If you are currently on furlough or out of work, you may be fed up with Netflix or going for endless walks. The novelty soon wears off. With all the free time you have at your disposal, it is a great time to explore new opportunities and learn new skills. There are endless benefits to upgrading your skills. It gives you the chance to broaden your career prospects, and it helps keep your mind active. It can also boost your mental wellbeing. You may even be able to make some money from it. These are some ways to improve your skills; without it being a financial burden.
Networking and Events
Networking can improve your mental health, while also learning from others. It is particularly beneficial now when many of us are having little communication with our loved ones. There are platforms like Eventbrite, where you can find a range of different events and networking opportunities. Some are free, while others have a small fee. You may also find some other events by looking at your local government website.
Courses
We tend to think that any courses we sign up to will be expensive, but there are many free options. The Open University has a wide range of free courses; including history and the arts, health, sports, and psychology, and science. If you are considering a career change or want to enhance your knowledge, there are plenty of options to consider. Other platforms such as Udemy also offer free courses.
Learn a Language
There’s no excuse to put off learning a language now. Learning languages can improve your career opportunities. It can also allow you to engage with a network of different people. Learning languages is interesting and challenging. There are free language courses on the Open University website (link above), and a quick google search will take you to other resources. You can also get one-to-one tuition from a platform such as Babbel.
Government Courses
The government has resources available for those who want to learn new skills. Some courses are free, including Future Learn, Business Gateway (Scotland only), and The Skills Toolkit. Take advantage of every free skills resource you can, as this may change when things return to normality.
Hobbies and Interests
If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the time, now is the ideal opportunity. You never know, you might be able to make money from your hobby. YouTube is a useful resource for getting access to tutorials.
The recent Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way many businesses work, with most office workers being encouraged to work from home. According the Office for National Statistics, 86% of those who were working from home in some capacity, did so as a result of the COVID-19. Even when the pandemic comes to an end, many businesses will either be forced or choose to operate on a remote or semi-remote basis. For many, the pandemic has been an eye-opener to how business owners can utilise the skills of people from across the globe. In many cases, there is no real need to work together in an office. The same work can be completed efficiently with remote workers.
The obstacle in all of this is the recruitment and on-boarding of new recruits. How do you onboard new staff without ever meeting them face to face? Is it even possible?
It is possible, but you need to be prepared to alter your current onboarding strategy to adapt it to the remote worker while ensuring they feel welcome and part of the community. These are some tips for the successful onboarding of remote staff.
Develop a Plan
Starting a new job is nerve-wracking enough, but the thought of working remotely can make it feel even more stressful. To ensure new recruits are not worrying about the impending start date, make sure you develop a plan and send it to them at least a few days before they start. The onboarding process should not last a day or two, it should last at least two weeks. This gives the recruit ample time for training, learning the ropes, and settling in. The plan should include what they will do each day, including training, meetings, etc. Do not make the first two weeks heavy for the new start, go easy on them. There is a lot of information to absorb, and you want to ensure they return the next day!
Set Expectations
This is one of the difficulties of remote working and the aspect that business owners find the most difficult to manage. How do you set expectations when you are not in the office together? Consider the following:
What time should their shift commence? If it’s 9 am, for instance, do you want them to be logged in and ready for 9 or do you expect them to start logging in at 9? It may seem pedantic, but it is important to cover your exact requirements with any new starts.
When is the lunch break? Advise them how long they have for lunch and when they should take it. If you don’t have a set time, inform them of this. Do they need to let anyone before logging off or can they suit themselves?
Do you have targets? If you have set targets you expect them to achieve each day, let them know what these are.
Can they work flexibly? What is the general culture of the company? Do you expect them to work rigid hours or are you flexible if the targets are achieved? Some businesses require workers to be at their desk and available during normal working hours, while others don’t care if you work at 4 in the morning if you do the work! It may even be beneficial if you are a global company.
What is the culture? As you are not working face to face, it can be difficult for new starts to get a feel for the culture, so it’s worth giving them some information on this. For example, it may be quite a chatty, relaxed environment or it could be a head down, get on with the work culture. They must understand how they are expected to operate within the business.
