My Management Story

About 10 years ago I was travelling across the whole of the UK, I was doing lots of great HR innovation; working with different teams looking at change management.

The organisation I worked for would win lots of work. Then we had new staff coming on board that we would have to integrate into our organisation and so I loved it. It was great fun. I was working on different projects with different people, learning loads of really great stuff.

One day I had a sales guy come to me saying he was trying to win some HR work with one of our current clients and that they had submitted a proposal that hadn't been accepted because it was a bit too technical. So, they asked for someone who understood the client to help write it. I read what the previous person had written (I had no bid writing experience) and I went to the department and spoke to some staff to get an understanding of what was happening there and we completely rewrote it. It was submitted and we won!

Then a month later my manager came to me and told me that the sales guy thought that I was amazing for how I had written the bid and how I had dealt with the client and the stakeholders. He told me that they needed someone who's going to manage the team once they come across and asked me if I would be down for that. I thought great, it's a new opportunity. It's an opportunity for me to manage a larger team.

The department was 60 people, they weren't all directly reporting to me, but they were all ultimately my responsibility.

I was so naïve!

 I’d never managed a huge team and I'd never managed a big team and at the same time had to manage making the changes that we had agreed with the client.

We agreed on a whole raft of changes to the systems and the way the team was structured.

We were implementing a brand new HR system and other systems that were going to integrate with it.

I was full of energy to implement the changes but I forgot that while the organisation that I worked for had agreed to do the work and while the client had also agreed, nobody had really spoken to the team about it.

So while I was there working with them trying to get this new stuff in place, they were still trying to run the day to day and so whenever I was trying to get them to do work they were saying well, “look I've got this backlog of this, a backlog of that…”, “I've got no time to think about the new stuff because right now…”

So I found myself coming in early and staying late trying to do all the additional things that we promised the client, rather than getting my team to do it because it just felt like a struggle. It really felt like I was pushing water up a hill.

I had to take a step back and think what am I gonna do? I have committed to doing this and when I commit to doing something it needs to get done.

How am I gonna make this work?

I took a step back to assess this. My thoughts were that if a manager came to me and said I'm talking to my staff and I can't get them to do what I need them to do I would need to understand where the problems lay. Is it with the team or with the manager of the team. I soon realised that I hadn't approached it in the right way.

I had taken this team and I hadn't taken the time to get to know them or for them to get to know me and so I changed the structure of my team meetings. Instead of only looking at the KPI's (key performance indicators) that we agreed with the stakeholders we talked about what their frustrations were? What were the challenges? What is causing the issues and then I could start to look at how the new system and efficiencies we put in place would help to solve that. This was how I was able to get their buy-in and their time.

One of the biggest challenges is when you tell someone to do something and they have no understanding of why. You need to explain what you need to be really clear on the reason why we're making this change, e.g. The reason why we're doing this thing is so that when we have 20,000 clients instead of 5,000 clients we can still manage to fulfil the orders

Once people understand what you're doing you’ll get them on board and they will come with you.

The other thing that I was I did was, get some quick wins to address some of the challenges they had. There were some people who had only have one screen and I needed to have a dual-screen. The whole office space needed a bit of refreshing. This actually made a huge difference.

 As you go forward in working with your team, take the time to get to know them, take the time to understand, their frustrations. the struggles of the people on the ground with your clients.

They will have a really great insight into what the clients need and their struggles as well

Giving staff the best start

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 ... WAIT! Before you tick the task off your to-do list, 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, I 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 had my laptop, phone, notepad and other items and when I checked my emails, I have 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 and Training

Once you have selected your perfect candidate and they have accepted your offer. It’s time to prepare for their induction and training. This is vital to ensure they have an awesome employee experience.

There is nothing 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 receive my laptop until three days in. I had deliverables, but no way to deliver them! It was very frustrating and I felt like they were unprepared for me. Don’t worry I soon changed the starter process!

Have a detailed plan to introduce a new employee to key stakeholders, systems and processes, it will cut down on the time it takes to get a person up to speed and allows you to see how long it should take for them to be fully utilised.

Ensure that you have all the equipment that they will need and you have cleared your diary to spend some 1-2-1 time with them.

Establish their objectives (that you drew up earlier) and confirm how you will be reviewing them during their probation period. 

Schedule regular 1-2-1’s and check in’s to check they are ok and don’t forget to get feedback from your clients and stakeholders, where applicable.

Warmest Welcome

Arranging a welcome lunch on the first day/week is always good. Getting to know someone socially is always good and it helps to build team rapport. I worked at one organisation where every month they had a welcome afternoon tea, where you had to speak with 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 onboarding 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.

Contact us to ensure your onboarding process is as fabulous as your business is.

Making the right offer, the right way

Once you've selected the ideal candidate for your amazing business, you’ll need to make sure that the legal stuff is squared away.

