How to make sure you are on the right path

May is National Share a Story Month, so this month we’ll be sharing an interesting HR story a week and I hope you will share some of your stories or with us.

As an HR consultant, I always get asked about juicy scenarios, especially when I’m with other business owners or HR Professionals, normally I’m very discrete but I’m going to share (while anonymising the names!). I shared my own story in an interview with Bella networking, click here to check it out.

We started working with a new client who contacted us after receiving a lawyers letter challenging the way they had dismissed a member of staff, threatening to take them to the employment tribunal for unfair dismissal. 

It turned out that Julie in their sales team had raised a grievance against her boss Andrew for sexual impropriety; they had been in a relationship (which he should have informed the company about) and when Julie ended the relationship, Andrew continued to attempt to be intimate with her in the workplace.

Julie’s grievance was not upheld, nor her appeal and so she produced a sick note for work-related stress stating that she was signed off from work for a month. As her manager was accused of improper behaviour, he didn’t contact her while she was off sick and neither did anyone else. A month later they received another sick note for a month. Another manager then wrote to Julie inviting her in for a meeting to discuss her sickness, Julie refused to come into the office as she felt uncomfortable and so they terminated Julie’s contract and advertised her role. 

The letter from the lawyers stated that my client hadn’t followed their own policy and that they had unlawfully withheld pay. 

I looked into the case and informed the client that had not handled the case correctly and would need to negotiate a settlement because:

• During the investigation process, they suspended Julie but not Andrew which can be seen as apportioning blame.

• Andrew’s manager investigated the case rather than an independent individual.

• They did not have an appeal hearing, but reviewed the report from the initial investigation and sent a written response, which was not detailed in their own policy.

• They failed in their duty of care to support their employee when she was signed off for stress.

• Statutory sick pay was not paid to Julie while she was signed off.

• Julie did not receive her contractual notice pay.

• Julie was not given the opportunity to appeal to her contract dismissal.

It wasn’t entirely my client's fault, they had been working in the US and so were not aware of some legislative differences in the UK.

Luckily for my client, we were able to settle the case by paying Julie what she was owned and agreeing to the wording for her reference.

Lesson Learnt - It is important to ensure that you are aware of the correct process to complete when you have staff issues; failure to properly follow process is deemed as automatically unfair by the Employment Tribunal.

Schedule a call to discuss how we can keep you out of HR trouble here.

Ready for the Party Season?

Dan wanted to do something nice for his team of twelve, they’d had a really busy and stressful year. He’d been given a £15 budget per team member, which he used to arrange a Christmas meal and paid for the drinks with his personal card.

After the meal the team moved to a nearby bar, where Dan put his credit card behind the bar and cocktails’ and tequila shots were consumed, while the team danced and enjoyed themselves with other patrons at the bar.

The next day three members of Dan’s team called in sick and HR received a complaint for inappropriate behaviour from one of the younger members of the team.

One member of his team’s party sickness trigged the sickness absence process. The investigation into the complaint resulted in a member of the team being moved to another department, which affected team morale and Dan was reprimanded by his boss for not sticking to the budget assigned and exposing the company to possible legal proceedings.

The repercussions from the night out lasted well into the New Year!

The annual Christmas party is a great way to show your appreciation got your team, however they can also pose a risk. Typical tricky scenarios include fighting, drunkenness, offensive remarks, broken promises, inappropriate sexual behaviour and similar.

A lot of these scenarios can be down to excessive consumption of alcohol lowering inhibitions and providing additional confidence.

Check out this article about how some flirting led to a libel case.

When you are planning your event, try to:

• Include an activity in the festivities

  Taking part in some fun team building activities (e.g. bowling, escape rooms, cooking lesson), to encourage conversation and removes the focus from just food and drink.

•  Remember not everyone drinks alcohol

  Ensure there is something for those who don’t drink alcohol to do and something nice to drink

•  Limit the drinks paid for by the company

  Welcome drinks, wine/beer with meal are fine. Try not to have an unlimited open bar.

• Ensure that any employees under the legal age to drink do not have access to alcohol.

• Don’t make moving onto another venue extend the corporate event.

  It’s fine for individuals to choose to move on, just don’t make it a business driven decision or cover the drinks bill

• Ensure everyone has the means to get home safely.

Let us know what fun you’ve got planned with your team this Christmas.

Why you need a Critical Friend

When I worked corporately, we would always talk to potential clients about being their critical friend as well as their strategic partner. We wanted them to know that while we might highlight any issues within their organisation, we were there to help find a solution. It wasn’t about fault, it was about improvement.

