Staff Management

Divorce is a deeply personal and often stressful experience, yet it doesn’t just stay within the confines of home—it spills over into work, affecting performance, mental health, and team dynamics. As employers, it’s crucial to recognise the impact of divorce on employees and understand the best practices in offering support. This is not just about legal compliance; it’s about fostering a compassionate workplace culture that aids both the individual and the organisation. In our “They Ask, We Answer” blog, we’ll…

The weather outside is frightful, but the fire’s not delightful – just yet. That’s right, Christmas is just around the corner, and although nobody’s bells are quite jingled at the moment, they soon will be! As such, it’s the perfect time to discuss that cornerstone of office life, the work Christmas party. These gatherings can be a source of joy, festivity and camaraderie, but they are also rife with potential pitfalls and challenges when it comes to maintaining professionalism and…

Effective communication is core to any organisation, big or small. In the realm of business, it serves as the foundation, the keystone from which all goals are achieved. Collaboration, decision-making, the generation of new ideas and perspectives; all are impossible without effective communication. Not only that, but a lack of it results in seriously detrimental effects – misunderstandings, decreased productivity, mistakes, toxicity, confusion and errors. In our latest in the difficult employee series, we look at the issues that poor…

In our latest newsletter, we discussed the importance of annual leave and its effect on the workplace, and the striking fact that so many employees in today’s workforce do not use all their days: up to an astonishing 62% according to the latest figures1. The current state of affairs begs one crucial question, and that is – how do employers encourage their employees to take their annual leave?  How to encourage employees to take annual leave 1. Lead by Example…

For this year’s mental health day, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) has put forward the idea of mental health as a universal human right. All too often, those with mental health and psychosocial disabilities experience disproportionate rates of poor physical health, reduced life expectancy and societal stigma, in and out of the workplace. Today, the WFMH is campaigning for mental health to be put squarely within the framework of human rights legislation and recast as a fundamental human…

As an employer, one of the biggest challenges you may face is dealing with a difficult employee who is resistant to feedback: whether it’s due to their personality or past experiences, some employees can be extremely stubborn when it comes to receiving criticism or suggestions for improvement, even on relatively small or simple matters. However, as someone responsible for maintaining a positive and productive work environment, it’s your duty to find ways to address this issue. In this article, we…

It may not seem like it just yet, but already the days are getting shorter and the nights longer, and soon enough, the spectre of year-end will once again rear its head. For employers, this means that now is a pertinent time to remind staff that once their holiday days for the year have passed, they won’t be coming back. For any business owner, ensuring the productivity and wellbeing of staff is paramount. Allowing employees to take time off from…

Effective employee performance evaluation is absolutely vital for any organisation striving for success. After all, without them, how are you supposed to track progress? However, nowadays there is much debate over the latest intriguing method: Management by Objectives or MBOs. This article will discuss how it fares versus the more traditional performance appraisal, and aims to shed light on how each approach can contribute to achieving organisational goals and improving overall employee performance. What is Management by Objectives (MBO)? Management…

We’ve all encountered one or two, and, unfortunately, they tend to pervade the modern workplace: an individual who seems relentlessly negative, no matter the situation. It can take the form of cynicism, apathy, a resistance to change, or even outright disruptive behaviour; but what unites these symptoms is an overall sense of pessimism that tends to bring everyone down. Effectively managing such a person is a difficult task. Often, it’s important to examine the underlying reasons for their negativity, why…

Resignations aren’t always a smooth process. On occasion, employees may quit on the spot, refuse to comply with regulations, cause drama, or even spread false information that may harm your business. These types of resignations are what we would consider contentious resignations, and they need to be handled with extraordinary care. As an employer, you’ll need to take specific steps to ensure that this process goes as smoothly as possible. So today, we’ll share ten top tips to help you…

Sometimes, the basics can be the most difficult – at least for some. Turning up to work each day can be a difficult task for many people, and there comes a point when regular absenteeism becomes a real problem. Deadlines have to be met, tasks completed and targets met, but, more than anything else, the absentee can cause disruption and a lack of motivation to pervade the rest of the workplace. This article will examine the key signs that an…

“I think the reason that swearing is both so offensive and so attractive is that it is a way to push people’s emotional buttons, and especially their negative emotional buttons. It has shock value, because taboo words soak up emotional connotations and are processed involuntarily by the listener; you can’t will yourself not to treat the word in terms of what it means.” ·         Stephen Pinker Dealing with profane language in the workplace is largely subjective. Such language is a sensitive…

The Rugby World Cup is set to kick off on Friday, 8th September with hosts France set to face New Zealand’s All Blacks at 8.15pm. However, not all of the kick-off times are quite so accessible, and many games will take place during normal working hours. As such, we ask a question that is going to be on the mind of many of the millions of rugby fans across the country: is it okay to watch the world cup at work?…

To follow on from our detailed newsletter article on the nature of how sexual harassment occurs in the workplace, HR:4UK are now producing a series of top tips to help employers who are worried about instances of sexual harassment in their place of work What can Employers do to Prevent Sexual Harassment at Work? ACAS advisor Gary Wedderburn made it very clear in his discussion with Glamour Magazine1: “Employers should take steps such as explain what sexual harassment is, what types…

Starting a new job can be a daunting undertaking. As an extension of our ‘Employee Onboarding: What to do – and what not to do’, we’re creating a series of guides on how to keep talented employees and avoid that dreaded staff turnover.  For this issue, we’re taking a look at mentorship programs, what they are and how they can help new staff feel part of the team and, above all, improve that all-important ‘time to competency’.  According to Forbes,…

Over 12.8 million working adults in the UK suffer from chronic disease1. That’s over 30% of the working population. Persistent ill health represents a significant economic burden for society due to the heightened pressure on the healthcare system, the increased sickness absence and the amount of productivity lost. Current research suggests that those with chronic health conditions are better served at work, yet the demands of modern employment can often contribute to the continued development of chronic diseases. As a…