your sponsor licence is approved. What happens next?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Receiving your sponsor licence is an important step for your organisation. It also brings responsibilities that need to be managed throughout the relevant sponsorship period. The next question is practical: are your HR systems ready to support those responsibilities consistently? At The HFactor HR Consultancy, we provide sponsor licensing support and help employers strengthen the HR processes behind their sponsorship arrangements. Keep employee records organised Government guidance requires...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/your-sponsor-licence-is-approved-what-happens-next</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac14a1e7babcebbad135eea</guid><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:31:58 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What happens during a CQC HR audit—and what do you receive afterwards?]]></title><description><![CDATA[You may feel confident that your recruitment and staff management processes are sound. An independent review helps you examine the evidence behind that confidence. At The HFactor HR Consultancy, we can agree a CQC HR audit scope that reflects your service, workforce and concerns. Agreeing what to review The starting point is a discussion about your organisation. You may want a broad review of your HR arrangements, help with known gaps or a focused examination of employee files. Agreeing the...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/what-happens-during-a-cqc-hr-audit-and-what-do-you-receive-afterwards</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac149902291ee73d35cda1f</guid><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:29:36 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[CQC audits and sponsor licensing: are your HR systems ready?]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you run a care or healthcare business, your attention is rightly focused on delivering a good service. Recruitment, employee records and compliance checks can become difficult to keep on top of alongside everyday demands. But can you confidently explain how your processes work—and produce the evidence to support them? The HFactor HR Consultancy provides CQC audits and sponsor licensing support, helping employers identify gaps and put practical improvements in place. What can a CQC audit...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/cqc-audits-and-sponsor-licensing-are-your-hr-systems-ready</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac148d41bab6ecf4e32c7e2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:26:28 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Succession planning: what happens if your key employee leaves?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every business has people whose knowledge and experience are difficult to replace. They may manage important client relationships, understand a specialist system or keep an essential process running. But what happens when they move on—or are unexpectedly unavailable? Succession planning helps you prepare for changes in key roles and develop the skills your business will need. Start with the roles that matter most Identify where a vacancy or absence would cause the greatest disruption. Look...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/succession-planning-what-happens-if-your-key-employee-leaves</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac0f3ae7babcebbad128227</guid><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:23:11 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Workplace mediation: when colleagues struggle to work together]]></title><description><![CDATA[A disagreement between colleagues can affect more than the people directly involved. Managers may spend time carrying messages between them. Meetings become uncomfortable, work slows down and other employees feel caught in the middle. Understanding what has happened is the starting point. In some situations, workplace mediation may help people find a way forward. What is workplace mediation? Mediation is a voluntary process facilitated by an impartial person. It gives participants an...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/workplace-mediation-when-colleagues-struggle-to-work-together</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac0f32de1d5ed45d5cf74ea</guid><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:21:01 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stay interviews: why wait until an employee resigns to listen?]]></title><description><![CDATA[When a valued employee resigns, an employer may ask: “Was there anything we could have done?” A stay interview creates an opportunity to explore that question earlier. It is a structured conversation with a current employee about what they value, what could improve and what influences their decision to remain with the business. Give the conversation a clear purpose Explain that you want to understand the employee’s experience and identify practical improvements. Keep the discussion separate...]]></description><link>https://www.the-hfactor.com/post/stay-interviews-why-wait-until-an-employee-resigns-to-listen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac0f32de1d5ed45d5cf74e9</guid><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:21:01 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Karen Lewis</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>