Marilyn is always there for us and is able to provide her valuable guidance, usually in less than 30 minutes. Not only that, but her solutions and responses are always tailor-made to suit our business needs. She is a very meticulous individual and will always provide a detailed list of actions that may be applied to a particular person or a situation and how to avoid similar situations from recurring in the future… Her mentoring and guidance is of exceptionally high standards and a source of invaluable insight; she has an in-depth knowledge and a thorough understanding of each and every aspect related to HR, and this makes her an irreplaceable mentor.
About
Mission: To make a tangible difference (with integrity and enthusiasm), to individuals and organisations
Marilyn Smyth, Managing Director of Making a Difference, has many years experience in the business and public sectors as a specialist employee relations consultant and HR service provider.
Marilyn is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and is Vice Chair of the CIPD Committee for Docklands & East London. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management, qualified in employment & workplace mediation and a member of the Civil Mediation Council, and qualified with the British Psychological Society in psychometric testing, (ability and occupational personality testing). Marilyn was an Employment Tribunal member and regularly sat on Employment Tribunal panels for 12 years and was a school governor at Passmores Academy for many years.
Marilyn has gained experience in the public and private sectors and, until launching her own consultancy firm, was Head of Organisational Development for a large London Local Authority, and later for an outsourced public service provider. This most recent endeavour, giving her understanding of the balance between the business and public sectors; a gap which she believes is rapidly closing.
Since the launch of Making a Difference in 2003, Marilyn has worked in 28 Local Authorities, 4 national charities, 3 government departments, 5 large NHS Trusts, 2 outsourcing companies and a variety of large and small businesses.
Marilyn keeps abreast of new legislation and guidelines in order to offer support to clients at the earliest time. She can deliver relevant training and help organisations to write policy encompassing the legislation and guidelines, without huge budgetary implications for them in conforming to the legislation. She can also offer HR advice to small companies who need to ensure they are operating within the legal frameworks around employment.
Another of the services Marilyn offers (and has considerable experience in), is dispute resolution; she undertakes un-biased disciplinary, bullying or harassment, or grievance investigations, and stress risk assessments. Work in these areas includes relevant reports. Marilyn also undertakes mediations both for existing staff and to gain settlement with ex-staff or those involved in exit negotiations.
The most important value Marilyn holds is that of integrity; both in the way she runs her consultancy firm and the advice she gives to her clients. She tackles every activity with enthusiasm, is highly motivated and energetic, and has the skills and experience to make a real difference to your organisation.