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As a freelance HR consultant offering expert HR solutions to small to medium-sized businesses throughout Essex and Suffolk, I have seen one issue becoming more prevalent in the last few years. This is the rise of remote working, and how businesses can effectively and ethically monitor employees who are working from home. The huge increase in people working from home began with COVID-19, but although for the most part society has gone back to ‘normal’, remote working is definitely here to stay. To highlight the shift in upper management’s view of remote working, former Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, informed employees that they could continue working from home “forever”. Although the official policy on this from Twitter may have changed since the recent acquisition of the company by Elon Musk! But it serves to show just how the perception of remote working has changed dramatically in just a few years.

Pros of remote working

Expert HR solutions, like the professional HR advice for small businesses offered by Blue Tree HR, should always look at every angle of issues like remote working, and offer advice accordingly. So let’s first look at the obvious pros of working from home. One of the main benefits of remote working is workers are no longer forced into stressful commutes, which have been proven to have a negative effect on a worker’s entire day. There is also the time saved in commuting, creating more personal time to spend with their family or friends, so when an employee starts their day they are fresher and more focused than if they had just finished a tedious commute. Remote working also offers flexibility in an employee’s working hours. They are not necessarily stuck to rigid breaks and lunch times, offering more freedom than if they were in the office. This all adds up to a more productive employee, which is the ultimate goal for businesses.

Cons of remote working 

As with most things in life that look great on paper, there is often a flip side to any coin (although not with my expert HR solutions!) Whilst there is a lot to be said about the benefits of remote working, you also need to consider the negatives. When employees work from home for a prolonged period, they lose the ability to interact with their coworkers in a face-to-face manner. This sense of isolation can be problematic for some. There is also the fact that it can be difficult for some to separate their home and work life, especially if they live in a busy household. It is easy to get distracted if there is a knock at the door, the phone rings, the family pet wants attention or the kids are running riot! And for a small majority of remote workers, working from home offers the chance to procrastinate at will, which clearly affects their overall work performance and productivity. It is this issue that has led many businesses to implement surveillance and monitoring techniques to ensure remote workers are actually working, and not binge-watching their favourite Netflix show!

This leads us to the topic of whether you should be monitoring employees who work from home, and if so, how?

Monitoring remote workers

When offering my expert HR solutions on topics such as monitoring remote workers, I will always tell my clients that legally, this is entirely at their discretion (so long as they make the employee aware that it is taking place). After all, if the worker was in the office then it would be entirely appropriate to ensure they are actually working and not spending hours of the company’s time scrolling through Facebook! There are some larger companies out there that employ spy software, known as “tattleware”. An example of this would be Sneek, which takes a picture every minute through an employee’s webcam and sends these to management. Whilst these types of software ensure a business’s management can keep constant tabs on remote workers, they do display a lack of trust in the employee, which in itself can be detrimental to their overall performance. My expert HR solutions for monitoring remote workers would suggest using this kind of software as a last resort for those employees whose work productivity significantly drops when working from home. In our opinion when offering my expert HR solutions, the best way to monitor employees working from home is ultimately through their performance. By setting targets and goals, and having regular catch-up meetings, (whether these are face-to-face or remotely), to discuss their work output, you should remove the need for more Orwellian methods. And should you feel that “tattleware” is the only option, ensure you are transparent about the reasons behind such a move.

Expert HR solutions

As shown above, my advice on expert HR solutions would be to give serious thought has to be given when considering monitoring remote workers. If you wish to discuss this further, as a freelance HR consultant I am always on hand for more bespoke advice. And if you have any other query that requires expert HR solutions, contact Blue Tree HR and I will be happy to help.

Diversity, in a nutshell, is what makes groups of people different. There are many ways we differentiate from each other but generally speaking, it can be divided into key categories, including sex, race, age, religious beliefs, disabilities, nationality, sexuality, etc. Diversity is important in a workplace, as people with different experiences bring together different points of view and experiences. When we come together with people from other backgrounds, we can learn more about the world and even change our perception of things. For a business, diversity brings fresh ideas to the table and it can help improve business prospects. For instance, if you have employees that speak a variety of languages, you have the potential to open up your business to a more global audience.

