Employee financial wellbeing
How financially healthy do your employees feel today? Do they feel on top of their finances and positive about their financial future? Or are they struggling to make ends meet each month and worried about paying mounting debts? As an employer you may feel that it isn’t your place to get involved. But the impact that financial problems have on a person can be huge and can inevitably spill in to all aspects of their life including their performance at work. So how can you help?
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Working from home
As a business owner and leader you have more than likely been approached by employees with requests to work from home. Does this fill you with concern or are you open to the opportunities it can bring? The increase of homeworking is opening up a new range of possibilities for the way that businesses can work and structure themselves. It also brings new responsibilities for an employer and employee. In this blog we discuss what an employer needs to consider when offering working from home opportunities.
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People retention
Do you have a formal strategy for retaining employees once they have been recruited? A high turnover rate has big financial repercussions for a business, and can also lower the knowledge base in your company. You might think that people are purely driven by salary, however research has shown that this isn’t the case. Creating a healthy and happy work environment are essential. Read on for practical methods you can use to help retain your people.
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Performance management review
You may well be embarking on your annual performance management reviews. How much stress does this cause you as a leader and your staff? In this challenging economic and volatile climate, employees can feel that performance management reviews are little more than a box-ticking activity. With pay freezes and other budgets squeezed, it can be difficult for them to see personal incentives to achieve goals. As a leader and manager it is vital that you always engage with your employees to ensure you have their trust and commitment, to enable them to meet their goals and objectives. Here are five tips for achieving the most out of your people and their performance management reviews.
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The January productivity slump
Many people suffer from the ‘January blues’, with the excitement of the festive period over, it’s back to reality and work. The bank balance is lighter and the waist bands are probably a lot tighter, and with the long dark days, people can feel tired, unmotivated, lacking in energy and focus. Have you thought how you can motivate your staff when they return to work in January? The New Year is a time for fresh starts, a time to reflect on the previous year and look to the future. Here are some ways to ensure your employees start 2017 engaged, motivated and ready for a challenge.
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Could we learn from Sweden's six-hour working day?
This year in Sweden some companies have changed to, or are trialing shorter working days, in a bid to increase productivity and make people happier. This is not a new concept to suddenly hit Sweden, there are companies there who have already been doing this for many years, and have seen great success in productivity increasing, and higher employment retention. This might seem too radical a change and something that couldn’t work for your business. But opening ourselves up to new ideas and ways of working could lead to new opportunities, and more successful ways of working, even if they aren’t conforming to old practices.
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Gender pay gap
On the 10 November it was Equal Pay Day, from late afternoon the average full-time female employee stopped earning for the year compared to the average full-time man. Before this, in October we also saw headlines that Asda faces £100m equal pay battle with shop floor staff. A tribunal ruled that thousands of women who work in the retailer’s stores can lodge a claim over the alleged gender pay gap. As a business owner it is highly likely that you have female employees. Are you fostering a culture of gender equality where equal pay is a given?
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Avoid a Christmas work party disaster
As we enter the festive season you have probably already started to organise some form of celebration or party for your staff. It should be a great event for colleagues to get together and relax. However, what happens if somebody goes too far? And then somebody else records them and it plays out on social media? Despite being out of office hours and usually away from work premises, the office Christmas party is seen as an extension of work by the Employment Tribunal, and therefore, normal working behaviour should be adhered to. Here are our tips on how to avoid Christmas party disasters and to simply enjoy the festivities.
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Managing politics in the workplace
Headlines of Brexit and the US presidential election have dominated our news this year. They may well have dominated conversations in your business too. As a leader you will no doubt have had to deal with your own office politics and may well have found yourself embroiled in a conflict between employees. Some aspects of politics will almost always occur in the workplace. As a leader you are expected to be politically knowledgeable and resolve any conflict. Read on for our advice on managing office politics and creating a working culture where conflict can be resolved.
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