You'll want to give the successful candidate a call and make them a verbal offer, which you’ll then confirm in writing. During the call tell them why you think they’ll be a good match for your team. Your new team member will want to know the details of their employment; salary, hours, potential start date.

Once you’ve made a verbal offer to your candidate, you’ll want to send them some official documentation, so that they can make an educated decision to join you on your business journey. You’ll need to send an:

Offer letter

State the terms of the offer:

• Role

• Salary (Annual or hourly)

• Hours

• Benefits

• Potential start date

• Any prerequisites, e.g. eligibility to work, references, DBS etc

• Date offer expires

Contract of Employment

From the 6th April 2020, you have to provide your employee with their Terms and Conditions / Contract of Employment before their start date. PLEASE make sure that your document is legally sound, don’t just find a template on google, they can be missing vital elements that will protect you as an employer, less isn’t always more!

Your contract should include:

Role Name -

Be clear on what you want to call the role, look in the marketplace and see if it fits with your competitors

Reports to -

The role name should be stated, rather than the person.

Remuneration -

Detail the Gross Salary (or hourly rate, if paid by timesheet), also detail any commission or bonus detail.

Pay Date -

Everybody wants to know when they’ll be paid and what period it will cover (weekly/fortnightly/monthly).

Probation period -

How long the probation lasts and the notice period during that time.

Notice Period -

Once the probation period has completed, how long would the successful candidate need to give notice to end their contract. REMEMBER that the notice period would be the same for both employer and employee, so be reasonable.

Pension contributions -

Government legislation requires all employers to have a pension scheme in place. Ensure you have one arranged and decide if you are contributing the minimum percentage or providing an enhanced scheme.

Benefits -

Decide if you are going to offer any benefits at this stage, e.g. childcare vouchers, private healthcare, season ticket loans, retail discounts, etc.

Leave -

Details of paid leave and statutory leave

Employee Handbook / Policies and Processes -

To ensure that you start your professional relationship on the right foot, you should share your policies and processes, things to ensure you cover:

• Working hours

• Flexible working

• Expense Policy

• Sickness Absence Policy

• Grievance Policy

• Disciplinary Policy

• Whistleblowing Policy

• Equal Opportunities Policy

• Health and Safety Policy and Procedures

• IT Security and Data Protection Policy

*This isn’t an exhaustive list, your policies are dependent on the needs of your business.

You should also have a new joiner form to capture all the essential details for your new employee, e.g. Bank Details, Next of Kin,

Getting your offer process right is an important part of your candidate experience you want to make sure that they are fully aware of all of the benefits and stipulations that are linked to their new role.

Interview, Assessments and Scoring

Ever been really excited about a job, only to interview and decide that you wouldn’t work there if they doubled the salary? I definitely have, the culture detailed on the advert and the reality was so different (and not in a good way!)

The interview process should be two-way. It's just like the relationship that you build with your clients, each party wants to see if there is the possibility of building a reciprocal relationship. Both you and the candidate need to be getting what they need otherwise it won't be successful.

I want to take you through some do’s and don'ts as you meet your candidates face to face and start building that relationship.

First things first ...

There are a few things that you need to decide before your candidate’s rock up for their interview:

1.       What do you want to assess?

What are the key skills, knowledge and experience you want to cover in an interview? An interview lasts for an hour on average, you should aim to ask 6-8 questions, plus follow up.

2.       How do you want to assess?

Dependent on the role you may want to do more than just interview; do want them to complete a case study, presentation, psychometric, numeracy, logic or literacy test or a trial day?

3.       Who do you want to assess them?

You should never interview alone, you need to include some members of your team (or potentially clients) in the panel. Who will you put on your interview and assessment panel? You ought to make sure that at least two people other than you who meet the candidate

Now to your interview questions:

Once you have decided what the critical skills, knowledge and evidence you want to ask about, it’s time to formulate your questions. As you draw up your questions, remember the following:

·       Ask open questions

·       Ask for examples

·       Don’t ask for multiple responses at once

To ensure that every candidate interviewed goes through the same process, I would suggest having an interview matrix. A document that details the questions, model answer, score and weighting; this allows you to focus on gaining the evidence you need to make a balanced decision. If you need some examples of the types of questions that you need to ask then sign up for our knowledge hub here 

Here are THREE things that you should NEVER as an interviewer:

i. Don’t make it all about the candidate’s skills

Remember that interviews are a two-way sales process, don’t just throw out “Why do you want to work for us?” and “Why are you the best person for this role?” questions. Tell the candidate about your company, why it’s a great place to work, who’ll they’ll be working with and most importantly how you see the role developing.

ii. Don’t be a scary interviewer

Interviews are stressful enough without adding to the situation. We’ve all been in that sweaty palm, heart racing situation (sometimes as an interviewer!). To get the best out of a candidate, you want them to be at ease. Make them feel comfortable and indulge in a little small talk to develop a rapport. You’ll get more genuine responses and better insight into what they’d be like to work with.

iii. Give feedback

Even if a candidate isn’t right for you right now, they may be later on, or be able to recommend someone to you. They’ll only do that if they’ve had a great candidate experience and a big frustration for job hunters is a lack of feedback; after all, how can they improve if no one tells them what needs improving! 