Provide Equipment
You should always ensure that the new start has all the necessary equipment. Don’t just assume they have broadband or a laptop. If you are hiring a permanent employee, you should always supply them with a computer/laptop, etc. Not only is this better for the security of files and documents, but they shouldn’t have to use their equipment for work purposes. Also, consider any stationery they may need and a comfortable chair.
Regular Communication
Communication is the most important part of the onboarding process. You don’t have the luxury of speaking to the recruit whenever you want, and it can be easy for people to feel isolated when they are working alone. Make sure you speak to the new start daily during the onboarding process and check that they are getting on well. Find out if they have any questions or concerns. It is a good idea to set up instant messaging or a forum so that employees can get help with any questions they have, quickly and easily. Making your new start feel welcome and part of the company from day one is imperative for successful onboarding.
You can find out more about our HR services, or feel free to contact us for an initial discussion.
It goes without saying that working from home has a lot of perks. You don’t need to tackle the traffic, stick to a rigid routine or take your breaks at certain times. It can also save you a lot of money, as you don’t need to pay for travel, and you are less likely to nip to the shop for your lunch. However, it does come with its downsides. It can be difficult to treat your days like a normal ‘day in the office’, and consequently, your productivity can plummet.
There are ways to avoid this though, and these are some of our top tips for being productive when working at home.
Work in Short Bursts
When you are working from home, you have the luxury of being able to set your own pace, and even if you have set hours you need to be available, you don’t need to be as rigid with your day. You’ll find that if you work in short bursts, it will be far more effective than trying to work for hours at a time. You may want to set a schedule to work for sets of two hours and take short breaks in-between.
Reduce Social Media
Social media can offer a lot of benefits, but it can also be extremely distracting. You might log on to quickly check your notifications, and before you know it, an hour has passed and all you’ve done is scrolled through content. There is nothing wrong with using social media, but set specific time to use it, otherwise you could lose a lot of time out of your day. Log out of your accounts if it helps or delete the app from your phone.
Set a Routine
Make sure you have a routine set for the day when you are working from home, and one which isn’t too demanding. If you don’t like mornings, make sure you spend the morning on the tasks you enjoy the most and those which don’t take too much brain activity. For example, responding to emails and arranging meetings. Your routine should include your scheduled hours, breaks and you can incorporate your scheduled time for checking social media.
Listen to Music or Podcasts
It’s amazing how important music can be for lift your spirits and making you more productive. If you find it difficult to work with music on, then you can maybe listen to it when you are doing your admin tasks. Podcasts can also be enjoyable, and particularly those which are positive and uplifting.
Manage Expectations
One of the difficulties of working from home is that you may have the day-to-day distractions that your family can bring. Make sure you manage your expectations by setting boundaries. Work in your own quiet space and set times where you don’t want to be distracted. If you have young children at home, try to get into a routine where you work while they are sleeping or give them some things to do while you work. If you have video meetings to attend, make sure you have your own quiet space to undertake them.
Communicate with Others
Although you are working from home, it is not a good idea to get into a routine where you don’t speak to anyone all day. This particularly important if you live on your own. It may be colleagues, clients or you could even arrange to join in networking meetings during your breaks.
If you are working from home and need advice on any issues you are facing at work, get in touch with us to discuss our HR services on 01787 695 084 or email melanie@bluetreehr.uk.
Blue Tree HR Solutions are really keen to be environmentally friendly. As the name suggests… we love Trees! For this reason, Blue Tree HR is Green. We have been doing our bit to try and save the planet since the beginning.
We believe it is important that we consider our effect on the environment. Global warming, deforestation, melting polar ice-caps and the resulting endangered species. This list of environmental impacts is endless and it is hard to know what to do.
In reality, we are a small business and we appreciate that we can’t really make a big impact, but doing something is better than nothing.
CO2 Neutral
We registered with Tree-Nation in October 2018. We have been paying to have trees planted in various projects across the world.
It’s something we are very proud to be part of.