A critical friend is defined as:

“someone who is encouraging  and supportive, but who also provides honest and often candid feedback that may be uncomfortable or difficult to hear. In short, a critical friend is someone who agrees to speak truthfully, but constructively, about weaknesses, problems, and emotionally charged issues”

Do you have anyone like that?

A lot of business owners talk about having a “Business buddy”, they can work in the same way as a critical friend, they are someone to bounce ideas off and share your business woes, it a bit of peer coaching – problem is if this person just comforts you and says that all your ideas are wonderful, ESPECIALLY if they aren’t your ideal client!

You need feedback or input that is based on facts rather than just feelings. A true critical friend should have the knowledge to help you with your business, perhaps you both work with similar client groups, e.g. A Wedding Photographer and a Florist or they work with other clients that provide the type of products or services that you do.

Having critical friendships within peer groups of your organisation is also key, we call them peer coaching groups, for example you could have all your managers as a group (no more than 8) and they can share their learning and challenges with one another, it helps individual fell supported, even if they are normally in another building with their team.

Often the nature of HR work means we end up being critical friends with our clients, because we know the secrets and the strategy. It’s a great compliment to be asked your opinion, but also a great responsibility.

Do you have a critical friend? If not I’d suggest finding one, they could make all the difference to your business and personal growth (and mental health).

I couldn't stop the tears falling

I remember a time when every day I would wake up and the thought of going to work would make me cry. If you know me you’ll know I’m not THAT GIRL who cries, I’d rather punch something to vent my frustrations!

Has the thought of work ever reduced you to tears or anger?

I put it down to hormones because I was pregnant when it started happening, but it wasn’t that as when I returned to work after having my baby I felt worse. I was doing really well in my job but the workload was unsustainable and I was learning on the job, so I didn’t have the support of a framework or a mentor to direct me. I worked through the night and weekends to complete work to tight deadlines.

Now if I pull an all-nighter, it’s my choice!

I began to become snappy, less friendly and forgetful – I lost my motivation. It was only my stubbornness to complete at any cost that kept me going, but ultimately it was the beginning of my decision to start Eden Mayers HR Consulting.

Was job dissatisfaction part of your decision to become a business owner?

I’m speaking to more and more businesses who have record numbers of staff signed off with work-related stress, for small businesses this has the potential to be crippling.

The Health and Safety Executives Report for 2017, states that:

• 526,000 workers are suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing)

• 12.5 million working days lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety

• Stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 40% of all work-related ill health cases and 49% of all working days lost due to ill health

The breakdown of the causes of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2017 as follows:

• Workload: 44%

• Lack of support: 14%

• Changes at work: 8%

• Violence, threats or bullying: 13%

• Other: 21%

You can support your employees areas through strong policy, procedures, training, and the use of Employee Benefits and guidance services to help as and when needed. However, you also need to ensure that there is no stigma surrounding Mental Health, so that your employees are comfortable sharing.

A mentally and physically fit workforce is less likely to be absent, and be fully motivated to carry out their role to the best of their ability. Which means productive employees and happy clients for your business.

Let us help you to ensure that your HR policies and process are fit for purpose, contact us for a FREE policy review.

Why I’ll never quit

I have a confession to make, over the years of running my business, I’ve been tempted by the idea of going back into the corporate world. I loved working in HR, seeing the world and getting to grips with the nuances of various industries, being part of a wider team and knowing that I could always get help with the hard stuff. 

Do you remember those days?

Don’t get me wrong I remember why I left the corporate world too, I knew that there was more to life than helping multi-nationals make more money, while reducing staff numbers. My desire was to use my skills to help others achieve their aspirations but building and scaling their businesses and nowhere is that needed more than for small business. 

But I also know first-hand that running a business is hard work, I know lots of people talk about the laptop life style and working 4 hours a week, and while I have a laptop that certainly isn’t my reality. Until this year, I’d never taken a holiday without taking my laptop along – I remember getting up early in the morning while in Barbados to video conference with a client in crises and working frantically while my hubby took the girls out for fun in the sun! 

So, when I get approached by agencies or well-meaning friends as role pop up that I’d be ‘perfect’ for and I’ve a hard day, week or month, I do entertain the idea of going back to being an employee. Like last week when our boiler exploded and I couldn’t work properly for three days, while the repairs were happening and I got a call with a really interesting proposal, then … 

I received two calls, one was from a client who needed to get my opinion on an ongoing issue with an employee, at the end of the conversation she said “I feel so much clearer on the way forward, I just needed to bounce the idea off someone else and get another view point”

The other was from a young lady that I’ve been helping to prepare to open her business, telling me she’d just gotten the approval from the regulator that she needs to launch!

