We are asked regularly, how do you get good managers? There are many ways to get good managers and get the best from them. Communicating Communicating clear expectations mean that both managers and employees understand the role of organisational leaders. Certainly, the best leaders find a way to thrive within an organisation. However, they also need effective organisational support to fulfil their true potential. Therefore, given the right tools and a proper support network, there’s no reason why your managers can’t become the influential people you need to lead your business to success. Strategising Great leaders are brave enough to make sweeping changes and need a range of skills. However, one of the most important traits in any leader is knowing when something is or isn’t working. Some managers can get caught in a loop of reactive activities, like solving functional problems or achieving short-term objectives. Great leaders need to be strategic in nature. Therefore, they need to meet operational goals whilst planning for future success. Analysing Good managers can see how their decisions will affect the organisation. Therefore, their decisions can be interpreted by everyone from employees, to competitors, and to the media. So, this involves different levels of […]
Most work places are beginning to think about the office Christmas party that’s coming up rather than thinking of recruiting this side of Christmas. However, December is actually a prime time for snapping up talented staff. Despite the general perception that January is when everyone starts looking for new jobs, December is far more ideal. Planning Ahead If you’re planning to recruit more staff, it would be logical to think that January is the time to start looking. It’s true that many people will return to work after a Christmas break and make a New Year’s resolution to find a new challenge. There will always be plenty of candidates available in January. Equally, there’s likely to be plenty of jobs on offer too. Companies also see the New Year as a fresh start and the right time to recruit too. Therefore, competition will be high in the New Year. If you get ahead of the opposition, you have the advantage of offering an individual a job instead of having to negotiate. Especially if they have been offered alternative employment elsewhere. You may end up having to offer a higher salary than you’d planned in order to secure the person you […]
So, what five mistakes do employers commonly make when handling redundancies? As well-known retailers and restaurants close down and disappear from our high streets with Homebase, House of Fraser, Toys R Us, Homebase and Prezzo among the latest companies to suffer. More and more businesses face closures or reductions in staff numbers to cope with financial losses. What five mistakes do employers commonly make when handling redundancies? One is to start collective redundancy consultation too late. Sometimes this is because those at the top retain hope that business will improve or do not want staff to see the company is in trouble. Collective Consultation Employers’ collective redundancy consultation obligations are triggered once they are proposing to make 20 or more redundancies at one establishment, within a period of 90 days or less. Consultation must begin in good time and 45 days before the first dismissal is to take effect. If 100 or more employees are affected at the same establishment; or 30 days before the first dismissal is to take effect, if 20 to 99 employees are affected at the same establishment. The collective consultation should be completed before you provide employees with notices of termination of employment. The second […]
Giving paid holidays to employees off work sick We get asked a lot at Metis HR about employers giving paid holidays to employees who are off work sick. The European Court of Justice ruled that workers were entitled to accrue statutory minimum holiday entitlement while on sick leave. Then carry that leave over into another year. However, they could only do that if they were too ill to take it and prefered not to take it during their sick leave. If an Employee chooses to take their holiday leave entitlement while on sick leave, they will be paid normal holiday pay rather than company or statutory sick pay. This can sometimes be less or none depending on how long they have been off sick. If an employee qualifies for SSP, they would continue to receive this during any annual leave pay period. However, you cannot insist an employee to do this. Carrying Over Unpaid Leave The issue of carrying over unused leave that was accrued because of sickness absence into the next leave year was in doubt. The Working Time Directive conflicted with the 2009 decision by the European Court of Justice. In UK law workers are required to use their holiday entitlement within the […]
Toxic Workers Every organisation has at least one Toxic Worker, those people who exude negativity. They don’t like their jobs or they don’t like the company. They dislike their bosses and they feel they are always being treated unfairly. You can’t control how people act all of the time, but you do have control over how you react with them. Calling them to a meeting for an informal chat to discuss their behaviour may be your first port of call in nipping their toxicity in the bud. Be clear about which workplace rules they are breaking and how it affects the workplace as a whole. However, if the toxic worker is more than just irritating and annoying – they may be abusive, behave inappropriately and unprofessionally. If you think they are bringing the company into disrepute or another employee complains, this is the time to take more formal action. Some toxic workers operate under the radar of their employers. They may come across positive and outgoing openly with their managers, whilst talking negatively to belittle, criticize and slander those workers they feel they can control and manipulate. They could possibly persuade other co-workers to do their dirty work for them, whilst outwardly they maintain their angelic façade! What to do? Don’t allow the […]
