When it comes to making large structural changes in an organisation, there’s often lots of planning and discussion particularly in relation to communicating with affected staff and ensuring meaningful consultation. I’ve talked in an earlier blog post about how, in spite of change being something we see constantly, many still find it very unsettling. I concluded that post by reiterating the importance of taking a people focused approach to change management, and thinking carefully about individual experiences when making these big decisions.

With all of this in mind – what on earth is happening with big companies taking incredibly risky, potentially illegal approaches to change management?!

We started the madness back in December last year where the CEO of better.com informed 900 employees via video call that they would be making large scale redundancies. Vishal Garg issued an impersonal and thoughtless one way video message to employees, that resulted in him latterly issuing an apology for his behaviour. The company did then, however, make significant redundancies that were handled in a similarly poor way with some individuals affected finding out as a result of their severance package hitting their bank account before any communication was issued (Kelly, 2022).

Fast forward to March 2022 when P&O Ferries sacked approximately 800 employees, also via video communication, without giving them any notice, replacing them with cheaper agency workers in order to ensure the continuity of the business (Dean, 2022). Affected individuals were offered a severance package, but only if they signed a settlement agreement as part of the process (Moores, 2022).

Now here we are, in November, with some Twitter staff finding out that they’ve been let go by being unable to use any of their corporate devices and latterly receiving an email confirming whether or not they had a job and (if appropriate) highlighting the offer of a 3 month severance package (Humphrey, 2022) – again, no notice, completely impersonal and no period of consultation.

So….first things first – what are businesses in the UK legally obligated to do if they’re going to make large scale redundancies?

1.       On determining that redundancies are a possibility, organisations should have looked at other potential ways to save money to ensure that any job losses are a last resort. Alternatives could include offering voluntary redundancy packages, offering reduced hours, concluding agency or contract workers etc.

2.       If redundancies are necessary an organisation will next need to compile a redundancy plan – as part of this they will need to consider who might be affected, fair methods for redundancy selection, what process to follow (i.e. is it a collective consultation or not), support for affected employees etc.

3.       They’ll then need to inform employees that redundancies are being considered and open consultation for affected individuals. Consultation should be meaningful and include discussions about the rationale for the redundancies, providing opportunities for employees to suggest alternative proposals, a discussion of the redundancy selection method, opportunities for employees to raise concerns and a summary of support available.

When consulting, organisations should ensure they do this in the right way. If they’re making fewer than 20 redundancies, consultation could take place on an individual, rather than collective, basis (although they may choose to engage in collective consultation instead). There’s also no requirement to notify the governments Redundancy Payment Scheme (RPS). Where more than 20 redundancies are proposed, from a single establishment and these will happen within 90 days the organisation is obligated to consult collectively. They’re also required to notify the RPS if they’re going to make between 20-99 redundancies, 30 days before the 1^st dismissal, and for more than 100 redundancies they must notify RPS of this 45 days before the 1^st dismissal.

4.       On conclusion of the consultation period, the organisation should select employees for redundancy fairly, ensure redundancy payments have been appropriately calculated, serve notice and offer an appeal. They should also facilitate the opportunity for affected employees to search for alternative employment as a reasonable alternative to redundancy.

For more detail on the full process, see the ACAS website - https://www.acas.org.uk/manage-staff-redundancies

This process has been in place for many years, and failure to notify the RPS and afford the appropriate duration of consultation is something that could constitute a criminal offence – so why on earth are business owners taking such a caviller approach?

Well, not all of the companies listed above are subject to UK employment law, which explains how they’ve been able to legally take the approach they have even if morally and ethically it doesn’t sit comfortably. Those who are subject to UK employment law, however, could find themselves facing law suits and an unlimited fine.

Don’t get me wrong – I understand that sometimes business owners have to make really difficult decisions, and where redundancies are being considered it’s a last resort and often a measure implemented to enable the survival of the business. This doesn’t, however, mean that an organisation should give no regard to the law, due process, or even the human beings that their decisions impact!

There’s having a commercial focus, and then there’s just being reckless. The last few years have been really tough for a lot of organisations, but to take this approach is just madness. So I implore you – if you’re in the unfortunate position of having to make some of these difficult decisions, seek advice from qualified and capable individuals that you trust, ensure you’re following the law and due process, and please don’t forget that every one of those employees impacted by your decision is a person first.

Kelly J (2022) https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/03/09/ceo-who-fired-900-employees-via-a-zoom-video-and-called-his-employees-dumb-dolphins-had-a-mass-layoff-some-workers-found-out-by-seeing-their-bank-account/?sh=3dc0881225fe

Dean I (2022) https://www.dentons.com/en/insights/articles/2022/april/14/collective-redundancies-and-the-p-and-o-ferries-debacle

Moores W (2022) https://sasdaniels.co.uk/blog/did-po-ferries-break-the-law-in-making-800-staff-redundant/

Humphrey A (2022) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/business-63511430

Keeping abreast with current affairs over the last few years has been depressing to say the least, and I’m not ashamed to say that in a bid to protect my mental health somewhat I’ve been avoiding consuming too much mass media. (Let’s face it – life can be tough enough without having to constantly hear about the pandemic, wars, corrupt politicians etc.) It’s very hard, however, to ignore the horrendous economic crisis that we are facing right now, and if you’re an employer you’ve been undoubtedly thinking about rising costs for both your business and your employees.