Spend 5-10 minutes on the phone or writing an email with specific feedback, give 2/3 positives and 2/3 areas for development.

If you are ready to up-level your leadership and management skills the doors are open for our Business Owner to CEO Management Intensive Programme, a 6 week 1-2-1 programme designed to give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to manage your team in a legislatively compliant way while being your authentic self - to find out more and sign up click here.

Shortlisting and Telephone Interviews

Last month we looked at how you attract the very best candidates to apply for your roles. This month we’ll be covering Shortlisting, Interviews and Onboarding.

This week it’s all about what to do with all the applications that you have received.

The first thing to say is that you should reply to each application, even if it’s just a standard email that you send to all unsuccessful applicants. Just because they aren’t a fit for you now, they may well be in the future. So make sure you give them a positive experience of your company.

Now to shortlisting; the best way to ensure that you treating all applicants equally is to have a scoring matrix based on the essential and desirable knowledge, skills and experience that are listed on your fantastic JD.

You can essentially tick the boxes where the relevant knowledge, skills or experience is evidenced and at a glance (or pivot table, if you are so inclined), see who matches your criteria, rather than assuming a degree of knowledge or basing your decision on your gut – just in case your selection process should ever be queried.

I would suggest that you start off telephone interviewing your top scoring 4-6 candidates.

The aim of a telephone interview is to form a rapport, check some basic information, ensure that the individual is truly interested in the role and that your salary matches their expectations. The conversation should last no more than 30 minutes.

The telephone interview should include the following:

·       Your name and role within the organisation

·       An overview of the company

·       An overview of the role and the expectations

·       Find out what interests them about the role

·       Confirm their current employment status

·       Check their salary expectations

·       Check if they are interviewing with any other organisations 

Then, either arrange a face to face interview or let them know when you’ll let them know if they will be invited for an interview. 

Let us know how our shortlist plan works for you.

Next week, we will be covering face to face interviews and assessments.

Variety Is The Spice Of… Amazing Teams

This month we’ve been looking at attracting the very best staff for your business, as we go into February and take you through the shortlisting, screening, interview and onboarding process I wanted to pause and make sure you and your team are trained to select the best.

It is important that all people involved in the recruitment process are trained in both effective recruitment and unconscious bias.

There are hugely talented individuals looking for roles that can flow with their lives, a bit like you when you started your business I think!

Your ideal candidate may not come from traditional backgrounds; they may be older, younger, disabled, have caring responsibilities but what they can do in a day may take someone else a week!

Like Dionne who had worked for years as an Executive Assistant for multinational organisations and had taken some time out of the working to care for her elderly parents, she was ready to return to work but still wanted to be flexible so that she could enjoy her life's passions, Dionne struggled to find a role that matched her needs and then she got an administrator post with a Tech startup, where she was able to work from home 2 days a week (which meant she could still have lunch with her local friends and get to her judo class on time). For the Tech start-up that she joined, they got an experienced staff member who kept them organised, systemised online filing system and made sure they never ran out of coffee or printer toner! James the CEO never imagined that his ideal candidate would look like Dionne, but in fact she exceeded his expectations.

Unconscious bias is about how our background, personal experiences, societal stereotypes and cultural context can have an impact on our decisions and actions without us even realising. Have you ever had an experience when you are introduced to someone and the moment you hear their name or their accent you have made an assumption about them? Or been surprised when the voice and the face don’t match?

That is unconscious bias and it can mean that the college or university that a candidate attended or the way they pronounce a word may predispose you to like or dislike them and their responses.

We all have biases, so it is important to realise what they are so that they can be addressed. As well as taking part in training, there are mechanisms that can be used in the shortlisting and interview process that keep you honest by ensuring that you only pick candidates based on their ability to perform the role as an effective part of your team.

I’ll be talking about the skills and tools you need to recruit effectively live on our Facebook business page at 9 pm GMT on Tuesday, to watch live or catch the replay like our page here and turn on the notifications.

If you need some support or training to get your ideal candidates on board Schedule a call to discuss how we can help you.

We will talk about how you get the evidence that you need to make an educated decision on who to select for your role and be legislatively compliant next week

That’s not in my JD!

It is really hard to 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 them for under-performing a task that they morphed into with no training or support.

Writing a job description is a fine balance of getting the important stuff in but leaving enough room for additional tasks to be absorbed without you being asked for a payrise. Remember, additional tasks shouldn’t generally require additional salary but additional responsibility could require additional remuneration.

