Amersham and Wycombe College
Malcolm Houghton-le-Chapple and Sally Morris
“Total communication”: that’s how Malcolm Houghton-le-Chapple, head of HR at Amersham and Wycombe College, describes his relationship with mfg Solicitors.
The Buckinghamshire college, which has sites in Amersham, High Wycombe and Chesham and more than 550 staff, provides further and higher education, courses and services to more than 2,000 full-time students and 7,000 part-timers.
Malcolm’s an experienced HR professional, with around 20 years in the field behind him, so he appreciates the value of good, expert advice in the complex world of HR issues and employment law. And his verdict is: “mfg are second to none.”
His relationship with mfg employment law specialist Sally Morris and her team goes back around seven years, when he first joined the college, whose insurance for employment law issues includes a helpline service provided by mfg. As Sally explains: “The college can have a very wide range of issues at any one time, which can be very diverse and challenging.”
Malcolm and Sally share the view that it is better to avoid a problem happening than to deal with it full-blown. The college already has tight HR procedures but Malcolm says: “The prevention capability that mfg provides is superb. I’d say that 99 per cent of the time it has stopped an issue going anywhere near a tribunal or court.
“Our relationship is about total co-operation, total communication. We are never left hanging in limbo - I always know exactly what’s going on, when it’s going on, and Sally and the team always make sure that we are happy with anything they do for us.
“If I see a problem developing, I will liaise with the team about how I plan to say or word something. They’ll give me practical advice, which is important for an HR organisation, and always talk it through in clear, no nonsense terms, not legalese.
“mfg provide a brilliant, pragmatic service. It’s very empowering to know we have that behind us.”
