Blue Tree HR, Author at Blue Tree HR Solutions

How to Make the Most of One-to-One Meetings

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

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

5 Ways to Avoid Employee Burnout

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

In the UK, 38.8 million working days were lost due to work-related and workplace injury over 2019/2020.

If you keep an eye on your employees, you will be able to recognise the tell-tale signs of employee burnout. If your top performer is suddenly less productive, this could be a sign that they are close to burnout. If an employee seems overly stressed or negative, these are other signs that there may be some issues brewing.

It is important to recognise and deal with employee burnout as otherwise, you may end up with a high employee turnover, but if you take some initial steps to deal with it, you can avoid it altogether. It is vital that employers take care of their employees, and this includes ensuring they are not overdoing it, both physically and mentally. These are some key ways to avoid employee burnout.

Regular Communication

One of the most effective ways to avoid employee burnout is through regular communication. When you check in with your employees regularly, you will get a good understanding of how they are feeling, and whether they have any concerns you need to know about. Regular communication does not need to be in-depth; a quick check-in call is all that is needed to ensure your employees are feeling good. If you can identify pressures they may be facing, it can help prevent burnout.

Realistic Goals

High expectations are good, but they should also be realistic. Make sure you are regularly revising your goals and make sure your employees are not struggling to achieve these. Your goals should not be based on an individual working for 8 hours straight, they should consider breaks, and the inevitable distractions of day-to-day working life. There is no point in setting goals that will be to the detriment of the wellbeing of your employees, as this is counterproductive.

Encourage Balance

Employees must work and rest, and this means taking regular breaks away from their screens. A good employer will actively encourage regular breaks and will also help promote a healthy life. For instance, offering gym memberships and encouraging daily walks. Balance is important and you should never allow your employees to continue to work excessively long hours or to miss their breaks. This is a poor way of working and can result in burnout.

Incorporate Fun

All work and no play – leads to burnout! Employees should not be treated like robots; they should have some level of fun incorporated into their working week. For instance, free lunch on a Friday, after-work drinks, or a quiz night. These fun activities help employees to destress and reduces the likelihood of burnout. Employee recognition is also important and you can incorporate some fun activities into this.

Track Holidays

You should also make sure your employees are taking their holidays, and not carrying them over to the next year. Holidays are there for a reason, they are there for rest and rejuvenation, and it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure their employees are taking holidays. Some people will work relentlessly and if you don’t keep track, there could be burnout ahead!

If you would like to discuss mental health in the workplace, you can contact us for an initial chat, either by email at info@bluetreehr.uk or by calling 01787 695084

Performance Management and Why it is Important

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

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.

Key Challenges with Hybrid Working and How to Address These

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

Since the pandemic, employers have had to adapt to a new way of working, with most office workers being home-based. As things slowly start to return to some form of normality, there is the question of how employers should help their employees adapt. Many employers are now adopting a form of hybrid working, which is a form of flexible working. They are allowing employees to work between the office and their home. How the working pattern is divided is decided by the employer or between both parties.

Hybrid working is not without its challenges, as you would expect. For many, it’s an entirely new way of working, and it can raise some issues and concerns. These are some of the challenges with hybrid working and how you can address these.

Ensuring Inclusion

Employees mustn’t feel that they are excluded. For instance, if you have a specific day for meetings or go out for lunch one day a week and not all employees are based in the office on that day, it can lead to a feeling of exclusion. If you are holding meetings, make sure employees are involved, even if virtually. If you go out for lunch, make sure you do this at times when everyone is in the office or spread it out to cover the days those employees are in the office. These may seem like unnecessary steps, but they can make a big difference to how employees feel. This way of thinking should be applied across the board, to everything you do in the workplace.