When fuel costs were set to increase beyond all reasonable belief, some employers started to offer support to their employees. John Lewis, for example, are issuing a £500 payment to full time staff and have engaged in other supportive measures such as offering free meals and interest free loans (Williams, 2022; and Butler, 2022). Hays Travel have also set up a new initiative that sees all employees part of a monthly prize draw, where prizes have included paying an employee’s mortgage and bill payments for 6 months (Ford, 2022). These companies aren’t on their own, a recent survey undertaken by PwC found that 83% of large companies are taking action to try and support employees with the continual rising cost of living (Cave, 2022).

All of this is, of course, easier to offer when you’re a large organisation – but what about smaller businesses who may want to try and offer something to make a difference? What could you look to do to support employees and try to keep engagement high when the wider climate is incredibly challenging? Below are a few ideas:

1.       Consider facilitating a salary review – This is perhaps an obvious option, but with costs rising as they are it may be time to consider reviewing salaries. Not only do you want to ensure your organisation is competitive by offering salaries that appropriately recognise the skills and responsibilities held by your employees to attract the best candidates for vacancies; but you also want to retain your best talent and salary is a huge driver for people right now. With the “great resignation” continuing and people re-evaluating what’s important to them, failing to pay appropriately could have a significant impact on your retention figures. Don’t wait for staff to come to you with offers from other organisations before you acknowledge their talent by paying them what they’re worth.

2.       Think about meaningful bonuses – Could you help bump up employee pay by implementing a bonus scheme of some sort? There’s a whole host of ways in which a bonus scheme could bring about positive change for the organisation. You could link bonuses to overall company profit, thereby incentivising everyone to think about the bigger picture and appreciate the part they play in achieving the wider aims of the business. Alternatively, you could consider linking bonuses specifically to the achievement of objectives as part of personal performance reviews. If implemented right, not only can this drive business performance but it could also have a huge impact on employee income.

3.       Offer perks – Are you part of a cycle to work scheme? Do you facilitate employee discounts at local/national stores? There are a number of ways that you could support employees by offering them access to a variety of perks. A cycle to work scheme, or joining in with a discount scheme, is optional and a tax efficient way for employees to get discounts from their favourite stores. Every little helps!

4.       Stock the fridges – Whether it’s subsidised tea and coffee facilities or access to a buffet lunch once per week, another way in which you could consider supporting employees is by offering them access to paid refreshments. Yes, there may be contention around people using the tea/coffee milk supply for their breakfast cereal, and yes you will need to think about dietary requirements, but with the cost of living increasing any offer of this nature may be well received.

5.       Trial a 4 day working week/allow more hybrid and flexible working options – While not an obvious one, this could have big benefits for employer and employees alike. A number of companies have entered into a trial enabling employees to work a 4 day week without seeing a reduction in salary. At the half way mark, 86% of respondents note that they’re likely or very likely to continue with the arrangement beyond the trial period. Respondents have also noted an increase in productivity (Ledsom, 2022). Trailing a working arrangement like this one can support with the cost of living crisis if staff are able to offset childcare costs or costs for other caring responsibilities that they’d otherwise have. The modern workforce is changing, and people don’t necessarily want strict working patterns – they want to be able to do their own work in their own way. While this won’t be suitable for every organisation (e.g. those working shifts in a manufacturing environment can’t suddenly decide to work at an alternative time, nor would they have the resources to work from home); it might be an interesting option to consider for some.

6.       Implement an employee assistance program (EAP)/subsidised Health and Wellbeing options – The pandemic has had a profound impact on so many people, and demands on the health service right now are at an all time high. If you’re able to, why not consider signing up to an EAP to give your employees access to mental health support, and assistance with other holistic concerns? Waiting times for NHS funded mental health provision is high, and facilitating something like this privately is very costly. If you’re able to support employees in this way, it can have a huge impact not only on their mental health, but also on your business as a result.

7.       Evaluate your travel policy and arrangements – Do you have a lot of staff who have to travel for work? Do you offer subsidised vehicle purchases, and is your rate for business mileage keeping up with the cost of fuel? Evaluating your existing policies and processes in this area will ensure that they’re fit for purpose and don’t leave staff worse off for undertaking work related travel.

If you’re considering implementing something to support your staff, you may want to think about conducting a survey first to ensure that any proposed benefits will have a real impact and make a difference. Offering more flexible working opportunities wouldn’t be seen as a benefit to a workforce who all want to come in and work from the office rather than paying to heat their own homes. Equally, a cycle to work scheme and shopping discounts may not be seen as a benefit if you operate out of a really remote location where the majority of people need to drive to work and couldn’t easily access retail parks. While you won’t be able to please everyone, a poll of some sort will help you to ensure that your offer has a meaningful impact.

It goes without saying that none of these suggestions are free to an employer, but many of these employee benefits would act as an “invest to save” with employers seeing increased engagement, better productivity, increased profits and better retention statistics as a result. I don’t believe it’s the responsibility of employers to counteract the difficult times that their workforce are going through, but if you’re able do anything to try and help not only will your staff be grateful – but you’ll also likely reap the benefits!