It was a timely reminder for me about the impact great bespoke HR support can make to a business, both from a reactive and proactive point of view, which is all I ever wanted to.

So, Hi, I’m Melanie, CEO of Eden Mayers HR Consulting and I’m here to stay!

You need _____ and _____ to build a team

Whenever I’ve spoken with a client about building their team and I ask when they want their new employee/consultant/temp to start the answer is normally yesterday!

And I totally get it, I should have hired a VA at least four months earlier than I actually did!

Thing is hiring the right person or company to support your business is going to take PLANNING and PAITENCE. It’s pointless getting someone in and not getting the best out of them, after all they are supposed to take some stress away from you, so that you can focus on delivering excellence to your clients.

Like my client Ade who hired a person to do his admin and finance tasks without a job description, this made it hard to monitor if his team member was working effectively and also led to Ade still doing some of the admin tasks, as the finance tasks had priority. Ade was frustrated and the employee felt like they were being set up to fail in their role.

However, once we sat down and looked at the tasks and skills needed, we were able to draw up a Job Description and agree objectives, so that there was clarity, which meant that Ade got the freedom he needed from the admin tasks and his employee, knew when to hand over finance issues to the accountant.

Ade thought his needed our services to help him to manage poor performance, instead he learnt how to manage his team by being outcome focussed.

It is so vital that you take time to PLAN what you need at the beginning of any hiring process NOT just new roles, even when you are replacing a team member, as priorities change.

Next week, I will be sharing the scoop on the 5 things EVERY Small Business Owner needs to know about hiring staff, each day I’ll be LIVE on our Facebook page, sharing a tip each day. By the end of the week you’ll know how to:

Decide what tasks to delegate and what tasks to keep, so that you can focus on the things that bring you joy and revenue.

Work out the best model for building your team, so that you get the help that you need, in the most cost effective way possible.

Select the best candidate for your role(s), so that you can base your decisions on facts and evidence.

Know your legal obligations, so that you can be confident that you are compliant with Employment legislation.

Train, review and motivate, so that you get the help that you need and can confidently address any issues.

Connect with us on Facebook and turn on notifications, so that you’ll be notified when I go LIVE each day.

Being the referee has perks

I’m a live and let live type of person. I like to think we are all mature enough to behave correctly. The only people I correct about behaviour are my children and those of close friends and family.

I know I’m HR, but I don’t want to police anyone, y’know? I set professional expectations and expect them to be followed.

So, when I realised that Zoe and Stuart stopped going to lunch together and didn’t actually speak with each other, I thought it would just blow over. They were friends way before I joined the organisation.

Then I received grievances from each of them about the other – on the SAME day! So I had no choice but to intervene. It seemed their friendship started suffering when, Zoe was promoted and became Stuart’s supervisor. 

Does this sound familiar to you?

I figured the best thing to do was get them in a room for a mediation session. I explained the rules around listening and respect, and opened the floor. It turned out that Stuart thought being managed by a mate meant that Zoe would cover for him the way she had when they were colleagues, while Zoe thought that Stuart should require less support than the other team members to hit targets, as she believed he was just as competent as her.

As I sat around the table with them clarifying the meaning behind the “always” and “nevers”, and finding the middle ground of their assumptions and expectations of one another, I felt like a Premier League referee.

Once we agreed and established professional boundaries, they were able to rebuild their friendship and work well together. So well that when Stuart got promoted to supervisor, he had Zoe to thank for raising his “A” game. And I got an honourable mention too.

See, refereeing has its perks!

If you’ve been noticing a change in the vibe amongst your team – here are some tips for an effective mediation session:

Leave your assumptions at the door – It’s easy to jump to conclusions when you’ve heard two versions of a story, don’t let your experience with either party lead to you to drawing conclusions.

Remain unbiased – you are an objective facilitator, you cannot take sides or show any bias. Treat both individuals equally.

Set the stage – Establish the rules for the how the session will go.

Don’t be afraid to pause – if it feels like the conversation is getting too heated or the rules are not being adhered to, you can adjourn for a break or reschedule for another day.

Make sure everyone has their say – It’s is important that both parties get to clear the air and get all of their frustrations out on the table.

Listen to understand – You do not need to solve the issue, you are supposed to facilitate a conversation NOT dictate the outcome.

Clarify points to make sure both parties are hearing the same thing – Often people jump to conclusions and hear what they are expecting to hear, rather than listening, it is your job to ensure that both parties, hear and understand each other’s issues.