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

• Job Title

Check out the terminology that other businesses in your industry and try to align your job titles to them as that is how most candidates search for roles, for example in the banking industry fraud investigators are often called forensic accountants

• Who the role reports to, and other key stakeholders

You should be able to highlight who the role reports to, givng an indication of seniority and any management responsibilities. Letting candidates know what relationships they are expected to develop is also important, especially if there are external businesses or authorities that need to be communicated with on a regular basis.

• Key areas of responsibility and the deliverables expected

These should be closely aligned to the objectives that you would be setting for the successful candidate. There should be 3 - 5 high level responsibilities and/or deliverables, e.g:

1 - Responsibility for the Customers Services department, a team of c30, with 4 direct reports and an annual budget of £750,000

2 - Provide an excellent customer services experience for all customers, via phone, email, live or chat

3 - Continuous improvement of the service

• Any required education and training

These are the ESSENTIAL qualifications or experience needed to be successful in the role

• Soft skills and behaviours necessary to excel

E.g. Attention to detail, organisation and time management, flexibility, negotiation, influencing, emotional resilience, etc.

• Location and any travel requirements

Where your offices are located and if any travel is required and how frequently 

 And Remember NOT to include:

• Internal terminology, jargon or acronyms

Give the full name for departments, technologies and protocols 

• Anything that could be considered discriminatory

E.g. Youthful, young, active, etc

• Writing a Wish List

You do not want to scare off potential candidates by including desirable skills and experience. Stick with what is needed to be successful in the role, otherwise you’ll be reducing your applicant pool.

I’ll be talking about creating your compelling job description live on our Facebook business page at 9 pm GMT on Thursday, to watch live or catch the replay like our page here and turn on the notifications.

If you need some support to get your ideal candidates on board Schedule a call to discuss how we can help you.

Next week we will be looking at how you shortlist your applications, to ensure you only interview the very best candidates.

Why would anyone want to work here?

When advertising a role you have to remember that recruitment is a two-way street, it’s not just about you finding a candidate with the skills, knowledge and experience that you need, you also need to make the role compelling so that your ideal candidate will read it and want to apply (or that someone who knows them will read the role and let them know that they’ve found the perfect role for them!).

So, while using your network and building your brand is vital in attracting great candidates, you need to capture the interest and imagination of these candidates, so that they can see themselves in the role and want to apply for it.

You also need to be clear about what you are looking for and the type of commitment that you need, so that you repel those whose skills and behaviours are not a match for your business.

In the career coaching part of our business, we always get our job seekers to list the deal breakers for their new (or first) role. Alongside remuneration, the distance of commute and flexible working, the list almost always includes organisational culture, autonomy, opportunities to build skills and develop their career as well as job security.

When you write your advert it is important that you tick as many of these elements as possible, this is what is going to get a candidate interested and researching your business before they apply. So what to cover:

Company Overview/Culture -

You need to share some information about the business and the clients that you serve. Try to let the culture of your business come through.

E.g. We are disruptors in the HR sector, established in 2014 by our founders to bring creative solutions to the challenges of starting and building an effective team by starting from the top. We work alongside CEO’s to ensure that quality leadership and management runs through their business and talent is valued and rewarded (as well as keeping legislatively compliant). Our clients love working with us because we work hard to understand their individual needs and create bespoke solutions that don’t leave them wrapped up in red tape.

Role Overview -

It’s important to have an overview of the role, what the main areas of responsibility are, why the role has been created and what they’ll get out of the role.

E.g. Are you as comfortable sitting in  boardroom as on a beanbag in preschool? Interested in getting to the depths of how a business works and then challenging the status quo to achieve great instead of good?

We are looking for an experienced HR Business Partner to work alongside our clients providing strategic and operational support tailored to their needs. You may be at the end of a phone, replying to emails, visiting their business premises or supporting them on a team offsite. 

Key Qualifications / Experience -

To get the right candidates applying for your role you need to be very clear about the skills that you are looking for and the behaviours that are needed to be successful in the role.

E.g. We are looking for a naturally curious HR Professional, with experience of supporting senior management teams with recruiting, talent management and employee relations, as well as strategic planning. CIPD (or equivalent) qualified. A clear and effective communicator, with experience of influencing others to see things their way.

You’ll need to be flexible in your approach and willing to work outside your core hours at times. In return, you’ll be numerated competitively, supported in your career aspirations and get to work alongside an amazingly fun and friendly team. If this sounds like the kind of role that you’d love to get your teeth into, apply here.

How do your job adverts compare to the example above?

I’ll be talking about capturing the interest of your ideal candidates live on our Facebook business page at 9 pm GMT on Thursday, to watch live or catch the replay like our page here and turn on the notifications.

If you need some support to revise your talent attraction strategy and documentation Schedule a call to discuss how we can help you.

Next week we will be looking at using the building blocks above to create an amazing Job Description and Person Specification.

Is your business attractive?