I’d love to hear your thoughts – what, if anything, have you been doing to support your employees during this difficult time?

So life has been absolutely crazy, and as a result I have missed a couple of months’ worth of blog posts! I wish I could blame my absence on something hugely exciting, but the truth is that working and running around after my two boys this summer has been all encompassing. With the new school year fast approaching, I’ve had chance to get back into some semblance of a routine, and with that I’ve finally been able to sit down and write again!

Unfortunately this last week saw both my husband and I taken out by some sort of nasty 24 hour bug. While this was a vastly unpleasant experience, I was thankful for three things:

1.       That somehow our two boys escaped it (a miracle in itself as I’m still breastfeeding our youngest)

2.       That we didn’t get the bug simultaneously, thereby enabling the one well parent to look after the aforementioned well (and full of energy) boys

3.       That, while wallowing in bed and praying for death, I was able to watch another Netflix show called “Partner Track” which has prompted this blog post

For those of you who haven’t watched this show, it follows a Senior Associate within a large New York law firm, working hard to be promoted to Partner. Throughout the episodes the main protagonist, and her friends/colleagues, are put in positions whereby they have to choose between their beliefs and principles, or making decisions that will benefit their career. Now, I love a good ethical dilemma, and the most interesting quandary for me came as a result of an incredibly racist speech that was made during a work event by another of the Senior Associates, also on track to be promoted to Partner. Events unfold as follows:

· A complaint is made about the speech

· The matter is investigated by HR

· HR present their investigation to the board along with a recommended sanction

· The board decide that, because the Senior Associate in question brings in an inordinate amount of money, they don’t want to issue the recommended sanction because it will preclude them from being promoted. Instead they give the guy a “slap on the wrist”

· This prompts another Senior Associate (and the subject of the racist speech) to tender their resignation with immediate effect. The firm had pre-empted this and offered a settlement agreement, which was promptly turned down and the employee in question left in a blaze of furious social media posts

Well….I watched this absolutely enthralled. While the HR process followed was a little different from the process that would be followed in the UK (including the fact that a sanction given to one employee would not be shared with other employees), there were an uncomfortable amount of similarities with situations that HR practitioners have to deal with every day. Let’s face it – we’ve all seen this kind of decision making a lot in politics of late, where well connected and well resourced individuals seem to get away with all kinds of unethical practices and behaviour simply because of who they are.

This got me thinking – do we truly still live in a society where people are beyond reproach? Culturally, is this still prevalent and contributing to the shockingly low percentage of women and BAME leaders with a seat at the table able to influence things and instigate change?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a realist, and I can appreciate that choosing the right path isn’t always the easiest. For example – let’s imagine you own a company where your top sales person is responsible for 70% of the income. Now imagine that this sales person is also a toxic individual who bullies their colleagues, uses racist and sexist language, and parades around the office starting and finishing at whatever time they please. The behaviours mentioned above would likely constitute gross misconduct offences in any reasonable workplace, where acting in such a way (if proven) may result in a sanction up to and including dismissal. Dismissing this person, however, would result in the loss of the majority of the business’s income and would also likely culminate in redundancies for the rest of the workforce if a replacement can’t be found who could make the same kind of impact. Furthermore, if dismissed this person could also go and work for a competitor taking all of that business with them. When faced with the reality of a situation such as this – is a business owner going to make that tough call and take a stance?

Throughout my career I’ve witnessed managers make decisions that I don’t agree with. I’ve seen people protected in spite of poor behaviour or decision making, purely because replacing them would be difficult, or worse – because they don’t have the appetite to challenge them. Whenever I have witnessed this, it’s always been disheartening and I’ve always been vocal about my views. There are instances where I’ve been listened to and my advice has been acted on, even if begrudgingly, and instances where it hasn’t been. I’m thankful that I’ve never had to compromise my principles for the sake of my career. I’d like to think that I never would, but the world isn’t a place of “black and white” or “good and bad”, and HR is a career where you’re forever balancing risk and untangling sticky situations.

In an ideal world, at the first sign of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, a manager would have a quiet word with the employee in question to set expectations and unpick the circumstances surrounding the behaviour. The ACAS guide “Challenging conversations and how to manage them”, refers to a “now or never” moment – this is key. If you don’t tackle the behaviour early on and in the right way, it sets a precedent that the undesirable behaviour displayed is acceptable. The longer this goes on, the harder it then is to tackle. Add into the mix good connections and an influx of cash to boot, and the result is an individual who appears to be beyond reproach.

Nipping things in the bud would absolutely be my advice, but if it’s gone beyond that (and particularly if the employee in question adds value to the organisation in other ways) you’re faced with a choice:

1.       Continue to ignore the behaviour and face the consequences – in the Netflix show, continue to benefit from the financial rewards generated by the Senior Associate (who does get promoted by the way….) but alienate others and create a culture of exclusion and, in that case, racism. This would also potentially lead to tribunal claims in the future (the employee who resigns could have filed for constructive dismissal and discrimination, for example). Or;

2.       Tackle the behaviour and face the consequences – in the Netflix show that would have been the loss of significant revenue, but the delivery of a clear message that racism is not tolerated and an inclusive and safe work environment are more important than monetary gains.

