Blue Tree HR, Author at Blue Tree HR Solutions

How Can HR Consultancy Advice Save Your Business Stress In The Long Term?

Posted on July 20, 2022August 17, 2023 by Blue Tree HR

HR consultancy advice can not only improve the climate of your current workplace, but it can also proactively reduce stress in the long term by recognising and reacting to problems early before they become serious issues. As experts in HR advice and guidance, Blue Tree HR Solutions has everything you need to avoid unnecessary stress, so that you can put your energy into improving your business and taking care of your employees. Here are 3 common issues that, if not resolved correctly, can put a strain on your business and how HR consultancy advice can help before it becomes something more serious.

Preempting issues before they escalate

As a business owner, you have a responsibility to manage your employees and take action where needed. For some business owners, it can sometimes be easier to let things slide and not take action, especially if they have 10 other pushing priorities to attend to. Instead of tackling the problem immediately (and therefore creating more work for themselves), owners or managers will sometimes ignore an issue until the issue becomes critical. Unfortunately, this approach will nearly always end with more “work” than they would have had in the first place, as now that issue has become a serious one.

These types of situations are more common instances where an employee’s bad behaviour has not been addressed, even though it has been reported by other employees, and has now worsened to the extent that they have cost the business money, time and even upset other staff and customers. Issues left to worsen almost always come back to affect you worse than if the issue had been addressed quickly and in the proper manner.

As experts in HR advice and guidance, Blue Tree HR Solutions can help. The best way to combat the unnecessary stress of employee wrongdoings is to make sure all problems are dealt with in line with the correct policies, within the correct timeframes. Professional HR consultancy advice from Blue Tree HR Solutions can help with finding what works best for your business. As professionals in HR advice and guidance, we can also help to alleviate some of the weight on the owner’s shoulders by helping to deal with issues. This can be done by setting up a detailed step-by-step process on how to manage a specific situation correctly, conducting investigation meetings on your behalf to free up more time in your day, and can even attend your workplace and provide advice so that you can make sure any issues are dealt with in the best possible way. Avoid unnecessary stress by not letting problems drag out.

Safeguarding critical information

Business owners all have their own way of storing important data. This is down to what they find easiest to organize and what feels most secure to them. Popular options include keeping important data down on paper or opting for a clunky HR system. While these may feel safe and secure, the risks to these ways of storing data are never ending and can cause significant amounts of stress if something was to ever go wrong.

Not only does Blue Tree HR Solutions offer expert HR solutions and HR consultancy advice, but we also offer unique, secure HR software that completely cuts out any chance of a data leak. With our easy-to-use cloud-based HR system, you never have to worry about the risk of misplacing information, leaking data or system crashes, as everything is backed up and stored securely. This not only diminishes the risk of unnecessary data loss but gives you more time to focus on your company and its hard workers, rather than endless admin. This way, you are not only avoiding unnecessary stress in the long run but giving yourself more time to focus on your goals.

Keeping up to date with the necessary paperwork

For some business owners, new ones especially, dealing with documentation can seem like an intimidating process. Unfortunately, if every little detail is not 100% correct and in line with the right procedures, and compliant with current Employment Law, your business can end up in big trouble. Up-to-date paperwork is required to both cover yourself and your employees, to make sure you are both protected and that there’s evidence of all the right procedures being met and followed. This is the case for the recruitment process, disciplinary process, termination of contract process, maternity leave, sick leave and so much more. All of these processes require different sets of paperwork to be completed correctly, to ensure all procedures have been complied with in the correct manner.

Thankfully, Blue Tree HR Solutions is able to offer expert HR consultancy advice to help you along with this process. Not only can we provide the correct documentation, but we can advise and review existing ones to make sure everything is correctly done and nothing is missed out. This way, you can sleep soundly knowing nothing has been left to chance.

Expert HR consultancy advice

If you are looking for expert HR solutions and expert HR consultancy advice from an experienced HR consultancy advice and guidance specialist then Blue Tree HR Solutions is just a call away. Get in touch today so we can discuss how our expert HR advice and HR consultancy advice can help take some of the stress out of your working day.

Why is HR advice for small businesses important?