Agree a set of boundaries to prevent issues reoccurring – The ideal outcome is to eliminate the behaviour that caused the issue between both parties, by implementing clear professional boundaries and expectations.

Review regularly – One mediation meeting may not be enough. You need to ensure that the issues do not reoccur, keep a check with both parties, to ensure the boundaries are being adhered to.

If you need a referee to help you with some mediation, contact us and we will schedule a call to discuss how we can help.

How learning to crochet prepared me for management

I have never been a very creative person, I can follow instructions but making something out of nothing has never been my forte. I’m more the active type.

I hate to sit around, I am pretty much constantly on the move and even when I’m sitting my mind is racing. It’s why I love having my own business, there is always something to do, especially in HR!

So, when I got frustrated with not being able to be so physical when I was pregnant. My mum thought it would be a good idea to teach me how to crochet!

I had to really focus on the task in hand, I couldn’t watch TV and get the stiches right the way my mum could. However, I found that having some STILL time meant that I progressed pretty quickly and soon made some scarfs and a blanket.

I loved the progress that I made. Don’t you love seeing the fruits of your labour?

I started to use those focussing skills at work and during family time. It meant that I stopped ending people’s sentences, assuming what they wanted and seeing them as a distraction. 

Have you been there? Say it’s not just me!

I learnt that when someone says “Do you have a minute”, the most productive thing to do is to close everything and really focus on the individual, not just on their words but on the non-verbal cues too. This meant that I got to know my team better and was better able to motivate and lead them.

I know as business owners, we are great at listening to our clients. But when was the last time you sat down with your team and focused on what they were telling you, not what you wanted to tell them or mentally preparing for your next meeting?

Next time you are interrupted by Sue, try:

• Not making assumptions
• Closing your laptop
• Switching your phone to airplane
• Making eye contact
• Listening
• Taking notes (if necessary)
• Asking pertinent questions
• Taking time to response/investigate
• Following up

It’s vital that staff feel that they are listened to and that their opinions or issues are taken into consideration – even if you disagree, go back to them with a considered response.

Not moving forward could cost you everything

My amazing client Michelle has a great Elderly care business. She cares so much about making sure her clients are happy and well taken care of. All of her staff are carers at the heart and so their clients and their children were happy with the service. However, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated processes of the business were being neglected.

They were aware of this and knew that a CQC inspections was coming up and so started to prepare for it; getting their paperwork up to date and restructuring their organisation. However, the day to day running of the business and keeping their many many clients cared for meant that their reactive work kept trumping their proactive planning and documenting work.

This meant that when they were inspected, the findings were not favourable as they were unable to produce the documentation necessary to evidence their great work, team management and development.

This led to them getting a CQC expert in to help them get into shape and hire additional staff to get their backlog covered.

The positive is that this situation was the kick the business needed to really get into shape and professionalise for sustainability and growth. However the lesson came at a high price!  The cost of fixing what they knew was broken affected their profitability and they lost some customers due to the unfavourable CQC report.

The lesson here is clear, even if you think the change needed in your organisation may rock the boat with your team. You still need to take the action. Your business deserves the very best chance of success and that means that difficult conversations may need to take place.

Remember –

Be clear about the rationale for change – Make it clear why you can’t continue to run your business in its current state.

Get input from your team – Take suggestions from your team, they’ll often have bug bears that they’d love to see changed and they may also have the ear of your clients/customers.

Short term pain for long term gain – Most people are change adverse, but when they see the benefits.

You can never communicate too much – Clear transparent communication with your team will help to keep everyone motivated during the change process.

Set realistic timelines – Rome wasn’t built in a day. So plan accordingly, especially as you’ve got to balance your client needs with your business needs.

If you need support bringing your change plans to life, schedule a call to discuss how we can help you.

How to complete a Change Management project with a smile

Yesterday my one OK two minute HR Tip was about allowing things to take time!

I always say that the thing that makes HR so interesting is the people. Everyone behaves differently and those reactions are what can make life as a manager so challenging!

Not that long ago I went all the way to Inverness to close down an office and make all the 80+ staff redundant. This wasn’t a one hit meeting, I’d been visiting the same office every month for the last 5 months. Meeting with unions and staff, dealing with queries and getting to grips with all the little details that ensured the ending would be smooth and the staff would be as happy as possible.

The interesting thing was that no matter how I prepared, every meeting came with a new challenge or issue that I needed to find a solution to. It was like playing pass the parcel; every layer revealed something new!

Whether I’ve been consulting on changes and opportunities that come about from business growth, or the need to save money and create efficiencies. Reactions aren’t always what you expect. I’ve have staff say “No” to promotions or that they’d prefer to take redundancy rather that re-interview for their role, and then cry when they receive their redundancy confirmations.