“I can’t find candidates that meet my expectations!” “I haven’t got time to train them on everything!”

Sound like you?

The struggle is real but I have the solution …

Great employees need to be attracted to your business, just like your ideal clients. I know you have a strategy to bring clients into your business but you also need to have a candidate attraction strategy, even if you aren’t actively hiring, you can always build a database of potential candidates (with their permission of course!).

Well-known organisations can use their reputation as industry leaders or innovators to attract candidates but how does a small business attract the best candidates? Here are some tips to help you.

Make sure that your business is visible – Don’t just think about your website and social media presence but being mentioned and interviewed in the industry and local press, guest blogging and getting interviewed on podcasts and sharing your expertise at local colleges and universities will boost your visibility with potential candidates. 

Share some behind the scenes secrets – Let candidates see what a fun, interesting and varied career they would have the opportunity to build if they join your business.

Provide opportunities for work experience and internships – This is a win/win you get some support as you grow your business and the chance to check out the student's skills.

Create/enhance the careers section on your website – Include case studies from staff and remember to allow potential employees to show an interest in joining your business even if you don’t have a suitable role open.

Utilise your network - The best candidates generally come through referrals, reach out to your network when you are recruiting and try offering a referral bonus to your existing staff to encourage them to share your vacancies with their network.

I’ll be sharing some in-depth tips on attracting and retaining amazing staff live on our Facebook business page at 9 pm GMT on Thursday, to watch live or catch the replay like our page here and turn on the notifications.

Next week I will be showing you how to write an advert that will attract your ideal candidate and repel the time wasters. Can wait? Schedule a call to discuss how we can help you grow an excellent team.

Do you dread managing staff?

There are two distinct types of business owners, those who strive to build a business large enough to support or team and those who never want to manage a team ever. Like EVER.

Sometimes it is down to a traumatic past management experience or other times it’s the belief that no one will be able to do it as well as you.

Can you relate …

It happens in the corporate world too.

Simon was an IT genius, so when his boss left and the role was opened up for internal candidates, we were all waiting in anticipation for his application to hit our inboxes, but when he hadn’t expressed an interest in the role 24 hours before deadline I thought I’d have a chat and check everything was ok. Simon told me he loved his role and had no interest in managing a team, taking on their issues and spending less time working on the systems he loved.

I could understand where he was coming from, I went through the same challenge with my first large scale senior HR role and so I was able to share that as a manager it is your responsibility to get things done but that doesn’t mean you have to do it. It is in your gift to develop others by delegating tasks and using your skills and knowledge to improve the department. I also promised to ensure he received the management training he needed should he be successful in obtaining the role.

After our talk Simon did apply for the role and was successful, he was recognised for his outstanding contribution and with coaching and an awesome mentor is now Head of Department.

Do you feel fearful that managing a team will dilute your fun and control?

The truth is, the power is in YOUR hands.

Management is a skill like any other, you have to learn the theory and then apply it practically to hone your skills. Everybody makes mistakes, you haven’t gotten to where you are with your business without making mistakes, so you have to accept that your team will make them too. The important thing is that you give them the feedback needed to improve.

If you are wary about adding to your team or delegating more responsibility, here are three tips to help you:

1. Be clear about the outcome, you need to clearly demonstrate what good looks like. Don’t get bogged down in the detail your team may well have a more efficient way to reach the goal

2. Allow extra time, give a deadline with some wriggle room so that if things need to be tweaked you have time to give feedback and get your team member to action rather than do it yourself.

3. Give positive feedback, everybody likes to hear ‘Well Done’ and it motivates them to continue striving for excellence

If you need some help with getting the Managment Fundamentals right, contact us here to see how we can assist you.

Is it Stay or Go?

Scott had employed Ian for 9 months and as time had gone by he was getting more and more dissatisfied with Ian’s attitude and lack of interest in taking more ownership and responsibility as part of his role.

So Scott contacted us and when we spoke it was apparent that there had been niggling concerns from the start of Ian’s employment but they weren’t addressed as he was ‘doing his job’ and the was ‘no time’.

Ian hadn’t been given any objectives or outcomes to meet when he joined, there were no scheduled review meetings (there was nothing to review!), Ian had been left to his own devices to carry out the tasks detailed in his job description and the probation period clause in his contract of employment meant that he was automatically confirmed after 3 months.

Now I can’t say 100% who was to blame about Ian’s lack of motivation, but in resolving the situation, it was apparent that there wasn’t a strategy in place to get Ian working in the way that Scott wanted him to.

Having an induction strategy is vital to being able to have enough evidence to decide should you new employee stay or go.

Here are some practical tips to get the evidence that you need to confirm, extend or fail an employee during their probation period and remain legislatively compliant:

Probation Clause

First things first, ensure that your probation clause states that it is only completed when confirmed in writing.

Clear, SMART objectives

During the first week of employment set objectives for the first 3-6 month, ensure they are clear and easily monitored.