Diversity and Inclusion in Action

Some of the most diverse Fortune 500 companies , include Microsoft, Nike, Visa, and Gap. Statistics have revealed that 39.7% of the board of Microsoft consists of racial and ethnic minorities. The workforce is made up of 49.8% racial or ethnic majorities. Diversity and inclusion can be difficult to achieve, especially for SMEs. However, there are ways to achieve diversity, even in a small organisation. Simply offering flexible working, for example, can help you attract people that have childcare responsibilities, mental or physical health problems, and depending on the working hours, even students.

Measuring Diversity

It is one thing to take steps to improve diversity in the workplace, but how do you measure it and ensure you are on track with achieving your diversity goals? It’s all about data when it comes to understanding diversity. Analysing data on the age groups, race, sex of your new hires will help you to get a picture of where you are and what you want to achieve. You should also measure retention, as if you have high employee turnover and you’re losing a particular age group quickly, for example, it is time to find out why. It is also important to incorporate employee feedback into your plan for measuring diversity. You can create and issue employee surveys, for example, to find out how employees feel about working in your organisation, and whether they feel like they belong in the company. It will give you an understanding of how diversity and inclusion are within your organisation.

Achieving Diversity

If you measure diversity in the workplace and it doesn’t make for pleasant reading, it may be time to make some changes. Some ways to improve diversity in the workplace, include targeted recruitment at specific groups of people. For example, if you want to attract younger age groups, you might want to use social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok, or you may want to advertise in Universities. Targeted recruitment can be hugely beneficial for improving workplace diversity. Alternating your interview panel can also help improve diversity. It is natural to ​gravitate toward people that are similar to yourself, and by changing your interviewers, you can help improve the diversity in your hiring decisions.

If you would like to discuss diversity in the workplace or have any other questions regarding HR support for business, you can contact us for an initial chat at info@bluetreehr.uk or 07516 335419 .

gravitate towards people that are similar to yourself, and by changing your interviewers, you can help improve the diversity in your hiring decisions. If you would like to discuss diversity in the workplace, you can contact us for an initial chat at info@bluetreehr.uk or 07516 335419 .

What is employee ghosting? Well, ghosting is mostly associated with the dating world. Quite simply, it involves one party falling off the face of the planet. Failing to respond to phone calls, text messages, etc – simply doing a disappearing act. Ghosting is not confined to the dating world, in fact, it can happen in all walks of life. A friend could suddenly stop responding to messages without any known reason or you may even find that some recruiters decide to stop responding to you. It also happens in the workplace. An employee might fail to turn up to work and might quit without providing any notice of their intentions or they may not even show up on their first day. 

Why does this happen and what can you do about it?

Employee Ghosting in the Modern World

The main reason people ghost is that they want to avoid having an awkward conversation. In the dating world, they want to avoid the ‘it’s not you, it’s me conversation’ and in the workplace, they don’t want to have to explain why they want to resign or why they don’t want to come in in the first place. Ghosting is becoming more prominent due to low unemployment rates and the wealth of job opportunities there are. Back in the day, people had limited job offers, so they would never dream of ‘ghosting’ an employer. The nature of employment references has also changed. These days, employers don’t have any obligation to provide a detailed reference. Therefore, employees don’t need a good reference, they just need dates of employment. In short, they can leave under a cloud, and won’t really be affected.

How to Prevent Employee Ghosting

It takes around 27.5 days and £3,000 to recruit a new employee so it is worth keeping hold of your good workers. There are various steps you can take to avoid employee ghosting. If an employee ghosts you, there is a lack of respect, or they feel intimidated and uncomfortable to speak to you. It is, therefore, important that you build good relationships with your employees. This includes undertaking regular performance reviews, checking in with them during one-to-one meetings, and asking for feedback. In this way, you can deal with any potential issues before the employee decides to do a disappearing act.

If you find that candidates are not even attending for the first day, you should look at reviewing your onboarding process. Are you reaching out to them prior to them starting? Are you ensuring they are happy with the information they are received and comfortable about the arrangements? If not, you may find that candidates are feeling anxious and deciding not to turn up, while avoiding any uncomfortable conversations by ghosting you.

