Probation periods are crucial for ensuring a good fit between a new hire and the company. They allow you to assess skills, work ethic, and cultural fit. But what happens if the initial time frame isn't enough to make a clear call? Here at Charlie, we understand that building a strong team takes time and careful evaluation. In this guide, we'll equip HR leaders and managers with the knowledge and resources needed to effectively extend a probation period. I'll walk you through the steps involved, from identifying the need for an extension to crafting clear and professional communication with th ..read more

At Charlie, we know our people are the heart of our success. That's why we're constantly innovating our HR practices to build high-performing teams. As HR leaders, it's our responsibility to champion a people-centric approach. Here at Charlie, I've seen firsthand the power of these 7 HR Best Practices: Adopt a diverse and strategic hiring practice. Establish clear company values. Be flexible in all your approaches. Be present throughout the employee's journey (onboarding - training).  Implement forward-thinking policies Build challenges and give autonomy to boost engagement. Make room f ..read more

A higher salary can be an effective way to attract and retain talented employees, but for some people, it’s the extras you can offer that makes your overall package more appealing. It may sound counterintuitive, but reducing salaries in exchange for a different type of benefit can be great — a process known as salary sacrifice. In this guide, we’ll explore what salary sacrifice is, how it works, and what the benefits are. We’ll also share examples of some of the most popular types of schemes, and answer all your burning questions about how to manage salary sacrifice programmes. What is salary ..read more

A pass probation letter is one of the lighter parts of onboarding a new team member, as it’s only sent when someone has passed their probation and a lot of the legal HR admin is out of the way. But it’s important to understand what goes into it, as a pass probation letter is part and parcel of the employee experience.  As one of Charlie’s HR advisor, I help founders and CEO’s give their teams the best possible employee experience. I’ve written this blog so you’ll know how to write a pass probation letter and when to send it out.  And to make things that bit easier, I’ve included a f ..read more

Setting OKRs at a small business is always an exercise you need to carefully think about. Will they be challenging enough? Do they meet our business objectives?  At Charlie, this is a part of our work we like to challenge and questions, because it determines the overall success of our business in the long run. And it’s important to ask questions when it comes to setting OKRs.  In this guide, I’ll be sharing with you the way we set OKRs as well and finally some OKRs examples to help you set your own.  What are the best OKRs for small businesses?  OKRs – meaning Objectives ..read more

Having a diverse workplace has tangible benefits for your business.  There are negative repercussions to not including diversity and inclusion in your hiring process. If your workplace comes under fire for being toxic or having a lack of inclusion, it can damage your brand reputation in ways that are hard to undo. Taking steps to be more diverse and inclusive makes your brand seem more human because it reflects a broader range of the human experience. I'm quite passionate about diversity and inclusion and I believe it doesn't create a better workplace, but a better, kinder world. In this ..read more

In the ebb and flow of any business, there come times when you have to make tough strategic decisions that hurt the people you depend on —your employees.  Redundancies are more than just numbers on a balance sheet; it's people's livelihoods and the survival of a business. Sometimes they can’t be avoided, but a carefully orchestrated redundancy consultation process is a chance to demonstrate empathy and ethical leadership. For businesses in the United Kingdom, redundancy consultations are a legal mandate underpinning a much broader commitment to ethical redundancies, organisational transp ..read more

What are full time hours in the UK, and what is the maximum someone can legally work over the course of a week? As a Charlie CIPD-qualified advisor, I provide small businesses and startups with the best possible advice on managing and supporting their employees.  And that includes helping HR managers and business owners decide which roles should be full or part time, and how many hours the people in those positions should work per week.  Getting your working hours right is vital  — as they can hugely impact your business success and the health and happiness of your team. But th ..read more

Setting goals has been a significant part of my career, but it hasn’t always been easy. In fact, it has sometimes been so challenging that I had to rethink my entire approach to it. When I first joined Charlie, I knew we had a lot of work to do in our product function. So, to clear my head and become laser-focused on solutions rather than problems, I revisited an old method called SMART goals. But what exactly are SMART goals? If you’ve heard about them, as a CEO or manager, you may be wondering how to implement them. In this blog, I’ll share answers to your most common questions, examples of ..read more

Interviews can be quite lengthy to prepare – but what happens when you’ve also got to think about the email invite you send to candidates?  At Charlie, we often use invite-to-interview templates to make sure we remain consistent in the way we communicate with candidates.  We know that this will help emphasise how much we value their time, but also guarantee that they will actually show up for the interview.  Have a look at our top tips to write an invite to interview email, and download or copy-paste some of our templates below.  What’s an interview invite letter for?&nbs ..read more