Blue Tree HR Solutions committed to being a carbon-neutral company in 2018 and sponsor trees to be planted around the world. For two years we have been off-setting at least 1 tonne of CO2 per month. As a result, we have had 129 trees around the world. And, we adding to this number every month. As the business grows we plan to increase how much we offset. So we remain carbon neutral.
The graph shows the purchase of trees each month to offset CO2 emissions
Projects such as planting indigenous trees and plants deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. The Camino Verde project is dedicated to protecting and understanding biodiversity. Also, protecting indigenous rights, autonomy, and wisdom. Resulting in sustainable ways of life and encouraging fair, sustainable development. It’s inspirational stuff!
Different trees are planted for different reasons. For example to provide food or to support wildlife, or maybe generate an income.The project plants trees all over the world in various replantation projects, many areas have been affected by floods, fire or ongoing deforestation.
Reducing our Travel
Another way that Blue Tree HR is Green, is by reducing our fuel consumption. One of our clients required us to fly to Dublin on a regular basis, this is clearly not very environmentally friendly. I have persuaded them to use video calls instead. This is much better for the environment and actually much more time-efficient. The client thought that having face to face meetings was important. This may be true in some circumstances, but it is not necessary for every meeting.
Reducing waste
We have considered our waste output and as a result we:
avoid printing documents wherever possible
use recycled paper and pens
recycle our paper, printer cartridges and batteries
avoid using paper cups at meetings
always carry our own water bottles to reduce unnecessary single-use plastic.
Helping Endangered Species
For a couple of years we have been sponsoring an Orangutan via the WWF (World Wildlife Fund). Such amazing animals with a desperate plight.
We are looking to find other ways to support wildlife and sustainablity projects across the world. Aspiring to help businesses who are not as fortunate as we are in the UK. We have some ideas, so watch this space!
Other ideas? Ideally, we would have a solar powered company car and visit clients in an eco-friendly fashion. Maybe one day?
We are really pleased to have been promoted to Gold breatheHR partner status.
breatheHR is a great software tool. It’s great to see so many of our clients using it to manage all the day to day admin that comes with managing employees.
Due to social distancing rules in place, we celebrated via a zoom call with Bethan from breatheHR headquarters. Bethan had the balloons and Melanie had the party poppers!
Life as an HR consultant over the last 4 months of the pandemic has been an ‘interesting time’!
In early March before the lockdown began business owners were understandably worried. We could all see what was going on in China and other parts of Europe on the news and knew it was inevitably going to affect us here in the UK.
The advice given: wash hands for at least 20 seconds
First, we started looking at options. What would we do in a lockdown situation? What if we can’t work and I won’t be able to afford to pay my staff?
Lay-off Clause
All of my clients have contracts which include a lay-off clause – so this was our starting point. Ideally, nobody wants to do this. It’s in the contract but it really is a route nobody wants to use for any length of time.
Put simply, it allows employers to send staff home when there is no work. The only pay they will receive is a statutory guaranteed payment which is £30 per day for a maximum of five days in a three month period. That’s a total of £150.00 in three months!
Many businesses closed due to the pandemic during March.
We were all in the dark as to how long the Coronavirus pandemic would continue and that dreaded word kept cropping up ‘unprecedented’! No employer wanted to tell their staff –“go home, you will get £150.00 and hopefully, you can come back soon”, with the alternative being to pay the staff without any revenue there wasn’t really a choice. It was quite frightening.
I started preparing letters but advised clients to hold fire with sending them out. There were whisperings that the government was going to help in some way.
20th March 2020 the government announces the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The 20th March 2020 the government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme. Typically announcing it on a Friday at 5pm! Monday morning my phone started ringing at 7am. Everyone needed to know what they had to do.
Working alongside lots of other HR consultants and got involved in various HR consultants’ forums to consider what was going on. Everyone was having to figure things out as we were drip-fed the legislation.
But what a relief!
Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief; Businesses saved overnight. Employers could sleep at night knowing their employees were going to continue to receive some pay when the business was shut down.
I know of business owners literally crying they were so happy; people already been made redundant were called and offered their jobs back.
Furlough
That seems like a long time ago now and furlough has become a word used more than any other in HR circles. How we furlough, who we furlough, what can happen during furlough?