Posted on June 9, 2022August 17, 2023 by Blue Tree HR

There are many reasons to consider HR advice for small businesses. A key reason is that human resources (HR) management is key to the growth of your company. Understanding why and how HR advice for small businesses can help your organization is vitally important. It can be the difference between a smooth-running workplace and a chaotic one!

Here are some of the key functions that HR professionals employ to help support and sustain happy and healthy businesses and why you should consider expert HR advice for small businesses.

Expert HR advice for small businesses – keeping you out of trouble!

To run a company effectively, there are certain laws and regulations set in place that must be followed correctly. If you do not understand the legislation you can land yourself in hot bother. These laws and regulations are put in place to protect employees’ rights and fight against workplace harassment, discrimination, and other situations. Without these laws, employees are vulnerable to inequality and wage/hour wrongdoings. Non-compliance from employers can lead to financial loss, license revocations, and even imprisonment. Having a professional in HR you can go to for support and advice is essential. The smallest mistake can be costly.

Ditch the paper!

Organization is a huge factor in how successful your company is. Keeping sensitive documents and employee information safe and secure is a standard for all companies. Opting for a paperless system, like Blue Tree HR Solutions specialist HR software, reduces the risk of document and information loss. Being accurate, efficient, and secure with data is a standard in any company. The consequences of a data leak can land you in hefty fines.

We believe this is one of the most important pieces of HR advice for small businesses we can offer. Small and growing companies do not have the time/manpower to spend on internal admin. Owners often end up constantly buried in spreadsheets. This is where mistakes get made.

Turning to HR software not only keeps you and your employees protected, but it is also a faster, more secure, and more effective solution. Allowing an HR professional to step in and help will mean more time for owners to focus on company goals and build healthy employee relationships. What’s more, it’s environmentally friendly!

Hire help!

Small businesses can sometimes make the mistake of hiring too quickly. Suppose you find yourself stuck, needing to hire a replacement or extra staff urgently to ensure the smooth running of your company. In some cases, you can fall into the trap of hiring out of urgency and later regretting your decision.

Here at Blue Tree HR Solutions, we can help with job descriptions, job advertisements, interview questions, and follow-up documents. Ensure you are finding the right candidate for your job role.

On the contrary, if you do in fact need to start thinking about the difficult decision of firing people or making redundancies, specialist HR advice for small businesses proves helpful for these situations. For many small companies, making redundancies is not a common issue. If you do not know the procedures to follow, HR professionals can help advise and support you on the best ways forward. Make it as easy for you and your staff as possible and ensure legal compliance.

You support them, but who supports you?

Hiring an HR professional is one of the best ways to protect your company and employees. While having an HR team is standard for large organizations, small companies often do not have the resources for this. Hiring a professional in HR advice for small businesses, like Blue Tree HR Solutions, is a way to ensure your company and employees always have the correct HR help and support you need, while not breaking the bank.

Hiring an HR professional can save you both time and money, and sustain valuable employees. These all contribute to the success and growth of your small business. The HR world is a tricky one to navigate and that’s why Blue Tree HR Solutions are here to help. Please get in touch now to find out how we can help your company bloom with our expert HR advice.

How expert HR advice and guidance can help resolve potential issues before they escalate.

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Blue Tree HR

As experts in HR advice and guidance, we here at Blue Tree HR Solutions believe the way forward is through a proactive approach in HR instead of a reactive one. We believe being proactive in HR saves the company money and time and gives you the tools to stop problems from developing and arising. In turn, this means lower stress levels for your employees and more time for productivity.
Sadly, many companies struggle to make the switch from a reactive strategy to a proactive one. This is mainly down to businesses and management not having the tools and knowledge to recognize problems before they occur. This leaves them stuck in a cycle of putting out one fire, only for another to catch light straight after. Luckily, Blue Tree HR Solutions are here to offer some expert HR advice and guidance to help you develop proactive HR strategies and tackle issues before they escalate.

Here are a few examples of when an issue may arise in the workplace, and how a proactive approach can help your company tackle these issues in the most effective way possible.