Managing Employees

The inability to manage employees is one of the main concerns for businesses. How do you know they are working, and how can you monitor them from afar? The key to managing employees successfully with hybrid working is to ensure you check-in and communicate with them. It is also worth moving to a task-driven way of operating, rather than worrying too much about whether employees are working the required hours. The truth is that they probably won’t be, as there are many more distractions when working remotely. However, rather than trying to micro-manage them, give them a list of tasks you expect them to complete each day – making sure this is feasible while allowing them to take regular breaks. Communicate with your employees regularly, ensuring they are doing well. Monitor them without being overbearing. Use the time when they are in the office wisely. It can be a key time to do your one-to-one’s.

Sharing Ideas

There is nothing like sitting in an office and sharing ideas with colleagues, but this isn’t always possible with hybrid working. Setting up a message system, such as Slack or Teams, can be a good way to help encourage employees to share their ideas. Ask for regular feedback during office and online meetings. Employees are less likely to express their ideas, so you might need to encourage them a little.

Supporting Mental Health

Working from home can have detrimental effects on mental health. When you don’t see people every day, it can be difficult to know when they are going through hard times. Therefore, supporting them with their mental health can be challenging. The best way to approach this is to ensure you check in with your employees regularly, without becoming overbearing. Make sure they have someone in the workplace they can speak to and ensure you have a messaging service set up for colleagues to chat together.

Maintaining Productivity

There is the worry that employees will be less productive with hybrid working, but as mentioned earlier, one way to ensure this is by giving them tasks, rather than monitoring the hours they work. It seems that productivity might not be as much of an issue as some may think. According to a report by Cardiff University and Southampton University, 41% of respondents felt they were getting the same amount of work done as they did when working in the office, and 29% said they had been more productive. The report stated that 30% had seen their productivity fall, with 3 out of 10 stating this was down to a lack of work, rather than outside influences.

If you would like to learn more about hybrid working and how to ensure your employees adapt to this way of working, we would be happy to offer some HR advice. Contact us at info@bluetreehr.uk or 07516 335419 for an initial discussion.

How to Address High Employee Turnover

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

Employees leave organisations for several reasons. They may feel unhappy with their pay, working hours, management, workload, or the culture of the organisation. Employees generally leave for these reasons as it leads them to feel that they are not valued. In order for employees to want to stay at your organisation, they must feel valued.

Measuring Turnover

If you are not quite sure what your percentage turnover rate is, you just divide the number of leavers by the average total employed over the period and times it by 100. You can do this monthly or yearly. The UK average employee turnover rate is around 15% on a yearly basis, although you would need to consider the industry average too, as they can be widely different. For instance, call centres and the care sector tend to have a higher turnover rate than many other industries.

That is not to say that you can’t have a low employee turnover rate in these notoriously challenging sectors. These are some ways you can address high employee turnover rates in your organisation.

Improve Recruitment Processes

If you have a high employee turnover rate, you probably have questionable recruitment processes. When you refine your recruitment processes and ensure they are delivering the right people, you will be more likely to retain them. It is important not to just hire candidates because you are desperate to fill a role, you should always assess them properly and ensure they are the right fit. If you are using recruitment agencies, make sure you understand their processes and whether they are screening candidates before putting them forward.

Review Salary and Benefits

When you don’t pay a competitive salary and benefits, you won’t hold onto your staff – it is that simple. Employees do not want to feel that your competitors are all paying more than you, and if that is the case, why would they want to stay? Many companies make the mistake of thinking that increasing employees’ salaries will be too costly. However, the opposite is true. It costs more money to continue to hire new employees, when you consider advertising costs, recruitment agency fees, time managers spend interviewing and training, as opposed to working on projects. It is much more costly to hire a new employee than to pay your employees competitively.

Reward Employees

Employee recognition is also a useful way to address high employee turnover. Employees will feel that they are valued by the organisation if they receive rewards. It doesn’t need to be anything over the top. Look at our blog on employee recognition ideas for more inspiration.

