London Travelwatch
The organisation
London TravelWatch is the independent, statutory watchdog for transport users in and around London and speaks for all London transport users on all modes of transport. It handles appeals from people unhappy with the response to complaints they have received from their transport provider; is a statutory consultee in respect of proposed changes to transport infrastructure or services; and conducts research into matters of concern for transport users.. London TravelWatch were going through a period of review during the difficult economic climate and public sector cuts.
The Challenge
Initially London TravelWatch commissioned Lesley to carry out a review of long term sickness absence and attendance procedures within the organisation. The well-researched recommendations were well received by the Board of London TravelWatch and led to the implementation of new areas of control within attendance management procedures.
The Approach
The success of this project led to a request to assist the Chief Executive with the HR aspects of an internal review and organisational restructure programme. The restructure was implemented during 2011 and Lesley provided support to senior managers during ‘at risk’ interviews and to staff who were making early exists from the organisation. She designed and conducted workshops for CV writing, interview skills and provided post-workshop support sessions. In preparation for the slimming-down of the HR function, Lesley conducted a comprehensive review of HR processes, procedures and terms and conditions. HR processes were streamlined and brief ‘how to’ guides, linked to supporting templates and procedures, were created for managers to enable them to easily access information.
The Results
Each brief was successfully achieved within the timescale. Sick absence statistics continued to improve steadily over the months following the project Those attending the CV and interview workshops felt supported by the organisation and were provided with a toolkit of skills and development HR processes were simplified, streamlined and made accessible to managers and staff developing an openness of culture and providing managers with easily accessible HR guidance.