Regular Reviews

Meet with your next starters once a week during the first month and at least fortnightly thereafter. Have a template to ensure you are reviewing how they are progressing against your objectives and well as ensuring that they have been provided with the support and training that they need to succeed.

Evidenced Feeback

Give clear objective feedback, so that there are no grey areas, it’s not how you feel, it’s what the evidence is showing you. For tips on having that ‘difficult conversation’ read our article here.

Extend or Terminate

If your new employee isn’t achieving the objectives that you have set for them, and you can demonstrate that they have been given the support and training needed to be successful. You have to decide whether to extend their probation period or terminate their contract. If you’ve been having the regular review sessions as discussed above and there has been little or no improvement, terminate, However, if there has been an improvement and there are just a couple of minor issues it may be worth expending the probation period for a month or two.

Document all of the above

Always, always, always ensure that you document your objective and review meetings.

Our Management Fundamentals online training will provide you with the practical skills you need to manage, motivate and develop your team, check out the details here.

Giving new staff the best start

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 ... WAIT! Before you tick the task off your to do list, 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 the 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 had my laptop, phone, note pad and other items and when I checked my emails, I have 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 that 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 receive my laptop until three days in. I had deliverables, but no way to deliver them! It was very frustrating and I felt like they were unprepared for me. 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 see how long it should take for them to be fully utilised.

Warmest Welcome

A welcome lunch on the first day/week is always good. Getting to know someone socially is always good and it helps to build team rapport. I worked at one organisation where every month they had a welcome afternoon tea, where you had to speak with 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 are as an addition to your team.

Contact us to ensure your onboarding process is as fabulous as your business is.

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.

Retaining Top Talent

Priya’s accountancy firm had been running for 4 years, she had painstaking built her business from scratch; knew each client personally and had recruited and developed her team so that she as certain that her clients were receiving an excellent service.

Then Richard one of her longest servicing employees resigned.

She was distraught, “I’ve poured so much into developing him, why would he leave?” she asked. “He seemed happy, what if this is the start of a exodus?”

Ever felt like this?

Losing a valued employee can be a business owners worst nightmare. It’s takes a lot of time, effort and resource to recruit and onboard new team members.

Priya and I met with Richard to get some feedback on his decision to leave to business, turned out that he found a new job, closer to home, that would enable him to spend more time with his young family.

While he wasn’t about to change his mind about his resignation, he did give us some valuable insight in to the team and we used them to communicate effectively with staff and build team morale.

Worried about losing a valued team member? Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Build and maintain great relationships with your team; have a open and respectful relationship with your team, spend time together and show genuine interest in the things that they are interested in.

2. Communicate your team mission and aspirations; ensure that everyone in your team knows how they fit into the aspirations for the business and what their path to growth is.

3. Ask for feedback; it is important that your team feels heard and they their ideas are taken into consideration as you grow and scale your business.

4. Measure morale regularly; team meetings and employee satisfaction surveys are a good way of checking in.

5. Understand what motivates each individual; everyone is different and that may mean communicating and creative incentives differently to suit individual personalities .

Need help recruiting and retaining your team, DM us and we’ll be in touch to schedule a quick call to see how we can help you

Employment Legislation Update - April 2019

April is always busy time for Employment Law Updates, here’s our list for the coming weeks:-

Implementation date: 29 March 2019

Technical amendments to employment law to ensure smooth Brexit take effect

The Government introduces legislation to ensure that employment laws continue to operate effectively on the day the UK leaves the EU. The legislation makes minor technical changes, including amending and removing inappropriate language and references.

Implementation date: 1 April 2019

National minimum wage rises

The hourly rate of the national living wage, the rate for workers who are aged 25 and over, increases from £7.83 to £8.21. The national minimum wage for workers aged at least 21 but under 25 rises from £7.38 to £7.70 per hour. The rate for workers who are aged at least 18 but under 21 increases from £5.90 to £6.15 per hour; the rate for workers aged 16 or 17 rises from £4.20 to £4.35 per hour; and the apprentice rate rises from £3.70 to £3.90 per hour. The accommodation offset increases from £7.00 to £7.55 per day.

Implementation date: 6 April 2019

Employment tribunal award limits increase

The maximum amount of a week's pay for the purpose of calculating the basic award for unfair dismissal and a redundancy payment, which increases to £525, and the maximum amount of the compensatory award for unfair dismissal, which increases to £86,444.
The order applies where the event that gives rise to the entitlement to the payment occurs on or after 6 April 2019.

Requirement for payslips to state hours worked where pay varies

The Employment Rights Act 1996 (Itemised Pay Statement) (Amendment) Order 2018 (SI 2018/147) provides that, where an employee's pay varies by reference to time worked, employers must include the number of hours for which the employee is being paid on his or her itemised pay statement. The change is designed to make it easier for hourly paid staff to ensure that they are paid correctly and to address underpayments.