Offer Flexibility

If it’s possible, flexible working should be considered and since the pandemic, an increasing number of companies are offering this. Flexible working can come in all shapes and forms. You may consider allowing employees to work from home 2 or 3 days a week, you could allow them to work condensed shifts and have full days off or consider hiring two part-time staff if you are struggling to fill a full-time position.

Promote Health and Wellbeing

Ensuring you are taking good care of your employee’s health and wellbeing is also vital for dealing with high employee turnover. Making sure employees are taking adequate breaks, encouraging exercise, checking in with them to ensure they are not struggling with anything, are just some ways to improve health and wellbeing within your organisation.

If you would like HR advice on addressing employee turnover in your organisation, you can email or call us for an initial chat at info@bluetreehr.uk or 07516 335419.

10 Employee Recognition Ideas for Your Business

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

Recognition in the workplace is important. It makes employees feel valued, and it encourages employee loyalty and productivity. Employee recognition is particularly important now, as the pandemic has had such a detrimental effect on mental health. Simply telling your employees that you recognise their hard work and efforts is vital, but there are also other ways you can recognise the efforts of your employees. These are some employee recognition ideas for your business.

Merchandise

It is a good idea to give your employee’s company merchandise as part of your onboarding process, such as a pen, mug, notebook, t-shirt, etc. It will instantly make your employees feel welcome as soon as they join the company, and they will be more likely to feel recognised and make more of an effort.

Extra Holidays

An unexpected extra holiday that will allow employees some important ‘me’ time to relax is a great form of recognition. It shows that you care about their mental health and wellbeing, as well as appreciating their efforts. Extra holidays can be used to show that you are happy with your employee’s performance or the extra hours they put into a project to ensure it was delivered on time.

Surprise Gift

Happy with an employee’s effort? A gift will go a long way to show you appreciate them. If they are working remotely, you can send this out to them, or if they are in the office, you can hand-deliver it. You’d be surprised at how happy your employees will be with this, no matter how small the gift may be.

Vouchers

You could treat your employees to vouchers to give them an opportunity to choose their own gift. Vouchers are always appreciated, and they are a good example of employee recognition.

Free Lunch

You may want to offer your employee a free lunch as a form of employee recognition. If you can do this in person, all the better as it gives you the chance to bond with your employees. However, if they are working remotely, a delicious lunch turning up at their doorstep will be sure to be appreciated.

Dog Day

More people than ever are becoming dog owners, with 26% of the UK population owning a dog. You might want to consider a day where employees can bring their dog to work as a token of your appreciation. Who could resist a visit from a furry baby!

Fun Break Room

What does your canteen area currently look like? Is it a place of fun or boring chat? A good way to show you appreciate your employees is to have some activities available to make lunchtime and breaks a little more interesting. Consider hooking up a PlayStation, ping pong table, or an arcade machine. It’s relatively cheap and will show your employees that you care and want to make them happy.

Social Activities

Take your team out on a social activity day to show your appreciation, such as bowling, laser tag, or even just for lunch. It is a good way for everyone to get to know each other a little more, and even more important if you have staff working remotely. If it’s difficult to get everyone together, then you could organise a quiz or similar online.

Employee of the Month

Some companies offer ‘Employee of the Month’ as a form of employee recognition. If you appreciate your staff and want to ensure they feel valued, a reward like this can be desirable.

Office Treats

An unexpected delivery of office treats will be a hit with your employees. A pizza lunch, delivery of donuts, or a box of delicious chocolate will be sure to put a smile on your employee’s faces. If your employees are working remotely, you could always get these sent to their homes.

If you would like us to help you build employee recognition, contact us at info@bluetreehr.uk or 01787 695084

7 Ways to Increase Employee Loyalty

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

It is a candidate’s market out there now, and it has never been more important to hold onto the best talent within your organisation. Employees don’t tend to stay in jobs the way they used to, so retaining them can be a hurdle. The last thing you want is for your employees to be on the brink of leaving when any appealing offer turns up. The main goal is that your employees are happy with their job. These are some ways to increase employee loyalty in the workplace.