I know my thoughts but I’d love to know yours…..

For May’s blog post I thought I’d focus on something that’s definitely a constant in both my work and personal life - change.

Personally, as mum to two young boys, I feel like I’m constantly watching them change. The minute I feel I’ve caught up with the development stage they’re at, they learn and grow and change, and I’m right back to figuring out how to support them through the newest phase.

Professionally there’ve been so many changes in recent history! The constantly evolving hybrid working model has undoubtedly featured highly for many people. For me, the ability to continue to work from home has been invaluable. In fact, I was only commenting to a colleague of mine last week that I had no idea how I juggled my commute and childcare pre-pandemic. This, however, is probably worth a blog post on its own!

Returning to work from a period of maternity leave has also left me learning updated policies, meeting new colleagues, and continuing to work out how to juggle my little ones and my career. In this post-pandemic world (and yes, I’m going to be optimistic and say post!) so many people are dealing with their own changes. Many have had to contend with significant loss, others are experiencing triumphs. As an HR professional, I believe that it’s never been more important to see our colleagues as holistic people. While I appreciate that some may ascribe to the view that employees should “leave their personal problems at the door”; experience has taught me that this just isn’t realistic. Of course an individual’s personal situation shouldn’t dictate working practices, but I absolutely believe it should inform HR advice particularly when dealing with employee relations and change processes.

Take, for example, a large organisational restructure. When employees have already been through a period of significant change and instability with the pandemic, it’s even more important to ensure large projects of this nature are planned out thoroughly, with a specific communications plan that enables employees to be informed at every stage and consulted with meaningfully. Nobody wants to be sat in a room full of their colleagues and presented with a nameless structure, trying to work out what this means for their job moving forward. For me, a more individualistic approach where people fully understand proposals for their roles and the impact of suggested changes on them, the more likely you are to get meaningful engagement with consultation and employees who feel valued. I’m not suggesting that meetings should happen on an entirely individual basis, that’s not always pragmatic, but you want to ensure people feel heard and have a mechanism by which they can raise queries and concerns.

Where employee relations issues are concerned, again I feel that an individualistic approach is far better than attempting to move forward with an attitude than “one solution fits all”. Yes, in any organisation you want to ensure parity in respect of approach and decision making, but to assume everyone should be treated the same is to discount the true meaning of equality. For example, during the pandemic my place of work changed our absence management process to be less prescriptive and more individualistic with a focus on managers documenting their decision making and having room for taking a creative approach depending on individual circumstances. Where sickness absence is concerned there of course remains guidance and suggestions for levels of attendance that are/aren’t broadly acceptable - but what our new policy does well, is empower managers to take decisions that account for the holistic person they’re dealing with, rather than a rigid formulaic approach that reduces a person to statistics. This means conversations change from “you’ve had x days absence therefore we do x” to “you’ve had A days absence due to B, you’ve sought C support and your personal circumstances have meant D. Taking this into consideration our approach moving forward is to do E.”

Change is inevitable, and right now many people are exhausted from the constant lack of clarity and changes that have occurred over the last 2.5 years. If you’re supporting management (or if you are management) and you’re implementing a large scale change initiative (e.g. redundancy, restructure programme) or you’re wrestling with complex casework - I implore you to stop and consider the experience of your employees as they’re taken through the relevant process. I’m sure you’ll find that a more person centred approach to people management better enables you to achieve your strategic priorities, while caring for the welfare of your employees and supporting them, as we all navigate constantly evolving circumstances.

So I’ve been super late with my April blog post – but that’s because April has been CRAZY. I’ve finished my phased return to work following maternity leave, and this has been my first full month back up to 4 days per week. I’ve really loved properly getting my teeth into things, but there’s no doubt that our schedules have become almost pre-Covid busy so it’s left little time for HR musings!

One thing that I just couldn’t miss commenting on, however, is the latest scandal from MPs – Nigel Parish and his alleged viewing of adult content while at work (BBC, 2022).

Now for those people who don’t work in HR this probably sounds absolutely outrageous, and perhaps even those starting out in HR might think that this type of thing is more the exception than the rule, but after the best part of a decade in generalist HR roles I can honestly say that the things people do never cease to amaze me!

The thing is – what do you do when confronted with one of these issues? Here are my top tips when handling scandalous allegations in the work place:

1.       Take a pause - When faced with a manager on the phone (or in person – more likely now that Covid is “no longer a thing”) who advises you that an employee is alleged to have been watching porn while at work, don’t jump straight in – check out what’s happened so far. Don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions to understand how the allegation has come to light and what, if anything, has happened as a result. Once you’ve got an idea of the lay of the land, you’re ready to think about next steps.

2.       Get the employee's initial response - If the allegations haven’t been put to the employee, you need to think about how you will give them an opportunity to provide an initial response. You also need to give consideration to their welfare as facing allegations of this nature is difficult regardless of whether or not the allegations are proven true. This comes hand in hand with recommendation number 3…

3.       To suspend or not to suspend - Let’s be real, an allegation of this nature is no small concern. As well as thinking about the practicalities of arranging a disciplinary investigation, consideration is likely going to be given to whether or not a suspension is necessary. If you do decide that adaptations can’t be made to the employee’s role to mitigate the risk of the allegation, and a suspension is appropriate, it’s important to ensure that the period of suspension is no longer than necessary and that the employee continues to receive their full pay (which, let’s face it, is enough of an incentive to get a move on with the investigation!). It's also worth being really clear with the employee that a period of suspension is not a sanction, rather a protective mechanism for both the employee and the organisation while the investigation is conducted.

