A couple of years ago I came across one of those books that really makes you stop and think. Having read quite a few management books over the years, believe me, it takes a lot for me to actually finish one of these books and even more to go further and recommend it to people. I originally purchased it to help with parenting (and God knows I need all the help I can get with that!) but it’s only recently dawned on me just how useful this book is for the workplace, so I’m here to share what I think are the most useful parts.
As an HR Consultant I read lots of studies and this week I’ve been reading another new one. This time it's all about use of appraisals. Apparently, 20% of new joiners fail to get an appraisal after their first year. I have to say I wasn’t particularly surprised by this statistic. Even when I worked in large organisations where an established appraisal policy and system is usually in place, both managers and employees often seemed to be complaining about the annual process.
As I write this I’m still humming the tunes from the musical ‘Made in Dagenham’ which I went to see recently. The musical tells the story of a group of female factory workers that fought for equal pay with their male counterparts at the Ford plant in 1968. Their strike brought Ford’s entire car production to a standstill and two years later the Equal Pay Act was introduced. As an HR Consultant, it's interesting to see that over 45 years on equal pay for work of equal value is still an issue...
Handling difficult conversations in the workplace can often fill you with dread. Perhaps it's the fear of an employee raising a topic you're not sure how to respond on, or maybe it's a big piece of communication like a restructure that fills you with trepidation. Either way, knowing how to manage these scenarios will give you the confidence to make talking a whole lot easier.
Organisations often dread the impact sickness absence can have on their business. There’s a common misconception out there that, when it comes to sickness absence, there’s nothing an employer can do about it and your hands are tied. In fact, this is not the case...
Recently I read some research from The Chartered Management Institute's (CMI) National Salary Survey. It concluded that a third of those given bonuses were rated as "not meeting expectations." The average bonus for under-performing senior managers was almost £9,000. And the average for company directors - £45,000! According to their Chief Executive Ann Francke, "Too many managers are reaping the rich rewards of their positions despite being poor performers... it seems to be a lot easier to reward poor performance than to face the awkwardness of having difficult conversations with underperforming staff." This is a scenario I’ve come across all too often...
Did you know there are around 5.2 million SMEs in the UK economy? No? Well, here’s another interesting fact: last year SMEs employed 60 per cent (15.2 million) of UK private sector workers. There’s no arguing with figures like that; clearly small businesses are increasingly important for the country’s economic health. So, if you're a small employer read on to find out my top five tips for employing staff...
Do you find yourself dealing with staff performance issues but not really getting the results you want? Or wondering if you’re following the right procedure and doing things legally? Do you worry about potential claims from employees? If you want to understand your investigations from your disciplinaries, and your appeals from your grievances – then read on...
Process and procedure are the last hiding place of people without the wit and wisdom to do their job properly,” so said the infamous David Brent. Trouble is, when it comes to hiring and firing (in particular the firing) barristers, tribunal judges, ACAS and various other stakeholders involved in an Employment Tribunal case will want to know which documents you are going to rely on as an Employer, to make your case.
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