Promote Positive Culture

The company culture includes the company values, but also the general environment and how people interact together. Managers are responsible for ensuring that they build and maintain a positive culture, and this involves analysing their behaviours and the behaviours of others. If, for instance, you have an employee that is constantly complaining, don’t be afraid to tell them it is unacceptable. One person can bring down many, and it can cause others to want to leave. A positive culture will enhance employee loyalty.

Listen to Employee Concerns

If your employees have genuine concerns, don’t just ignore them. They will only tolerate things for a set time, and then they’ll start looking for other jobs. Some common concerns employees have are that they have been paid incorrectly or they are not getting holidays when they want them. They may need to wait weeks for responses to concerns, or they may not have adequate equipment for their job. No matter how seemingly insignificant you think the concern is, you should always take steps to deal with it, and this will increase employee loyalty.

Offer Flexibility

We live in a time when employees have more options, and they want flexibility in their day-to-day working life. The days of working 9 to 5 in an office are all but over, and unless there is a reason you are unable to facilitate this, you should consider offering flexibility. It may include working on a semi-remote basis, finishing early on a Friday, etc.

Ensure Fairness

Employees want to be treated fairly, and they are likely to consider leaving if they feel they are not being treated the same as others. For instance, if there is the opportunity for overtime or to travel with work, make sure you are offering is based on specific and legitimate reasons – and communicate these reasons. You should never offer benefits based on who you get on with best, but rather, on work-based reasons, if you want to ensure employee loyalty.

Communicate

Make sure you communicate with your employees regularly and keep them up to date on any changes within the business. There is nothing worse for employees than hearing important updates second-hand, and they will appreciate your honesty, no matter whether the communication is positive or negative. Ask employees for feedback, reach out and make sure they are happy, especially if they are working remotely. The more honest and open you are with your employees, the more employee loyalty you will get in return.

Attractive Salary and Benefits

Of course, one of the ways to improve employee loyalty in the workplace stay is down to the pay and benefits. Make sure you are paying a competitive rate and are offering similar or better benefits than your competitors. Employees need to feel valued, and the salary and benefits they receive are one way to achieve this.

Refrain from Micromanaging

Most employees just want to be able to get on with their work, the last thing they want is their manager constantly calling them up or feeling pressured to meet targets, etc. There is a way of getting the most from your employees, and micromanaging is not one of them, give your employees space to breathe, trust them to do their job and you will get employee loyalty in return.

If you’d like more advice on getting the most out of your employees, contact us for an initial chat at info@bluetreehr.uk or call 07516 335 419.

The Pandemic – How Do You Really Feel – Part Two

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

In part one of our blogs, we looked at the pandemic and how people feel about returning to work. In this blog, we will look at the results of the survey. It will include how employers have dealt with the pandemic, employer responsibilities, and what they have done to support their employees. We will offer insight and advice where possible from an HR perspective, from both the employee and employer sides.

How has the pandemic affected you?

According to our survey, just over 33% of respondents felt ‘OK’ about the pandemic and lockdown, while over 66% said they have experienced mood changes. Understandably, none of the respondents were happy about the lockdown, and thankfully, none of the respondents felt depressed. The after-effects of the lockdown are not yet known, and it is understandable to have good and bad days, even for months or years to follow. When it comes to returning to the workplace, there can be feelings of anxiety and stress. Most people will have had their mental health affected in some way.

Advice for Employees

Have an honest discussion with your employer when you return to the workplace and let them know how you’re feeling. It might also be the time to suggest flexible working if this is something that will be possible and beneficial to you. It is vital to take your time and adjust back into the real world. It’s not easy, and the more you communicate and inform your employer about your mental health, the better.