Employee ghosting is never comfortable for either party, so no one is really doing it lightly. They are doing it because there are aspects, they don’t feel happy with, and they don’t feel comfortable communicating these. They would rather ignore their phone for a few weeks than just speaking about their issues. Therefore, it is so important to ask for regular feedback and check in on your employees before they start and on an ongoing basis.

If you are looking for advice on employee relations and helping avoid ‘ghosting’ employees, or have any other question relating to HR advice and guidance then you can contact us at info@bluetreehr.uk or by calling 01787 695084

Although it is not always possible to hold onto staff, as they may just want to move on, there are many other reasons why employees resign. If you are finding it difficult to retain your staff, and your retention levels are particularly low compared to your competitors, there are often reasons behind it. These are some of the key reasons your employees are resigning.

They Don’t Feel Valued

One of the main reasons an individual will choose to leave is that they don’t feel valued. We all want to feel valued, whether that be in the workplace or within our external relationships, and this is something you need to consider. Most employees don’t expect you to buy them a gift every time they do something right, but a bit of praise when they do a good job will go a long way to helping retain them. Don’t just leave them to get on with the job and forget about them, check in with them every so often and ask how they are and let them know what they mean to your business. Don’t undermine your employees or belittle them, as they will find another employer that will value them. 

They Want Better Compensation

The feeling of value also includes compensation and if you are paying below the market rate, you can’t expect employees not to be enticed by better offers. It is only natural to want to earn more money, and employers need to keep track of what their competitors are paying. If you can’t afford to pay the same as competitors, then consider other incentives, such as flexible working, performance-related bonuses, etc.

The Environment is Negative 

Most people spend over 13 years of their lifetime at work. This is quite staggering and when you think about it, it makes sense that people want to spend this time in a place they enjoy. If there is negative energy in your workplace, it won’t entice people to stay. It is quite simple to understand your culture. When you look around, are people smiling and chatting, or does everyone have their heads down? Are people constantly complaining about aspects of the company/job? What are your productivity levels like? If you analyse these, you will get a good feel for whether you have a positive or negative environment.

Communication is Poor

How often does management check in with their employees? Are employees asked for their feedback? Do you update employees with changes in the business? When communication is poor, it can lead to employees feeling that they are not respected, and they may even consider leaving. Make sure you are communicating regularly with your employees. Management should always provide support to their team.

Lack of Opportunities

Most employees want to have the option of progressing within the company and if you are not offering this, they may look elsewhere. It is important to have a clear plan in place for employees to grow within the business, as if not, they are likely to look for other opportunities if they are not challenged.

If you would like to discuss employee retention and how you can improve this, you can contact us by email at info@bluetreehr.uk or by calling 01787 695084 for an initial discussion.

Managers will often try to avoid one-to-one meetings, as they may not know exactly what they should be asking in them, or they might be concerned about bringing up a difficult topic. One-to-ones are important, as they help ensure your employees feel valued, and they also allow you the opportunity to raise any concerns before they become unmanageable. For example, if an employee’s productivity has fallen, you can ask them about it during a one-to-one, rather than waiting until it gets to the point where you can no longer employ them. They may be having difficulties at home, and simply by checking in, it can get to the heart of the issue and allow you to make constructive changes to help support them.

One-to-ones should be regular, and you should make the most of the opportunity to speak to your employees. These are some ways to make the most of the meetings.

The Human Touch

When you are having a one-to-one, don’t just dive in headfirst to discuss work-related issues or updates, make sure you show the human touch, by checking in with how they are. It is particularly important during current times when people have just recovered from the aftermath of the pandemic or are still going through it. Ask how they are, how their family are, and what they’ve been doing outside of work. Employees want to feel valued and that their employer cares about them as an individual, and not just as a number. One-to-ones should take place at least once a month, and they can be informal and relaxed. Employees are more likely to enjoy the meetings and feel more relaxed to open up about their feelings, if the meeting is informal.