Suspicious sick leave pattern

If somebody seems to have a habit of being ‘sick’ on a certain day of the week, it may appear to be a small problem, but it could quite easily escalate. The remaining staff may get frustrated and have increased stress levels if they are having to pick up the slack in order to keep the company running smoothly. Staff may be annoyed that management is overlooking the ‘skiving’ employee and not dealing with the issue. This can also leave employees feeling like they’re not valued if they’re continuously expected to be overworked and will create negative feelings towards management for not addressing the problem, this could result in increased staff turnover.

A proactive approach to this scenario would be to track absences efficiently by keeping absence records detailed and up to date, which you can do easily by using the HR software found on our HR Software page. This gives you the power to spot any trends or patterns and address these before it causes an issue for other employees. Having Return to Work interviews following any sickness absence will mean there is a record. Then, depending on the circumstances, you can consider performance management or offer extra support to the employee.

This is also an opportunity to step back and make sure that, if one employee was to suddenly leave, your company has all the resources to manage until a replacement is found. If an employee’s sick leave is causing issues among other staff, this could be a sign that more measures need to be put in place to make sure all staff are supported if this issue did occur, either by recruiting extra staff or offering more training to existing staff.

Maternity leave

A member of staff is pregnant and is due to go on maternity leave. She has given you six months’ notice of her maternity leave. This gives you time to plan and prepare for her absence, by perhaps offering additional support and training to other staff or by recruiting maternity cover.
This is a proactive HR approach as you have communicated with the employee, figured out the best solution for both you and other employees, and put this into action so that when the employee does go on maternity leave, there are no issues to address.

Manage the small things, before they turn into big things.

A common problem among managers is ignoring warning signs or not wanting to deal with small, insignificant issues that aren’t considered serious. Here at Blue Tree HR Solutions, we know that the small things almost always escalate into big problems.
If an employee is acting out or keeps making questionable mistakes or decisions but nothing is addressed, this will inevitably make your life and all employees around them harder in the long run.

For example:

Week 1 – Employee A was caught on CCTV sleeping – nothing was addressed.
Week 2 – Employee A left work an hour early without telling anyone – nothing was addressed, although the line manager is aware.
Week 3 – Employee A was watching a film on his phone instead of doing his work. He was caught by a visitor, and it was reported to his line manager.

Watching a film at work may not constitute gross misconduct and instead, may only warrant a warning. He could not be dismissed fairly based on this one instance alone.
At this point, the employee does not know what he is doing wrong as he has not been pulled up on his behaviour, management is not impressed with his behaviour and wants to replace him, and other staff will be growing frustrated with his bad behaviour, as it may be disrupting their own work.
A proactive approach would be to have managed his performance using the disciplinary process from week one. If he had been given a 1 written warning at week one, then a second written warning at week 2 – he could be dismissed (depending on your policy) at week 3. Alternatively, after his first warning, he may have changed his behaviour and shown that he is an effective member of the team.
Unfortunately, as this situation was responded to in a reactive HR approach, it means his behaviour was ignored and not addressed until it caused a significant issue. This could have been avoided.

Prepare for the future with our HR advice and guidance

It’s inevitable that issues will arise in the workplace, but recognizing these before they occur is fundamental.
Being prepared and dealing with issues right to the source when they do occur, to assure they will not re-appear, is key.
The best way to plan for the future is to make sure that you are working in line with Employment Law, have all the correct policies in place, and assuring all of those in management positions are trained in people management.
Having HR advice and guidance ready and prepared means you can offer the correct support needed in any situation to assure the best outcome. This gives everyone the confidence that every situation’s process is fair and legally compliant.

Are you ready for some healthy HR?

There are countless benefits in how changing your HR approach can benefit you and your company. If you would like to get more expert HR advice and guidance, or you would like to give your company’s HR a refresh, get in touch with Blue Tree HR Solutions for the best HR advice and guidance for your business.

Constructive Dismissal – What it is and how to avoid it.

Posted on April 19, 2022June 19, 2023 by Blue Tree HR

When an employee feels that they are being forced into resigning due to their treatment at work, they may decide to make a constructive dismissal claim. It can be costly to defend such a case and extremely challenging to defend, so you want to do everything you can to avoid it. It is, therefore, essential to be aware of the potential of a constructive dismissal case.