If you are suffering from poor mental health because of the lockdown, you can take some small steps to try and improve your mood. For instance, spend less time watching the news and more time doing something creative – such as reading, writing, or undertaking a course. Make sure you get outside as much as possible and maintain a good level of fitness. If the lockdown has taught us anything, it is that most of us have not appreciated nature the way we should. Take time to do what you love and stay away from things or people that are harming your mental health. As harsh as it may be to cut ties with people, it is vital to take care of yourself, first and foremost.

Advice for Employers

Make sure you discuss mental health with your employees in a quiet place when they return to the workplace. You should also check in with them regularly, as their mental health is probably going to be changeable. You should do your best to provide information on managing mental health and try to accommodate flexible working requests. It is not the time to throw employees in at the deep end; they will need time to adjust to a new (or old) way of working. Your employer responsibilities including looking after the mental health of your employees.

Flexible Working

All the respondents to the survey said that one thing they would change about the way they work on their return is flexible working. Most of the respondents wanted some form of blended working, with time spent between the office and home. Other comments were that they would like to feel more valued and work in a more positive environment. If you are not yet offering flexible working, it is time to do it.

Employer Support

57% of respondents felt that they were adequately supported by their employer during the pandemic and lockdown. Just over 33% said they were somewhat supported and 9.5% said they were not supported at all. Most respondents (just over 66%) stated that communication with their employer during lockdown was ‘OK’, while just over 33% said it was great. The number of times employers checked in with employees was variable, with around 14% stating that their employer checked in with them daily, around 57% stating they checked in weekly, 14% monthly, 9.5% every so often, and 4.7% not checking in at all. Thankfully, for most respondents, it seems that their employers did check in with them regularly, which is a good sign, especially since this has been a new experience for most of us. For the most part, it seems that employer responsibilities were taken seriously.

Positive Changes

We also asked the respondents what their employers had done to support their engagement or development during the pandemic and homeworking. These could be useful ideas for employers considering offering homeworking in the future. The responses included:

Virtual team games
Group calls on Zoom
Regular communication
Provided new equipment, laptop, etc.
Sunshine hour breaks
Virtual learning
Social time
Early finish
Quiz nights
Gifts

If you want some advice and support for getting back into the workplace after lockdown or you are an employer with concerns about how to deal with mental health or flexible working requests, you can contact us at info@bluetreehr.uk or 01787 695084.

The Pandemic – How Do You Really Feel – Part One

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused complete upheaval in all our lives. Not only have most of us been confined to the home for months, but many have also not even been able to work or have been working from home.

We recently carried out a survey at Blue Tree HR Solutions to find out more about how people feel about the pandemic and returning to work after lockdown. We wanted to get a better understanding of the concern’s employees have and whether they feel their employers have done enough to support them. We will discuss the responses, as well as any helpful tips we can offer as experienced HR professionals.

Returning to Work

According to our survey, 95% of respondents were not on furlough, suggesting that most were working from home. There was a very mixed response to the prospect of returning to the workplace, with an equal proportion (35%) stating that they were either dreading it or weren’t bothered either way, and 30% stating that they ‘couldn’t wait to return to the workplace.’

We get a lot of questions from both employees and employers about returning to work after covid and returning to work after furlough. Employers are concerned with how they should approach it and employees want to know what their rights are if they do not want to return. Many feel anxious about the possibility of being subjected to the virus or are just used to their ‘bubble’ and don’t particularly want to come out it. We hope this advice can give you some reassurance.

Advice for Employees

Firstly, the government guidelines, according to returning to work after covid, are to work from home until at least June 21^st, so according to the law, your employer cannot force you to return before this date. If you are on furlough and are concerned about childcare or other concerns about returning in June, the scheme has been extended until September, so you should speak to your employer and request an extension.

If you are being asked to return to the office as your job cannot be undertaken at home and it is after June 21^st, your employer has the right to expect you to return to your place of work, and disciplinary action may be taken if you refuse. If you simply don’t want to work from the office as you are enjoying working from home, and your work can be undertaken at home, we suggest speaking to your employer and reaching a mutual agreement. Talk to them about how you’re feeling and try to reach an arrangement, such as working from the office two days a week with the remainder at home or only attending meetings, as required.