It’s a goal that many organisations have, how to make new employees more productive more quickly. You’ve spent a lot of time, money and energy on recruiting them in the first place. It’s not unreasonable that you now want a quick return on your investment is it? In theory, no, but in practice, probably, yes. There are a number of answers to how to make new employees more productive more quickly. The simple and most straightforward is to design a really thorough induction programme. Just because the new recruit has the skills you were looking for, doesn’t mean they will telepathically know what you want from them as an employee. They need to know “how things work round here”. You have to ensure that they get that information early on, and are monitored to assure them (and you) that they are picking it up correctly. The new recruit, hopefully, will be enthusiastic, keen to learn and keen to make an impression. Your induction programme needs to capitalise on this. How enthusiastic would you be if you spent your first week just following people around, listening to what goes on, reading brochures and watching company videos? Not as enthusiastic at the end […]
Employees are most worried about their financial position. The Money Advice Service identified that 28.7 million working adults in the UK weren’t satisfied with their finances. The Financial Conduct Authority reported that 25.6 million people were financially vulnerable. There’s a shocking stat out there. Faced with an unexpected £300 bill, 11.8 million adults will borrow money or can’t pay. Only 50% of employees, thinks that their employer cares about their financial well-being. That’s less than those who think that their employer cares about their mental (62%) and physical health (60%). When asked what their top three worries are, employees said Financial worries (30%) Health (25%) Retirement provision (24%) Employees are most worried about their financial position What do employers think their employees are most worried about? When asked what they thought their employees worried about the most, employers gave very different answers. Their top two worries were work life balance (44%) and workload (33%). There’s clearly a difference between what actually worries employees and what employers think their employees worry about. Work life balance worries only 22% or employees surveyed. Employees are most worried about their financial position. The effects of financial worries show themselves in many ways. Physical factors such as loss of sleep and […]
If you’re looking for 5 simple steps to improve employee engagement you’ve come to the right place. Some of the things might not be considered trendy nowadays, but they have always worked as engagement strategies. They rely on some simple foundations, communicate well, praise sincerely and do what you say you’ll do! Get out from behind your desk Talk to your employees, listen to them, their problems and suggestions. Be ready to roll up your sleeves to help out when things are pressured, do whatever needs to be done. Show some sincerity Look for the good in people. When you see something you like, tell that person right away. Tell your people what you appreciate, and why. It’ll bring the best out in them. Role model Make it a priority to demonstrate your company’s values. If you really want to affect your culture, work hard to show your remployees your values and priorities. It makes natural that they will follow your lead. Get over yourself. This doesn’t mean that you lack self-confidence or that you don’t stand up for yourself. It means that you recognise that you don’t know everything and that you’re ready to learn from others. Demonstrate a […]
Moving businesses from inadequate to outstanding is a new CIPD report claiming that UK employers are “sleepwalking into a low-value, low-skills economy”. The report attributes this to two main factors: an inadequate education system low employer spend on training As employers we can do little about the first, but we can do something about the second. We can affect how much we spend on training our workforce. Employer spending on training has been reducing year on year since 2005. The UK spends an average of just £ 202.30 per employee on training compared to an average spend of £457.42 per employee across the rest of Europe. The UK is now fourth from bottom place in an EU league table of job-related adult learning. The CIPD is making a valid point. The effectiveness of training isn’t determined by how much is spent on it. It states that UK employers may have found ways to minimise their training spend, without reducing the quality of the training. Using digital training or negotiating better deals with training providers is one way they are doing this. But the situation is very different in America, where the average spend on training per employee is £787.35. However, there is a potential disincentive for employers to […]