What causes a constructive dismissal claim?

A constructive dismissal claim exists when an employee believes that the employer is deliberately making decisions to cause them to leave. For instance, reducing their pay, demoting them, or changing working hours. For example, if a part-time worker is informed that their job needs to be full-time, this could be viewed as constructive dismissal, as it may not be possible for the part-time worker to take on extra hours. These are relatively straightforward and obvious, but constructive dismissal claims can be subtle. For example, demeaning an employee, bullying, or discrimination. These are cases that are more difficult to prove. Employees need to have completed two years of continuous service with the employer to be eligible to claim for constructive dismissal unless it is ‘automatically unfair,’ such as discrimination.

How to avoid constructive dismissal claims

If you have employees who are unhappy in the workplace, there is every chance that, at some point, they will raise this type of claim. Therefore, managers need to be trained to understand when employees are unhappy. For instance, if they are exhibiting negative behaviours, their productivity levels have fallen, or you are aware that they are actively looking for a new job. As constructive dismissal can be split into two categories; change in terms and workplace treatment, there are various ways you can try to avoid constructive dismissal claims.

Create a Positive Culture

One of the most important ways to avoid constructive dismissal claims is to maintain a positive environment within the workplace. When the environment is positive and healthy, employees will feel valued and included. They will, therefore, not be left feeling that they are being mistreated.

Legitimate Processes

Any changes or decisions you make should be for business purposes and not personal reasons. For instance, if you are rejecting an employee for a job, you should have a legitimate reason to do so and should be able to provide helpful feedback to an employee. Unfortunately, there are cases when employees are rejected multiple times for roles within a company without receiving feedback. This, naturally, causes them to feel that the employer is trying to encourage them to leave. Likewise, if you are looking to change hours or pay rate, there would need legitimate reasons, and you should follow a consultancy process by liaising with your HR support, or by employing external HR solutions.

Regular Communication

You can avoid most issues through regular communication with your employees. Even a weekly check-in to ask how they are getting on and if they are experiencing any problems will help you to maintain a positive environment. If employees feel that you are entirely hands-off and are not even asking how they are, they are less likely to feel included and part of the team.

If you want to chat with us about constructive dismissal, including what this means to your business and how to avoid it, you can contact us on 01787 695084. Alternatively, for expert advice and guidance on any HR support for business issues you may have, or to discuss our complete HR solutions and how they can benefit your business, please visit our contact page.

Four-Day Working Week – What it is and What to Expect

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Blue Tree HR

The four-day working week has gathered momentum recently. With countries such as Iceland and Japan successfully implementing this new way of working. The UK is also set to follow suit. The trial for the four-day working week in England is due to start in June 2022. Scotland will start the trial in 2023, and Wales will likely follow.

What is the Four-Day Working Week?

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the four-day working week. There is concern from employees that they will need to compress their shifts, meaning they end up working longer hours. Employers are understandably concerned about the potential implications on productivity levels. The four-day working week means that employees work four days a week instead of five. The terms don’t change. They are paid the same salary and pension contributions but work reduced hours. The focus is on productivity rather than the number of hours spent working.

Benefits of Four-Day Working Week

We often hear people saying that they ‘never stop working, they ‘work 70 hours a week’ or similar. In our society, overworking seems to be a badge of honour. If someone tells us they only work 1 or 2 days a week, we naturally think of them as lazy or unmotivated. Of course, this probably isn’t the case, but, as a society, we have been programmed into thinking this way. Working hard means working over 40 hours a week while working less is simply slacking off. There is nothing to say that working longer hours means you are being any more productive than someone who works less, and in fact, there are many benefits to operating a four-hour week. Although the trial is yet to commence in the UK, we can gain some insights from studies on the new way of working in Iceland.

Higher Productivity

According to the report, the four-day working week resulted in the same or higher productivity. Employees working five days a week are more likely to be distracted throughout the working day by personal issues. Whereas, with the new way of working, they can take care of any personal tasks on their day off, making it easier to focus and concentrate on their work.

Improved Wellbeing

Another positive outcome of the four-day working week was improved wellbeing, including less stress and burnout and a better work-life balance. Fewer hours at work equates to more time at home and enjoying family life.