Timing is everything!

I’ve learnt to allow extra time in my plans as everything takes a little longer than you’d envisage, and no one wants to be stressing, trying to cram everything in at the last minute.

There's no time limit for how long the period of consultation should be, but the minimum is: 20 to 99 redundancies - the consultation must start at least 30 days before any dismissals take effect. 100 or more redundancies - the consultation must start at least 45 days before any dismissals take effect.

Even if you aren’t making redundancies you should still give a reasonable time for consultations and take into consideration things like holiday’s and those on maternity leave or long term sick.

Remember to allow time for:

• Preparing documentation
• Union Consultation (where appropriate)
• Group consultation meetings
  • Start
  • Update
  • End
• Applying for roles (where appropriate)
• Interview process (where appropriate)
• Outcomes
• Handovers (where appropriate)
• Notice periods (where appropriate)

Taking time to prepare and address all of the issues that came about in Inverness meant that when the final confirmations were handed out, I received hugs and best wishes rather than anger and frustration. And for me that is the ultimate sign of a job well done.

If you need help with your change management, get in touch and we’ll give you all the support you need

Are your Job Descriptions up to date?

I have to be honest, I’ve personally never had a job description (JD) that was up to date for more than three months at a time, but that’s because I’ve always recognised that to progress my career I needed to do more than my JD.

That being said, it is always good to keep track of how roles are changing and developing within your business.

This week I met with client of mine to discuss an upcoming restructure that has come about because of business growth. We had already established the new structure and additional roles that would be needed.

So we looked at what needed to be removed from his role to ensure that he was able to focus on the important elements, which would ensure the business continued to thrive, and then reviewed the existing JD’s for his team, so we could add some additional responsibilities.

What was interesting was that some of the tasks that the CEO was doing were already in his teams JD and that there was even one individual who did not have a job description at all! Needless to say that has been rectified and we have formulated a plan of action, for consultation and implementation.

It is really hard effectively recruit, set objectives and monitor success without having an up to date job description as a foundation document. Also when dealing with under-performing staff it is important that their job descriptions are correct, as you could be disciplining then for under-performing a task that they morphed into with no training or support.

A JD doesn’t need to be pages and pages, or a To Do list! Just ensure it covers the following:

• Job Title
• Who the role reports to, and other key stakeholders
• Where the role sits within the team, department and business
• Key areas of responsibility and the deliverable's expected
• Required education and training
• Soft skills and behaviours necessary to excel
• Location and travel requirements

And Remember NOT to include:

• Internal terminology, jargon or acronyms
• Anything that could be considered discriminatory
• Writing a Wish List

As a business owner you wear many hats, it’s important for your personal growth, as well as that of your business to ensure that you have an effective and efficient team, where responsibilities and objectives are clear and transparently communicated. Having up to date job descriptions is a big part of that.

Why you need diversity in your business

I really want this job but, what if they don’t like me?

What if don’t fit in the culture?

Should I wear a tie to the interview?

Amazingly qualified and experienced friends and clients often come to me, concerned about whether the role that they really wanted on paper is the one for them; and mainly the concern is around cultural fit.

My response is always “Be yourself. Don’t make yourself uncomfortable. It’s easy to see if someone’s faking and you want them to like and appreciate the real you, otherwise you’ll get the role and be unhappy and so will they”.

Cultural fit is definitely important, but cultural fit is very different to continually recruiting a particular type of candidate.

Cultural fit is about an individual’s alignment to the mission, vision and values of your organisation. If transparency is important then a candidate that would hide hard facts from the client won’t be a good fit,

Having a diverse workforce is about having individuals from different backgrounds, places of education and industries to add flavor, innovation and insight to your organisation. Our experiences shape the person we become and gives us experience and resilience. That is invaluable for any organisation.

I remember when I decided I’d never wear a suit again! I was fed up feeling buttoned up and hated wearing them, so I opted for other smart options and I really don’t think anyone noticed the change. But when I interviewed for my next role, I worried that I wouldn’t be viewed as professional. Until I turned up and my pop of colour and style differentiated me from the sea of black and grey suited wonderfulness. I still needed to know my HR stuff but they also got a bit of my personality too.

Try to leave your preconceptions at the door when you are recruiting and when you are deciding who to promote or who to delegate to. Focus on the skills, the potential, the values and drive that will build your business. Remember we all change over time, so what used to be a challenge, could now be a strength.