4.       Investigate Fairly - When scandalous allegations of this nature crop up, don’t fall into the trap of immediately believing them to be true. Every employee deserves a fair investigation and an opportunity to present their thoughts as part of a thorough disciplinary process. Make sure to appoint someone to do this who will seek out the facts, and present evidence not conjecture.

5.       Arrange that hearing - If the investigation finds evidence that the allegations are supported, a separate manager should chair a disciplinary hearing to review the facts, afford the employee another opportunity to present their case, and make a decision on whether or not a sanction is appropriate. If they do decide to award a sanction, this should be proportionate taking into account action taken with similar cases across the organisation for the sake of parity.

6.       Allow for an appeal - If a sanction is given, always make sure to allow the employee a right of appeal. This should be lodged with another manager who has not been involved in the original hearing, and should focus on a much more limited criteria such as a perceived failure to follow due process, the availability of new evidence, or a perceived failure during the initial hearing to consider relevant facts. It is not a re-hearing of the original case.

7.       Right to representation - In all formal meetings, the employee has the right to be accompanied by a colleague or TU rep.

With a bit of luck, you’ll already have robust policies in place to provide that framework for handling scandalous issues. If this isn’t the case, it’s always best to refer to the ACAS code of practice (ACAS, 2022) which outlines minimum legal requirements for handling disciplinary and grievance processes. Failing that – speak with an amazing independent HR professional who will be able to guide you in the right direction.

While dealing with these issues may seem overwhelming when they first arise – I must be honest, in my opinion it’s the variety of unbelievable things that employees do that makes HR such an interesting and thought provoking career. No two issues are identical, and you become embroiled in previously unfathomable situations. If you’re supportive, fair, and follow due process however – even the most scandalous of cases can be resolved.

And if nothing else – there aren’t many things that highlight the rich tapestry of human existence quite like a case of porn in the office!

References

BBC (2022) - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61276319

ACAS (2022) - https://www.acas.org.uk/acas-code-of-practice-on-disciplinary-and-grievance-procedures

While Learning and Development is absolutely not my specialty, as someone who has undertaken all of their undergraduate and postgraduate education while working (in the main on a full time basis), I’m a big advocate for investing in continuous professional development. Sometimes my desire to keep learning leaves me with a constant feeling of itchy feet – always looking for another qualification to undertake and another skill to develop. The thing is, learning while working (and balancing family and everything else) is not easy – but many are doing it, and if you can make it work you can gain valuable skills and experience without disrupting your career.

Statistics in respect of the UK labour market and skills shortages make for an interesting read. Projections suggest that by 2030 there’ll be a significant deficit of high skills if there isn’t an increase in qualification levels (UK Gov, 2021). Something that the Government have introduced seemingly in part as a response to this, and in order to meet apprenticeship targets, is the apprenticeship levy. Where organisations are capitalising on this, any staff enrolled need to find a way to balance training while working. Of course, to qualify for the levy employers need to facilitate a certain percentage of time “off the job” to get involved in the training – but I can’t help wonder how many organisations truly facilitate this protected time, and how many organisations do allow protected time but employees still find themselves embroiled in the day to day tasks associated with their roles.

Another situation that could result in an increase in individuals trying to balance working while studying, is the impact of the pandemic on job satisfaction. It’s reported that around 34% of people in the UK are considering a change in career following the pandemic (L&W 2022), with the global picture showing that 77% of people are ready to learn new skills or completely retrain (PWC 2021)  – which may drive a lot of people to consider commencing education alongside their current role as part of working towards a position in a new sector.

So if you’re one of these individuals hoping to learn while you earn – here are my tips for keeping on top of those spinning plates!

• Talk to your boss about your course – Whether it’s something related to work, or if you’re hoping to gain a new skill; if there’s the potential for your studying to have any sort of impact on work it’s better to be up front with your employer about it. I’ve been really lucky in my career to have supportive employers who have afforded me time away from normal duties (and sometimes funding) in order for me to work towards my qualifications. You may find yourself in a similar situation. If your course isn’t work related, or if your boss isn’t forthcoming with specific support however, their awareness of your studies may still be helpful if you need to book annual leave for exams or need support with research.

• Build a network of support on your course – I have met some amazing HR practitioners during my time studying for my CIPD qualifications, and during my most recent mediation training I had the pleasure of studying with some very talented individuals (including a surgeon and very senior official within a hospital). The people on your course who are also working and balancing their personal lives are best placed to understand the challenges you’re going to face, and will be a great sounding board while you all study together.

• Request support and understanding at home – Taking on a course of any kind while working and balancing personal commitments is challenging. If you’ve got the ability to rally help with childcare, or you can get your friends to support you by not inviting you to exciting events when you have to study, it will help!

