Essential HR for Line Managers – Session 4: Managing Performance – 29 September 2022

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Register here

Date: Thursday 29 September 2022

Time: 10.00am – 11.30am

Price: £35 + VAT

Type: Virtual Online Session

What’s this session about?

Line Managers are usually closest to managing employee issues on the ground and it is therefore essential that they have appropriate support and training in order to do this effectively. These expert led sessions will provide delegates with the skills and confidence to deal with the issues they are likely to face in practice. Delegates can attend each session or choose the ones that they feel are the most relevant.

In this fourth and final session we will cover how to manage performance – both good and bad, including:

  • Performance management in practice
  • Using probationary periods
  • Providing feedback and encouraging positive performance
  • Providing support and setting targets
  • Capability process and issuing warnings
  • Tricky areas

The sessions will be interactive with relevant case studies and there will be opportunities to ask questions.

Speakers: Helen Couchman & Joanne Bradbury

We hope you are able to join us. If you have any queries, please contact the Events team.

Essential HR for Line Managers – Session 3: Managing Short and Long Term Absences – 8 September 2022

Home | Archives for June 2022
Register here

Date: Thursday 8 September 2022

Time: 10.00am – 11.30am

Price: £35 + VAT

Type: Virtual Online Session

What’s this session about?

Line Managers are usually closest to managing employee issues on the ground and it is therefore essential that they have appropriate support and training in order to this effectively. These expert led sessions will provide delegates with the skills and confidence to deal with the issues they are likely to face in practice. Delegates can attend each session or choose the ones that they feel are the most relevant.

In the third session we will cover how to manage short and long term absence, including:

Short term absence

  • Identifying patterns
  • Reporting and monitoring
  • Informal management
  • How and when to move to the formal stage
  • The formal procedure

Long Term absence

  • When to intervene
  • Occupational health and medical input
  • Disability and reasonable adjustments
  • Maintaining contact
  • Fair process

The sessions will be interactive with relevant case studies and there will be opportunities to ask questions.

Speakers: Sue Meehan Boyes & Kirsty Hunt

We hope you are able to join us. If you have any queries, please contact the Events team.

The Future is Hybrid

Home | Archives for June 2022

Hybrid working seems to be the new normal. With a quarter of workers now choosing to work remotely and from the office, we take a look at how you can best manage your workforce and employee expectations. 

Working Remotely and In the Office

Hybrid working allows your employees to split their time between working remotely and from the office. For most, this means working from home, but this could also mean working from a shared space, or even the local coffee shop! It doesn’t just stop there… more and more businesses are adopting a much more flexible way of working generally, including a shorter working week, compressed hours or term-time only working. There’s lots of possibilities.

What Are the Advantages?

Hybrid working not only offers more flexibility, but also supports a better work life balance, and contributes to positive mental health and wellbeing. Research has also shown that embracing flexible working pattern increases productivity. It can even help reduce overheads by saving on office space!

What’s the Difference Between Hybrid Working and Flexible Working?

There is no legal requirement to adopt a hybrid working model. It’s up to the employer to develop a practice that works best for the business and staff. There is also no requirement to have a hybrid working policy in place (although we would always recommend this as best practice).

There is an obligation on an employer to consider a request for flexible working if the employee has the necessary qualifying service of 26 weeks. Employees must provide a reason for their request, and give due consideration as to how this might impact your business.

Employers are under a duty to meet with the employee and properly consider the request, needing a good business reason to refuse. A flexible working request can include a request to make a temporary or permanent change to working patterns or location. If the employee isn’t happy with the outcome, they have a legal right to appeal, and must be taken through the appropriate appeal process.  

The Government are now also considering, whether the 26 week working requirement should be abolished, and this should in fact, become a day one right. Given the change in working culture, this is not surprising, but no decisions have been made yet.   

We have set out below some practical considerations to think about when adopting a hybrid working model, and how best to manage this.

Hybrid Working Policy

Having a policy in place can be a useful management tool and help enforce those necessary boundaries. This can be used to identify when and how often attendance at the office is expected, what is expected from remote workers (including communication guidance), and information about the use of equipment or IT security. You can also set out that all important health and safety information.

Effective Communication

Working remotely can often feel isolating, and when things are busy, those employees can sometimes be forgotten. This in turn can impact performance and productivity. Being clear about your expectations from the outset, and ensuring you plan ahead will help to manage this, and keep your employees on track.

This could include an online open door policy, diarising regular one to ones, and holding weekly team meetings by video call. Either way, ensure regular face to face contact is made, so those working remotely do not feel excluded, and that communication is effective.

Working Environment

Having a safe and comfortable working environment is essential to productivity. Think about whether those employees working from home have access to a suitable space to work, and to the equipment they need. Is there anything you need to provide, or any safety checks to be carried out? Is there a requirement for reasonable adjustments?