Diversity is the key to building your business. People who come from the same background may have the same outlooks, you need to embrace diversity in your team to be able to engage with your ideal clients and to keep ahead of the competition. Getting new blood into your business and listening to the opinions of you existing staff will bring innovation, as well as bandwidth.

Remember that you need to focus on:

-       The Skills you NEED

-       The Experience you NEED

-       The Potential for GROWTH

-       The Values of YOUR Business

If you are planning to add to your team make sure you get our free recruitment cheat sheet.

This FREE document provides you with all the information you need to ensure your interview is carried out in a manner which is both professional and legislatively correct.

Reunion Reminders - Why organisational culture is vital to your success

Last week I attended a reunion for the company where I had my first full time HR Role. It was where I learnt the importance of building relationships, finding out all the details before making assumptions and that you can’t do everything!

It’s also the organisation where I felt the most supported to build my skill set and included in the business, not just a cog in a wheel but a vital part of the business family.

As we mingled in the private room of a central London pub, WHILE the England V Belgium match was happening. I was amazed to see most of the graduates that I’d been instrumental in hiring and find out where they were 11-12 years down the road. There were marriages and babies of course, but also such a variety of roles and industries – I felt really proud that our graduate programme had produced a set of successful and NICE people, who are making a tangible difference in the world.

Everyone I spoke with regarding the organisation – who unfortunately was acquired by a larger consultancy and so no longer exists – said that they loved the culture and that they tried to take the values with them. What better accolade could you want!

As small business owners we don’t focus so much on the culture internally but the brand externally, especially as initially we don’t have a team, but if we consider the environment we wish to cultivate before we begin adding to our teams, it will influence the way to recruit, who we recruit and how we communicate.

This week in our, Free Facebook Group, our 1 minute HR Tips have been about how to motivate your team. Some of the elements discussed would be amazing perks to talk about with potential candidates, if you are starting or building your team.

Things to consider when creating or improving your organisational culture include:

• Clear & Honest Communication – Is your communication clear? Are you sharing with honesty? No ambiguity.
• Being Proactive – Are you looking ahead and taking your team on the journey with you?
• Recognition – Are you recognising greatness within your organisation? Does your top employee know it?
• Is there a bonus scheme in place? If so are the prerequisites and calculations clear?
• Have you assessed your team dynamic? Do you know the type of team members you have?
• Is EVERYONE in your organisation on the same page?
• Do you want to give back to the community as an organisation?
• Do you want to make time for some fun and festivities?

These are some of the things to consider, as you build your organisational culture.

Use these questions to assess your culture and If it is not where you wish it to be. Start to initiate change with just one item on this list and see the improvement it will make to your productivity and morale.

Once upon a time ...

Once upon a time there were Three siblings and they all woke up and fancied pancakes for breakfast.

They ran down to their respective kitchens and found that they had no flour, milk or maple syrup to pour!
 
They all rushed to get dressed and pulled open their front doors …

And it was snowing HARD!!
 

The First Sibling said “I HATE Snow!” Closed their front door and had toast and jam for breakfast instead.
 
The Second Sibling said “I HATE Snow!” thought of the taste of those fluffy pancakes, sighed and stepped out, closed the door behind them and started walking to the corner shop. Halfway down the road he slipped on a patch of ice and landed on his bottom! He struggled up looked around see if anyone had witnesses his humiliation and headed back home dejected. He had porridge (with no maple syrup) for breakfast instead.
 
The Third Sibling said “I HATE Snow!” thought of the taste of those fluffy pancakes. Went into her cupboard, got her snow boots out, put them on and headed to the corner shop. She took the walk slowly and nearly fell a couple of times, but made it to the corner shop. Got her provisions and came home to make lovely fluffy pancakes, with maple syrup.
 
What do you think is the difference between there three siblings?
 
They all wanted pancakes and all hated the snow, but the desire for the fluffy pancakes was stronger for some than others.
 
When you say this is your year and you are going to make steps towards your aspirations, is the desire stronger than the obstacles you’ll face, the fear of failure or what other people think?
 
Be honest in the main which sibling are you? If you aren’t sibling 3 what’s holding you back?

I was speaking with a director last week, I’d been working with some of his managers to formulate a plan for some changes within their teams. He and I started discussing the finer details of the plan and I suggested some changes to the plan that I’d also suggested to his managers – but they had not gone for as they assumed that he wouldn’t agree. Funny thing is … he could see the pros and cons and wanted to look into it!
 
I’ve made these types of assumptions before, I’ve spoken to candidates that I assumed weren’t interested in a role, from looking at their CV or prepared for a fight with a union official, who totally understood the business needs!
 
