Melloney Guiver

Expertise

Melloney is a talented employment lawyer and HR specialist, with considerable success working with businesses and individuals.

Melloney says:

‘I work with businesses that truly care about the well-being of their people and are committed to treating them as adults, in even-handed and collaborative ways.  This is what I call a people-first, values-based approach.

As we continue to live with the impact of the COVID pandemic, a tremendous shift is taking place between businesses and their workforce.  Employees, workers and contractors are re-evaluating the kind of work they want to do and the kinds of businesses they want to work for.  This is an exciting time for businesses to develop work cultures and workplaces where workers want to work, stay and flourish.

There is no doubt that employee poor performance, behaviour, complaints, fall-outs, unnecessary absence, unlawful discrimination, lack of inclusion and talented people leaving a business negatively impacts on an organisation’s bottom line, stability and growth.

My work has led me to conclude that the “old way”’ of managing these issues through progressive disciplinary, grievance, performance and attendance procedures rarely work to resolve them for employer and employee. 

I am passionate about rewriting the rules on progressive disciplinary, grievance, performance and attendance procedures to create new ways of people management that are values-based, fairly-balanced and comply with employment law requirements.

By taking a values-based approach to my work and combining employment law and HR expertise and I work with HR directors and their senior executive colleagues to:

• Integrate their organisation’s mission, purpose and values into their people contracts, policies and procedures;
• Develop and facilitate creative approaches for resolving and managing workplace issues and conflict; and
• Advise and support them with day-to-day people issues, employment law compliance, people management, business reorganisations, sales, mergers and acquisitions.’

A gifted negotiator with commercial acumen, Melloney has extensive experience working with directors and senior HR professionals across a range of sectors including care homes, retail, fashion and beauty, dental, veterinary, manufacturing, outside broadcasting and beauty and recruitment.

She is recognised as an approachable and trusted advisor who has built a strong reputation on her ability to deliver for her clients through a blend of steel and diplomacy. Offering practical advice and guidance, she communicates with simplicity and empathy while always retaining a focus on a client’s bottom line.

Melloney’s mission is to support organisations using her values-based approach, so that what they stand for is brought to life, lived through its people, complies with the law and is flexible to weather the storms of change.

Melloney Advises

• Small and medium-sized organisations
• Directors and senior executives
• HR directors and consultants
• Partnerships
• Charities

Recent Experience Highlights

• Advising a North West care home group to manage the legal and practical implications of the introduction of the statutory introduction of compulsory vaccination or medical exemption for its workforce.
• Advising and ‘on the ground’ support of care home managers and HR teams in Wales and England during 2020 COVID-19 through the day to legal changes of lockdown, protecting the clinically vulnerable and unknowns that COVID-19 had upon the sector.
• Undertaking the role of ‘investigator’ in complex grievance complaints for public and private organisations.
• Acting on behalf of HH Legal on the transfer of its clinical negligence team.
• Negotiation and advice on settlement terms for multiple employees in collective redundancy situations.

Career History

Previous Law Firms

• Gorvins LLP 2010–14 Senior Associate Solicitor and Mediator.
• Myersons LLP 2007–10 Associate Solicitor.
• DLA Piper UK LLP 2002–07 Trainee Solicitor and Solicitor.

Previous Work

• NHC, Private Bank, Retail, Charity.

Education

• Conflict Management Coach (CAOS Conflict Management).
• Certified Mediator — Civil and Commercial (London School of Mediation).
• College of Law, LPC.
• University of Sheffield, LLB Law.