Advice for Employers

You must not force employees to go into the office until after June 21^st. The government messaging remains to work from home. After this period, we would suggest doing your upmost to try and be flexible with your employees, as it is extremely difficult to return to work full time after getting used to working from home. If they can work from home, our advice would be to offer them some flexibility, even if they must attend the office a couple of days a week. You must ensure that precautions are taken and that your employees are safe. Take a look at the government advice on making your workplace covid safe when your employees are returning to work after lockdown.

If you need some advice on this, whether as a concerned employee or employer, get in touch with us on info@bluetreehr.uk or 01787 695084. We will be happy to take through your options.

Next week we will be discussing the general feeling about lockdown and we will offer some tips on how to deal with your mental and physical wellbeing.

5 Ways to Involve Employees in Sustainability Practices

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

There are many ways you can make the workplace more sustainable, including ensuring there are recycle bins available, introducing a paperless working environment, reducing energy usage, and adding plants to the workplace. However, for these steps to make any difference, you need to have your employees on board. Every little helps, and what may seem like insignificant changes, can make a huge difference overall if everyone is committed to these sustainability practices. These are some ways you can get involvement and commitment from employees in sustainability practices.

Educate Staff

Most people don’t understand the impact they can make; they don’t see the bigger picture. It is generally not that they don’t care about the environment, but that they are unaware of what they should do and why. One of the best ways you can engage employees in sustainability is by educating them on what they can do and the impact it can have. Most companies talk about sustainability, without really informing their employees about what to do. For example, encouraging staff to turn off their computers at the end of the day, instead of leaving them on standby. Advising them of the significance of this, and the impact it can have on sustainability.

Make it Fun

Sustainability often feels like a boring subject, but you can make it more entertaining and even fun! Make sustainability part of your meetings and encourage your employees to share their ideas on ways the company can reduce waste. Reward staff for their efforts, for instance, giving them points for energy efficient acts, such as carpooling or cycling to work. You may even want to run team activities during the day, such as litter picking and a free lunch! Making sustainability part of your day-to-day routine in the workplace, and making it fun, will improve engagement.

Remote Working

Homeworking can have significant benefits for the environment, as it cuts down carbon emissions. It would be possible to save a staggering 3 million tonnes of carbon every year if more UK employees were working from home. Only 4 million out of 30 million employees are currently permitted remote working, and this needs to change to improve energy efficiency. Make a deal with your employees. You can work remotely, but don’t use your car that day!

Car Sharing and Cycle to Work Scheme

Encouraging staff to car share is also an effective way to get them involved in sustainability. If you are not currently running a cycle-to-work scheme, now is the time to do it. This gives employees the opportunity to spread the cost of a bike and encourages them to cycle to work, which reduces air pollution and carbon emissions.

Reduce Travel

Although travel can be beneficial, most employees don’t want to do it constantly. If you currently have employees travelling regularly with work, try and find alternative solutions for them. For example, if you have a Director that is purely travelling for the purpose of attending meetings, would there be a way for them to make an appearance once every two weeks, instead of every week?. Are these meetings essential? Perhaps it could be shared virtually from home. Not only is this likely to be an appealing solution for your employee, but it also reduces travel, which, therefore, reduces carbon emissions.

Sustainability is something we are passionate about at Blue Tree HR Solutions.

If you want to learn more about sustainability, take a look at these useful resources –

https://www.b1g1.com/impacts and https://tree-nation.com/

At Blue Tree HR, we have been planting trees since 2018 to offset our carbon footprint. https://tree-nation.com/profile/impact/blue-tree-hr-solutions

If you’d like to discuss sustainability in the workplace and how you can make a difference, contact us at melanie@bluetreehr.uk or 07516 335419 for an initial discussion.

Author: Blue Tree HR