Honesty is not the best policy

Honesty is not the best policy…

A client of ours had decided to terminate the employment of one their greenkeepers last week, but very nearly bungled the whole thing at the 11^th hour.

The greenkeeper in question had been there less than two years, had performed poorly for a long time, and had been called in for numerous performance meetings, and had continually failed to improve.

Open goal, right?

They spoke to us, and we explained exactly what they need to do: explain that they were letting him go, have a witness present just in case (they chose the Chair of Greens) and pay him a month’s notice. Job done.

It all went well at first.

The writing had been on the wall, so the staff member wasn’t exactly surprised, and there was zero pushback, so that part was all pretty swift and – thankfully – amicable.

They stood up to end the meeting, with the general manager thanking him for his service and wishing him all the best.

And then the witness piped up.

“And of course, you appreciate that we need to offer this position to a younger person who is at the start of their career and will stay with us for a long time to come!”

No. No. No.

And by the way, the greenkeeper was 60 years old, and yes, age is a protected characteristic.

The general manager rang us just after the meeting, unsurprisingly in complete panic.

Luckily, we were able to get a meeting with the dismissed greenkeeper the next day and explain that:

The committee member had been “confused”, of course, he wasn’t being dismissed due to his age
Oh, and by the way, thanks for your service and have an extra month’s money.

The greenkeeper was happy and went quietly, the Club was relieved that it hadn’t escalated to a tribunal claim and the Chair of Greens? Well, unsurprisingly they are now banned from termination meetings forever.

Having a witness is smart, but if you are having someone in the room with you, they need to know that there are very few things that are acceptable to say to someone who is leaving, and when you’ve just agreed on the termination, and everything’s going swimmingly, that is probably not the time to be “honest”!

Honesty is not the best policy

Reviews

     EXCELLENT rating  
 Based on 37 reviews 
    
  
 
       It is great having Gap HR working with us for all our HR.  Brilliant company.
     
   Nick Jobson 
 05/12/2023
 
 
 
 
     I absolutely enjoyed my recent experience working with Gap HR. There are several aspects of their service that stood out to me. Firstly, their responsiveness is truly remarkable. Gap HR consistently demonstrated the fastest response time to all our communications, which not only streamlined our processes but also instilled a sense of confidence in their support.

Secondly, their expertise in HR solutions for medium and small businesses is unparalleled. Gap HR's in-depth knowledge and experience in this niche are highly valuable. Their ability to navigate the complexities of HR for smaller enterprises is a significant asset and brings peace of mind.

Lastly, the team at Gap HR is an absolute pleasure to work with. Their caring and dedicated approach goes beyond the ordinary, making them not just service providers, but trusted partners. They bring a level of commitment that is truly exceptional, and it's evident that they genuinely care about the success and well-being of their clients.

In summary, Gap HR has become our first and foremost point of contact for any employment law support. Their combination of responsiveness, expertise, and unwavering dedication makes them an invaluable resource in the realm of HR and employment law.
     
   Alisa Tolmaciova 
 07/11/2023
 
 
 
 
     I work for a local council and we began working with Gap HR a few months ago. I have found them an absolute pleasure to work with - very responsive, thorough and knowledgeable. Above all I feel that I am working with a friendly and empathic team who understand our needs and are dedicated to helping us achieve what we need to achieve. I am very grateful to have their support.
     
   Claire Bird 
 11/10/2023
 
 
 
 
     GAP HR has been supporting our business for a while now and they are very helpful and thorough in everything they assist us with, from the small to big issues.  Great company to support your business.  All staff are friendly and on point with all the knowledge they share.
Thank you GAP-HR
     
   Neath Afan Gymnastics And Activities 
 15/09/2023
 
 
 
 
     It has been great working with Gap HR, their guidance has helped immensely with the day to day running of the business.  The whole team are extremely responsive and knowledgeable which makes the experience a pleasurable one.
     
   Will Cairns 
 27/06/2023
 
 
 
 
     Great support from the whole team. The knowledge, advice and support that Gap HR give is second to none. They give me the confidence to know that i am doing the right thing. 👍
     
   Jeff Wicks 
 06/06/2023
 
 
 
 
     We are really delighted to have hooked up with Gap HR Services Limited – the team interpreted our brief perfectly and their advice and assistance was delivered in both a pragmatic and professional way. A big THANK YOU to both Carolyne and Cathy who steered us through the legislation with a best practice and smart approach.