Legislation has continued to evolve and overall, I think it has been a great scheme. There have been some downsides, but people receiving 80% pay whilst not being able to go anywhere and spend their money have mostly been quite happy. People who earn over £30k per year have been harder hit as the cap was at £2,500 per month. On the whole it had the desired effect. People stayed at home.
23rd March 2020 – “Stay At Home”
After the announcement on the 23rd March advising everyone to stay at home – about 80% of the employers I work with furloughed their staff. Constructions sites could continue to work, but within a week they could not get access to resources. Inevitably, staff continued to be furloughed into April when everything had come to a standstill.
Keyworkers were not furloughed and continued to work through lockdown.
Since then, I have been advising clients on the changes to the furlough scheme and planning ways of bringing employees back to the workplace or helping them manage staff who are home-working. I also became an NHS volunteer and have been helping people in need – delivering food, collecting prescriptions, and ringing up people who are lonely and need a chat.
Changes to Business
In May the redundancies started.
Many businesses affected by the pandemic have had to make big changes and the lockdown period has given employers time to consider the most economic way of running effectively.
Unfortunately, this often means job losses. Again, the HR forums are busy, this time managing redundancies is now commonplace and every HR consultant I know, is dealing with various redundancy situations.
Working with employers to try and avoid redundancies has been the majority of my workload through June, with the job retention scheme making it cost effective to put staff on notice during their furlough, businesses realize it is better to make these decisions now instead of later.
Flexible furlough scheme
Social distancing with anyone who does not live in your household
The flexible furlough scheme came into effect on the 1st July 2020 and this really is a good scheme. I personally think it would have been better if it had been introduced earlier. However, I appreciate the government had to make some quick decisions back in March.
This new improved scheme allows staff to work for the business on a part-time basis or shorter hours. Employers can choose: a week on/ week off or shorter days or a couple of hours a week. Any arrangement that works for the business. It helps with the gradual return back to work.
The Job retention Scheme Grant pays 80% of the wages for the time the employees are not working. I have been kept me busy making sure the correct agreements with employees are in place. And ensuring employers understand what they can and can’t do.
The new ‘Normal’
It feels as though we are through the worst of the pandemic. Many businesses are back at work with the majority of their staff working.
The way we all work has changed – with alternating shift patterns, one way systems, lots of home working, so many video calls and hand santizer literally everywhere. There are high cases of people suffering from various mental health issues which is a big issue for workplaces and a worrying outcome of the pandemic and lockdown.
We are all trying to keep a distance from each other and panic ensues every time we hear someone cough. But there seems to be some hope… people are getting on with life and employees mostly are happy to get back to some kind of normality.
We are midway through July and I wonder what the future holds. One thing is for sure if ever there was a time for businesses to need HR support it is 2020.
If you are in need of HR support please get in touch- we give fifteen minutes of free advice to anyone who calls and are happy to answer your questions.
The Job Retention Scheme, recently proposed by the government is great news for employers. Business owners were wondering how they were going to cope during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The Job Retention Scheme
What is the Job Retention Scheme?
With the Job Retention Scheme, employers can put their employees on furlough. This is a temporary lay-off, meaning as soon as there is work available again staff can be asked to return to work as before.
The Government has confirmed it will provide grants to businesses. This will cover 80% of wage costs to a maximum of £2,500 per person per month.
So if you are wondering if this Job Retention Scheme could help you, I have answered a few of the frequently asked questions below:
Can I furlough part-time workers?
Yes. In fact, you can furlough all types of workers part-time, full time, employed agency, zero hours, variable hours. They will all be entitled to the Job Retention Scheme grant.
What is someone is on sick leave?
When someone is on sick leave they will continue to receive sick pay in accordance with their employment terms and conditions. If they are due to return, you can initiate a period of furlough on their return date.
Can I have rotate staff on furlough leave?
You can, but the minimum period for qualifying is three weeks, so you will need to rotate on a three-week cycle, any less and you will not receive the grant.
Can staff do a small amount of work for me whilst on a furlough period?
The government guidance stipulates that anyone on furlough is not permitted to carry out work for their employer or anyone else.