• Get organised – Courses often have exams and assignments, with deadlines to meet and targets to hit. If you’ve also got a demanding role to navigate and you’ve things to remember in your personal life (e.g. projects for school, which day does your son have swimming and your daughter have football again?) you need to get your ducks in a row to be able to handle everything successfully.

So there you have it! I don’t know what my next course will be, and right now my brain is being occupied by just getting back up to speed following my maternity leave, but I look forward to the next challenge and I hope you’ll be inspired to get involved and start studying too.

References

UK Gov (2021) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trend-deck-2021-skills/trend-deck-2021-skills#participation-in-adult-learning-is-declining

L&W (2022) https://learningandwork.org.uk/news-and-policy/uk-skills-shortage-update/

PWC (2021) https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/upskilling/hopes-and-fears.html

With Valentines Day around the corner, it seemed only right for my February blog post to be somewhat Valentine’s themed. Instead of focusing on hearts and roses however, I’ve been somewhat inspired lately to think about the variety of way in which the employment relationship can end.

In my experience, the termination of the employment contract or “break up” tends to happen for a number of predictable reasons. From the employee’s perspective this could be due to poor management, a lack of career progression, a change of direction for the organisation that doesn’t fit with the employee’s values, or a lack of flexibility in terms of working arrangements to cater for changes in circumstances. From the employer’s perspective it’s usually due to a restructure, the requirement to save money, the poor health of an employee preventing them from undertaking their role, or as a result of a disciplinary process. (These are, of course, examples and not an exhaustive list!)

As with romantic relationships, employment relationships can end amicably, or badly. There will be times where amazing employees move on to better roles that simply did not exist with their previous employer. Where this kind of “break up” occurs, providing the relationship has been mutually respectful throughout, there are no hard feelings. This is not always the case however, and for organisations it’s important to ascertain whether or not you really are the problem!

Repeated bad “break ups” can leave a nasty taste with ex-employees and this can have ramifications for an organisation. With websites such as “Glassdoor” affording individuals an opportunity to write company reviews, as well as Employment Tribunal outcomes being available for public review; those pesky ex’s can provide your future talent with a damning report of what it’s really like to enter into an employment relationship with you. It’s also really expensive to have to keep recruiting, never mind the impact that continued new starters have on an organisation’s ability to meet SLA’s and undertake business as usual (time required for training etc.).

So if you as an organisation suspect that you really are the problem, here are a few things to consider to help make improvements and avoid any further heartache….

1.       Check the data – What is your rate of attrition, and how does this vary across different departments? While this can sometimes be predictable (e.g. certain roles by virtue of the nature of the work involved will have a higher attrition rate than others) it might identify a particular area of the organisation that’s losing talent frequently. If that’s the case – you want to know why!

2.       Review those exit questionnaires – Yes, these can often be a platform for disgruntled employees to have a bit of a whinge – but that’s really important! Whether it’s one person with a raft of concerns, or a mass exodus of staff, understanding different individual’s reasons for leaving will help you to make positive changes moving forward. If attrition rates in a particular area of the business are unusually high, your exit questionnaires might reveal the reasons for this e.g. poor management or a lack of flexibility around working hours/location.

3.       Staff survey – If these are done properly they can be an amazing tool for identifying problems within the organisation and giving you a platform to address these. The best way to get honest feedback via a staff survey is to ensure that responses can be provided completely anonymously. One way of doing this, if resources allow, is to engage a separate organisation to distribute the survey and manage the responses. You can also tailor a staff survey to focus on particular areas (if you already have a sense of what might be bothering employees) or you can keep it very general. This can also be a tool for catching trends before they happen; for example, a lack of engagement may be identified here before employees start leaving and the attrition rates are impacted.

4.       Tribunal claims – If the number of employees and/or ex-employees lodging tribunal claims is increasing, there may be an underlying cause, but there are other factors to consider when looking at this information. I’ve worked for organisations where employees wouldn’t even conceive of raising a tribunal claim, and others where tribunal claims are abundant. Whether or not claims are submitted is definitely impacted by cultural factors. Reviewing the nature of each case is essential in determining whether or not you’re being fair and consistent in your approach to employee relations concerns. If tribunals are being lost regularly, there’s something going horribly wrong somewhere that needs addressing as soon as possible. If favourable decisions are being made but tribunal cases continue to be raised however, there’s cultural work to be done around ensuring that employees are listened to and perceive relevant employment processes (and final decisions) to be fair.

5.       HR processes – Linked to the bullet point above, check your HR policies and processes to make sure they comply with the relevant codes of practice, and are fair and easy to navigate. These key documents will help you to ensure that you manage the relationship in an appropriate manner!

6.       Employee engagement – Finally, consider whether or not as an organisation you have mechanisms to receive employee feedback. Is your workforce unionised and do you meet with union representatives regularly? Have you supported the development of a “staff voice” forum to enable staff to bring issues to the table? By opening up a conversation with your employees you will become aware of the issues that are truly important to your workforce (and you may be amazed at what these are!). These forums give you an opportunity to address concerns before they become problems, as well as providing you with ideas regarding reward initiatives that may be truly valued.