Set Objectives

A one-to-one meeting should have some objectives. At the start of the meeting, you can explain what these are to the employee. For instance, you want to discuss updates in the office, address concerns, and set goals for the month ahead. It is important to have a breakdown so that employees understand what to expect.

Address Concerns

If you have any concerns about the employee’s performance/attitude etc, this is the time to raise them. A difficult conversation is not pleasant for anyone, but this is why one-to-ones are important, as you can deal with the concerns before they get out of hand. For instance, if an employee’s productivity has dipped, you might want to ask if there’s any reason for it, whether external or internal to the company, and what you can do to help. You should never come down hard on employees during a one-to-one, this won’t help anyone. Always go into it with a focus on what you can do to improve the concern.

Discuss Achievements

If, for instance, an employee’s productivity has dipped, but they are producing quality work and are having a good impact on their colleagues – say it! You should always leave the employee with some positive feedback, even if there are other concerns. Everyone has their good points in the workplace, you wouldn’t have hired them in the first place if they didn’t, and these should be a part of the one-to-one, especially if you need to discuss problems too.

Set Goals

Each one-to-one meeting should finish with some goal setting for the next one-to-one. What do you want them to improve on and what are your expectations? What does the employee need in terms of guidance, support, and training? Make sure this is covered at the end of the meeting.

If you want some advice on undertaking one-to-one’s, you can contact us for an initial chat, either by email at info@bluetreehr.uk or by calling 01787 695084

The prospect of performance management is often dreaded by employees. Performance management, when done correctly, can be vital in running a successful business. It allows you to understand how your employees perform in various aspects of their roles and whether these are in line with the company goals. It is not there to make employees feel bad or to interrupt their working day, it is in fact, a tool used to help them identify strengths and weaknesses, some of which they may not even be aware of. When done well, it can make employees feel rejuvenated. There are various types of performance management, including appraisals and check-ins. The one you opt for depends on what is best for your business objectives and whether you want these to be formal or informal. You may even want to use a couple of different options.

Performance management is important for any business, and these are some reasons why they are worth consideration.

Identify Training Needs

It can be difficult to determine exactly where the strengths of your team lie, and where they might need some training, without consistent reviews. Whether formal or informal, a performance review gives you the opportunity to discuss the aspirations of your employees and identify areas of training that might be useful to them. Performance reviews can also help with succession planning as you can plan for future vacancies, and where your current employees might be able to slot in. It is vital that you continue to grow your business, and performance management can help with this.

Increase Retention

You could have an employee who is on the brink of leaving, and without regular reviews, you may not even be aware of this. Performance reviews can increase retention as you can understand how your employees feel and whether you need to do anything to enhance their enjoyment of their role. For instance, they may feel that the role has become stagnant, and you could consider promoting them if you really want to keep hold of them. Hiring new employees takes a lot of time, resources, and money. If you find a good employee, it is worth doing everything you can to hold onto them.

Greater Freedom

There are two extremes in the workplace that can turn employees off and force them to consider leaving. If they feel that they are being micro-managed, this can be off-putting for someone that likes to work autonomously. On the other hand, if there is no input whatsoever, this can leave them feeling isolated, and devalued. The step in between this is performance management. If you have regular feedback meetings with employees, even just a quick catch-up every month and a more formal annual performance review, you can basically leave your employees alone to do their job. This is the best of both worlds, as you can keep track of how your employees are doing, without getting in their space and preventing them from doing their job.

Morale Boost

The performance review should not be used as a tool just to identify areas of weakness, it should also be used to encourage employees and praise them for what they’re good at. Everyone likes a bit of praise, and this can be a good morale boost.

You could take inspiration from Nationwide, which is one of the most engaged companies in the world. Their ethos is to put people before profits. If you put your people first, your profits will follow.

As Nationwide Vice President, Edward Wagner said, “Most people go into business to make money, we went into business to serve people and ended up making more money than the guys who were out to make it in the first place.”

They have 26,000 associates and $270 billion in assets, so they must be doing something right! 

Putting your people first is vital and encouraging them via performance reviews is just one way to do it.

If you would like to discuss getting a performance management system in place or you want a review of your current processes, contact us today at info@bluetreehr.uk or phone 01787 695084.