As the world celebrates International Women’s Day it’s fitting to shine a light on our Managing Director, Nicola Callaghan; a remarkable HR professional and Managing Director who founded HR Caddy in 2005.  19 years later our HR Consultancy firm is going from strength to strength and to this day have a team that is predominantly female.  Men have historically populated the world of business.  In the past, even industries that you’d assume are female-dominated such as HR, more often than not have been headed by men.  Even though it’s not quite the case anymore, female busine ..read more

It is natural to feel stress from time to time. But there is a limit to how much stress employees should feel surrounding their job. The last thing you want is for employees to burn themselves out trying to work normally while feeling a huge sense of pressure that they aren’t addressing as this will only lead to further problems. Stress can cause long-term absence, burnout and other physical and mental health issues if not treated and addressed. Here are some useful tips for you to manage stress in a working environment for your employees and yourself too! Prioritise mental health Mental healt ..read more

Employee engagement is one of the most important aspects of your business. Keeping an eye on how your employees are engaging is a great way to measure their commitment to the company and its growth. It has been widely proven that employees with larger engagement in their team feel happier, more motivated and supported by their management. In turn, this creates a mutual level of respect, which also contributes to the sense of being a valued member of the team. Why aren’t my employees engaged? There may be a number of reasons why your employees are not engaging as they should be. Employers shoul ..read more

Taking steps to create an inclusive workplace regarding religion can help strengthen your workforce, inspiring diversity, respect, and motivation. So, what can employers do to address the key concerns, keeping things fair and equal, whilst supporting the needs of the business? Inclusive policies and procedures It is important to regularly assess employment policies and procedures, so that they are in line with the changing needs of the business, as well as up to date with legal requirements. These policies are in place to ensure that employees are treated fairly, no matter their religious and ..read more

When it comes to annual leave, many employers often find themselves asking: can I make my employees take paid time off? The short answer is yes, but the long answer is a little more complex. Forcing your employees to take annual leave can be difficult, creating frustration and conflict if they do not wish to do so. Additionally, it’s important to note that you must stick to the rules set out in the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR 1998). However, with the right procedures and preparations, this can be achieved whilst maintaining a positive working relationship. How can you enforce this? It i ..read more

The final work days before Christmas tend to be notoriously quiet in offices, with many staff members taking annual leave before the big day. However, for those who are working, the question “can I leave early?” may be floating around. So, how should you approach this? Is it feasible? Allowing your employees to leave early for Christmas is a gesture of goodwill on what is typically a quiet work day. However, you need to be mindful of whether work has been completed, and deadlines met before the end of the year. Of course, this will also depend on the sector that you operate in. Retail and hosp ..read more

As an employer, it is important to give your employees a voice, and ensure they are being listened to. Not only will your workforce provide valuable insights into the operations of the company and its customers, but they can also help create a positive work environment that encourages collaboration and innovation. Listening to your employees helps build trust between management and staff, which in turn leads to better communication and more productive outcomes for both parties. It is the key to understanding what motivates and inspires them, as well as resolving any issues that might arise in ..read more

If you are an employer, it is important to be aware of the challenges your employees may be facing both inside and outside of the workplace.  Challenges at work  There are many difficulties employees may encounter while at work.  It is important to keep up to date with how the teams in your workplace are getting on. There may be difficulties within teams which you are unaware of, such as an imbalance of workload.  It may also be the case that employees want to broaden their skills and gain experience in other areas.  As an employer, it is vital that you ensure your emp ..read more

If you are an employer, there is no doubt you’ll be faced with the responsibility to create a positive working environment in order to keep productivity levels high and keep employees happy at work. Steps you should take You should ensure to build up good relationships with your colleagues and employees in order that there is a good understanding of the rules of the workplace. This should include things such as understanding roles, responsibilities, and procedures of the workplace. This will help employees feel comfortable and able to discuss workplace issues so they can be supported, and the ..read more

As an employer, you may be wondering if it’s legal to force your employees to come to work even when bad weather strikes. This is an important question and one that has become increasingly relevant as extreme weather events have become more frequent in recent years. The answer is not necessarily straightforward, but there are some guidelines that can help you make sure you’re complying with employment law. What if commuting is affected? Getting to and from work is typically the responsibility of your staff. If adverse weather conditions mean your employees can’t get to work, there is no automa ..read more