So many questions about the furlough…
What if my employee has more than one job?
Employees who currently have more than one employer can be put on furlough by one employer and continue to work for the other. If they are put on furlough by more than one employer, they’ll receive separate payments from each employer. The 80% of their normal wage up to a £2,500 monthly cap applies to each job.
What if someone is on maternity leave?
An employee on maternity leave will continue to receive their maternity pay as before, no change. If they are due to start their maternity leave soon, they can be put on furlough, until the maternity leave starts. NOTE: If their earnings have reduced due to a period on furlough their Maternity Leave starting this may affect their Statutory Maternity Pay.
If someone is due to come back to work following maternity leave, you can initiate a period of furlough instead of returning to work.
I had a new recruit who started on during March, do they qualify?
Employers can only claim for staff who were employed on the 28th February and new starters since then do not qualify for the grant.
What about National Minimum wage?
Pay on furlough does not have to meet the national minimum wage because they are not being paid to work.
How is the 80% payment calculated?
For full time and part-time salaried employees, the employee’s actual salary before tax, as of 28 February should be used to calculate the 80%. Fees, commission and bonuses should not be included.
In the case of employees with variable pay, who have been employed for a full year, employers will claim for the higher of either: the amount the employee earned in the same month last year, or an average of their monthly earnings from the last year.
For staff on variable pay, who’ve been employed for less than a year, employers will claim an average of their monthly earnings since they started work.
Is the payment subject the tax and national insurance and pension?
Wages of furloughed employees will be subject to Income Tax and National Insurance as usual. Employees will also pay automatic enrolment contributions on qualifying earnings, as usual.
Employers will be liable to pay Employer National Insurance contributions on wages paid as well as the usual pension contributions.
These are difficult times for employers and we are here to help employers. If you have any questions about the Job Retention Scheme or any other employment issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me.
At some point, all managers have to hold difficult conversations. But how do you have a difficult conversation with employees?
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach, but being prepared can really help you manage any situation, so we have created a short video about how to have difficult conversations.
We also have a handy checklist to help you prepare.
It can be tough having difficult conversations with employees, but we are here to help if you need any support. Just call 07516335419 if you would like to speak to us at Blue Tree HR Solutions.
All employers will experience some kind of unwanted behaviour from their staff. People are people and there will always be the occasional ‘bad apple’ who flouts the rules and causes problems that needs to be addressed by management. Following your disciplinary procedure is key.
Whether you have an employee who is caught stealing, watching porn on the company computer or taking extended lunch breaks, all employee issues should be dealt with in the same way.
Disciplinary Procedure
Always follow your disciplinary procedure and if you don’t have one then follow the statutory procedures stated by ACAS.
Act promptly – you need to take action as soon as possible.
Collect as much evidence as you can, things are not always as cut and dried as they seem. There may be an explanation.
Never just dismiss someone – make sure you give them the opportunity to give their side of the story – even if you think they have been caught red-handed. They still have the right to a fair dismissal.
In my experience staff who are questioned about wrong-doings, will lie. They will make up the most bizarre stories to trying to avoid disciplinary action. This is why it is really important to collect as much evidence as possible.
“Your car broke down and you had to walk here? So, why is your car across the road?”
I was once in a situation where a member of staff was over one hour late returning from her lunch break – she insisted her car had broken down ( one mile away). Obviously I asked her where was her car now? And why didn’t she call work, we could probably have helped?
She said, her car was still a mile away and her Dad was going to look at it.
I had seen her park her car across the road when she returned, so I knew she was lying. I said, “So, why is your car across the road?” she answered – “Oh, my Dad must have fixed it and brought it here.”!
My point is, even in a situation that really was a minor misdemeanor, she still squirmed and desperately tried to appear innocent. Whereas, in fact, the lying just made the situation worse.
Control your own emotions
It can be infuriating when staff misbehave and cause you issues and you have the mess to deal with. Remaining calm throughout the process will help you make rational and fair decisions. If you come to expect lies and surprises it helps deal with the stress that comes from managing staff.
Situations are likely to be complicated and require lots of investigating and interviewing numerous witnesses, but it pays off to do it properly. Other employees will appreciate it if they see management taking misconduct seriously, and shows that such wrongdoings are not tolerated.
