Do you ever lie to your employees? ? If the answer is yes, then chances are, you’re making them feel insecure, unloved and (probably) pretty p*ssed off. And I’m not talking about little white lies like “don’t worry, everyone does it” and “I really like that idea, but…” which are aimed at building confidence. I’m talking about the big fat porky pies that managers love to tell, like the following… 5 Lies You Need to Stop Telling Your Employees #Leadership #Lies Click To Tweet 1. “Everything’s fine.” ? (When things are definitely NOT fine.) Good managers keep employees in the loop with ..read more

For most people, Christmas is an exciting time of the year – even at work! There’s usually a happier feeling around the place and everyone feels a lot more generous. But what about Christmas parties? ? While splashing out on a top Xmas do for your staff might be classed as a great move on the whole, there are a lot of ways it can badly misfire too. I’ve put together some top mistakes which you may want to avoid when planning yours. 5 Mistakes Businesses Make With Their Christmas Party #Christmas Click To Tweet Failing to recognise your end goal ? This may sound a little serious for a festive c ..read more

I was recently invited to talk on Share Radio’s “Shop Floor” programme – I’d love to add the link here but they’ve since taken it down… ? Anyway, the topic was “boredom in the workplace;” specifically referring to some of the “most boring jobs in the world” and whether there is anything that can (or should) be done to improve them. So that really got me thinking… Staff boredom, how can we, as employers, spot this in the workplace? Is the onus on us to do something about it? And if so, what on earth can we do? Let’s take a look… “12 Ways to Stop Your Employees Getting Bored at Work” #HR #Employ ..read more

One of your employees leaving the business? As we’ve mentioned before, exit interviews are extremely worthwhile. – They’re free – They give you invaluable feedback – They enable you to discover any missing gaps in your business – They allow you to find a common reason as to why employees are leaving your company However, they’re a lot different from regular interviews. Exit interview questions are what give you the ability to improve and assess your current position as an employer. Perhaps there are hidden issues that you can’t see, or have somehow overlooked. Regardless, you need to make su ..read more

When it comes to salary, there are a number of ways to assess what your employees should be earning. But one question I’m asked time and time again is regarding whether performance-related pay is a good idea or not. The idea of a performance-related pay system is to reward an employee’s individual performance based on a set of pre-agreed objectives. While it may seem like a justifiable solution in a sales environment, what about other fields of work and industries? Does performance-related pay work? What are the downsides? Are there any alternative schemes you can use to help improve employee ..read more

“Upskilling” isn’t just a buzzword, it’s going to continue playing a key role in remedying the UK skills shortage for years to come. In a fascinating report published by City & Guilds Group, it’s believed that only 46% of British workers are getting enough help and support from their employer to develop the workplace skills they’ll need in the future. The chief executive of City & Guilds Group, Chris Jones, says: “As working lives get longer and the age of the workforce increases, now is the time for employers to prioritise upskilling and reskilling people at all ages and stages withi ..read more

Workplace gamification has become increasingly more popular over the past couple of years, especially when it comes to eLearning and training strategies. In fact, almost half (48%) of UK employers offer some form of gamified rewards to staff, with 20% doing it via a set bonus for reaching a goal and a further 17% use it as a surprise gesture to demonstrate their gratitude towards an employee. One of the biggest appeals of workplace gamification is the positive impact it can have on productivity and staff retention. Giving your employees the extra incentive to push towards goals and making the ..read more

Having a candidate who’s a fast learner is great, but does it always make them the highest performers in your business? Over the years, there’s always been a feeling on a subconscious level that in order to succeed, you need to pick things up quickly.   However, to discard employees who are a little slower to pick up a process or a solution seems crazy. To find an answer to this question, let’s explore further. Does speed equal success? Hiring an employee who is quick to pick up something new is widely regarded as a positive – there’s no debate there. The problem is, this can lead to a “k ..read more

Getting the most out of your employees isn’t always easy, especially if you aren’t able to give them the pay rises or specific perks they want. However, if you can crack the formula and keep them highly motivated, you’ll not only give your company’s productivity rates a good old kick up the backside, but you may just reduce staff retention too. If you’re saying “yes please” in your head, you might want to check out these tried and tested top performance management tips below. Be a coach One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to position yourself as an evaluator. Some of the best performan ..read more

Any time is a perfect time to talk about productivity. Agree? If you answered yes, you’re one of the 39% of HR professionals in the UK that rank productivity as their fourth priority for 2019, just behind employee wellbeing, employee engagement and GDPR compliance. Image source: TopLine Comms However, looking at the numbers above, we all know that the top 2 priorities — employee wellbeing and employee engagement — are two concepts that are closely related to productivity. This comes as no surprise. According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK labour force recorded a decline in prod ..read more