HR support services, outsourced HR support, employing people
safe redundancy, fair redundancy, business case redundancy
successful recruitment, job description, person specification
competitive advantage through people, psychological contract
disciplinary procedure, disciplining staff, run disciplinary

Timeless SUPPORT: Product Specification

This document outlines the Timeless SUPPORT product and what is meant by “Fair Usage”. It forms part of the contract between TimelessTime Ltd and its customers for this product by acting as the product Specification.

This product definition augments and is an annex to TimelessTime’s Standard Conditions of Sale.

Timeless SUPPORT

Timeless SUPPORT is a product supplied to its customers by TimelessTime Ltd. It is intended as a helpline and general support service to senior management in their endeavours to excel in human resources management within their firm or organisation in the UK. Timeless SUPPORT is the entry level product in a family of five: Timeless STARTUP, Timeless SUPPORTTimeless PROJECTS, Timeless ONE and Timeless PARTNER. Customers who have specific and bounded HR work to be done should contract TimelessTime Ltd to use the Timeless PROJETCS product. These would have a separate price, specification, deliverables and start and end date. Customers who need ongoing support to do actual HR work in their organisation would contract for a given effort level defined by price and specification under the Timeless PARTNER product. Those who do not need specific work completing but do need a mentor to bounce ideas off and facilitate the formulation of people management strategy in their organisation should purchase Timeless ONE.


Intended Use of Timeless SUPPORT

Timeless SUPPORT is intended as a general HR helpline for senior managers concerning all things HR. In offering the product, TimelessTime recognises that HR issues often have to be considered, thought about and concluded outside the normal business day. The product is available to a named paying customer in an organisation (the ‘customer’) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The customer is able to pose HR-related questions either by telephone or by email. TimelessTime will use reasonable endeavours to research the issues highlighted in the question and respond within 4 hours. Where response within this time is not possible, a time by which a response will be provided will be given. Where calls or emails are initiated between the hours of 20:00 and 08:00 hours, the 4 hours will commence at the end of this period.

Timeless SUPPORT Defined

Timeless SUPPORT is a service offering response to questions of a general nature. Since TimelessTime will not be aware of all circumstances, the response will be limited by the information shared. It is intended as service that gives advice on sources of further research, approach to the issue and the next actions in order to achieve a full resolution. More than anything it is intended to provide an HR Business Partner for a Senior Manager to call when a problem or issue looms. TimelessTime will take outline notes on the issue to aid its response. Each call or email will be given a unique reference number by which it will be referred.


The product is offered after completion of a complimentary audit to determine the contribution of current HR practices. TimelessTime accepts no liability whatsoever for any advice within this period regardless of outcome (save for its statutory responsibilities).

Customers buying Timeless SUPPORT will pay £600 per year for the product. This includes the following:

  • One two-hour visit to the customer’s offices to set up the service with the customer.
  • Unlimited email and telephone contact to pose questions for a named person.
  • Additional nominated staff can be included in the Timeless SUPPORT contract for £50 per annum.

 

Effort Committed to Each Customer

In calculating its product price, TimelessTime has assumed that each customer will pose one single question and get a single response within the context of that question per week throughout a calendar year. This allows for 52 questions. In reality few companies have 52 discrete questions and hence TimelessTime assumes that the customer will aggregate questions. TimelessTime further assume that a response can be given to each question with no more than 10 minutes research. TimelessTime will need to frame an email response or discuss the response with the customer for which a further 10 minutes is allowed. The three together suggest a total effort by TimelessTime of about 1560 minutes or 26 hours per customer. This gives an hypothetical hourly rate of about £20 per hour.


TimelessTime take an actuarial view of this usage. In reality some customers will need intensive support with a series of linked questions and discussion to conclude the customer’s issue whilst others will have more straightforward questions. Likewise some customers will need an intense burst of activity and then nothing for several weeks. This makes a rigid usage policy impossible to administer. For this reason TimelessTime will invoke a “fair usage” policy. Where in TimelessTime’s opinion a customer is demanding too much of the service, it will advise and will limit the time spent time to within the assumptions given above. TimelessTime will never refuse to respond but will instead recommend to the customer that they specify a work package and place an order against quotation for a Timeless PROJECT or contract for continuous work to be done under the Timeless INTERIM product. TimelessTime’s judgement as to what is and is not “fair usage” shall be final. For the purposes of calculating fair usage, customer’s questions, subsequent research, discussions and responses will be aggregated.

Invoicing and Payment

Three months before the end of the annual contract TimelessTime will contact the customer and agree an extension of Timeless SUPPORT. Assuming the customer wishes to extend, an invoice will be raised 30 days prior to the contract end date. Timeless SUPPORT will commence again on payment. In the event of no payment by the end of the year, the contract will terminate and support cease. This process will repeat each year. There will be no refund or credit note for cancellation in the year.

 

Issue 3.0 January 2012