How to Cope with Four-Day Working Week

For a business, especially an SME, the prospect of a four-day working week being implemented may seem overwhelming. It may be that you are already struggling to get through your workload, which adds another layer of challenges. However, there are some steps you can take to ensure that you manage your employees and your workload, should the four-day working week come to fruition in the UK.

Reduce Distractions

Many distractions can corrode time, and by reducing these, you can also help employees manage their workloads more efficiently. For instance, you might consider reducing the number or length of meetings or switching phones onto voicemail at set times throughout the day. Distractions waste time and reduce productivity.

Manage Expectations

If you are worried about the implications of the four-day working week on your clients, be open and honest with them. Advise them of the hours your employees will be working and when they can expect to be able to contact you. Open and honest communication is always the best way of working.

Project-Based

The average person may only be productive for three hours a day. Ultimately, most employees spend a significant amount of time on pointless tasks, such as eating, social media, texting, or taking breaks. The idea of anyone working 8 hours a day and being productive for this period is an illusion. Instead of focusing on the number of hours employees work, use a project-based working method. Assign tasks to your employees that you expect each day, and in this way, the number of hours they work won’t matter.

If you want to discuss the implications of the four-day working well or think of implementing this before it comes into force and needs some expert HR advice and guidance or HR support for business, you can contact Blue Tree HR Solutions at info@bluetreehr.uk and 07516 335 419.

How to Manage an Employee Grievance

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Blue Tree HR

As experts in HR advice and guidance, we receive a lot of queries from managers regarding employee grievances and how to manage these appropriately. Grievances are essentially a situation where an employee feels that they have been mistreated. A grievance often occurs between two staff members, or it could be against company policies, such as working conditions. Businesses need to take any grievance seriously and document the entire process.

If you are unsure how to deal with a grievance, our step-by-step guide should help inform you.

Mediation

A grievance can quite often be managed through mediation. For instance, if an employee has made a remark that another employee is unhappy about it, it may be that the situation could be resolved informally. However, if it is a serious situation, for instance, if it involves bullying or harassment, this step may not be sufficient in dealing with it.

2. Grievance Meeting

If the situation cannot be resolved informally, you should hold a meeting with the individual who has raised the grievance. It will allow you to get some more information and discuss how the employee would like to take the situation further. You should advise them of their right to be accompanied by a representative at the meeting.

Example of Grievance:

Lucy feels she is being excluded by her manager, who is not inviting her to the weekly meetings with other team members. They have also been out for lunch, and she has been left out of this too. She has reached a point where she wants to raise a grievance about her manager’s behaviour. However, she does not wish for mediation as the situation has been going on too long.

3. Investigation

It is vital that you don’t just take sides when dealing with a grievance; you should only ever judge the situation by the facts. Grievances can often come down to hearsay, so getting all the information before you move forward is essential. For instance, if an employee has raised a grievance, find out if there is any written evidence of the exchange or witnesses who may have overheard.

Examples of Evidence:

Asking team members if Lucy has attended weekly meetings and lunches. Has there been any discussion about why Lucy has been missing from these? Has anyone raised concerns

4. Disciplinary Meeting

If an employee has raised a grievance against another employee, and evidence supports it, the next stage would be a disciplinary meeting to discuss the situation with the other party involved. You should also inform them that they can be accompanied to the meeting.

Example of Disciplinary Meeting:

At this stage, you would speak to the manager and find out why Lucy has been excluded and provide any evidence you have for this from your investigation. Consider it from the side of the manager too

5. Decision

The next stage is the final decision you have reached following the investigation and the meetings. Then, you should arrange another meeting with the instigator of the grievance to discuss the decision you have reached and the other party.

Example of Decision:

As there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that Lucy has been deliberately excluded, which is a form of bullying, you feel there is no choice but to dismiss the manager. You cannot employ someone that is exhibiting this behaviour.

6. Appeal

There is the right to appeal this decision. In this case, another meeting should be held, and if possible, it should be undertaken by someone not involved in the rest of the meeting.

If you would like to discuss an employee grievance or have any other issue regarding HR support for business, you can contact Melanie of Blue Tree HR Solutions on 01787 695084 or by emailing her at info@bluetreehr.uk.

