Managing relationships in the workplace
It’s February and with Valentine’s Day upon us, we’re thinking about relationships in the workplace. Whatever size your business is, in all likelihood you employ people who also have personal relationships with each other outside of work. In fact many relationships begin with people meeting at work, these may form in to long term partnerships or friendships. You may also employ members of your own family or have employees that are related. Whilst these relationships should not be viewed as a problem, this blog looks at the complexities of relationships in the work place, with a particular focus on family businesses.
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Recruiting for less desirable roles
Do you find certain roles in your company harder to recruit for than others? Perhaps you think the role is undesirable and rather boring. Just take a moment, remember that one size doesn’t fit all. Just because you don’t enjoy doing something doesn't mean someone else won't. Knowing who you need to attract and where to find them is essential. Here are some tips you should consider when you are recruiting for less desirable roles.
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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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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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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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How to effectively manage annual leave
Christmas is fast approaching and as a leader it can be difficult to manage staff holidays. Even large corporations can find it hard but in smaller businesses with less people, covering holidays can prove really challenging. Often employees want to take their holidays in the same week, particularly at Christmas, New Years and other school holidays. Here are our tips on how you can best manage employee holidays and avoid the related issues that come with it.
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Effective team building
If you think that team building is all about spending a lot of money on a day out of the office, perhaps in the wilderness or role playing. It’s time to take another look at what it’s all really about. Team building events should help to boost employee morale and create a more cohesive workplace.
The goal isn’t to alienate anyone or force your employees to socialise with their colleagues. It also doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money on hiring external companies to run a team building event. Read our advice on how to rethink your team building strategy and get the most out of it.
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Are you stamping out sexual harassment?
In August we saw headlines in the national media that half of women have experienced sexual harassment at work. Whilst you may have quickly dismissed it as not applicable at your place of work, after all no one has complained to you, take some time to consider that this survey also found four out of five cases were not ever reported. What you might consider to be friendly and light-hearted banter could be deeply offensive, or making a member of your staff extremely uncomfortable. Don’t create a work culture of acceptance of this type of behaviour, it could be very damaging to your business.
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What does leaving the EU mean for your business?
Over the weekend we saw headlines of Theresa May at the G20 summit, facing Brexit trade pressure from other world leaders. Closely followed by the headline of our Prime Minister rejecting the points-based system for controlling EU migration. There is no doubt that over the coming weeks and months the momentous referendum result to leave the EU will at times dominate our headlines. But what does leaving the EU mean for your business? Read on for advice on what you should be considering as a business owner.
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