People & Culture Advisor
Reporting To: Head of People
Location: Hybrid (1-2 days per week in the Goring-by-Sea Office with flex to visit retail network)
Contract Type: Permanent & Full Time
Who are Bird & Blend Tea co?
Bird & Blend was set up and is run by Krisi and Mike, who met whilst studying Politics (of all things!) at university. Starting off packing tea in their bedroom and attending markets, building Bird & Blend from scratch while staying true to our ethos and values has been Krisi and Mike’s passion. Now with an awesome team, multiple retail stores & a thriving international online store, Bird & Blend is leading the way in tea innovation in the UK. You can read heaps more information about us and our mission
here:https://www.birdandblendtea.com/pages/our-story
Why We Need You
We’re looking for an experienced People & Culture Advisor to join our team and play a key role in supporting our people, managers and wider business. This is a broad and varied role, working as a trusted People partner across retail, operations and head office. You’ll provide pragmatic, commercially focused advice across the full employee lifecycle, while helping to shape and continuously improve our People & Culture practices.
Working closely with the Head of People, you’ll have a high degree of autonomy and will act as a key point of expertise and escalation across the People function. From managing employee relations cases and coaching managers, to improving processes, supporting payroll and reward, delivering people training and contributing to organisational change, you’ll have the opportunity to make a real impact across the business.
What you’ll be doing
People Partnering & Employee Experience
- Build positive relationships with managers and stakeholders, supporting the delivery of our People & Culture priorities, values and ways of working.
- Provide practical and commercially focused advice across a range of people matters.
- Support and coach managers with performance, employee lifecycle and day-to-day people issues.
- Support key employee lifecycle processes, including onboarding, internal moves, probation and leavers.
- Identify opportunities to improve People processes, systems and ways of working.
Employee Relations
- Support managers with a range of employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and absence cases.
- Provide guidance to managers and meeting chairs to help ensure processes are fair, consistent and in line with company policy and employment legislation.
- Escalate more complex or sensitive matters to the Head of People where appropriate.
Policy & Continuous Improvement
- Support the implementation and review of People policies, procedures and guidance.
- Keep up to date with changes in UK employment legislation and support the consistent application of People policies.
- Contribute to improvements across People processes and ways of working.
Payroll
- Support the monthly payroll process in partnership with Finance, ensuring information is accurate and submitted on time.
Recruitment
- Partner with managers to support recruitment and workforce requirements.
- Support the development and review of job descriptions and job evaluations.
- Help ensure recruitment processes are fair, consistent and aligned with our values.
- Support recruitment processes to ensure a smooth and positive candidate experience.
Learning & Development
- Support the identification of learning and development needs across the business.
- Work closely with the Learning & Development Advisor to support the delivery of development initiatives.
- Deliver People-focused training and workshops where required.
- Coach managers to build confidence and capability in managing and developing their teams.
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
- Support the delivery of our Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion agenda.
- Support JEDI initiatives, communications and awareness activity across the business.
- Help embed inclusive practices across our People policies and processes.
People Projects & Change
- Support the Head of People with People projects and organisational change initiatives.
- Support stakeholder communication and engagement to help ensure successful implementation.
- Provide people insight and operational support to help deliver People priorities.
What you'll bring
We’re looking for a People professional who enjoys working closely with managers and colleagues and is confident supporting a broad range of People & Culture activities. You’ll be organised, approachable and practical, with a genuine interest in helping managers and teams get the best from their people.
You’ll ideally have:
- Experience working in a People & Culture Advisor or similar HR role, ideally within a fast-paced retail, multi-site or operational environment.
- Good experience supporting a range of employee relations matters, with the ability to recognise when more complex issues need to be escalated.
- A good understanding of UK employment law and HR best practice.
- Experience supporting People policies, processes and employee lifecycle activities.
- Some experience supporting payroll and HR administration.
- Experience supporting or delivering training and coaching managers.
- Good communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to build positive relationships across the business.
- A practical and solutions-focused approach, with an understanding of both people and business needs.
- Strong organisation, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
- Comfortable using HR systems and people data.
- A willingness to travel across our retail network as required.
- CIPD Level 5 or equivalent experience.
Why this role?
This is an opportunity to join a People & Culture team where you’ll have genuine ownership, visibility and influence. You’ll work across a diverse and fast-moving business, partnering with leaders and managers to solve challenges, improve the employee experience and deliver meaningful People initiatives.
If you’re an experienced People professional who enjoys variety, thrives in a hands-on environment and wants to make a tangible difference, we’d love to hear from you.
We are committed to equality of opportunity for all, applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the application or interview process please let us know.
Are there any perks?
Of course there are, for all the hard work you will get:
- We are proud to be a
Sunday Times Best Places To Work 2024 employer.
- Friendly and supportive team culture: Enjoy working alongside a team of like-minded individuals who value collaboration, camaraderie, and fun in the workplace.
- Membership of company pension scheme (if applicable): Secure your financial future with enrollment in a company-sponsored pension scheme, ensuring peace of mind and financial stability in retirement.
- Holiday accrual that grows with loyalty: Enjoy 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays ) as a token of appreciation for your dedication and loyalty to the organisation, providing you with ample opportunities for rest and relaxation. This entitlement increases with service.
- Life Insurance & Income Protection: providing financial security and peace of mind for you and your families.
- Health Cash Plan: after one year service we will enrol you into our Health Cash Plan which will allow you to claim back money for dental, optical, prescription charges etc. Specific information on this scheme will be shared with you all..
- Life Happens Leave: Sometimes life can throw unexpected challenges our way, we offer paid leave specifically dedicated to these situations to provide employees with the time and space needed.
- Birthday off!
- Complimentary drinks and snacks: Stay refreshed and energised throughout the day with a variety of free drinks and snacks provided in the office.
- Monthly tea allowance and generous staff discount: Indulge in your favourite teas while benefiting from a discount on company products, fostering a culture of enjoyment and appreciation.
- Employee Assistance Programme: Access confidential and professional mental health support services to prioritise your well-being and address any personal or work-related challenges.
- Bike to Work and Electric Vehicle Schemes: Take advantage of a sustainable transportation option, contribute to environmental conservation, and benefit from tax-efficient savings.
- Paid volunteer days: Make a positive impact in our community by participating in volunteer activities during dedicated paid volunteer days, fostering a culture of corporate social responsibility and giving back.
- Dog-friendly office: Bring your furry friend to work and enjoy a pet-friendly environment that promotes work-life balance and companionship.
- We also have enhanced family friendly policies, offer flexible working and are always open to discussing your individual circumstances!
