Dealing with bereavement in the workplace can be difficult; when you’re experiencing such high emotions, the office can be the last place you want to be. At any time, one in 10 people in the UK is likely to be affected by a bereavement. It’s important that employees receive the help and support they need to get through this challenging time.
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HR and Staff Management
The holiday season brings out a celebratory feeling in all of us–even the neighbourhood Scrooge has that twinkle of glee in his eyes. This jovial time permeates everything around us, including the workplace. So, why not take advantage of the goodwill and throw an amazing company holiday party?
Millennial employees in your workforce are individuals who were born between 1980 and 2000. Unlike the Baby Boomers and the Gen-Xers, this youthful generation has developed unique work characteristics such as adoring parents, contact with diverse people, and structured lives. They work well with diverse co-workers, are used to working in teams, want to make friends with people at work, and have a can-do attitude. They seek leadership from their managerial staff but expect their ideas to be valued and used.
Hiring a freelancer for your small business can be a great alternative to hiring an employee. If your business is expanding and growing you may require additional help, hiring a freelancer can be the solution to your need. Some benefits of hiring freelancers include that you don’t have to offer them employee benefits such as a holiday or sick pay, that they will usually be highly experienced in their field, and if you are not impressed by them you don’t have to work with them past their contract. This will mean that you are more in control with who you work with, as well as saving yourself money over time.
Your company depends on your employees being able to perform at a high level. When you facilitate this process, you are critically serving your company’s business goals. In turn, your employees also get more out of working for your company, because you are a forward-thinking business owner, and ultimately this means that your employees will be happier.
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Remote working has become the latest trend in employment. It has become so popular due to the multiple benefits it offers for both the individual and the business. Working from home may be a dream for many individuals so offering this option to your employees can be incredibly valuable for the company too. From previous statistics gathered by the Office of National Statistics, it was predicted that half of the UK forces would be working remotely by 2020. This number is huge and 2020 is fast approaching. Therefore, small businesses should look into allowing their staff to work remotely as soon as possible.
The subject of dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace is a big topic of conversation in the mainstream business sector. CEO’s and business owners are continuing to find ways to address the problem that appears to be an ongoing matter across the sector. This doesn’t just involve large fortune 500 companies and global enterprises either, it’s an issue for small businesses too. Although there is less staff in a small enterprise, it’d be naive to suggest that there’s less chance of sexual harassment occurring.
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Trust is a vital commodity when you are running a small business. When someone in your team does work of a very poor standard, this not only potentially jeopardises your relationship with your customers, it also erodes trust and therefore needs to be handled quickly. However busy you are, you need to make time for a difficult conversation and provide honest feedback.
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There are many benefits to working remotely, both for the employee and employer. Flexible hours in the environment of your choosing sounds ideal to any employee whose dream is to work from home in their pyjamas, but there can be some major drawbacks as well. Keep your remote workers invested in the company by taking extra measures to ensure they are informed, feel valued, and continue working hard.
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Misuse of alcohol or drugs can impair an individual’s ability to perform both socially and in the workplace. Drug and alcohol abuse can have a serious impact on employers and will affect an organisation’s productivity and profitability through staff sickness, overtime costs and recruitment.
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Recently, the World Economic Forum forecasted that the trend for flexible working, including remote working and virtual teams, was set to become one of the biggest drivers for transformation worldwide. This trend has been embraced by companies and governmental bodies of all kinds. While trail-blazing tech companies such as Github, Basecamp and Microsoft all offer remote working, cornerstones of British life such as the Civil Service and Transport for London are praised by employees for their flexible working options. All of this means that it is well worth considering what these options could mean for your business, even if you’re operating on a much smaller scale.
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Procrastination can plague workplaces and have a huge impact on the productivity of the business. Therefore, it’s essential to tackle the issue, whether it’s yourself as the business owner or your employees. Procrastination is putting something off that needs to be done, to deal with at a later time. You might procrastinate by focusing on exciting things. However, if you are ignoring dealing with business taxes because you’re working on a new product, this could lead to serious problems.
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As an employer, you’ll face many trials and challenges when it comes to managing your staff. One of those challenges may be the issue of workplace bullying. In a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, 19% of respondents revealed that they had suffered from being bullied in the workplace. This is an alarming amount given that there should be a zero tolerance on workplace bullying across all businesses. So, what defines workplace bullying? And how can you, as an employer, deal with it?
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Working with family means mixing business and personal life, which can be quite a difficult thing to get right. It has both its benefits and disadvantages, you just need to make sure that you are prepared for it. If you are considering hiring family or having family members as partners in your business, you need to consider how well you could work with them. Working with family can be great as well as challenging, you may bring the best out in each other or you could bring out the worst.
Diversity in the workplace can be really beneficial for both the people who work for the business and the business itself. Every major city is multi-cultural, there are people from all over the world that live and work there. For example, London is one of the best cities in the world and it’s full of people from many different backgrounds, cultures, races, genders and sexual orientations. The diversity in the city should, therefore, be reflected in the city’s workplace too. Small businesses, in particular, need to encourage more diversity when it comes to the recruitment process.
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It’s undeniable that there are multiple benefits to training the workforce and upskilling your employees. From retaining good employees to having highly skilled individuals work for you, the benefits are vast. Whether your business has a big budget or a small budget to work with, there are methods of helping your employees add to their skill set. There are certain types of training that will be essential for your employees depending on your business and the role they will have.
Properly implemented workplace safety is something that both the employer and the employees benefit from. In practice, it is quite hard to motivate the workforce to follow the intricate safety procedures. They are usually fully aware of their importance, but they lack the motivation to follow through.
Everyone has a unique personality. That’s part of the reason why people are so interesting. But sometimes, personalities clash. When it comes to working in a team, knowing how to manage different personality types is a vital skill. While we are all unique, it is generally accepted that we all sit on a spectrum of introversion and extroversion. It’s common in the workplace for personalities from different areas of the spectrum to collide and it can be a challenge to work with or manage introverts and extroverts.
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Training is part of growth, so offering your staff training is essential to growing your business. There are a number of benefits that can come from training the workforce. But it can be challenging for small businesses to train their staff. This is mainly because small businesses will have a smaller budget compared to bigger businesses that might have a dedicated budget for staff training. However, it’s a matter of good research and using all available resources to offer training to employees. It is always possible for you to train employees, even on a small budget.
Training your staff is incredibly important, whether it’s a new employee or a manager that has been with your business for years. Members of staff need to feel like they are growing their skillset and are taking steps to progress in their career. By encouraging and implementing training in your small business environment, you will be able to retain good quality employees. Training your staff can also help you prepare for any skills gap that may become a problem due to Brexit.
