Loads of research has been done to answer the question what makes a work team effective. Surprisingly, research is debunking the myth that a team either works or it doesn’t. It turns out effective team working is a skill that can be taught. I’ll qualify that, you can teach what makes a work team effective but you can’t overcome a lack of capability or skills to do the job! Have you recognised that your work team isn’t performing? It’s likely to be because they don’t have the right skills to work together effectively. What can you do? train your team members in how to work effectively in a team, or recruit for those skills Team working is a skill, a capability. It’s not an attitude or a personality trait. Yes, there are some people who are more naturally able to work effectively in a team. But, the skill can be learned, just like the technical skills to do the job. What are the skills that you need to work effectively in a team? Research shows that there are 4 capabilities for people to be effective working in teams. But the good news is you can train people to develop these […]
New employee not working out? Are you thinking that you have a new employee not working out? Do you think the person you appointed isn’t right for the job? The cost of recruiting a new employee in the UK averages out at £11,000.00. From a commercial perspective £11K isn’t small change. If you’re spending this kind of money regularly what can you do to save money and recruit the right person first time? As a manager some years ago, I appointed a new glass cutter to my team. In a matter of days, it became obvious that he couldn’t cut glass. He was a bad appointment. At that very moment one of my colleague managers needed a glass cutter for their shift and I chose that opportunity to off load my guy on to him. A few weeks passed. I bumped into my colleague manager and asked how his new glass cutter was getting on. He told me he was the best glass cutter he had. I was amazed at this. I wanted to understand how he’d achieved this. He replied, I watched him at work and identified where he was going wrong in his role. Once we addressed the […]
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a serious, long-term condition, so how do I manage an employee with IBS? We are asked. IBS can cause disability and disrupts the working lives of many. Around 10-20% of the UK population living with IBS, this represents a significant number who are affected in the workplace. It is estimated that Britain’s businesses lose almost £3 billion every year through sick days related to gut health. As an employer, you may be unaware of IBS and its debilitating effects on those who have the condition. Understanding ways in which you can help your staff who have IBS will allow them to continue working to their full capacity. Be aware that stress is often an important factor in those with IBS. If they feel unable to approach you, it might make their condition worse. Although you may find it a little uncomfortable at first, talk to your employee about what you can do to support them. Workplace changes to consider flexible working, provide easy access to toilets, allow your employee to take regular work breaks, and ensure effective monitoring and management of workload. Am I Obliged to Make Special Allowances for Them? If an employee’s IBS […]
We are asked by clients; can I demote an employee? It can seem an attractive option, but it’s not without its legal risks. Demotion should be approached by employers and HR professionals with a degree of caution as an option in managing the workforce. As a potential sanction, it represents a significant change to an employee’s employment arrangements and one that they may be less than happy to accept. Demotion can take various forms including a change in job title, role, duties, and subsequently salary. An employer may look to demote an employee for a number of reasons, for example: Work performance. You may look to demote an employee as an alternative to dismissal. Usually after going through a performance management procedure, if stipulated in a contract of employment as an alternative sanction; As a disciplinary sanction. An alternative to dismissal in a case involving allegations of workplace misconduct and/or where the employee has substantial length of service; Changes in economic circumstances may result in a need to reorganise the employer’s business, including seeking to demote certain individuals. There are potentially legal pitfalls associated with demotion. It can mean a significant variation to the employee’s contract of employment. A change […]
We have clients ask us – why should I have employee Privacy Notices in place? Since 25 May 2018 the Data Protection legislation has changed in the UK. The changes expand current legislation governing how you as the employer collect, hold and process employee’s personal data. The EAT recently published it’s findings on a claim by an employee of HMRC for breach of the Data Protection Act 2018, which the EAT dismissed and did not up hold for several reasons. Background The claim stemmed from the claimant’s arrest by Merseyside Police in August 2018. In compliance with her contract of employment, the employee disclosed the arrest to HMRC. The employee was suspended pending a disciplinary process for gross misconduct. The employee’s contract of employment included terms involving appropriate behaviour outside of work and conduct which could give rise to queries about honesty and trust. The employee went off on long term sick leave and refused to open or read correspondence from the employer. She said the internal investigation into the alleged offences was in breach of data protection laws and should stop. The process was briefly halted but continued after the employer sought legal advice saying it could press on. […]