Employment relationships are far from simple – at the end of the day we are all people with varied backgrounds, challenges and obstacles to face. Disagreements and conflicts are going to arise and there’s always going to be circumstances where a “break up” is the right thing. Ultimately though, while this can be uncomfortable for everyone involved, if an organisation has acted with integrity and fairness affording opportunities for employee feedback and contribution, you’ve got the best chance of things ending amicably.

So spread a little “love” this Valentine’s Day! Engage with your workforce and take time to work out what it is about you that’s a “turn off” – that way your “perfect match” won’t be deterred from joining your organisation, and you’ll foster working relationships with amazing employees that last.

When I get to the end of a busy day I like nothing more than to settle down and watch some reality TV; and nothing ticks the reality TV boxes for me quite like Netflix’s “Selling Sunset”. For those of you with a more discerning taste in entertainment who haven’t seen this absolute masterpiece, it follows the personal and professional lives of a number of agents who work for The Oppenheim Group in Los Angeles, selling and buying amazing multi-million dollar houses.

There are a number of things I really enjoy about this programme. The first is the houses – nothing beats imagining what it would be like to be able to casually purchase a $10 million home. The second is the lavish lifestyle of the agents – one of whom decided it was a good idea to have a real life sloth at their baby shower(?!). The main draw, however, is the drama; and there is plenty of that.

The thing is, the Oppenheim Group are first and foremost an organisation; and in my experience where drama starts in an organisation, HR are invariably given front row seats and oftentimes expected to sort it out. This got me thinking – perhaps my love of reality TV could actually be useful, as Selling Sunset highlights a number of key pitfall organisations can easily fall into. I therefore present to you, my top 3 HR takeaways from the Oppenheim Group’s employee drama!

HR TAKEAWAY 1 – Don’t sleep with your boss!!

I mean this one should be a no-brainer, but with nearly a fifth of us finding love at work (Nolsoe E, 2020, YouGov) determining a company stance on interpersonal relationships in the workplace should definitely be on the priority list. Clearly prohibiting relationships in the workplace is never going to work, and I’m always a little wary around prying into employee lives unnecessarily (hello GDPR!); that being said, it’s usually inappropriate for someone’s line manager to be their spouse or significant other and the main thing to consider in this arena is a power imbalance and/or favouritism. My suggestion would always be to seek employee disclosures in respect of interpersonal relationships of any kind (think mother/son or siblings for example, as well as romantic relationships) that could impact an individual’s objectivity when undertaking their duties. This will then enable changes to line management/duties/office locations etc. to be discussed if necessary.

This plays out interestingly on Selling Sunset as one of the owners previously had a serious relationship with one of the agents (their subordinate, for want of a better word). This appears to have ended amicably, but there’s often talk of favouritism and the agent in question getting better listing support. Interestingly enough, the same owner has subsequently gone on to have a relationship with another one of the agents….talk about awkward office dynamics!

HR TAKEAWAY 2 – Tackle issues when they arise, don’t let them build up and then air them at huge social events in front of everyone.

In a competitive office there’s bound to be a bit of conflict. No team works harmoniously 100% of the time, and disagreements are inevitable. What isn’t helpful however, is allowing initially small incidents to become larger and larger. The show highlights this well as a disagreement will happen between two employees initially, but then the rest of the office become involved and split off into two factions. This usually culminates in both factions airing all of their issues in one heated explosion at some sort of company function in front of everyone.

In practice, I have seen this happen so many times. Two employees disagree over something seemingly petty. The manager writes this off as petty and chooses not to get involved. A week later the whole office is in disarray – Sandra’s gone off sick, David feels personally victimised and is submitting a grievance, and Cheryl (who had nothing to do with the initial debate) is now weighing in and stirring everyone up. The take away from this? Don’t turn a blind eye to those initial issues. Talk issues through privately, and support team members in dealing with them. Even if at first they seem petty. It’s always better to nip things in the bud!

HR TAKEAWAY 3 – A “like me” or biased approach to recruitment stifles diversity and leaves you with an echo chamber.

The Oppenheim Group is run by twin brothers, and is staffed by an entirely female (and utterly gorgeous) team. While this absolutely makes for great TV, there is a complete lack of diversity. What’s at play here is a “cultural fit” approach to recruitment, and while I can understand a company’s desire to ensure employees will all get along and work well together, I can’t say I’m on board with this kind of recruitment strategy. It’s utterly subjective (and therefore vulnerable to challenge when disgruntled applicants are unsuccessful) and stifles diversity.

So what approach should you take when recruiting? Personally, I feel the more objective you can be, the better. It’s far easier to give interview feedback to a candidate when you’ve compiled objective questions based on a detailed job description and person specification, than it is to try and fluff your way through feedback when the real reason they didn’t get the job is because they “weren’t the right fit”. It also helps to demonstrate fairness and a lack of bias if interviews are conducted by more than one person, and if an actual scoring system is used. At the end of the day, surely you want to hire the candidate who is going to perform best at the job, and not take the Oppenheim approach of who will look best in the group photo…

So there you have it – my thoughts on key HR takeaways based on the delightful drama of Selling Sunset. On the surface, a lot of these issues seem far removed from reality of normal business operation, but it’s amazing how many of these situations I’ve seen play out in the work I do every day. We are all human after all – and whether your office is full of feisty Christine’s or straight talking Maya’s if you’re fair, consistent and sensible in your approach you should be able to avoid that explosive Christmas party and keep things relatively harmonious.