Are you letting your assumptions stop you from moving forward in your business?
 
I hear so many entrepreneurs worry about building, growing or changing their team. If this is you schedule a call with us to discuss your HR needs here, and see how we can help you to move forward.

What is your perspective?

When I’m away from home, I find the best way to get to know the area is to go for a nice long run, it gives me a totally different perspective from being in the car. I can focus 100% on my environment and can take in all the little things I wouldn’t have seen from the car.

We are away this week for half term and even though I’ve run in this location before, this morning I decided to turn left instead of right and I saw the area from a whole different perspective, and it was beautiful and enlightening!

When we drove in on Monday, we saw a castle on a hill, that disappeared as we approached our destination. The castle seemed so far away! Today I found was only 2 miles away!

The thing is this is often the way with your business. You spend so much time making sure you’re delivering excellently that you don’t see the other perspectives.

It’s always a good idea to see your business from all angles and to experience what your team experiences, so that you think about your business strategy from their point of view.

When I’m working with my clients on people strategy, I always ask about the details on delivery and how changes will affect the way the business delivers their product and/or service.

Often the senior team are too removed from the process to be able to answer and often this is the reason why plans fail. You can’t have an effective business plan without taking input from the people who will deliver it!

Your team often have great ideas for efficiency and input for innovation. Engaging with your team as you plan, helps you to improve on your plans and makes the joint effort of achieving your business goals alongside your team, SO MUCH EASIER!

Are you stepping back, stepping in and changing your perspective?

Are you loving on your Biggest Asset?

I don’t believe that any entrepreneur would deny that their team is their businesses biggest asset.

Even if you have an amazing product, without your team how would the world know about it?

There always comes a time in the growth of your business, where you come to the realisation that you need those with expertise that exceeds your own to boost the growth of your business. As it will enable you to focus on the areas that you are highly skilled in; but once you’ve found those amazingly skilled individuals, how do you keep them motivated and loyal?

We know that competitive remuneration is a must - after all, we’ve all got bills to pay! - no one who knows their worth is going to take a job paying less than the industry standard, but what else?

I want to look at starting well, by mastering the on-boarding process …

Throughout the recruitment process, we focus on creating an amazing candidate experience. It’s a two way selling process; we want the best person for our organisation and they want, well ... they want, what they want!

So once you’ve negotiated these waters, made an offer and had it accepted ... ask yourself “What’s Next?"

Often there is a gap of a month or more between getting that offer accepted and an individual starting with your organisation. So how do you keep them feeling warm and fuzzy, as well as helping them to settle in, once they do start?

Here are a few pointers:

Give them a Buddy

One of the best experiences of on-boarding that I had was being given a ‘Work Buddy’ before I’d started. I received weekly emails in the lead up to my joining date, was invited to payday Friday drinks before I was actually on payroll! Had someone to ask silly questions like where is the nearest sandwich place and is there a good place to get a lunchtime pedicure or how does my new boss like to be communicated with.

Day 1 Brilliance

Make sure their first day runs smoothly. I worked for one organisation, where on my first day the receptionist was waiting for me, my desk was prepared with my laptop, phone, note pad and other items and when I checked my emails, I had my induction meetings scheduled for the next few weeks (it included a trip to an international office). Everything was so smooth, I was able to hit the ground running and had access to all that I needed.

Induction Plan

So touching on Inductions, nothing is more frustrating than starting a role and having to find your way around an unfamiliar landscape unassisted. I remember starting a senior role with an organisation, and I didn’t even receive my laptop until three days in. I had deliverable's, but no way to deliver them! It was very frustrating and I felt like they were unprepared for me and had left me to fend for myself, with no support. Don’t worry I soon changed the starter process!

Having a detailed plan to introduce a new employee to key stakeholders, systems and processes cuts down on the time it takes to get a person up to speed, and allows you to get value from your new employee sooner.

Warmest Welcome

A welcome lunch on the first day/week is always good. Getting to know someone socially is always useful and it helps to build team rapport. I worked at one organisation where every month they had a welcome afternoon tea; you were tasked with speaking to at least three people you hadn’t spoken with before, it was a really good way to get to know people in different departments.

Implementing an on-boarding process is a great way to engage with staff before they even start and show them how valued they are as an addition to your team.

Is your team engaged?

My friends used to call me a party planner! I was always arranging staff events and refreshments were always part of the deal!

You see, in a former life, I used to spend a lot of time trying to find the magic formula for retaining great staff. Improved communication and employee engagement has always been in the top 5 list of staff initiatives for our clients, regardless of size or industry.