Managing Your Employees

It’s important to manage staff working remotely, as you normally would if they were in the office full time. Ensure staff have the same opportunities as those in the workplace, and that training and development needs are still being met. This could even include training for line managers on how to effectively manage those who have adopted hybrid working.

Finally, you may wish to consider the approach taken in Tokyo, where a whole new way of working has been adopted for those finding it hard to find their focus and meet deadlines!

For more specialist support with how best to manage hybrid working, please contact Kirsty Hunt in our team on 07384813077.

Rising Prices and Risk of Recession – How Can You Be Prepared?

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The Bank of England’s warning of a ‘sharp economic slowdown’ has sparked further fears that the UK could be plunged into recession.

The Government’s announcement of a review into how it can best support a thriving future UK labour market is welcome news, but with the two stage review taking place over spring and summer, will that support come quick enough?

As the UK continues to see a contraction across all sectors of the economy, we consider what steps employers should take regarding its staffing, to deal with the impact of a downturn.

Review Future Plans

It is important to look ahead to commitments you’ve made to establish if they are critical, and if they are, whether or not they can be deferred until you have some certainty.

For your employees this might mean reviewing training activities to ensure future relevance, and staffing plans, considering whether a recruitment freeze is an option.

Employers do need to ensure though that they consider how they will not only weather a recession but also respond in the aftermath – halting all training and recruitment may mean you’re not skilled and fully resourced to respond to future challenges.

Talk to Your Employees

It’s a balancing act for employers to ensure they keep employees appropriately updated on business plans, but without creating alarm and seeing your key staff jump ship. Key to this is relevant and meaningful communication.

You may not have all the answers or any fully formed plans, but communicating that it is on your radar and that you will share information when you can will help to gain trust and provide reassurance. It may encourage employees to review and consider their personal circumstances and avoid over committing. It can also provide clarity if you do decide to take steps such as putting training or recruitment on hold, avoiding your staff feeling even more frustrated and concerned. 

Follow a Fair Process

In the unfortunate event that redundancies are necessary, ensure that you follow a fair process to facilitate genuine and meaningful consultation that is sensitive and respectful to those affected. If you’ve communicated about your business plans appropriately, it should help staff to see this response is less of a knee-jerk reaction.

You need to prepare in order to run a process smoothly – use the time now to get clarity on your staffing numbers and commitments, making sure to consider all staff who may need to be involved such as fixed term contractors and temporary staff. 

For specialist HR support with any of these issues, please contact Sue Meehan Boyes in our team on 07384 468797.

More Companies Offer Mental Health Day Holidays for Employees

Home | Archives for June 2022

In light of the challenges of the pandemic and as part of an ongoing commitment to employee wellbeing, Thomson Reuters has introduced two annual company mental health day holidays, commencing in 2022.

On those days, Thomson Reuters encourages employees to ‘use the time off with intention and do something that gives the day meaning to them’.

This poses a question for organisations who share this increased focus on employee wellbeing. Are they also willing to implement such policies?

Why Invest in Employee Wellbeing?

There is now a much broader understanding and application of holistic health and wellbeing approaches in many workplaces. It is also clear that some companies are not yet embracing the health and wellbeing agenda to full effect.

Investing in employee wellbeing can lead to increased resilience, better employee engagement, reduced sickness absence and higher performance and productivity. To gain real benefit, employee wellbeing priorities must be integrated throughout an organisation, embedded in its culture, leadership and people management.

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Rising Mental Health Concerns

There has been a rise in the number of reported mental health issues over the past 10 years and it’s well recognised that in many cases the main risks to people’s health at work are psychological. This has led to a growing recognition of the need for employee wellbeing practices to address to psychological, as well as physical, aspects of health and wellbeing.

CIPD’s 2022 Health and Wellbeing at Work survey report show that organisations’ wellbeing activity is increasingly focused on mental health, with most organisations taking steps to support mental health and address workplace stress.

The survey also found evidence of a range of unhealthy working practices such as ‘presenteeism’ (people working when unwell), with 81% of organisations reporting presenteeism among people working from home and 65% in a physical workplace. Two thirds (67%) have also observed some form of ‘leavism’, such as using holiday entitlement when unwell or to work, over the past 12 months.

Looking Beyond the Statistics

There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure all workplaces are giving this topic the time and attention it deserves. Employers need to look beyond absence statistics to understand the underlying factors, such as unmanageable workloads, that are driving unhealthy working practices and influencing people’s wellbeing.

Your organisation may wish to support its wellbeing agenda through new initiatives such as additional wellbeing days for its employees, to demonstrate this driving focus on supporting them through the ever-evolving challenge of balancing work and life pressures.

For specialist support with these issues or for advice in implementing any new initiatives, please get in touch with Sarah Martin in our team on 07799 136 091.