Pub and leisure company Scottish & Newcastle Retail is to introduce the hospitality industry’s first human resources service centre.
The company says the centre, designed to deal with enquiries from its 42,000 employees, will provide a faster and more consistent service. It aims to give staff a one-stop shop telephone number manned by HR administrators.
Other companies with UK-based service centres include IBM, which has a centre at Portsmouth dealing with staff across Europe. The centre was introduced to free HR staff in individual countries from routine administrative work, allowing them to concentrate on added value.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
The newly-created HR Services department at Scottish & Newcastle will offer advice on subjects including payroll, promotion and maternity and sick pay.
Scottish & Newcastle HR controller Karen Davies, who set up the restructured department, said it is also to be responsible for identifying recurring staff issues.