Gap HR’s sense of urgency in fulfilment and delivery matched our own so we can do nothing but positively recommend the team for your HR needs.
     
   BCAS Ltd 
 28/04/2023
 
 
 
 
     We receive excellent advice and service from the team at Gap. Professional, but helpful with any question big or small. They save us from many hours of debating if we should do x or y - just email Gap is the answer, which makes it easy for us and minimises mistakes - thank you Gap HR!
     
   Jacqueline Shields 
 24/04/2023
 
 
 
 
     Brilliant company and I highly recommend their services, professional HR services.
     
   Robert Creer 
 13/01/2023
 
 
 
 
     I have been using GapHR for many years and find them a great company to work with. All of the team I have worked with are very professional and experienced in many areas. I would highly recommend using GapHR as there services are fantastic.
     
   Tommy Fisher 
 11/01/2023

Who We Work With

It is great having Gap HR working with us for all our HR. Brilliant company.

Nick Jobson

05/12/2023

I absolutely enjoyed my recent experience working with Gap HR. There are several aspects of their service that stood out to me. Firstly, their responsiveness is truly remarkable. Gap HR consistently demonstrated the fastest response time to all our communications, which not only streamlined our processes but also instilled a sense of confidence in their support. Secondly, their expertise in HR solutions for medium and small businesses is unparalleled. Gap HR's in-depth knowledge and experience in this niche are highly valuable. Their ability to navigate the complexities of HR for smaller enterprises is a significant asset and brings peace of mind. Lastly, the team at Gap HR is an absolute pleasure to work with. Their caring and dedicated approach goes beyond the ordinary, making them not just service providers, but trusted partners. They bring a level of commitment that is truly exceptional, and it's evident that they genuinely care about the success and well-being of their clients. In summary, Gap HR has become our first and foremost point of contact for any employment law support. Their combination of responsiveness, expertise, and unwavering dedication makes them an invaluable resource in the realm of HR and employment law.

Alisa Tolmaciova

07/11/2023

I work for a local council and we began working with Gap HR a few months ago. I have found them an absolute pleasure to work with - very responsive, thorough and knowledgeable. Above all I feel that I am working with a friendly and empathic team who understand our needs and are dedicated to helping us achieve what we need to achieve. I am very grateful to have their support.

Claire Bird

11/10/2023

GAP HR has been supporting our business for a while now and they are very helpful and thorough in everything they assist us with, from the small to big issues. Great company to support your business. All staff are friendly and on point with all the knowledge they share. Thank you GAP-HR

Neath Afan Gymnastics And Activities

15/09/2023

It has been great working with Gap HR, their guidance has helped immensely with the day to day running of the business. The whole team are extremely responsive and knowledgeable which makes the experience a pleasurable one.

Will Cairns

27/06/2023

Great support from the whole team. The knowledge, advice and support that Gap HR give is second to none. They give me the confidence to know that i am doing the right thing. 👍

Jeff Wicks

06/06/2023

We are really delighted to have hooked up with Gap HR Services Limited – the team interpreted our brief perfectly and their advice and assistance was delivered in both a pragmatic and professional way. A big THANK YOU to both Carolyne and Cathy who steered us through the legislation with a best practice and smart approach. Gap HR’s sense of urgency in fulfilment and delivery matched our own so we can do nothing but positively recommend the team for your HR needs.

BCAS Ltd

28/04/2023

We receive excellent advice and service from the team at Gap. Professional, but helpful with any question big or small. They save us from many hours of debating if we should do x or y - just email Gap is the answer, which makes it easy for us and minimises mistakes - thank you Gap HR!

Jacqueline Shields

24/04/2023

Brilliant company and I highly recommend their services, professional HR services.

Robert Creer

13/01/2023

I have been using GapHR for many years and find them a great company to work with. All of the team I have worked with are very professional and experienced in many areas. I would highly recommend using GapHR as there services are fantastic.

Tommy Fisher

11/01/2023

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