The major question that employers ask is how to engage with staff at the most efficient price point. Often the biggest expense is the staff Christmas (and/or summer) party; but not everyone likes to party or to drink, so what other things can you do?

Most recently a client of mine held sessions with staff and asked what interested them most, the variety on the list was astounding:

• Business briefings
• Employee/team of the month
• Volunteering opportunities 
• Mentoring
• Lunch time learning sessions
• Parties
• Pay day Friday drinks
• Charity events (coffee mornings, Christmas jumper day, etc)
• Charity activities (running, 3 peaks, etc)

The interesting thing was diggings down into how staff like their hard work to be recognised otherwise all your efforts go completely over their heads and they feel unappreciated even though you are putting in all that hard work.

I’ll be taking about employee engagement activities in the next few weeks and how to monitor their effectiveness.

But first things first, what motivates you and your team? How do you like to be appreciated (on top of your renumeration)? 

Why I’m so process driven (and you should be too!)

I am a very detailed person, I like to ask questions to ensure that I’m giving the appropriate advice and guidance. I also don’t like not delivering, so the more I know, the more I can be certain of success.

When I started my business, the lack of tangible data scared me, sure I’d done my market research and had a few ‘unofficial’ clients but this was different.

So I put processes and timelines in place for the things that I needed to get done and made sure I was capturing and analysing data, so I’d know what was and was not successful.

Once I’d got established and could see how the business was scaling and growing. The processes meant that I didn’t forget the things that I needed to do, when I got busy. 

It also meant when I needed to hand things over in an emergency, I didn’t need to download my brain as it was already detailed.

Often as entrepreneurs we hold all the cards close to our chest (and in our mental notebook!). This makes it harder to handover work when we reach critical mass. Also, keeping employee and client details in your head is dangerous from a compliance and legislative point of view. Often I have clients that end up spending money to fix an employee issues because they have not documented that they have followed a process.

I keep two journals a business and personal one. They keep my notes, thoughts, ideas and aspirations. Then they become my outcomes, milestones and plans.

Having a process will free you up both mentally and time wise.

Implement a little process in your life and you soon see the benefits.

If you need help with your HR process and planning, contact us for a FREE 30 consultation call here.

Do you know when to quit?

I’ve been fighting a cold this week, trying not to let it take hold!

I’m a runner and my first concern when I feel unwell is always will it stop me from running. The general rule is that if the cold is limited to your neck and above (and you don’t have a fever) you can exercise, but if goes down to your chest, you should rest!

This go/no go reminded me of a lot of the projects that I work on with my clients, often with there are defined progress meetings that while reviewing the progress that have been made, also reassesses the viability of a project and whether the parameters have changed. Sometimes this means that projects are paused temporarily or shelved completely.

This is how we work with our advertising; we test different adverts, assess their success and then decide whether to continue, pause or stop.

Establishing these 'go/no go' meetings, prevents us from wasting valuable resources that could be better utilised elsewhere.

Do you know when to quit? Are you assessing the progress that your business is making and directing your resources in the right direction? Are you skilling yourself and your team to be able to be the most effective?

Take some time out to assess your companies progress in 2017 and see what needs to change and stop in 2018!

Learning to Love Resignation

My clients are often hugely proud of their high retention rates and low turnover. They see it as a badge of honor and take it personally when one of their work 'family' resigns.

I always find it interesting as my clients entrepreneurs who all had successful careers where they honed their skills before they started their own enterprises, and it took a considerable amount of bravery for them to leave a secure job and branch out on their own.

It got me thinking about the way that organisations deal with resignations from effective productive employees and how a resignation from an awesome member of your team can be seen as a positive thing:

Development Opportunities –

Increasingly organisations have flatter structures and so less of a career path for employees, so a resignation means you can provide employees with an opportunity to develop within the organisation, rather than outside of it.

Innovation –

A resignation is an opportunity for you to review that person’s role, amend job descriptions and add additional skills that you may need in a changing marketplace.

Fresh Blood –

New employees come with new ideas and viewpoints, which is always useful in keeping your business fresh and relevant.

Identifying Single Points of Failure –

If an employee’s resignation means a vital task within your organisation will not get done, and no one else has the skills, knowledge or qualifications to carry them out, you have a problem and that needs to be addressed.

New Business Opportunities –

An ex-employee could become or bring you your next significant customer. Remember people buy people, often people use their network when they are looking for services or products.

Alumni Hiring –

Employees do return, sometimes as contractors rather than employees, but you do get someone who knows your business, has great skills and can hit the ground running on a project or piece of work.

If you’d like some support with talent management and succession planning for your organisation, get in touch here.