Employment Law Changes in 2022

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Blue Tree HR

As the new year kicks off, employers must be aware of upcoming changes to the employment law and adjust their policies and procedures. These are some of the employment law changes in 2022.

National Minimum Wage

The rate of the National Minimum Wage will increase to £9.18 for workers aged between 21 and 22. The rates for workers aged 18-20 will increase to £6.38 and £4.81 for those aged 16-17. Statutory sick pay will also increase to £99.35 per week. The National Living Wage is also set to rise to £9.50.

Parental Leave

There will also be an increase in the rate for statutory maternity, shared parental pay, adoption, paternity, and maternity allowance to £156.66 per week.

Right to Work

Full right to work checks will return from 5th April 2022. During the pandemic, employers had the right to carry these out remotely.

Holidays

The bank holiday, which would typically fall on 30th May, will now be on Thursday 2nd June 2022, in line with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. There will be another bank holiday on the 3rd of June 2022. Employers will need to check contracts to understand if their employees will be entitled to this day.

National Insurance Contributions

The National Insurance Contribution will increase by 1.25% from April 2022, and this will apply to all employed adults in the UK. Tax rates on shared dividends will also increase by the same.

Family Friendly Rights

The Employment Bill announced in 2019 is expected to be passed in 2022. In this Bill, there will be the introduction of statutory neonatal leave and pay for the parents of babies that require neonatal care. It will also include the extension of the redundancy protection period for employees on maternity leave. The period will increase for up to six months after returning to work. Carer’s leave will become a statutory right. Employees with caring responsibilities will be entitled to take one week of unpaid leave per year from the day they start employment.

Third-Party Harassment

Third-party harassment laws are also expected to change in 2022. It will include an extension to the period for raising tribunal claims and enhanced protection against third-party harassment. Third-party includes clients, customers, and members of the public.

There are some changes to the Flexible Working Regulations 2014 expected, with the Government currently consulting on the reforms. Some areas the Government are looking at include:

The right to request flexible working to be available to employees from the day they start.
Assessing the business reasons for rejecting flexible working requests and whether these are still applicable.
Understanding whether employers are looking into alternative working arrangements if they reject flexible working requests.
Increasing awareness of flexible working and the benefits it offers.

If you would like to discuss the changes to the employment law and what these mean for you or if you need assistance with contracts, or any other HR advice and guidance, you can call us at 01787 695084 or email info@bluetreehr.uk.

Common Employer Headaches at Christmas and How to Manage These

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

Christmas is a time when we all look forward to some much-needed rest and recuperation, as well as the inevitable overindulgence. For employers, Christmas can bring a lot of additional headaches that aren’t usually present throughout the year. These are some of the most common Christmas issues in the workplace faced by employers, and how you can avoid them.

Holiday Clashes

It is common for the festive period to be the most problematic time of the year in terms of holidays. Most people want to be off work during the Christmas holidays, and this might be an issue if your business doesn’t stop. For instance, if you are in the retail sector. You can try to compromise with your employees or offer holidays on a ‘first come first served’ basis. If all else fails, it might be better to put the names in a hat and select that way, so you can deal with Christmas issues in the workplace efficiently.

Festive Hangovers

Socialising is much more prevalent throughout December, with people catching up with each other and getting into the festive spirit. This means more hangovers for employees to suffer, and for employers to deal with the fallout. It is a good idea to communicate with your employees and advise them to take holidays the next day if they plan on a big night out. That way you can plan ahead, instead of leaving yourself short-staffed if they call in sick.

Low Productivity

Productivity levels are often at an all-time low in the lead up to Christmas, as people start to kick back and look forward to their breaks. However, the world of work must go on and this ‘relaxed’ attitude can cause Christmas issues in the workplace for employers. A good way to combat this is to offer incentives. For instance, early finishes in the lead up to Christmas when targets are achieved. That way, employees will be more motivated, and will get extra time to relax but will still be doing the necessary work.