Statutory sick pay rises

The rate of statutory sick pay rises from £92.05 to £94.25 per week.

Lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions increases

The lower earnings limit for primary Class 1 national insurance contributions increases to £118 per week.

Increase in minimum contribution level for pensions auto-enrolment takes effect

The minimum level of employer contribution into a pensions auto-enrolment scheme increases from 2% to 3%, with an increase to the employee contribution from 3% to 5%. The total minimum contribution increases from 5% to 8%.

Maximum penalty for aggravated breach increases to £20,000

The maximum penalty that an employment tribunal can order for an aggravated breach of a worker's rights rises from £5,000 to £20,000.

Implementation date: 7 April 2019

Statutory maternity pay and other family-related statutory pay rates increase

The rates of statutory maternity pay, statutory paternity pay, statutory adoption pay and statutory shared parental pay from £145.18 to £148.68 per week.

Three things NOT to do when Interviewing

I got an excited call from my career coaching client Lola, she’d got an interview for a role that she really wanted and was so excited! We prepped questions and techniques to stay relaxed and off she went. I then received an emotional call from her after her interview, the first thing she said was “I DO NOT want to work THERE!”. Turned out that the panel threw question after questions at her, didn’t smile or show any positive body language, or even offer a glass of water! Her experience put her off that company for life!

Here are THREE things that you should NEVER as an interviewer: 

One – Don’t make it all about the candidate’s skills 

Remember that interviews are a two-way sales process, don’t just throw out “Why do you want to work for us?” and “Why are you the best person for this role?” questions. Tell the candidate about your company, why it’s a great place to work, who’ll they’ll be working with and most importantly how you see the role developing. 

Two – Don’t be a scary interviewer 

Interviews are stressful enough without adding to the situation. We’ve all been in that sweaty palm, heart racing situation (sometimes as an interviewer!). To get the best out of a candidate, you want them to be at ease. Make them feel comfortable and indulge in a little small talk to develop a rapport. You’ll get more genuine responses and better insight into what they’d be like to work with. 

Three – Give feedback 

Even if a candidate isn’t right for you right now, they may be later on, or be able to recommend someone to you. They’ll only do that if they’ve had a great candidate experience and a big frustration for job hunters is a lack of feedback; after all how can they improve if no one tells them what needs improving!

Spend 5-10 minutes on the phone or writing an email with specific feedback, give 2/3 positives and 2/3 areas for development.

If you are planning to start or build your team get our FREE recruitment cheat sheet, giving you all the do’s and don’ts of interviewing to keep you legislatively compliant, with sample questions for you to ask.

I am a BAD girl scout

I spent a significant amount of time in January helping a GP practice ensure that their clinical and non-clinical policies were in place and as required before their next CQC (Care Quality Commission) inspection. 

A big part of that was ensuring their disaster recovery policy was in place and robust enough handle the building collapsing while the couple who managed the practice were climbing mount Kilimanjaro (and so uncontactable). We looked at remote access to telephone systems, the sister surgery that could see their clients, contact details for all of their staff and regulatory bodies that would need to be contacted, how they could access their patients files, etc.

I have a background in IT, so I know how import it is to back up your important data and know how to locate it in a pinch – especially as a business owner!

But somehow I messed up! 

Yesterday I dropped my iPhone face down on the concrete and it now has a half black screen. No problem I thought, I swapped my SIM into a perfectly functioning older model and rushed off to my evening meeting only to discover that my phone is essentially useless without all the apps that I depend on! 

Today I discovered that while I have backed up my laptop regularly, I haven’ t backed up my phone and so I am missing photos and contact details for quite a few important contacts. So today has been spent attempting to coax my broken phone to release the images and number (Thank the Lord for Suri!). 

I have totally not been following my own advice, so as much as to myself as to you, here’s a little reminder:

• Back up all the files on your laptop at least weekly (more often dependent how much activity happens in a week. 

• Back up to the cloud if you can, if not make sure your back-ups are stored off site.

• Ensure that more than one person knows how to retrieve your data.

• Back up your phone and tablets regularly.

• Document the process, so that it can be actioned in your absence.

The plan is to ensure that should you need to start your business over, you have all the data you’d need to hit the ground running.

Need any help ensuring that you and your team is prepared for an emergency, contact us for a quick chat on how we can disaster proof your business.

How a lack of sight gave me insight

Ever come to the sudden realisation of something that’s been creeping up on you?

On the last Sunday of December 2018, while driving my daughters to church, I realised that I couldn’t see properly out of my left eye. Now I’d been seeing weird lights out of the corner of my eye for a week, but I put it down to overwork and figured it would pass.

But that Sunday, I looked to my left to change lanes and realised that I had no peripheral vision! As soon as I caught up with my husband, I had him take me to the hospital and the next day I had emergency surgery to repair my detached retina.