What is a disciplinary hearing? It’s an opportunity for the details of the disciplinary investigation to be considered a person not previously involved to review evidence gathered the person facing allegations to present mitigation or new evidence When should a Disciplinary Hearing be convened? After a Disciplinary Investigation is completed. The Investigating Officer should have concluded that the evidence gathered suggests that there is the potential for the allegation(s) to be proven. They recommend that the matter be considered in a formal Disciplinary Hearing. Your Disciplinary Policy probably outlines the process in your organisation for convening a Hearing. But typically, the employee is invited to attend the Disciplinary Hearing by letter or email given the right to be accompanied at the Hearing by a work colleague or trade union representative given a copy of the Disciplinary Policy sent an evidence bundle. Only evidence that the employee has been able to review should be considered at the Hearing Who attends a Disciplinary Hearing? Check your Disciplinary Policy. Different organisations have different standards. Our recommendation is that there should be a Hearing Chair. the Investigating Officer who presents their investigation to the Hearing. They will also answer any questions put to them. […]
We were asked today how to manage employees as they return to work from Lockdown. As this might apply to a lot of employers, we thought we’d make it the subject of a blog. You’ll already have done the things that the Government’s advising you to do to create a COVID safe workplace. You’ll have completed your COVID 19 risk assessments, you’ll have put up the signs reminding people to wash their hand and you’ve likely bought hand sanitiser. But there are some practical things to think about how people behave at work. Our ten tips to manage employees as they return to work from Lockdown Touching colleagues. It should go without saying but some returning workers will need reminding what your policy on touching. What’s your policy on whether your employees should shake hands with visitors. The more informal supportive slap on the shoulder or the high fives when someone signs a big deal are no longer welcome. Facemasks at work. At the time of writing it’s not always necessary to wear a mask all day. But it will depend on your workplace and your risk assessment. But each worker should at least have a mask on their person […]
Dr Tok Hussain (Consultant Occupational Physician) from Healthwork Ltd writes a guest blog for us this week discussing the benefits of Occupational Health to employers. Occupational health (OH) is a service that many employers value in looking after their employees as well as managing health related and corporate risk. Occupational health is a specialist branch of medicine concerned with the effects of work on health and health on work. So, for example, an occupational health nurse or doctor might be carrying out hearing tests to ensure workers don’t develop deafness as a result of their work. The nurse or doctor might also be seeing someone who has had a heart attack or is suffering with anxiety and then advising about how that worker can safely return to work. Occupational health focuses on providing the best possible advice in relation to health and work. Occupational Health focuses on: maximising people’s opportunities to benefit from healthy and rewarding work while not putting themselves or others at risk of harm; the elimination of preventable illness caused or aggravated by work; advising about workplace health matters; helping to rehabilitate those who have suffered injury or sickness back into work; helping support those who because […]
Working out how to cope with COVID at work this winter isn’t easy because the data is conflicting. Are we going to have more deaths? More illness but fewer deaths? More flu and less COVID or more COVID and less flu? With more local lockdowns happening and more schools shutting temporarily one thing’s for sure, no one knows what is going to happen. If you’re planning how to cope with COVID at work this winter, we have some tips that might help. If you have 25% absenteeism, can you still operate? What about 50%? If nothing else, the last six months have shown us some new ways of dealing with a lack of people in the workplace. Some of these plans will still work as we approach winter, some won’t. Have you done as much as you can to cross-train people to carry out multiple roles? Test this cross training by rotating people now, rather than waiting for a crisis. Because you’ll find wrinkles in the process that need sorting out and this way you’ve got time. Are your IT systems up to the job? Can people easily access the information they need to do their job and the work […]
Seriously considering the question how to conduct an exit interview improves the usefulness of the process. They help your business out with real feedback from a departing employee to reduce future employee retention. Exit interviews bring to light the specifics about why an employee is leaving. They help identify organisational issues which are contributing to the turnover rate. By using this information, leaders can make real changes to reduce the drain of talent from the organisation. What’s the benefit of having low employee turnover? Organisations with low turnover rates spend less on recruitment costs and see increased productivity. All this embeds the organisation’s culture because those employees staying already know the core mission and the organisational norms. How should an exit interview be conducted? When you’re inviting the employee to the exit interview, tell them what you want to gain from the conversation. Include in the invitation your expectations around confidentiality. Scheduling interviews with the employee giving them ample time to prepare for the conversation is an important part of how to conduct an exit interview. Arrange the meeting close to their last working day. If you’re serious about how to conduct an exit interview meaningfully, give the employee a […]