Different Cultures

Employers often forget that not everyone celebrates Christmas, or they celebrate it at different times. Jews and Muslims for instance, do not celebrate Christmas but have their own celebration, Eid and Hanukkah. When you have different cultures in your organisation, you should learn what they celebrate and when. Employees often feel that they must take part in Christmas related events, even though it may not be part of their beliefs. Always take this into consideration or it could lead to Christmas issues in the workplace.

Christmas Parties

When alcohol is flowing and colleagues get together, things can often get out of hand. If you’re organising a Christmas party, make sure you inform your employees of your expectations. HR can be extremely busy with complaints and allegations following from Christmas parties. Loose lips sink ships as they say! Always ensure you make it known to employees that you still expect them to act professionally and to be a good representative for the company.

Travel Changes

The Christmas period often leads to changes in public transport, which can be disruptive to your business, if you have employees based in the office. You may want to consider allowing employees to work from home where possible in the lead up to Christmas or at least have a plan b in place, if employees are struggling to get to work. Car shares or taxis are alternative options.

Covid Concerns

Although we do not hasten to mention Covid, as we are all sick and tired of hearing about it, we can’t ignore it. Covid can cause staff to isolate and can lead to shortages. You may even have employees that don’t feel comfortable coming to work. The virus is unpredictable, so it is difficult to prepare but you may want to consider having a temporary recruitment agency on hand, in case you need staff at the last minute. Always do your best to protect your employees and to make the office as safe as possible for them, otherwise, you could end up with more than Christmas issues in the workplace!

If you are having issues with employees in the run-up to Christmas, or you’d like to share any other concerns or have any other issues requiring expert HR advice and guidance, you can contact us , and we will be happy to offer advice and assistance

How to Measure Diversity in the Workplace

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

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 .

How to Ensure Your Culture is Supporting Mental Health

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

The average person spends over 13 years at work. Let that sink in.

With the time we spend at work and our lives constantly moving at a staggering pace, it is no wonder that mental health is such a problem in society these days. We spend our time at work trying to juggle phone calls, emails, meetings, and that’s before we sit down and do some work. It is no wonder that many people end up feeling stressed and find that their mental health is suffering. That’s why it is so important to ensure that you are creating a culture that supports mental health. According to a report from Benenden, only 23.8% of employees said their employer speaks to them about mental health.

Listen to your Employees

If employees are telling you that they are overworked or struggling to cope – listen to them and take it on board. There is no point in piling work on someone if they are unable to get through it, as instead of increasing productivity, it will have the opposite impact and you will be dealing with employee burnout. If employees have any concerns, don’t just dismiss them, make sure you take them on board and try to deal with them positively.

Lose the Stigma

There is a lot of stigmas attached to mental health. If someone breaks their leg, they’ll get all the sympathy in the world. However, if someone says they feel anxious, depressed, or generally low, they will either be avoided or met with disbelief. As an invisible illness, it can be difficult for people to comprehend unless they have suffered from it themselves. It is important to lose the stigma attached to mental health. Make mental health a part of your culture, and actively use the words and introduce training so people are familiar with it. If an employee is off with these types of problems, make sure you speak to them on their return and find out what you can do to support them. If an employee says they are staying off with mental health issues, the chances are that this is true. Even if it is mental health problems relating to feeling anxious about going to work.

Recognise Employees

You should always show your appreciation for your employees, even a simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way to helping mental health. Your employees are people, they are not robots, and they need to feel that they are valued in some way. Employee recognition is key in any organisation. Employees don’t want to feel that they are just making up numbers, they want to feel appreciated. This is even more important if your employees are working remotely.

Provide Development Opportunities

Employees need to feel that there is a clear development plan in place. A structure that can help them meet their goals. If they don’t have anything to aim for, their mental health may suffer. For SME’s this can be more challenging, but there is no harm in setting out the potential areas of growth.

Awareness of Negativity

One negative employee can have a hugely detrimental impact on other employees, and it is important to be aware of this so you can deal with it quickly. Regular check-ins can help you identify any issues with negativity or poor morale within the company.

Mental health should be at the forefront of everything you do. An awareness of your employees and their mental health should always be a priority. If you would like to discuss changing or improving your workplace culture, or have any questioning regards to HR support for business then you can contact us on 07516 335419 or email info@bluetreehr.uk

Author: Blue Tree HR