Looking Back at 2021 with Quinn HR Pages 24

In September, recruiting new workers was the focus, with hints and tips on things like ensuring applicants have the right to work in the UK, ensuring they have the right qualifications, seeking references, medical questionnaires and how to make an offer of employment.

October was about managing absence – short-term and long-term absences, and the importance of the role of line managers.

In November, with Christmas fast approaching, we provided some advice on things to consider when organising work parties and other work-related social events.

And so, here we are in December again, approaching Christmas, reflecting on what has been another extraordinary year! If you need support or advice with any employment related issues, please just drop me a line – I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Whilst my workload is always varied, typically I offer advice and support with:

• Employee relations – disciplinaries, grievances, bullying and harassment

• Attendance issues – sickness related and other

• Performance issues – appraisals, managing poor performance and capability

• Staff Handbooks – policies, procedures and standards

• Employment contracts – terms and conditions of employment

• Recruitment and selection – recruitment exercises and job descriptions

• Pay and benefits – pay structures and job evaluation

• Reorganisation and redundancy

Whether you need some immediate, ad hoc advice or whether you would like to discuss ongoing support, please contact me - charlotte@quinnhr.co.uk or 01768 862394.

You can also read more about me and the support I am able to provide on my website www.quinnhr.co.uk

My very best wishes to you all

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has positive effects on many seed-eating birds, some of which are UK BAP priority species. As an example, the combined package of game management measures at the GWCT demonstration farm in Leicestershire increased the abundance and breeding density of several bird species, including blackbird, song thrush, dunnock, whitethroat, chaffinch and

yellowhammer. A further unpublished GWCT study looked at 34 farmland sites nearby, and found 30% more farmland birds on farms with shoots than on farms without.

Pheasants are birds of the woodland edge, and some evidence shows that new woodlands are more likely to be planted, and existing woodlands to be preserved and better managed in areas with pheasant shoots. Generally, as well as game management providing food and reducing predation pressure, woodland management practices that provide suitable habitat for pheasants also improve habitat for these other species. What are these management practices? Pheasant management includes: reducing the canopy density (skylighting, thinning, coppicing) to allow more light into the wood, maintaining and widening woodland rides, more diversity at woodland edges, creating or maintaining hedgerows, planting game cover crops, controlling predators and providing supplementary food. Our work is detailed. In one study we surveyed 139 woods. Approximately half of these woods were actively managed for game and half were woods that had not been managed for game for at least 25 years. In each wood we measured the amount and size of the ride habitat. We then selected the widest ride in the wood for more detailed surveying. We first assessed the structure and management of this focal rides, for example we quantified the amount and type of disturbance (vehicle, horse, footfall) the ride experienced. Next, we surveyed the ground vegetation, specifically we measured the amount of bare ground, the percentage cover of different plant groups and took a count of the overall number of species.

What we found

Although the overall amount of ride habitat was not greater in woods managed for game, the rides present were 20% wider and more open. This suggests that there were differences in the management of the ride habitat in game woods. In addition, the overall amount of disturbance was lower in rides in game woods and the types of disturbance differed from non-game woods. Rides in game woods were more disturbed by vehicles whereas rides in non-game woods were more disturbed by footfall and horses. These differences in management, combined