Now, where did I put that remote again….?

References

1. https://yougov.co.uk/topics/relationships/articles-reports/2020/02/13/how-do-brits-find-love

This blog post was written for the #AdventBlogs series, the theme of which was "It doesn't matter".

I’ve attempted to follow these blog posts in and amongst working and raising young feral babies for the last couple of years, but felt drawn to contribute this year. Particularly given the theme…

I envisage everyone is fed up of hearing the word “Covid”, but for me the pandemic has brought about a sense of clarity and focus. Specifically, it’s helped me to re-prioritise and really consider what is important.

I see myself as a staunch feminist and someone who firmly believes in having the choice to have both a career and a family; but trying to do both for me came with an earth shattering reality check. When my eldest son was born almost five years ago, I returned to work four days per week imbued with optimism and ideas of how I would continue exactly as I had with my career pre-children. Instead I found myself drowning in a plethora of seemingly never ending childhood illnesses, exacerbated by exhaustion, inordinately overwhelmed, and constantly resentful of my husband’s ability to continue as if nothing had happened. It got to a point where I felt I had no option but to make a change to my working pattern to try and somehow get a handle on things at home, and just one year post-return I reluctantly dropped my hours to two and a half days per week. While I’m very lucky to have been able to do this, and for many this would have seemed the ideal solution, work had formed such a huge part of my identity for so long and this decision felt forced not chosen. I had to let go of a lot of the ideals I’d held around being a working mum, because I truly didn’t feel like I could do both as I’d hoped. The world of work I inhabited just wasn’t one that was geared up for mums of young children.

Since then, my eldest’s immune system developed, the bugs subsided, and sleep finally improved! I managed to secure a promotion but the role required a full time commitment, not the four day per week one I had hoped for. This was a trade-off I made that felt right at the time; but again, the working world I inhabited still didn’t support mums of young children.

Then the pandemic hit.

Suddenly, through the screens on our laptops, we were invited in to our colleagues lives. Not only were we discussing work but our children and pets were up front and centre stealing the limelight in ways only they know how. Being a working parent, for many, meant no childcare and constant interruptions, and attempts at home schooling while running late for meetings. It was as if the world suddenly accepted that people are three dimensional and work can’t always take priority!

During that long, hot, intense lockdown summer, something started to change. With horrifying news stories and frightened friends and family, the part of my identity that had been wrapped up in work for so long suddenly didn’t seem as important. That drive to be in an office, rushing from nursery drop off to meetings and conferences, seemed chaotic and counterintuitive. The focus on working five days a week seemed to draw away from far more important things at home. Instead of being passing ships in the night who only chat about childcare arrangements and house maintenance, my husband and I actually had chance to talk and laugh and enjoy lunches together.

What if there was actually a better way to do this? What if we can work remotely and not have our babies in nursery from 7:30am just to make it to that 8:30am meeting?

I know I’m not alone in this; in fact research from Future Strategy Group suggests that “52% of UK employees enjoy a better work-life balance after home working” as well as highlighting that two thirds of individuals surveyed had considered freelancing or consultancy work as a way of working more flexibly. (T Barton, Employee Benefits, 2021)

It’s funny how remote working, something that (in many cases) would have required a flexible working request accompanied by a robust business case, became the norm for so many. Businesses found new ways to operate that, in many cases, afforded efficiencies and generated new and interesting ways to achieve results. I’m a big advocate for flexible working in any form, and I genuinely feel like the pandemic has given many a platform to ask for longer lasting changes to their working pattern to support a better work/life balance that perhaps would have felt untenable before. In fact, back in July this year ACAS highlighted that “half of employers in Great Britain expect an increase in demand for flexible forms of working” (ACAS 2021); and the CIPD’s guidance on flexible working suggests that there are early indications that employee requests for all kinds of flexible working patterns, not just the ability to work from home that has been prevalent throughout the pandemic, may increase post-pandemic (CIPD 2021).

Obviously there’s another side to this, and I appreciate that many have felt isolated by the pandemic, or have businesses that thrive off an office based workforce and have suffered, or worse have lost loved ones or been seriously ill as a result; but for me the pandemic has given way to change.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t go in to the office every day.

It doesn’t matter if your child appears on a zoom call demanding snacks.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to go back to the old ways of working.

For me, what really matters is the ability to re-reframe what’s important and to move forward in a way that honours that. Hopefully, this is the dawn of a new era of flexible working that continues to make the workplace more inclusive - particularly, on a selfish note, for working parents!

So from now on you’ll find me working from home (in the main), without any stupidly early nursery drop offs, having lunches with my husband and continuing to try and obtain that illusive work-life balance in a way that works better for us; because really - that’s what matters.

References

1. T Barton, Employee Benefits 2021 (https://employeebenefits.co.uk/52-of-uk-employees-enjoy-a-better-work-life-balance-after-home-working/)
2. ACAS 2021 (https://www.acas.org.uk/new-study-reveals-half-of-employers-expect-more-flexible-working-after-pandemic)
3. CIPD 2021 (https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/flexible-working/during-COVID-19-and-beyond)