Employees Archives - Blue Tree HR Solutions

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 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.

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.

5 Ways to Improve Your Skills During Lockdown

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Blue Tree HR

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.

Managing Naughty Employees.

Posted on November 13, 2019April 28, 2023 by Blue Tree HR

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.

Call 07516335419 if you have any questions.

Employee Holiday Allowance

Posted on May 28, 2019April 28, 2023 by Blue Tree HR

“Staff are wanting more holiday!”

“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.

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

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

Parental leave information – Government website

Holiday exchange scheme

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.

Being The Employee On The Other Side Of The Table

Posted on February 26, 2019April 28, 2023 by Blue Tree HR

Have you ever thought about how your employee is feeling during their meeting with the boss?

As a manager or supervisor, it may be difficult to appreciate how it feels for the employees sitting opposite you during the meeting if you have not experienced it yourself. You may not remember the trepidation you had when you were due to have a one to one with your boss or the uneasiness you had speaking up about your performance in an appraisal.

I have been managing HR and personnel issues for over 15 years, but I had my fair share of meetings on the other side of the table before I was a manager, this includes performance reviews, disciplinaries and grievances.

Getting a Telling Off!

In my first job, I was involved in a huge mistake, having been left to work on my own, a large glass container holding a valuable ingredient had a crack in it. Cutting a long story short, with the help of a colleague I disposed of it.

The next day, I was sent to the Production Managers office – I remember it clearly over 20 years later. He shouted and swore at me, he was red-faced and angry, and I was holding it together as I was petrified. I had unknowingly discarded all of the remaining stock of this ingredient, which would take at least 8 weeks to produce. He accused me of losing the business thousands of pounds and that it would reduce workload for the whole business for many weeks.

I was not given advance warning of the meeting, nor given an opportunity to give my side of the story, I was alone and being shouted at by a senior manager.

In reality – what did this meeting achieve? I was now a scared employee, worried about using my initiative in the future. Confused as to why a new employee would be left with such high-value risk. My opinion of the manager was now tainted, and I felt they treated their staff terribly, yes I had made a costly mistake, but was I entirely to blame?

In later years, I was in a situation where I believed I was being treated unfairly. So, I filed a grievance. I was told that I should not stir up trouble, but I felt determined to right this wrong. I was fortunate in that the managers dealing with the grievance were understanding and showed concern for my circumstances.

People do not make grievances for fun.

In my experience it was a stressful time, I would not have carried on with the process if I did not feel so passionate about the circumstances.

Everyone is different and the reactions to a meeting with a senior manager can vary depending on so many factors. I have seen people shaking in fear of their annual performance review, even when they get on well with their manager, they are worried about what might be said in the meeting.

I have observed people telling long convoluted lies, to try and explain mistakes. The employees are so apprehensive that they make the situation worse.

Think about how the person is feeling on the other side of the table.

All managers should appreciate that there is a difference in seniority between you and the member of staff. Even if you think you are a friendly manager, who is easy to approach, with an open-door policy, your staff will always think of you as the boss, and with that comes a relationship where you are in charge and they should respect your opinion.

Staff will want you to say nice things about them, but also know that it is your job to tell them when you are not entirely happy with their performance or there is a problem.

These days statutory requirements ensure that staff are treated fairly, and all employers should provide the basic statutory rights for staff involved in grievances and disciplinaries. It is also vitally important that you think about the persons’ feelings too.

Prepare for your meetings and make sure you consider what their reaction may be.
Be patient, listen, show empathy,
take a break if needed and always remain calm.

In every staff 1-2-1 meeting it is important that the employee feels listened to, and the managers compassion for the situation, as well as behaving in a professional and unbiased manner at all times.

Any meeting or conversation will be much more beneficial if conducted well and the employee isn’t just sitting there hoping it will be over as quick as possible!

If you would like some support and advice on preparing for employee meetings, please get in touch.

Melanie Knight – Blue Tree HR Solutions

Call Me

Tag: Employees