Pitfalls of writing your own Contracts and Handbooks As Metis HR assess existing contracts and handbooks for clients, we thought we would share the most common pitfalls of writing your own contracts and handbooks. There is a legal requirement to provide a written ‘statement of particulars’ within two months of the employee starting work and most employment contracts will cover this. An employment contract can be formed by no more than a handshake. Or there may be some evidence of an offer and acceptance, consideration, and serious intent to make a legally binding commitment. Therefore, an agreement between both parties on the key terms is all that is required. Although only certain terms are expressly required by law and others are legally implied. It is good business practice to create a comprehensive agreement for the purposes of certainty, mutual reassurance and the avoidance of a disagreement at a later date. Those of you that do have written contracts of employment may not appreciate that an Employment Tribunal may override aspects of your contract because working practices are inconsistent with the written contract you may provide your employees. It is important, therefore, that as the employee’s role, position or other contractual […]
Further to the previous blog: 4 Ways Employers Lose Money Through Poor HR Policies, we continue to look at how some Employers lose money unnecessarily because they haven’t followed legislation, or simply do not have the right policies and procedures in place. 1. Health and Safety Make sure you provide the required basic health and safety training when an employee starts. There could be a £20,000 HSE penalty if you don’t. The risk to new employees is doubled in their first 6 months of employment. At the very least new employees should be given information on your fire alarm, evacuation and first aid provisions. What if there is a fire or someone injures them self and does not know what the procedure is? In a serious case this could lead to investigation by the HSE, prohibition order and fines. Make sure you have an adequate induction process in place for new employees especially for young or inexperienced workers. With the introduction of Intervention Costs (where an inspector identifies issues during a visit), can you afford to think Health and Safety is just another burden to be ignored? 2. Staff Motivation Hang onto good staff by providing the motivation good staff […]
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 […]
Exit interviews are important, but we get asked all the time, “What to ask in an exit interview?” Whilst they may not be very comfortable scenarios, they help your business out with real feedback from a departing employee. Recruitment is expensive, therefore by gaining the best feedback, you can use to create changes in your organisation. Here are the best questions and what to ask in an exit interview: What prompted you to look for another job? Get to the root of why your employee is leaving in the first instance. They may have already told you, but maybe there is more to it. Does it have anything to do with your company, the other employees or management, or simply the position they were in? What made you decide overall to accept your new job? What does the other organisation have that has enticed your employee away? It could be as simple as salary, benefits, or distance from home. Although there could be deeper, more emotional motivation, such as better company culture or opportunities for advancement. What did you like most about your job? Ask them about the positives. Find out what your company is doing right for your employees? […]
The retail industry has been in the news recently because of redundancies being made at an alarming rate and many have not received support in redundancy. Many retail sector staff have felt the pain of losing their job or a colleague to redundancy. Then how can managers ensure that staff who are being made redundant or those who survive the redundancy process are sufficiently supported? Equally, the uncertainty they face could potentially cause mental and physical stress. Help Reduce Uncertainty Uncertainty about the future is a big cause of stress to employees. Therefore, to reduce the impact of stress on your staff, it is important that you provide as much information as possible. Therefore, by offering support in redundancy, you could consider implementing: A clear communication strategy. Plan and implement a communication strategy, alongside your redundancy consultation, to ensure information is conveyed effectively to staff. This is to avoid sending out mixed messages to staff, and avoid inaccurate information circulating. This can be highly damaging and could derail the redundancy process. Financial advice. Additionally, financial worries are a major cause of stress. Therefore, you may wish to consider offering staff access to financial advice. Usually, this will ensure they understand the financial implications arising from their redundancy. […]
How to monitor remote employees and increase productivity is a question we are often asked by those managing remote workers. Where you manage a remote workforce, understanding the dynamics and how you influence them is a key part of your role. Your remote workers must maintain a productive mindset that fosters success. This is achieved by engaging employees and removing the potential feelings of alienation of working away from the office. Keeping your employees in a productive and consistent working state is an essential part to success. Disengaged and unmotivated employees aren’t likely to share your mission for success. But how do you track productivity levels? Monitoring is one approach. It can help encourage healthy productive habits. However, some people view employee monitoring as intrusive. They may also consider it an act of spying on the employee. To eliminate feelings of distrust, we must combine effective leadership skills and technology to increase productivity without alienating your team. As a leader you can look at using technological tools to stay in touch with the tasks being worked on. Taking time to find software that promotes productivity and communication is a good idea. Team communication is necessary to ensure engagement in a remote […]
How to manage world cup matches in work time could be tricky. With the 2018 FIFA World Cup starting this week, expect coffee breaks, lunches and hallway chats to be dominated by talk of this, for some, a beautiful game. Football can be a powerful icebreaker, allowing employees to transcend job titles. It is inevitable that some employees will want to keep up with the latest scores during working hours – ten games in the group stages will take place during European working hours. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t have to be a waste of time and resources. According to Gallup’s 2017 global survey, only 15% of full-time workers are truly engaged at work. Almost a quarter of employees surveyed by recruitment agency Adecco said they don’t think their employer tries to improve their happiness. The best predictor of workplace satisfaction, according to the Glassdoor research group, is the culture and values of the organisation, while compensation and benefits were consistently rated among the least important factors. The World Cup is a timely opportunity to engage workers. With an estimated audience of 3.5 billion worldwide, it’s the most-watched sporting event in TV history. Beyond the excitement of the tournament, it […]
Many clients ask, what is the best way to conduct a redundancy meeting? Making people redundant will never be an easy or enjoyable process, but there are some things you can do to handle the situation correctly and hopefully make it as painless as possible for all concerned. Announcing news about organisational change and subsequent redundancies is an emotional process for all parties involved. Unless you work for a huge PLC, most Managers and Directors know all their employees and find redundancies difficult conversations. You have probably worked with your employees for a number of years and maybe even developed a friendship with them so knowing what is the best way to conduct a redundancy meeting is important. With this in mind, here are some tips on how to do what is considered one of the worst roles a manger/director must perform in the workplace. Prepare for the redundancy meeting It’s not an easy task to deliver a redundancy notice. If you’re charged with making people redundant, it’s vital you prepare and practice to ensure you correctly deliver the desired information and help the person receive it accurately. Depending on your personality will depend on how you wish to approach […]
Following on from our previous blog about transgender staff, we now look at how to deal with employees undergoing gender reassignment. Some employers don’t realise that it’s not enough just to cater for one group covered by the acronym LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people). Different groups can have very different needs. Employers need a diversity policy which is visible to all employees. Reference it in workplace memos or emails so that people remember it’s there. Staff need to know that you take your equality policy seriously. Giving employees a clear contact point in case they have concerns that the policy may be being violated is important. Measures also need to be in place to protect whistle-blowers to show that discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated. Research shows that transgender people face harassment all the time and it can be very damaging. It’s important to investigate all complaints. If the bullying or harassment stems from ignorance, training could help. However, problems won’t go away by themselves and transgender employees are entitled to their employer’s protection. How To Deal With Employees Undergoing Gender Reassignment Making transgender people feel welcome in the workplace isn’t just about avoiding words or comments that might cause distress. Employers can make a proactive effort to be inclusive by: Using terms other […]