Now the interesting thing about the surgery is that they put a gas bubble in your eye to help the repair set and that completely covers your pupil so you can’t see at all! I’m four weeks post-surgery and the gas bubble is still covering about 70% of my pupil.

They say that if you lose on of your senses your other senses become stronger, I’m not sure about that but I can say that I am having to be far more intentional in the things that I do and how I do them and that has caused me to look at things differently. For example, I have lost my depth perception, which means that things aren’t where I think they are. This means I have to touch the table before I put my glass down or it may hit the floor. My phone has not made it to the table several times (thank God for screen protectors)!

Sometimes in our rush to get things done, we only look at the surface and don’t look at the depth of an issue. We get carried away with what we assume an issue is and then wonder why the solution didn’t work.

I had a client come to me for assistance with staffing issues, but as the conversation continued and I delved into the situation. I could see how inconsistencies in behaviour and not addressing issues had led to some of the issues. So rather than starting a formal disciplinary process we reviewed the team job descriptions, set clear SMART Objectives and had meetings with staff to clearly communicate to new way forward for the business. Three months later the business is going from strength to strength, as boundaries have been set and reinforced where necessary. 

Disciplining a couple of members of the team wouldn’t have fixed the underlying issues and may even have made the atmosphere in the office worse.

Are you taking the time to really look and listen to assess the depth of the issue or challenge before you move forward?

Need some strategic HR support? Contact us to discuss your needs.

Managers, the new poor relation?

Gil’s business has been going for 6 years. It’s grown steadily year on year, and Gil built a really great team to support him and bring in the additional skills that he needed to professionalise his operations.

In the last year his team grew from a nimble 30 to over 100 staff. Far from being that answer to their fulfilment issues, product quality and customer service quality declined, while staff turnover increased.

At first the decline in quality was put down to poor hires, but when the problems continued, and a couple of grievances were received from staff, it became apparent that there was a deeper issue.

The rapid growth of the business meant that high performing staff were promoted to management positions, and given responsibilities for recruitment, staff development, budgets and production, with little or no management training or previous experience.

It was assumed that those promoted would be excellent managers, but no actual training or support was given. This led to inconsistencies in way staff were managed, which led to division and resentment within teams, and certain behaviours going unchecked. For example: when Donna asked her manager to work from home 2 days a week, it was approved informally. However when Amira asked her manager for the same, it was refused with the reason that it was bad for team morale. Likewise sickness hasn’t been treated the same, with managers interpreting the policy differently.

The newly promoted managers were also struggling to get their day job done and deal with staff, so were getting burnt out and still failing to reach their numbers.

We often find that great staff are promoted because they are amazing at one thing, but as business owners we know that a management role comes with lots of plates to keep spinning.

We helped Gil’s team support their managers with a bespoke Management Development Programme to ensure that any skills gaps were addressed, all managers had a clear understanding of their responsibilities and were provided coaching and mentoring support.

Are your Managers the poor relations?

January is a great time to review the skills of you and your managers. If you need some help, get in touch to discuss how we can help you.

Preparing for Life's Dramas

I spend a lot of time talking to friends and clients about time management and pre-planning; because you never know what can happen and leaving things to last minute can lead to disaster.

Don’t get me wrong sometimes a last minute quick and dirty solution can work, but it’s never the highest quality of work. It’s never the thing you’re most proud of. It’s just a way to get out of a tough situation and this week I found out how important my own preplanning is!

My plan this week was to hit the ground running. I spent a lot of December making plans for all the great things I was going to do come January 2019 and already had a calendar full of meetings and pre-work for training and talks scheduled for the first quarter of the year.

Instead, I am lying in my bed recovering from eye surgery with strict instructions to move from side to side every hour and while I am VERY bored, I’m not panicking because I have a plan.

I set my yearly, quarterly and monthly outcomes, so while I’ve had to move things around a bit, I can still move forward with my business.

To ensure that life’s little challenges don’t put the breaks on your business, here are 5 tips to help you:

1. Set clear objectives for your day, week and month - with milestones dates for each element, so that you don’t leave things to the last minute.

2. Allow extra time to complete your tasks - It’s easy to commit to a quick turnaround, but giving yourself an extra day allows for interruptions (key for me in the HR space where urgencies often pop up).

3. Don’t try to complete tasks in one sitting - planning in time to sit and review your work can be the difference between an A and a C (or a repeat customer rather than a one off).

4. Build your team, it’s important not to be a single point of failure. Work with others so that they can take the reins if you are unable too.

5. Learn from things that don’t go well. It’s always good to review how a project went and work out how it could be done better the next time. I have templates and process flows for some tasks, to help things run smoothly and ensure my knowledge isn’t all contained in my mind.

Using the tips above, I've been able to have a couple of strategy calls today and activate voice recognition on my laptop to write some content, while sticking to my recovery instructions.

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