Warnings
If you do need to give someone a warning, make sure you:
Put it in writing
give the employee an opportunity to appeal
stick to your procedure with regard to how long the warning remains on their file.
Keep all notes from the investigation
Carrying out disciplinaries is a necessary part of managing staff and is never fun. If you need support with carrying out a disciplinary investigation or hearing – Blue Tree HR Solutions offer ad-hoc or ongoing retained support – these kinds of problems are passed to an outsourced HR manager, giving you peace of mind, knowing the issue will be dealt with effectively.
“A member of staff is asking for an increased holiday allowance. How much holiday are other firms offering? If I give them extra holiday it’s not fair on the other employees, how should we manage this?”
Employee holiday allowance is a hot topic! Staff wanting additional holiday is a reoccurring concern for business owners – staff are wanting more than the standard 20 days plus bank holidays.
It also seems to be a common occurrence that people are requesting additional holiday at the job offer stage too. With the high employment rates currently in the UK, good candidates can be short supply and in some instances making demands on their new would-be employers.
Employee holiday allowance is a hot topic.
With large corporate companies generally providing their employees with holiday allowances higher than the statutory 5.6 weeks per year. This is leaving smaller businesses and start-ups trying to keep up to ensure they retain their staff and recruit good people.
Paid holiday has always been an emotive subject, and woe betide the HR manager who makes a wrong calculation of a part timers holiday allowance!
So, on the whole, workers are striving for a better work-life balance and more annual leave can help with this.
Families often have both parents at work, they often need extra time off to cover children illnesses, appointments and school holidays.
Unfortunately, employees generally don’t appreciate the cost involved in giving their staff all extra holiday allowance. It can be a big cost consideration for businesses.
What are the options?
Every situation is different, and it will depend on the business. As mentioned above, there can be significant costs involved. Having staff out of the business for an extra two days per year means less output at work and more days with absent staff, with work needing to be covered.
Managing the staff holiday calendar can be problematic.
Sometimes, there are people in the workplace who don’t actually want extra holiday and find it hard to use the holiday allowance they already have.
Rewarding Long service
The first option is to consider rewarding long service with additional holiday allowance. For example, some schemes offer an extra day per year after every 5 years of service.
Unpaid leave
It may be an option that staff can request unpaid leave, allowing staff to book unpaid leave to top up their holiday allowance. This can be manageable for some businesses. Best practise, would be asking staff to request in advance and not just be absent because it’s a sunny day.
Parental Leave
Parental leave is available for eligible employees
Remember that, eligible parents of children under 18 are legally entitled to eighteen weeks of parental leave. Usually a maximum of four weeks in any one year, the employer can agree to more, depending on their policies. This is unpaid leave and both parents can take parental leave during each child’s childhood, for more information go to https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave
How about considering a scheme where employees can purchase additional holiday or sell unwanted holiday. Usually a maximum of one week. How much does a holiday day cost? The cost of a holiday day is their calculated day rate and this is taken out of their salary over the year. For example: if they are paid £120 per day – £10 will be deducted from their salary each month of the year. This can be beneficial in helping with an employee’s finances. Effectively, spreading the cost over the year, instead of deducting one day’s pay, as would be the case for unpaid leave.
A good work-life balance is important to your employee’s wellbeing. So it’s really important they take their holidays. However, if you have employees who find they always have days left at the end of the holiday year it allows them to convert unused holiday to cash.
Statutory requirements
Statutory holiday entitlement in the UK is 5.6 weeks per year. This includes 8 bank holidays. Of course, you are within your rights to stick the legal minimum and not allow unpaid leave unless employees have a statutory entitlement.
How will increasing holiday benefit my business?
Are you are under pressure to increase your employees holiday allowance? There are some possible benefits:
Reduces unauthorised absenteeism
Employees who choose to take additional holiday may be more productive as they are less tired
Encourages employees to plan in advance which in turn can make it easier for your business to manage resources/cover
Managing holiday
If you need support managing holiday allowances for your team or you have any other HR query, please get in touch.
